hot to go • richie jermivich

Mom

12 weeks to open and theres still a lot of shit to do. This was still crazy. Claudia has been keeping this in all good spirits. She believes, well is trying to. Carmy had put her on kitchen duty, she had all power to do whatever she wanted with it. It was a curse and a blessing. Which meant for Richie, following and listening to Claudias orders, which he did not like.

"CLAUDIA!" Neil yells out for her.

"You just called mom?" Richie growls at him. She makes her way to the voice and sees Neil, Marcus and Richie in the corner by the lockers.

"Yes my love?" She sounds so sweet that it made Richie gag.

"Should we move the lockers before we scrape off the paint?"

"Thats common sense honey, yes you should." Richie rolled his eyes.

"Then we're just gonna move them right back Claudia!" Richie yells at her. "Why fuck em up?"

"First dont fucking scream at my face and two, don't boss people around."

"Claudia, im trying to head up this operation." Richie leans to her. "im trying to assert myself okay? I don't know what they are teaching you about leadership in fucking France, but in this kind of situation, what you need is an alpha." She rolled her eyes at him. "And that is not Fak. They can smell his pheromones. They are weak as shit. Thats just chemistry."

"Move the fucking lockers." She growls at him. He backs up. "Do it."

"Whatever, whatever you want. Your kitchen right." He puts his hands up as she walks away. "For real, youre shitty." He points at Fak.

"I didnt wanna do it wrong."

"Youre shitty."

"I didnt wanna do it wrong." He repeats.

"You did use mom against dad." Marcus tells him.

"Thank you Marcus, but don't ever say that again." Richie stands his ground.

"Yeah But you were wrong."

"You two do fight like you are married." Fak joins in.

"And she does scare you." Marcus adds. Richie frowns.

"You always give in to her."

"You always say you will destroy her but don't do it."

"And you always look at her ass-" Richie smacks Fak.

"Move em!" He pointed at the lockers.

—

Mold. They found fucking mold. Richie was trying so fucking hard for Fak not to call in Claudia as she was the boss of the kitchen for this remodeling. And the last thing Richie wanted was for her to go fucking nuts and that Nat and Carmy had to be involved.

"Whats your middle name?"

"Whats my middle name?"

"Yeah whats your middle name?"

"Lawrence."

"Well, Richard Lawrence, im telling mom now." Fak threatens to call in Claudia.

"Dont you fucking dare." He didn't want to hear it, not from her.

"Im gonna call mom right now." They got into each other's faces.

"Dont you fucking dare."

"I dare. I dare."

"You know what? Actually, i dare you. Call mom. I dare you."

"Mom." Fak starts off with a whisper.

"Call mommy."

"Mom."

"See what happens. She cant hear you."

"Claud... Want me to do it loud?"

"See what happens when you call her."

"ill get louder. Ill get louder." Marcus is over here like what the fuck. Was Richie that scared of Claudia? There was no way! "Mom!" Fak screams out but Richie immediately goes and slaps his hand over Faks mouth.

—

"Claudia!" Nat yells for her. Claudia walks into the bathroom to see Nat on the floor. "We got a problem."

"Oh fuck..." She closes her eyes. "What is it now? Carmy got the numbers wrong again?"

"Theres a mold problem." Her pops out of her head. No way.

"Oh hell no."

"I just got a call. He returned our call and said thats there is a mold problem here."

"Ill deal with it." Claudia stomps her way to the stupid corner. "We have a mold problem?" She looks at Richie.

"No we dont." He plays it cool. "Who said that? Liars. We do not."

"It wasn't a question. Nat just told me that a guy just returned our call about a mold problem and it's definitely a mold problem."

"Well, i wonder how the fuck some guy would suspect us of having a mold problem." Neil slides in.

"I dont know." He shakes in denial.

"honey, did you call the mold man?" Claudia bends and touches his shoulder.

"Oh dont be fucking sweet on him!" Richie scuffs.

"No." He says.

"Fak." Richie stares him down.

"Richie." Marcus calls him.

"Richie." Claudia says.

"Claudia, relax. It's under control." He looks at her. "These ceilings, they're practically styrofoam. Come here." He puts his arm out. "Come here."

"Me? No!" Claudia shakes.

"Get over here." He takes her arm and pulls her to him. She stands in front of him. His tall self hovers over her. "Do you trust me?" He looks over her shoulder, wondering if this will cost him his life or not by doing this.

"No." She flat out says.

"Well, trust me. Were we to have mold, they would collapse when i go like this." He hits the hockey stick up to the ceiling and it fell all over them. Claudia closes her eyes and mouth as the mold, dust, styrofoam collapsed, then a dodgeball, out of nowhere from above, hits them. "Thats it?" Richie looks up. Then another object hits them in the heads. "Claudia, sweetheart-" All she did was look at him with the most terrifying death stare, covered in filth, as she walked away. It gave Richie the chills.

"Moms mad." Fak says.

"Someone's sleeping on the couch." Marcus laughs.

"Claudia..." He follows her. "Babe, im sorry!" He yells after her.

"Get away from me Richie! Dont call me that!"

"Come on! Dont be like that!" He still follows her to the bathroom as she tries to get the stuff off her face. "Im sorry!"