Which is my parent?

Chapter 10: Maria Kelly

Anna and I parted ways, she went to her house and I went to mine. 
When I got in mom had already had her drug dealer over because she had a line of Coke just open on the table. 
I got her up and to bed and collapsed on my own. 
It was late morning and I was tired as hell. What a crazy twenty four hours. I planned on sleeping until work tonight. I checked my phone for the first time since we ran from the cops.  
I had a text from TT. 

Just checking in, heard you had a run in with one of Dex's men. You okay? 

Yeah, I'm fine. Ran away before I could beat some sense into him. 

Are things getting bad? Do you need to come back? 

No, I got things handled. But watching my mother snorting Coke is hard. 

Tell me you aren't using again. 

No, I haven't. I won't. Don't worry about me TT, I'm okay. 

I know you are, you always are. You know that I'm always here for you right? No matter what. 

I know. 

I love you, I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. 

I love you too. Don't let anyone read that or you'll have problems. Softy. 

Hey, not soft, concerned, there's a difference. And you know it's only with you. 

I know. Same goes. 

I plugged my phone in and passed out before my head hit the pillow. 

I woke to a smashing sound from downstairs. I jumped up, grabbed the baseball bad from my closet and walked down the stairs. And what do I see? My mother trying to do something in the kitchen. 
"Mom, what the hell are you doing?" I asked lowering the bat. 
"I was hungry and you had nothing made." 
"Excuse me?" I crossed my arms. 
"Normally you have food ready. Where's my meal?" 
I chocked on a laugh. "In the fridge. Make it yourself." 
"What did you just say? Don't take that tone with me young lady, I am your mother." 
I actually did laugh this time. "I am not your daughter, I am your caregiver. I do everything. I keep the lights on, I keep the food on the table, I keep a damn roof over your sorry ass. And what do you do mother? Take my money for your next Crack fix? Sleep all day and take me for granted?" 
"I do no such thing." She protested. 
"Okay. What's my favourite colour?" 
She stayed silent.
"What's my favourite animal?" 
Again she didn't answer. 
"What is the job I do so that you can live in this house?" 
Nothing. 
I rolled my eyes. "If you where my mother you would know these things. My favourite colour is purple. My favourite animal is a Beluga whale and I work as a singer and stripper. I'm seventeen, I should be in college, I should be living it up in a sorority with my best friends, but no. I am a stripper and was raised by a gang lord because my mother was too fucking high to take care of her preteen daughter. You got me hooked on Crack Cocaine when I was eleven! No mother would make their child go out to get their drugs because she was too sick to get off the damn couch. You aren't my mother. You are the woman who held me in her stomach for nine months!" 
It all just came out, all in one big slur of words. I felt like shit the second the last word came out of my mouth. I am the worst daughter in the world. 
My mother slumped over the kitchen table chair. 
"I'm sorry I'm a terrible mother. But I want to be better. I want to be your mom again Maria. I do." 
I walked up to my mother and hugged her tight. "I know you do mommy. I believe you. I love you." 
"I love you too my baby." 
"I have to go to work now. Don't stay up too late and sweat it out. Trust me, you're better off." 
She smiled and nodded up me. I knew that she wouldn't let it pass through her system, she would be higher than a kite when I get home. But she believed it, so so did I. I walked up the stairs and transformed into Violet. 
I decided to wear a short jean skirt and a lace top with a red purpley pink shoulder length wing. 

I walked downstairs and my mother was hard at work in the kitchen doing God knows what. 
I walked out the front door without her even knowing I had left. 
I walked the few blocks to the pub and met up with Anna. She was wearing the usual. Something short and small. 
"Hey Gypsy." I said and hugged her. 
"Hey Violet." 
We got in and got right to work. It was a busy night. 
It was around eleven o'clock when a group of men entered. No biggy, just a group of men wanting a beer and to look at skimpy dressed young woman without cheating on their wives. But that changed when they sat down and I realized they were Dex's men.
I told Anna to stay calm and not to look at them, to keep doing her thing, pretend she has no idea their there. 
I walked to the back room and pulled out my phone and punched in TT's number. 
"Hey." His voice came threw the phone after the third ring. 
"TT, they're here. Dex's men. There's five or six of them." 
"Where are you?" 
"At the Pub." 
"Okay we're on our way. Don't engage them Maria." 
Anna came bursting threw the door. "They recognized me. They're coming back here right now." She started freaking out. 
"Okay go out the back." I instructed her. 
There was a loud banging on the door. "Shit, I don't have a choice. Just get here." 
"I'll be there in five minutes." TT promised me. 
I hung up and ran out the back after Anna. 
"Hide behind the dumpster, I will deal with them." 
"There's too many of them Maria." 
"You can't fight. TT will be here soon. Just don't get caught." She nodded and ran behind the metal garbage bin as the door swung open and the men came out. 
"Ah, Maria. Dex would like to have a word with you." The one said. 
"Well then tell him to come and talk to me himself instead of sending his goons." I cracked my knuckles. 
The one came at me and swung, I ducked and hit him in the ribs, and threw him behind me. 
Another ran and I kicked him in his junk and shoved him to the side. The other came at me with a gun, I disarmed him and shot him in the foot. The guy from behind me ran at me and I elbowd him in the gut and stepped on his foot then brought the same arm up and hit him in the face. 
Another guy came at me and punched me in the face, grabbed me and threw me against the wall. My head hit off the wall and black dots danced across my vision. He hit me in the face again before I shoved him off and kicked him in the stomach, then again, sending him in the other direction.
Another came up and grabbed me from behind. I swung back and up, flipping over onto his shoulders, crossed my legs so my thighs where on either side of his neck and brought all my weight down on his front, flipping him back first on the ground and me landing on top of him. I punched him once in the face and he was knocked out. 
Someone else grabbed me and slammed me against the ground. "Jesus, do you guys not stop?" I yelled as he pinned me, I couldn't move and he kept hitting me in the face. 
Someone grabbed him and threw him off of me. 
Then I was being lifted up to my feet and being pressed between a wall and a body. 
I shook my head, adjusting my vision. A handsome face looked at me with concern. 
"I thought I had them all." I said rubbing my forehead, letting out a laugh under my breath. 
"You got five out of six of them. Pretty good." TT said. 
"Shit." I bit down when I touched my temple. 
"Let me look." TT grabbed my cheeks and looked at my face. "I gotta get you cleaned up. Come on. Can you walk?" 
"Yeah." I took a few limped steps. TT came and wrapped his arm around my back and put my arm around his neck. He took all my weight and helped me into the back of the car where Anna was already seated. 
"Are you okay?" I asked grabbing her hand. 
"Yes, thanks to you." She squeezed it.