The boys have all stopped, the smiles drop from their faces as they try to work out what the hell is going on.
“I’m not here for Justin,” I say. “I didn’t even know he was playing until I got here.”
“Of course you didn’t,” Cathy says, rolling her eyes. “You still can’t see it,” she says to Justin, grabbing his hand to make sure she has his full attention. “She’s a liar. She’ll do anything to break up what we have.”
“You’re welcome to each other,” I say. Dwayne takes a step closer to me, an action that feels protective. I can tell he still doesn’t understand what is happening.
“He’s not going to be a father to your skank baby,” Cathy spits. “That child will grow up as you did. With a single mom on welfare, wearing clothes from thrift stores.”
I’m about to tell Cathy that I don’t need anything from Justin when Sean steps forward, putting himself between Justin and Cathy and me. “Listen, you nasty bitch. Maggie doesn’t want or need shit from you or this joke of a man hiding behind you. Now, you need to back the fuck off out of here before you say anything else stupid, and I really lose my cool.”
A shiver of dread passes through me because nobody ever stands up to Cathy. Her mouth is hanging open like a fish gasping for water, and Justin looks between me and the mass of men who have all taken their places surrounding me. I’ve never felt more supported in my life.
“And who are these idiots?” Cathy spits. She scans the group, her evil and twisted mind working overtime. She knows she just got put in her place, but she doesn’t intend on staying there. “They can’t be family because they don’t look alike. Don’t tell me you’re fucking them too.”
She says it as a flippant throwaway comment, but I feel a swell of dread that’s almost enough to knock me from my feet. Around me, the shoulders of my foster brothers seem to stiffen. We should all be jumping in to deny Cathy’s accusation, but it’s as if all of our tongues have been shocked into silence.
Justin’s eyes flick around like he’s trying to work out what the hell is going on. He’s always been good at sizing up situations, and he seems to size this one up just fine.
“Oh, hell no,” he says. “You can’t be serious.”
Sean steps forward just slightly, but it’s enough to turn Justin’s eyes jittery with panic. He’s asking himself if he’s going to have to take on eleven men who are bigger than him, but he’s also riding a wave of anger at losing the game and hyped up by Cathy’s words. “Cathy’s right about you, Maggie. You thought I was your meal ticket, and when that didn’t work, you’ve latched onto these guys… these fucking perverts.” When no one says anything, Justin’s confidence seems to grow. “You’re a slut, Maggie. You’re never getting a cent…”
Sean’s fist flies like a bullet out of a gun, cracking Justin around the face. It seems to happen in slow motion, and there is a collective surge forward as his brothers move to hold him back and make it clear that no more will be tolerated, but as they do and as there is no denial, Cathy’s face seems almost ready to split with delight. She’s not even looking at Justin, who is clutching his cheek and stepping back with shock. She’s just gazing around at everything, probably imagining all the new and terrible things she can spread about me. Her tongue licks over her top teeth in a lizard-like action that seems suddenly hideous. “You need to back the fuck up right now,” Dwayne says through gritted teeth.
More of Justin’s teammates drift over, noticing that one of their own is currently massively outnumbered, and I can see that this is going to escalate into a brawl. Out of the corner of my eye, Cox and his cronies appear, and it’s as though there’s a threat at every angle.
My foster brothers have done everything they can to be scouted today, and this could ruin their chances. No one wants a troublemaker on their team. Cathy and Justin aren’t the boys’ problem. They’re my problem. I can’t bring so much conflict into their lives. “Just leave it!” I shout, but no one seems to hear me. Cathy’s laugh is a harsh hyena, and Justin’s eyes are blazing with fury.
“She’s really fucking them all… look at her face…” She points in my direction, and I stare at this terrible person who I used to think was my friend. There is a darkness in her that spills out over the world like a biblical plague.
“Just leave it, Cathy. It’s none of your business.”
She shakes her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. Justin is mine, and that baby isn’t going to have anything to do with him, but maybe this situation will sort everything out. Maybe they’ll fuck it out of you, and it’ll die.” She laughs again manically, and for the first time, I see the shock on Justin’s face. He turns to look at her, his eyes wide as though he’s suddenly seeing her for the first time.