THEA
When I got the call, I knew immediately there was something wrong with my best friend. Thankfully, I also knew the cure. “Meet me in thirty minutes,” I told her. “I’ll buy. It’s been too long since we gorged ourselves on brunch. I’m so craving French toast and I’m too lazy to make it.”
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s on me.”
We ended the call and I quickly hopped in the shower. I had planned on spending the day cleaning up while filling out some more grant requests for the shelter. The bump I got from Reese’s friend was great, but I always needed more. I wanted to buy some new beds and possibly do a little renovating to accommodate more dogs. We always had way too many dogs.
When I got to our usual spot for brunch, Ally was already at a table furiously texting someone. I was glad I wasn’t on the other end of those obviously angry messages. I sat down and flipped my cup over to signal the waitress I wanted coffee.
“Sorry,” Ally muttered and put her phone on the table.
“Rough morning?”
“Yes,” she said. “Rough week. Rough month. Is it too early to drink?”
“Lucas?” I asked.
She nodded and looked like she was going to cry. “I’m failing. I’m absolutely failing at this mom thing.”
“You are not failing,” I assured her. “Lucas is a good kid.”
“I’m not so sure about that. Not anymore. I don’t know what’s going on with him. It’s like he woke up one day and he’s a different kid. I want my old Lucas back. I want my baby back. Not this hellion that has taken over his body. My Lucas would never do the things this child is doing.”
Before she could tell me more, our waitress came by to get our orders. We went big, even going the extra mile with whipped cream. As soon as the waitress was gone, I got right back to the task of making my friend feel better.
“What did he do?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes. “It’s more like what hasn’t he done. He’s angry all the time. I’m pretty sure he hates me. He certainly doesn’t respect me. Not anymore.”
“Lucas has always been a good kid,” I argued. “What happened?”
“I think it’s the new friends he’s made this year,” she said. “They are not great kids. They are misguided. I don’t know where their parents are, but they are leading him down a bad road. I know everyone says it’s not their kid, but I know it isn’t Lucas leading the charge.”
“What’s he doing?”
“Rebelling,” she answered. “Getting into some bad habits. He’s suspended for three days for fighting.”
“No way,” I said with surprise. “He’s always been so good.”
“This is what I’m saying. He only wears black. Doesn’t want to get a haircut anymore.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Remember we went through that weird phase for about a year. I’m sure he’ll get through it. We did.”
“We weren’t breaking the law,” she said. “I can see the future and it does not look good. It looks very dark. I have not been able to sleep at night. I’m afraid he’s going to end up in jail or dead. These kids are that bad. I’m seriously considering throwing our shit into the car and driving away. I don’t know how else to save him from himself. He’s going down a bad road.”
I hated the idea she was that desperate. “How long have you been dealing with this?”
“The last month is when it got bad,” she said. “He got caught with weed.”
My mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”
“He swears it wasn’t his. I think the principal took pity on me and him. He only suspended him and is giving him another chance. I don’t know what I’ll do if he drops out of school. I should have known the first thirteen years were too easy. He turned fourteen and all that naughtiness just bubbled to the surface. I’m constantly dealing with the school. He was skipping class. He isn’t even trying. His grades suck.”
“He’s always been so good in school,” I said.
“I know,” she said. “He’s been an easy kid. I don’t know if it’s the lack of a male influence in his life finally catching up or what. I just don’t know what happened. A switch was flipped. My baby went bad.”