Princess & the Player

six: Maggie's family falls apart

Maggie's POV:

I didn't see mom come racing out of the house until she was practically in my face.

I barely had time to hand the helmet to Marco before I felt the slap. 

Ouch.

Her nail caught me right under the eye and I could feel the blood on my face as I stumbled. 

"Go," I shouted over the motorcycle.

"Are you serious? I'm calling the cops!" His eyes flitted between my mom and me. 

"No! You can't do that! Just go. Please."

"Who are you, pretty boy?" My mom turned on him like a snake. "Did you do something with my daughter? Did she tell you she was still in high school?! Hope you got lots of money for lawyers!!"

I frantically waved my arms warning Marco to leave. Fast. He nodded and rev'd his bike, spinning a u-turn and riding away. 

I watched him go with relief. 

Rookie mistake. 

Her second slap got me full on the cheek and made me stumble. Damn, it stung. 

"SLUT!" she roared, her bloodshot eyes bulging. Oh, yeah, mom was completely wasted. "You were with him? Giving it up to some college boy?"

"Mom!" I was still rubbing my cheek. 

Jeb came running up and got between us. "Mom! The neighbors! Mrs. Lawson's got her phone out!"

Nothing sobers up my mom faster than the prospect of another drunk and disorderly. She turned on her heel and marched back in the house.

"You all right? Can I take a look?" Jeb peered at my face.

"It's nothing," I wiped the blood off with my hand. "Where's Laurie?"

"Trying to make dinner," he shook his head. Laurie had the domestic skills of a wombat. At 8, she couldn't even sort laundry. I'm not sure how much of it is real or acting. She would toss her blonde hair over her shoulder and blink her blue eyes and look confused even though we all knew she could solve resultant vectors out of my physics book. 

"We're fine," Jeb told me, serious beyond his years.

"Fine, how?"

"Mom hasn't come near us. She's been calling everywhere looking for Dad, though."

Jacob had given Jeb the last name of Scott though I was never sure there'd been a legal adoption. 

For sure not me, though. Mom had needed my survivor benefits from Social Security too much.

Jeb looked over his shoulder at my mom and then lowered his voice, "the rent money's gone."

I nodded and felt dizzy with frustration. 

"You think JJ could help us?" The hope in Jeb's voice was awful. 

JJ's mother and stepfather lived in a big house up North. The three of them ate out at restaurants and went on vacations to places with bright blue water while I had been cleaning up after mom and changing Laurie's diapers. Growing up, I'd always kind of hated JJ for having this awesome Instagram life away from us. The repulsed look on JJ's face had been obvious when he would visit twice a year.

But I'd sucked it up last night and gone looking because I needed him. 

"It'll be OK," I promised. 

Mom looked like she really wanted to kill me when I got to the kitchen. "I just want to make dinner," I said softly. The way to de-escalate Mom was to be quiet, humble, and helpful like she was in charge.