As if on cue, Bill comes sauntering up behind her. “Did you get your money yet, babe? What the fuck’s taking so long?”
Marcos steps forward. “Leave now, or we’re calling the police.”
“Fuck that,” Shane says, pushing up his sleeves, balling his fists.
“Hey, hey, we got no problem with you,” Bill says, putting up his hands in a motion meant to calm Shane. “We can come back another time. We can work this out later.”
“Leave, and don’t even fucking think about coming back — ever,” Shane says through gritted teeth.
Bill backs up to his truck’s door, keeping his eyes on Shane and Marcos the entire way. “C’mon, babe, let’s go,” he calls to my mother, who seems less inclined to give up the fight, probably sensing that Shane would never hit her.
“Listen, you little bitch,” she says, her eyes narrowed at me. “After all I’ve done for you, you —”
“Leave now,” Marcos says, cutting her off, his voice even harder than Shane’s had been.
With one final glare at me, my mother turns to go, and the men immediately circle around me, Devin and Khalil close at my sides, Shane and Marcos forming a barricade in front of me. I fight back watery tears of rage that I will absolutely not let fall.
As the truck drives out of sight, Devin takes me in his arms. “Are you okay?”
I still don’t want to cry, but once he’s holding me, I can’t help it. All the suppressed tears fall, and more come behind them. “I’m sorry,” I say, turning to the side and wiping my eyes.
“Shhh, c’mere,” he says, pulling me back into his embrace and holding me tightly. “Everything’s okay now.”
It’s not — not at all — but things seem better while he’s sheltering me.
“Let’s go back inside,” Shane says, laying a hand on my back.
After a deep breath and another swipe of my watery eyes, I pull away from Devin. “I don’t want to make a big deal out of this in front of Rachel. She’s been through enough.”
“That’s fine,” Shane says.
“You all need to get ready for work, don’t you? What time is it?” I ask, looking around at each of them.
“We’ll be staying home today,” Marcos says, the lines of his face still tight with tension.
My brow furrows. “Why?”
“To make sure you’re safe,” Shane says.
“I’ll be leaving to drive Rachel to school soon.”
“And I’ll go with you,” he says.
“I’ve been dealing with my mother my whole life,” I say, scowling at him. “I don’t need a chaperone or a bodyguard. I’m not a child, and I’m not helpless.”
Shane holds the front door open for me. “Never said you were.”
48
I won’t let you go
I’m primed to argue, but Rachel is standing at the foot of the stairs looking like she’s on the verge of tears, and I don’t want to create more stress.
“They’re gone,” I say, putting my arm around her and leading her upstairs. “Everything’s okay. What time do you need to be at school?”
If it wasn’t down to her final weeks of school, I’d encourage her to stay home, but I’m sure this isn’t a good time to miss a day, not with graduation so close. I get towels for her out of the linen closet and help her sort her things out so she can get ready.
Shane and Devin are waiting for us by the front door when we come downstairs.
“Do you have everything?” Shane asks, looking at Rachel’s backpack.
“Do you have time for breakfast, or do you want to grab a protein bar?” Devin asks.
The two of them sound like concerned dads, and I almost have to laugh, even though I’m annoyed by Shane’s insistence on being our escort. Does he think my mother and Bill are waiting by the side of the road to ambush us?
She’s annoying as fuck, infuriating, and rage-inducing, but she doesn’t scare me, and neither does Bill. Shane is really overreacting, and I’d tell him about it if Rachel wasn’t standing right here.
She accepts a breakfast bar from Devin and we get on our way, Shane driving with Devin next to him, and Rachel and me in the back. At the school, I make plans with Rachel to pick her up after dismissal. She mentions wanting to go to a friend’s house after school, but I ask her to wait. I’ll feel better having her with me until we make sure everything has calmed down. I’m not afraid of our mother, but I don’t want her messing with Rachel anymore.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with all of that shit,” I tell the men when it’s just the three of us in the truck. Devin moved into the backseat to sit with me when Rachel got out.
“We’re sorry you had to deal with it,” Devin says. “Have things always been like that with your mom?”