Suga Babies

Dade

I knew it! I fucking knew if I went anywhere with her we'd get arrested. She has that aura, troubled and messed up.

So this is what we had to go through because Cat's friend Ace set us up. We were arrested and taken "downtown" which is really just the police station. But we were put in one of their investigation rooms together and left alone forever.

"Shit, Cat. What's going on?" I hissed at her.

"My friend in the park, the one that was there before I met up with you? There was this really expensive watch that he stole and I shoulda figured something was up. I can't believe I trusted them. Anyway, they must have slipped it in my bag when I was with them. But it had to have been that man's."

"Then just tell them that." I stated.

"They won't believe me, Dade. No one's ever caught Ace or Angel. Why do you think their names are Ace and Angel?" she asked. I leaned forward against the table.

"Mom and Dad are gonna be pissed." I muttered. My friends love my parents, they think they're so fun and cool. And they can be at points. But they don't believe me. Ever. Just because a few times, I snuck out with Jess to go to a party. Well, the last time, I caught a ride home from the cops for being drunk in public. That was a mistake. Probably should've left with Jess instead of staying with Callie and Josh to play a few rounds of Quarters and a few hundred shots for beer pong. I'm not a bad kid. But after that night, they don't trust me.

"What? Your first offense, Sherman?" she asked.

"Can you stop being such a bitch for once, Liliana? Because your high horse is probably getting tired of your weight all the goddamn time." I snapped. It was her friends that got us into this mess. She shouldn't be saying anything.

"Douche bag." she muttered. I rolled my eyes and the door opened. We looked up and found four very pissed parents standing in the doorway. I groaned and leaned back.

"Dade Sherman, Liliana Rivera, you're being released into the custody of your parents but you have a court date for the 15th. You are to show up and the judge will decide the correct punishment for your actions. Is that clear?" one of the officers who had lead Mom and Dad into the room said. He was short and pudgey with a round face, small eyes and huge glasses. His uniform was too small and acted like a flood gate ready to burst on the extra fat of his stomach.

I stood up and followed Cat and our parents out of the room and building. Mom and Dad split off in one direction, trading one last infuriated glance at Jose and Nikki before taking me to the car. I wondered which approach they'd take to this little mishap. The silent treatment? Good cop, bad cop? Straight out screaming?

I decided that Dad would be the silent one, he always was in these arguements. That has something to do with his childhood, I think. Mom would have the fierce quiet tone first then progress into the screaming. So it's kinda like good cop, bad cop. Just silent Dad, screaming Mom.

But I was wrong. It was actually quite calm when we finally got home. They never start punishing in the car. They like being familiar with our surroundings to start yelling.

It was Dad who started it, pushing his dark black hair away from his eyes. Mom's been talking about getting our hair cut soon, which Dad and I just roll our eyes at.

"Dade Brennan Sherman, I can't believe you! I can't believe that you'd do something like steal that man's watch. And then you put it in Lily's purse. What kind of son are we raising? I thought you'd learned when a cop dropped you off but apparently not. I thought maybe you'd have learned your lesson and maybe you would have matured. Not only did you not learn anything from your last little excursion, you got WORSE. You brought sweet Liliana into it. How are we supposed to look them in the eye knowing our son is trying to set their daughter up for all kinds of trouble with the law?"

I stared at my father and took a deep breath.

"Dad, I didn't do it! It was Lily's friend!" I choked out.

"Don't lie to us, Dade!"

My jaw dropped and Mom took his elbow, whispering in his ear, "Todd, baby. Please, sweetheart. He's just a kid."

"Copper." he said softly.

"Dade, go to your room. Your father and I have to talk." Mom said to me with a soft tone. She was normally the mad one. I nodded and headed upstairs.

"Oh, hold on, Dade. Hand me your cell phone." Dad said. I rolled my eyes and pulled it from my pocket. I put it in his hand and headed to my room. I flopped on the bed, turning my radio on. My parents didn't fight often so when they did, it was loud. I reached over and dialed aunt Ardith's number. She's cool, I love talking to her.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ardy, it's Dade."

"Hey Dade. What's up?"

Aunt Ardith is an unmarried A&R for a music label in New York City. Her job takes her all over the country and I love it when I get to hang out with her. She's surrounded by great bands all the time. She's met everyone, Hey Monday, The Spill Canvas, Regina Spektor.

"I got into some trouble this afternoon because Cat's friend dropped a stolen watch into her purse. But Mom and Dad don't believe me because of that one time with the cops. Ardith, can you talk to Dad and try and get him to see reason? He took my phone and is probably going to take away my social life. So what do you think you can do?"

"Dade, your father thinks you remind him too much of your mom so he's trying to change it so you're your own person. So you're not getting into trouble as she had without her partents knowing it."

"Ardith..." I said and then Mom was screaming downstairs.

"They're fighting?" she asked with surprise.

"Yeah. They do that."

"I've never heard them fight."

"You're know them, Ardy. They like to keep things private."

"I know."

"I don't like this. They're the ones who forced me on the stupid date. I didn't want to go. If we hadn't have had to go, I wouldn't have bumped into that guy and everything would be just fucking fine." I groaned. Ardith laughed. She never minded my cursing.

"Oh sweetheart, everything will work out. It's serendipity. It's murphy's law."

"That's whatever can go wrong, will go wrong."

"It's the same thing. Not everything will be all fine and dandy, Dade. But you will get through this. Just do what I did when my parents fought, blare the music and write my heart out."

"I didn't know you're a writer."

"I'm a closet writer. Just like I know you are." I could hear the smile.

"It's not much."

"Has anyone read your writing?"

"Jess."

"That's good."

I smiled.

"I should go before Mom and Dad realize I'm still here." I said to her.

"They love you, you know. That's why they're doing this. Because they care."

"I wish they didn't sometimes."

"They're trying, Dade. Give them some slack, ok?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Bye, sweetie. Hang in there."

I said my goodbyes and hung up before reaching into my drawer and shelling out of the bottle five little capsules. Mom and Dad wouldn't be in to talk to me tonight. I knew they wouldn't. I would talk to them and get another couple of earfuls in the morning at breakfast before school. It was just the way it worked. And I figured the schedule out too. It was quite simple. They fight then grow tired. One of them, usually Dad, ends up in the spare room downstairs. They make up before I get downstairs for breakfast and then, BAM! They're a united front again. That part sucks. But it gives me plenty of time to either a) get high or b) think of an excuse for my behavior. I normally take the first route.

Speaking of that first route, it's a nice one. Full of happy thoughts and good ideas. I like it. It's fluffy and only Jess has ever seen me like this. On several occasions, he's joined me in my giggles over the way my overhead fan rotates and the way the bass on a song vibrates the speaker. It's a good way to end a day. I need some more pills though.

I closed my eyes and let the pills become a part of my system. I let the high take me over as I passed out, the darkness shielding me from the screaming and yelling below.