Maybe Swearing Will Help (SWAT Generation 2.0 3)

“Umm, hold on a second, Mom,” I said as I placed the phone down onto the counter and walked to where Ashe was currently throwing up into the trashcan.

“You okay?” I asked, pulling her hair away from her face and rubbing her neck.

She moaned. “Yeah. The ammonia smell was strong.”

When she stood up, I saw that her face was stark white, and I moved forward to place my hands on her hips.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked. “You look kind of bad.”

Kind of was an understatement. She looked terrible.

She waved my comment away with a sweep of her hand.

“It was just a long day,” she answered. “I’m starving and hot and tired. I think it was a combination of all of those things that” —she waved toward the box— “just surprised me.”

I finally let her go and gestured for her to get finished up.

“Hurry up so we can leave. I’ll feed you,” I murmured.

She gave me a half-ass salute then went back to what she was doing, being careful not to get too close to the box again.

I went to the phone and picked it back up, placing it to my ear.

“Sorry, Mom,” I said. “I’m back.”

“What was that?” she asked.

I explained about the kittens, and the smell of the box after Ashe had opened it.

“Oh,” she said softly. “Gotcha.”

I rubbed at my face as I watched Ashe take the kittens out of the smelly box and place them into the cages where they would be staying for the night.

“So what was it you wanted to talk about?” I questioned, my eyes taking in Ashe’s every move.

Something was niggling at me, and I couldn’t figure out what.

“It’s Banner,” she said softly. “I… your dad thinks that he needs to come stay with y’all for next school year.”

My brows rose.

“It’s gotten that bad?” I questioned softly.

My mother cleared her throat.

“Banner almost got arrested yesterday,” she explained. “He was working at the shop in town when Vance showed up wanting to get his new car’s oil changed. Or some bullshit excuse. Petey took the car and did the work himself. When Vance came to pick it up, he accused Petey of denting the car and it just deteriorated from there. The cops were called, and then all of a sudden, Vance is going crazy. And since Banner still cares about Vance, he got him calmed down only for Vance to sucker punch Banner while he wasn’t looking. Banner retaliated and… your dad thinks that Banner just needs to go. This wasn’t the first incident and it won’t be the last.”

I rubbed the back of my neck with two fingers.

“What does Banner think about this?” I asked curiously.

My mother sighed. “He’s justifiably pissed. He doesn’t want to leave because of football. He thinks he’s letting everyone down… but I’d rather him be unhappy than in jail, Ford. So I’m with your dad. He needs to go before he gets in trouble.”

“He can stay with me,” I paused. “But, Mom, he’s almost eighteen. I can get him a place here.”

Ashe looked up and waved her hand in the air.

“He can stay at my place,” Ashe suggested when I placed my hand over the speaker. “I was thinking about moving to an actual duplex anyway once I graduated.”

Her place would work famously, actually.

Which I told my mom about in the next moment.

My mother sighed. “I was hoping that he would live with you.”

I snorted. “Mom, you know that Banner and I love each other. But those duplexes that we live in are too small.”

“Your sister’s, then,” Mom offered.

“Oakley wouldn’t give a shit. Just like I don’t mind him living with me,” she knew that. “But Banner’s not going to want to deal with a brand-new baby when it gets here.”

And my mother knew I was right.

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll discuss him living on his own with your father.” She paused. “He’ll probably like that better anyway. At least give him a little bit of incentive to go.”

That was true.

Ashe finished with the cats and began washing her hands, and it was the turn of her body in the direction of the sink that had my gaze narrowing in on her chest.

Were her breasts bigger?

“Are you even listening to me?” my mother asked.

I blinked, surprised to find that I’d completely zoned out as I was thinking about whether or not Ashe’s chest was bigger or not.

“Yes.” I paused. “No. What was it you were saying?”

My mother snorted. “I want you to come down this weekend. Ashe is coming down for her birthday. And there’s no reason you can’t come, too.”

“Other than working.” I laughed. “But I’ll switch. We can drive down together.”

There was a long, silent pause as my mother digested that statement. “You can?”

“We’re adults,” I lied. “We can tolerate each other for an hour and a half while we drive home.”