Bad For You

by Parker, Weston

  We weren’t even on their porch yet, but I could already see how glassy and unfocused her eyes were. Her hair was so tangled around her head that it looked like one solid carpet instead of thousands of different strands. She was swaying so badly that she held on to the door in order to stay on her feet, and her clothes were covered in substances that I didn’t even want to begin to identify.

  “Lou!” she yelled, squinting her eyes as she yanked at the shiny bathrobe she was wearing over her clothes. “Where have you been? You’re late.”

  At least, that was what I thought she said. She was slurring so badly that it was almost impossible to be sure.

  When we got close enough, the scent of alcohol hit my nostrils at the same time that I noticed how blown her pupils were. The woman was sixteen sheets to the wind, but I had a suspicion alcohol wasn’t the only substance flowing through her bloodstream.

  “You need to clean the bathroom, and don’t tell me you’re hungry. That school feeds you.” Scowling when her hazy gaze shifted and she noticed us for the first time, she made to plant a hand on her hip but ended up stumbling into the door beside her. “Who’re you?”

  “I’m Brittany Cleaver, Ms. Thurston,” she said gently. “Lou’s teacher. We’ve met a few times.”

  There was absolutely no recognition in the woman’s glazed-over eyes, but that didn’t seem to matter. “Yeah? What’re you doing here? You’re overstepping your bounds.”

  “She’s just a teacher who cares about your son, ma’am,” I said, putting myself between the women.

  Lou’s mother had turned red and looked like she was about to take a swing at Brittany. I knew my girl could handle herself, but I’d be damned if I didn’t stand up for her when I was right here.

  “There’s something going on with your son, and we’re worried,” I said. “Brittany’s just trying to help, ma’am. That’s why she’s here.”

  Ms. Thurston started laughing, but the sound was more manic than humorous. The laughter ended when she broke into a coughing fit. Her bony hand disappeared off to the side somewhere, and when it came back, she held a joint between her fingers.

  It was still half-lit, a thin plume of smoke rising lazily into the air as she brought it to her mouth and took a deep drag. Her state and the distinctive sweet scent permeating the air made more sense now. She coughed some more, hacking up what sounded like a whole lung before she focused on us again.

  “That boy is worthless. He’s always late. He doesn’t do anything around the house, and he’s constantly hungry.” She took another drag of the joint and blew the smoke directly into Brittany’s face when she breathed it out. “If she cares about him so much, she should take him.”

  Lou sniffled beside me, and when I glanced down at him, there were tears flowing down his cheeks even as he stomped his foot and glared up at his mother. “I’m leaving. I know I’m not wanted here, and I don’t know why I keep coming back.”

  He stormed past his mother into the tiny space. Brittany moved to the window next to the door immediately, speaking to him through the grime-covered panel as she tried to talk him out of it.

  “She didn’t mean it, Lou. Of course you’re wanted. You’re her baby boy, and she loves you very much.”

  The woman snorted, not even trying to keep her voice down. “I’ve never loved him. I didn’t want him then, and I don’t want him now. His father made me have him, and then he fuckin’ left me with the little monster. Can you believe it?”

  Trusting Brittany to keep talking to Lou, I focused on the mother instead. “If it’s a matter of money, I can help get you treatment, ma’am. We can get you cleaned up, and then I’ll help you find a stable job. Don’t keep hurting him, okay? You don’t need to say these things you don’t mean just to drive him or us away. We can help. I’ll give you whatever you want—”

  “Whatever I want?” Her expression changed, turning lascivious as she draped her half-dressed body all over me. “If you can come on to me, I can come on to you right back. Let me tell me you what, pretty boy. You want to be my baby’s new daddy, you’re going to have to give his mommy some love.”

  Lou came crashing past us, tearing out of the house and running down the street with a small duffel bag and his backpack from school still on his back. Brittany yelled in panic and alarm when a car came screeching around the corner.

