It Started As a Deal

Chapter 19: Don't Get on Their Bad Side

"They send me away to find them a fortune/ A chest filled with diamonds and gold" ~ Halsey, Control, Badlands.

* * *(Takes place two years in the past)* * *

"Momma! All the kids at school are making fun of me and my clothes. They say I look like a hobo! Why can't I have cool clothes like them?" Josh asked my mom as we ate our dinner of cereal at the table.

"Well would you rather have a roof over your head and food to eat or have cool clothes like those bratty and spoiled kids at your school?" my mom had asked him spooning more cereal into her mouth.

"I guess food and a house," he mumbled out draining his bowl of all the milk before getting up to put it in the sink. "Why don't was have more money?"

"Because all the meanies out there don't want to give your mommy a job to provide for her four children," she spits out ushering Josh out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, "Go check to make sure Milly is still sleeping in her bed." Once he was up the stairs and out of earshot, I turned to her to confront her.

"If you didn't spend the money you had on your drugs, then maybe we could have nicer things. Maybe Jessica wouldn't have to set aside money from her pay checks to help pay the bills for the house," I tell her whisper-shouting as to not gather Josh's attention.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said stiffly turning away from me and starting to wash the dishes to avoid the topic.

"Yes you do! Don't play dumb with me! I'm not an idiot nor a child! You think I don't see things because trust me when I say I've seen more than you've expected me to have," I tell her going over to her and turning her around to face me.

"I don't know who's filling your head with lies, but you need to stop hanging around those types of people," she says getting up in my face almost hissing at me it seems. I can feel her hot breathe on my face, and it stinks to all get out.

"Then you better check yourself. You think I don't see the bundles you try to hide, that I don't smell what's in the air, that I don't see how your motions change and that your eyes turn red," I say taking a step towards her and poking her in the chest, "If you want to do your stupid and life damaging drugs, then don't do it in the house or be sneaker about it!"

"You don't know anything about that!" she says through clenched teeth slapping me across the face, "You are just seeing things that aren't there as usual you idiot!"

"I'm the idiot? That's rich coming from the likes of you! You're the one who sees things! You say bugs crawl over your skin and that cats are following you!" I shout at her blocking her arms that were coming at me. She kept hitting my arms ensuring there would be bruises covering the area.

"Don't insult me I am your mother!" she says pushing me onto the floor and kicking me in the ribs.

"You sure don't seem to act like it! Instead of caring for us, you care about your drugs! Would a mother be doing this to their kids?" I ask her kicking her feet away from me. At that moment, the doorbell rings, and my mom starts dragging me out of the room. "You better stay quiet and make no sound, or you will defiantly regret it!" She then storms off to the front door leaving me lying on the ground wondering what she doesn't want me to see or hear.

"Stacy, I assume you know why we are here," a deep man's voice said. I heard two pairs of heavy footsteps make their way to the living room couch.

"Not particularly as there could be a number of reasons," she says to them calmly walking after them.

"Cut the crap and tell us when you'll have our boss' money!" the other man snapped sounding angry.

"I told you all that I already paid him the money I owed him. He doesn't have anything else to get from me," my mom tells the two men sounding mad and irritated.

"Then allow us to refresh your memory. You owe over 10,000 dollars to him by tomorrow evening," one of the two men tells her causing a shudder to go through my body.

"I've already told you I don't know how many times that I already paid the money I owed your boss! Why won't you leave me alone?" she asked crying out sounding distraught.

"According to our resources, you have not. Do we need to tell you what happens when you lie and don't pay out boss back? Well allow me to tell you: we'll come in and kill you and all of your children. Do you understand?" the men asked making the couch squeak as they stood up to leave.

"Yes I understand," my mom says closing the door behind the two men after they leave. She walks over to where she left me on the ground unable to get up without causing pain to take over my ribs and pulls me to my feet to help me up the stairs.

"What are you going to do to get the money?" I asked her as she helped me settle into my bed and tuck the sheets around my body.

"I'm not too sure yet, but I'm about to leave to try and find the money somewhere," she says sitting on the edge of my bed and putting her head in her hands with a sigh escaping her lips.

"You won't let us die won't you?" I ask her starting to cry knowing there was no way she could get the money in time. "I don't want to die Mom. Why did you have to get so heavily into drugs? Why did you borrow so much money and drugs from that guy to get us in this mess anyway? What were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry Imogen I don't know. I didn't want any of you to get dragged into this mess," she mumbles out shaking her head.

"Well it's too late to change anything now isn't it?" I say angrily glaring daggers at her.

"I'll fix it. Trust me this once. Please," she begs looking at me with pleading eyes.

"Only as long as you don't get into this type of mess again," I tell her taking her hand in mine.

"I promise," she said leaving my room and the house. My mom was gone for hours causing Milly and Josh to wonder where she was and me having to lie to them for the first time in my life. We waited hours for her to show back up to no avail. I had to put them to bed myself while I waited up for her to show her face. And finally she did . . . at almost one in the morning.

"Why are you still up?" my mom asked coming into the house and slumping down on the couch.

"I've been waiting for you," I tell her going over and sitting next to her on the couch, "So, did you get the money you needed?"

"Yeah yeah I got it," she says tossing a giant wad of cash on the table in front of us, "Count it if you don't believe me."

"Where did you get all this cash? Did you rob a bank or something?" I asked her in shock at seeing all the money before me.

"No of course I didn't rob a bank! Don't you have any faith in me at all? You know what, forget that question. It doesn't matter how I got the money," she said waving her hand trying to act nonchalant about it.

"You sure it doesn't matter? What if that person wants to kill us?" I ask her turning to look at her.

"I promise it does not matter. We are safe now. You don't have anything to worry about. I promise."

* * *

Author's Note: The quote at the top tells you how her mom go the money just saying.