Fighting For Ava

*26*

Jethro opened the door, knowing what to expect. Mother T sprang up anxiously from her seat while Rose shifted clumsily when she saw him.

"Where have you been?" Mother T demanded even before he could step in.

Jethro did not answer immediately. He just calmly moved in and gently closed the door behind. He glanced at Rose but could not grasp what the girl's face was saying. He had asked Rose to tell Mother T, whenever she asked of him, that he was at the back of the house. But that would certainly not be a smart lie now. He had been at the back of the house for over three hours and had stayed there even in the furious rainfall. That would be the dumbest lie ever. He had to change it.

"Where are you coming from, you deaf?" Mother T yelled when he would not speak a word.

"I went to get something down the street." He lied, scratching his head. He hoped that would work.

"Oh, you went to get something for almost four hours. Keep the sweet lies coming, boy." Mother T said in a harsh tone.

"Mum, I had to stay somewhere and avoid the rain.."

"Say, keep them coming." Mother T interrupted with a scoff, "You avoided the rain, and yet you're this soaked." She huffed.

Jethro's eyes dropped to his wet clothes and he realized how stupid he was. He looked up and back at Mother T. He sighed and his shoulders dropped in defeat.

"Now you've run out of lies." Mother T smirked at his reaction, "What of the back of the house? " She croaked and Jethro peered toward Rose when he heard that. Mother T noticed that and she gave a snigger, "Of course, she had said the lie you asked her to say. You goof!"

Jethro raked some fingers through his hair and stared blankly at the woman, "I'm sorry, Mum." He apologized.

"That hasn't still answered the question, where have you been?" Mother T repeated harshly.

"I went to see a friend." Jethro breathed and watched a sinister smile flickered across the woman's face.

"You went to see a friend or she came here to see you?" Mother T snapped and an exclamation flew out of Jethro. He gritted his teeth and knew he shouldn't lie anymore. Mother T had caught him, "Who was that girl with you at the patio earlier?

Jethro hesitated and scratched his neck again before answering, "Ava."

"Ava? The same girl!" Mother T said with a voice full of scorn and anger, "What's it with this girl that had gone into your head? You got suspended from school because of her and now you're putting the whole house on nerves for..."

"Mum!" Jethro cut her off in his frustration, "She came to see me and I have to escort her when she was leaving."

"Escort her for four hours!" Mother T howled at him and there was nothing better he could do than to fall quiet and helplessly shake his head, "I wish Nolan was here," The woman continued in a voice that had suddenly dropped to a teary tone, "You kids have become bratty since he left the house."

"And we're nowhere being better when he was around," Jethro muttered impertinently, causing fire to grow in the woman's eyes.

"Haven't I warned you never to talk about him that way again?" Mother T snapped and charged toward him.

Jethro took some steps backward in precaution but still would not stop talking, " You never wanted me to say the truth, Mum. You never wanted to hear it. Nolan was a monster while he was around. He got drunk every night and beat you up. I just don't understand why you still want him around. I just don't know how he'll make us better with such irresponsible acts and..."