  I detangled myself from his mother and ran out with Brittany hot on my heels. When I caught up to him, he tried shaking me off, but I held him close, rubbing his back and speaking to him softly. He stopped fighting me, breaking into sobs that racked his little body as he clung to me as if for dear life.

  “Maybe you should stay with Brittany for a while,” I said after an age when his tears finally started subsiding. “Just until we figure out your next move.”

  “Can I do that?” he asked, his voice shaking almost as much as his body. “Can you take me with you? Won’t you get in trouble?”

  “I can do anything I want, but we could get in trouble if we don’t do it the right way.” I glanced at Brittany, who gave me a small nod. Good, so she was on board with this new plan. Now I just had to figure out a way of making it work. “Give me a minute, Lou. I’ll be back.”

  “I’ve got him,” Brittany said, walking him back to my car.

  Ms. Thurston was still swaying in her doorway, watching the scene play out with complete disinterest and maybe even boredom on her face. “I told you he was worthless. If you want the brat, take him. I sure as fuck don’t want him.”

  I searched her eyes for any sign that she was lying or putting on a show, but I didn’t find anything. Mind racing, I pulled my phone out and switched it to video.

  “I’m going to record this conversation,” I said as I held the camera out to the side with one hand. Not even that seemed to snap her out of her stupor. “You’ve just said more than once that you don’t want Lou, am I right?”

  She flipped the camera off and then nodded. “He’s a piece of shit that I never should’ve brought into this world. I’m glad he’s finally packed his crap. I need that space he’s been camping out in.”

  “Do Brittany Cleaver and I have your permission to take him with us this afternoon?” I asked, knowing that she was so drunk that nothing she said would be taken seriously later, but I wanted to cover our asses in the event that she tried to claim we’d stolen the boy or something.

  “Take him,” she spat, rolling her eyes. “I couldn’t care less. If you give me a thousand bucks, you can keep him forever. I’ll even throw in his bicycle.”

  “You’re offering me your child for one thousand dollars?” I couldn’t fucking believe this was happening. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes.” She crossed her arms, then almost fell over again because she wasn’t holding on to something any longer. “You know what? Just take him. Forget about the money. I know you won’t want to keep him forever anyway. You’ll only want me to give your cash back to you later.”

  With that, she took a step back and slammed the door in my face. It bounced right back, knocking her down on her ass on the armchair beside her, and I heard her cackling with laughter as she fell down on it.

  I had some issues with my own mother, I couldn’t deny that, but this was fucking insane. Insane, disgusting, and despicable. Becoming the legal guardian of an eight-year-old hadn’t been on my agenda for today, but plans changed, and witnessing what I just had had changed mine.

  While I had no idea what it would take or if it would even be in Lou’s best interests to remove him legally from his mother’s care, I was going to bat for this boy. Work to find out what would be best for him and act accordingly. No child deserved to hear their mother say shit like that, and if no one else would fight for him, I would. Brittany would too.

  We would figure this out. Keep him safe until we did. There was no other choice. But I needed to make a couple of calls, and I needed privacy to do it.

  30

  BRITTANY

  Tristin, Lou, and I were
back in the car, but there was no joy in the ride this time. I had no idea what we were going to do with Lou in the long term, but I was glad we’d gotten him out of that house—at least temporarily.

  Lou didn’t seem sure what to make of things either. He kept wiping tears from his face, fidgeting with his hands in his lap as he sat in the back seat and stared out the window.

  As the disbelief and adrenaline of the encounter faded, the atmosphere in the car became awkward. What the heck did we just do?

  Tristin and I weren’t equipped to look after an eight-year-old child. Not that there was any way we could’ve left him there, but still. We’d told his mother he’d be staying with me. I had a room for him, unlike the area around the couch which was where it had seemed like he stayed when he was at home, but a guest room did not a stable household make.

  “I can move in with you for now too,” Tristin said, finally breaking the silence that had fallen between us all. “If you think it would help.”

