Delinquent (Marshall Lee x Reader)

Part 27

After we finished eating, I looked down at myself (still in Marshall's clothes) and realized something.

"I'm gonna have to go back to my house for my stuff today." Until this point, I hadn't even considered my mother, and I was instantly stressed out thinking about it.

He paused for a moment, realization dawning. "You're right. I don't want to let you, but I suppose you'd know best when your mom leaves and where everything is. I'm coming with you, of course."

Suddenly, an image popped into my mind, so vague I wasn't sure if it was real, of my mom with a bloody face. I had to ask. "Marshall, what happened when you took me from my house?"

He looked like he was scared to answer. "How much do you remember?"

"Very little, after my mom started...you know. But I do remember what happened before." I replied, once again reminded of our kiss outside my house.

"Well I almost got in my car to leave, because I didn't want to make things worse...but I could hear you scream through the walls, Y/N. I knew something like this was happening, and in that moment it was confirmed, and I stormed in. I was pissed off. She was on top of you‒" he ran a hand through his hair, remembering. "I pulled her off you and slammed her on the ground. She screamed and tried to get up but I picked you up and left as fast as possible."

"Marshall, was she hurt?" I pried.

He didn't meet my eyes. "She landed on hardwood with her face, yeah she was hurt. She easily could have broken her nose. I'm sorry. I was angry."

I wasn't sure how I felt about him hurting her. With a bubble of resentment, I realized I didn't care. "Don't be sorry. She had it coming."

His eyes widened as he looked at me in surprise. "I was worried you'd be mad."

"I really don't care, what matters is if she saw you or not. You could get in trouble. She could track you down," I said, suddenly aware of the magnitude of the situation.

"I actually thought about that, I resisted the urge to say anything to her and tried to avoid her line of vision. I don't think she saw me. and if she did, it was dark and...I'm guessing she wasn't sober," he replied.

"No, I doubt it. So she might not remember. Which might be worse. If she's confused or worried that I'll involve the police, she could file a missing person's report on me or call the school." I took a deep breath, my mind spinning. "I'm gonna have to talk to her. Soon."

"No. It's dangerous, Y/N." Marshall said sternly.

"Marshall, if I'm gonna stay here we have to be careful. This could go really badly if we don't do things right. We both have leverage on each other." I paused, debating whether or not I should elaborate. "I've been keeping evidence. I know where her drugs are, I have videos of drunk driving, pictures of my bruises. I have it all. But she has everything I own and she's my legal guardian. We could both ruin each other's lives...even more than we already have. If I somehow negotiate with her, I think I can convince her to let me stay here."

He was staring at me, mouth agape. "Honestly, that's pretty badass. But...I just feel like there's some way you could change the story and get the police involved--"

"And then what?" I shot back. "I'm not stupid, I've though about this. There's no way I could avoid going to foster care. I can't let that happen, especially not just a few months before I turn 18."

He looked at me intensely and the room filled with silence for a few moments. I could tell he was having an internal battle on whether or not I was right. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Okay, I trust you. Do you know when she'll be gone next?"