Mafia by Blood (wlw)

27 - Lead the way

The days had flown by in a blur of training and studying for her upcoming exams, but a the guilt about Jackson lingered at the back of Mac's mind. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had somehow failed him. Noelle's training sessions were intense and demanding, but they provided a much-needed distraction. Despite the bruises and the muscle aches, Mac felt herself growing a little bit stronger every day.

But now, sitting in the middle of her Spanish class, the guilt resurfaced. Mac glanced over at Marley, who was taking notes. The teacher talked about irregular verbs, but Mac's mind was elsewhere.

"Are you okay?" Marley whispered, sensing that Mac was distracted, because unlike her, Mac wasn't taking notes.

Mac nodded absently, her pen tapping against her notebook. "Yeah, just... thinking."

Marley gave her a knowing look but didn't press further. They had talked about Jackson a few times, each conversation leaving Mac feeling worse. She couldn't change the past, but she'd give anything to do it.

"Mac, ¿puedes traducir la frase en la pizarra?" the teacher's voice cut through her thoughts.

Mac blinked and focused on the board. She took a deep breath and read the sentence on the board. "La casa es grande y tiene muchas ventanas. It means, 'The house is big and has many windows.'"

"Muy bien, Mac," the teacher smiled.

"Right on time," Mac smiled to herself as Noelle's sleek car pulled up right outside the school.

A genuine smile spread across Noelle's face as Mac plopped into the passenger seat, giving her a quick kiss before starting talking about her day. Picking up Mac from school had quickly become one of Noelle's favorite routines during the week days.

"So, I guess your birthday is coming up soon," Noelle commented as she parked beneath the villa. Mac furrowed her brows, "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Capo told me."

"Yeah, it's on April 7th," Mac confirmed.

"Big day. Excited?" Noelle asked, slamming the car door and walked toward the elevator.

Mac shook her head. "Not really." Memories of her dad passed out drunk on the couch, being promised celebrations, and embarrassing moments with friends flooded back. She remembered having to pick him up from the local bar when she wasn't even old enough to drive. One year, she had to lie to her friends about being sick because their apartment was trashed after one of her father's parties.

Mac took Noelle's silent staring as a sign to continue. "It's just that, well, you know George is an alcoholic and an addict. I've spent a lot of my birthdays dealing with his empty promises and taking care of him," she sighed as they stepped out of the elevator.

Noelle's heart sank at the confession. She knew George had issues, but she had never heard any stories like that on how it affected the younger girl. She made a silent promise to herself to make Mac's upcoming birthday the best she ever had.

"Speaking of George, maybe you could come with me to check on him? Assuming he's still in the med bay?" Mac asked, her eyes wide with hope.

Noelle smiled weakly. "Yes, he's still there, and yes, I'll join you."

They entered the med bay to find George sleeping, which was about all he had done since he arrived. Mac almost preferred it that way, in that way she didn't have to talk with him. He looked better now; the swelling had faded, and while the bruises remained, their colors were less vibrant.

"I wonder what caused his constant need for alcohol," Mac muttered, looking down at the sleeping man.

"Have you asked him?"