  His offer hit me like a rock-hard piece of soap between the eyes. “I’m not sure. Things are already uncertain enough, don’t you think? It might not be a good idea for you to move in right now.”

  As it was, I was going to have to deal with the social worker, and Beckett, and I didn’t even know who else. The last thing we needed was a spotlight being put on my relationship with Tristin to determine whether we were solid enough to look after Lou together.

  Tristin shrugged like it was no big deal, but it was. It really was. “I’m going to help nonetheless. Even if I’m sleeping in my own bed at night.”

  “That would be good,” I said lamely. “Lou and I are going to need all the help we can get, right, Lou?”

  I twisted in my seat to look at the little boy, who brought his frightened brown eyes to mine and nodded. “She won’t let me go back home. That wasn’t the first time she said any of that stuff. My mom won’t take me back.”

  My heart folded in on itself, but I kept my gaze steady on his and my chin up. “We’ll work it out. You’re welcome to stay with me for as long as you need or want to. Don’t worry about a thing, okay?”

  “They won’t let me stay with you,” he said miserably, the corners of his mouth turning down as his eyes filled with tears once more. “I overheard the guidance counselor talking to my social worker and Principal James once. They said I’d have to go into foster care.”

  Tristin shook his head vehemently, his eyes flashing when he glanced at me. “Let’s take it one step at a time, kiddo, but I promise you I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you can stay with Brittany.”

  “Have you got a lot of power?” Lou asked, and Tristin let out a soft chuckle as he dipped his head in a curt nod.

  “I have enough,” he said. “How about we go grab an early dinner? We’ve all had a long day, and I’m willing to bet you’re both as hungry as I am. After, if you’re up to it, we can stop by the arcade.”

  My appetite had disappeared, but I agreed anyway. Dinner and an arcade sounded much better than going straight home after all that. We needed to decompress, get food in our bellies, and I needed a moment alone with Tristin to figure out our next move.

  I had no clue about the legalities surrounding something like this, but I doubted I could just let a student stay with me. Regardless of whether his mother had agreed to it, it seemed like there had to be more to it. Lou and I had formed a bond, and while I wasn’t supposed to love any of my students more than another, I had to admit that Lou had a special place in my heart.

  Tristin drove us to a large family restaurant that had been downtown since we’d been kids. It boasted country-style cooking with funky antiques hanging from the ceiling and milkshakes the size of my head.

  “Well, what is it going to be?” Tristin asked Lou once we were settled in a booth. “Their burgers used to be amazing, but their biscuits were also always great.”

  The boy looked at the menu in front of him, then back up at Tristin. “You mean I can have anything I want?”

  “Anything you want.” Tristin smiled, then left Lou staring at his options when he brought his gaze to mine. “Do you remember that time we tried to see how many milkshakes we could finish in one sitting?”

  I groaned, nodding before dropping my head into my hands. “Just thinking about it still makes me nauseous. It was so stupid to try the lime one.”

  “Hey, I liked the lime one.” He grinned at Lou. “What flavor do you like best?”

  “I, uh,” Lou stammered, his cheeks flushing. “I don’t know.”

  Tristin frowned, and it dawned on both of us that it didn’t look like Lou had ever been taken out for a milkshake before. He recovered well, smoothing out the frown before Lou could notice it. “That’s okay. We’ll keep coming back here, and you can try them all. Want to start with bubble gum?”

  “Sure. I like bubble gum.” He smiled tentatively. “Could I have a burger? It doesn’t have to have cheese on it. I know that costs extra.”

  “A cheeseburger it is,” Tristin said cheerfully. “Cheese and bacon is wonderful too, but it’s big. I wonder if you could eat it all.”

  “I can eat it all,” Lou replied confidently, glancing back down at the menu. “Are you sure it’s okay if I have it?”

  “It’s fine. Have two if you want.” Tristin pointed out something else on the menu, drawing Lou out of his shell as they discussed what foods they liked.

