Nights and Weekends

“I’m glad you finally got your casts off,” My mom said as she came into my room, “You don’t know how happy I am to have you spending Thanksgiving with us this year.” I could tell that she was already high. I nodded my head and tried to push past her so I could go start on our lunch.

“I’m spending tonight with Josh, I told you that. I’m leaving around 2.” I said softly.

“That’s ok I’m just glad you will be here for a little while.” She kissed my forehead and walked away. The behavior confused me I couldn’t imagine why she would be acting so weird. I walked into the living room and found her boyfriend counting out money and staring at his near empty bag of pot. I let out a soft sigh but kept walking not wanting to think about the fact that they were almost out and would be getting angry soon. I worked absent mindedly on the lunch I was preparing just trying to get through the morning so I could go to Josh’s house. I could hear the hushed voices of my mom and her boyfriend in the living room talking about what would happen if someone came over and they didn’t have enough for him. I assumed that later on one of his druggie friends were going to come over and watch the game or something and they were worried about not having enough pot to go around. Sucks to be them because really who would do a drug deal on Thanksgiving?

Hours later I set the table and started to dish out the food. Mom sat down next to me at the table and put her arms around me in sort of an awkward hug. “I love you,” She whispered, “Please don’t hate me for what I have done.”

“I couldn’t hate you mom.” It was a slight lie but I couldn’t tell her to her face that some part of me truly did hate her for all that she put me through. She kissed my forehead again and moved over next to her boyfriend. They kept glancing at the clock then at me throughout the entire meal and all I thought was 2 couldn’t get here quick enough. A few quick thuds came from the front door and my mom leapt up to go answer it.

“Gary, honey, come into the living room please.” She called out; her boyfriend got up and walked into the living room slowly. A few minutes later the three of them came back into the kitchen.

“Reese honey this is Mark.” My mom said gesturing to the man that stood between her and Gary.

“Does he need a plate?” I asked.

“No he doesn’t. Get up please.”

“What?”

“Reese come on, we have work to do.” Mark said holding his hand out to me.

“What is going on?”

“They are just trying to repay a debt, you’re going to help them. Come on we have some work to do.”

“What do you mean we have work to do?”

“Please don’t make this difficult Reese, you look like a smart girl I’m sure you can figure out what is going on. Now please come on.” I got up from the table and pushed past all of them and walked into my room. They followed me in there.

“How much? How much is the fucking debt?”

“900 dollars.”

“Drug money right?”

“Yes.”

“Goddamn it.” I pulled out the box that I kept all the money that dad gave me in and started to count out 900 dollars. I handed it to Mark, “Don’t you ever come back here again.” He left quickly.

“Thanks Reese.” My mom said turning to leave the room.

“Don’t you fucking leave this room.” I said, “How the fuck could you try to give me to your fucking drug dealer? What kind of fucking mother are you? What kind of mother sells her daughter for drugs. I’m so goddamn lucky that I had money saved up for college. But you know it’s probably ok that my college money just went to buy you drugs. Yeah I’m sure I won’t mind being a huge failure like you. You never could do anything right you goddamn bitch.” My hands flew towards her without thinking she gave a slight yelp when my fist connected with her face. At first she didn’t know what she was going to do she just stood there in complete shock, but then when I hit her again something snapped. She pushed me back until I was up against the wall. Anger filled her eyes and I tried to keep my composure enough to block a few of her blows.

“You are an ungrateful little bitch you know that Reese, I always tried to do what was best for you, I’m sorry if I can’t give you all that you wanted but I never heard you complain before. I’ve worked my ass off to make sure that you had everything that you needed to succeed.”

“Then you started doing drugs, so fuck you since you stopped caring about me.” She smacked me hard then backed off and grabbed the box of money. “That’s mine mom, drop it.” She walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. Three thousand dollars just walked out of my room and there was nothing I could do about it.

Josh came into my room a half an hour later he found me laying on my bed crying. He laid down next to me and held me tightly. We laid there for a few minutes until I was able to regain composure then I turned to look at him.

“I had to give their drug dealer 900 dollars. Then mom stole the rest of my money.”

“What?”

“Their drug dealer came over and he needed 900 dollars. So I gave it to him then I hit mom and she stole my money. I have no money for college now.”

“Why did you give him money?”

“Because they tried to give him me.”

“Pack a bag you’re staying at my house tonight.”

“I shouldn’t.”

“Pack a bag.” He kissed my forehead then walked out of my room. I started to grab a few things of clothes and threw them into a backpack. I walked towards the living room and heard their voices all speaking in whispers but they were angry no doubt about it. “Give me the money,” Josh sneered.

