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The next day at school, rumors were spreading like wildfire. From MJ's understanding, it sounded like Arvin had beat up the same boys that chased the two out of school the other day. And now, Lenora has been acting unusually distant. Mary Jane didn't think much of it, assuming it had to do with Arvin's actions. Whatever it was, she believed it none of her business anyway. Especially since Lenora didn't like people prying into her own mind. But of course, not everyone respected the Russell Family's privacy—not even her own mother.
When rumors had spiraled, so did her mother.
"They're saying that boy's father went all crazy and killed himself." Her mother gossipy mentioned to her children over breakfast, only causing Mary Jane to raise her eyebrow.
"So my dad went all crazy too?" She asked her mother forwardly, clearly irritated due to her choice of wording. Her brother at the table, only could let out a sigh—knowing an argument would soon erupt. "Well, It's sure something dumb to do!" Judith exclaims at her daughter in a defensive tone. Clearly not seeing her choice of wording as a problem—as if it was valid.
This brought an immediate tension over the dining room, silence lingering between the two woman. "Who are we to judge anyway?" Julian asks with a shrug of the shoulders while taking a bite from his heavily buttered piece of toast.
"Arvin almost beat a kid to death! Sent him to the hospital! You don't see anything wrong with that?" Judith exclaims defensively, clearly trying to get her point across.
"They deserved it." Mary Jane muttered underneath her breathe, causing her mother's eyes to practically bulge out of her own head.
"I mean... I would've done the same thing." Julian informs his mother, causing her to scoff loudly.
"Kicking the shit out of someone and putting them in the hospital are two different things. Arvin seems to have some real anger issues..."
"...You know, maybe its not a good idea to have him drive you—" Their mother goes on expressing, only causing her daughter to quickly intervene. "You're reading too much into it, Ma. Remember all those nasty rumors about us, back in Houston? We're all of them correct? No—Its the situation with the Russell's." Mary Jane points out, in order to hopefully get her mother to understand and change her perspective.
"I just don't want it to happen to us again, is all..." Judith murmurs before taking a bite of her scrambled eggs.
The next day, Judith waited until she watched her daughter safely enter into Arvin and Lenora's shared family vehicle. Which meant that Mary Jane would have to wait to do her makeup at school.