  Slowly but surely, Lou started engaging in easy conversation with Tristin again. I really liked the way Tristin was with him, considerate but also relating to him on his level. It was working wonders with the so-called “troubled” kid.

  After dinner, we went to the arcade as promised. Tristin loaded up a card for Lou, walked him through some of the games, and then told him to have fun while he made a few calls. While Lou hit up the games, we kept him in our sights but moved off to the side a little.

  For the first time since he’d arrived at the school this afternoon, he let his true feelings about this situation show. There was worry as dark as a thundercloud in his eyes, and his brows were raised and slightly pulled together. He released a shaky breath.

  “How are you doing?” he asked me, his voice pitched low. “That was a total shitshow back there.”

  “You’re telling me. Thanks for being there. I’m not sure I’d have gotten through it by myself.” I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. “Where do we start?”

  “Do you have his social worker’s contact details?”

  I nodded. “Beckett sent them to me earlier. I haven’t opened the message yet, but I saw it there. The school pulled her into this case, and I think she knows who I am. He mentioned she’d be contacting me as part of her investigation.”

  “Good. That’s good.” He slid his finger under my chin, and feeling it there made me blink my eyes open again. As they met his golden, caramel browns, some of the tension eased out of me. Tristin was here, he was working on a plan, and I was damn lucky to have his help. “You call the social worker. Let them know what happened and that we’ve got him. I’m going to get on the phone to my family’s lawyer. He’s on the legal team for the company as well. I don’t know how much family and child law he’s done, but he’ll get me to the right people if he can’t help.”

  “Okay, I can do that.” I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady sound of his heart beating under my ear for just a minute. “What are we going to do, Tristin? We can’t just take a kid from his mother and expect everything to be fine.”

  “We’ll figure out a long-term solution,” he said, his voice rumbling in his chest as he stroked a hand up and down my back. “Just trust me to help you sort things out, okay? Do you think you can do that?”

  “Yes, I can.” I really, really meant it too. “Thank you. I’m desperately relieved that you’re with me in this.”

  “I’m always going to be with you, baby,” he whispered but then straightened up and released me. “Okay, we need to make these calls while h
e’s occupied.”

  “Let’s do it,” I said. “I’ll send you the social worker’s contact details as well. The lawyer will probably need them.”

  “Good thinking.” He kissed my hair, and then his whole demeanor changed when he got the lawyer on the line. It was that same quiet yet commanding, authoritative thing I’d seen from him before, and I still freaking loved it.

  The only difference was that this time, it didn’t get me all hot and bothered. It would again later, I was sure, once we were no longer in the midst of this crisis. Right now, however, it just made me feel as safe and secure as I did when I was in his arms.

  The conversation with the social worker was grueling, but once she’d grilled me for about twenty minutes on everything I knew about Lou and his situation, as well as my own home life, and then informed me about the process, she agreed to letting him stay with me.

  Tristin and I trailed after Lou, phones pressed to our ears as he enjoyed the arcade. Once we’d both hung up, he promised me his lawyer was on it, and I let him know that the social worker had approved me as an emergency foster parent—for now.

  There were formal applications to be made, paperwork to be filed, and a ton of other red tape, but we’d get through it. Tristin held my hand or kept his arm over my shoulder when we rejoined a delighted Lou, who seemed to be in his element here.

  We stayed until he looked like he was about to drop, and then, once he was in the car, I pulled Tristin closer and kissed him deeply. “Thank you for today. You have no idea how much it means to me.”

  He tugged at my ponytail so I’d look up at him all the way, smiling against my lips before murmuring to me without lifting his mouth away, “I’m always going to be here for you, Brit. Always. You don’t need to thank me. It’s all part of being together.”

  From the corner of my eye, it seemed like there were bursts of light coming from the interior of one of the cars parked nearby. I had no idea what’d caused them, but they yanked me out of my Tristin bubble and made me remember that we had a child to get to bed.