“It’s our money now.” Gary whispered back.

“Just give me the money and we can forget this ever happened.”

“No.” My mom said. I stepped into the room just in time to see Josh push my mom onto the couch and punch Gary.

“You don’t deserve your daughter. And don’t ever let me hear about you hitting her again.” He grabbed the box of money then turned around and saw me standing there staring at him.

“I love you.” I said. He walked over to me and grabbed my hand before pulling me out of the house and to his car.

“It wasn’t my plan to punch them.” He said when we were driving away, “I was just going to get your money back.”

“I don’t care.” I said softly. “I’m just happy that you got my money back.” He pulled into his driveway and kissed me.

“No one is going to hurt you again.” We walked into his house and I put my bag in his room. His mom came up to me and pulled me into a hug.

“We’re glad you can spend today with us.” She said. There was so much love in her voice as she said those words my body melted into her hug. “Are you hungry?”

“Just a little my lunch got interrupted before I had a chance to eat very much.” I said.

“Well we have some things to snack on while I finish cooking dinner.” She motioned towards a couple dishes of food, I grabbed a few things to eat and followed Josh into his room.

“Thank you so much for getting my money back. This whole thing is so weird. I swear everything is falling apart.”

“Not us.” I put down my plate and moved closer to him. He put his arms around me and pulled me into his lap. “I love that I don’t have to worry about your casts anymore.” He smiled as he lowered his face to mine. “I love you.”

“I love you.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pushed my lips against his. His hands moved under my shirt and his fingers started to fumble with my bra. “Your parents are out there.” I said pulling away from him.

“It’s ok.”

“No it’s not, I don’t want them to think badly of me.”

“They love you.”

“I want to keep it that way.”

“God Reese you are going to be the death of my sex drive.”

“Josh don’t be like that.”

“Reese don’t be like that.”

“Don’t be like what? I’m just saying that it’s wrong with your parents out there.”

“You didn’t seem to mind with your boyfriend on the other side of the door. Shit I didn’t mean that.”

“That’s not fair at all, I was drunk and you seduced me. And if I remember correctly I did protest to that. And if you remember correctly Tucker found out and beat the hell out of me for sleeping with you. Please let’s not argue about this. Just not right now ok?”

“You know they are going to their friend’s house later leaving us pretty much alone.”

“Are they?”

“Yes, they go over there every year, my brothers go with them too, the house would be ours.”

“Deal, later then.”

“Yeah and then they go out for black Friday every year, they wake up really early and stay out all day.”

“We have to go to my dad’s, he invited us over for lunch tomorrow remember?”

“I know, I didn’t forget I was just thinking.”

“Well don’t think we have to go over there kind of early.”

“Fine. Maybe I shouldn’t go with you over there you need time with your family.”

“No the only way they agreed to let me go over there is if you come with me.”

“I just don’t know if me being there will be a good idea, I mean you never get to see your other family and I don’t want to take away from that.”

“If you don’t go I can’t go. Please you said it yourself I don’t ever get to see them and I want them to see you and see me. And see that I’m not trash.”

“You’re not trash, and you don’t need to prove it to them. If they can’t see that then they don’t deserve to have you in their life.”

“Funny you say that because one of your best friends thinks I’m trash.”

“Don’t listen to Jess I already told you she is just jealous.”

“What does she have to be jealous of?”

“I don’t want to tell you.”

“Tell me.”

“She was supposed to date Tucker.”

“What?”

“Tucker had taken her on a few dates before he started dating you. She is thinks you stole him.”

“Why would she even want him knowing how he treated me?”

“She thinks it would have been different. And it’s not like she is going to go after him now but at that time when you guys first started dating she was pissed. And you took a couple other things from her too.”

“Like what?”

“Student council president, the lead in the play, and I don’t know maybe some other stuff. Don’t worry, she will get over it.”

“So will my family. Just wait once they realize I’m not trash then I can move in with them. Then life will be so much better. Please we have to do this. I mean you know when I go home my room is going to be trashed and I’m going to be in so much trouble because of what you did. You know they are just going to take my money again and beat me or worse. I mean if they honestly thought giving me to a drug dealer was a good idea already then they could do it again. But we have to show them tomorrow.”

“Fine I’ll go.”

“Thank you. You are the best boyfriend ever.” I kissed his cheek then turned back to my plate of food. He took the plate out of my hand and placed it on the floor. He placed his hand on my cheek and turned my face to meet his.

“You can eat later.” He kissed me and pushed me on to my back. “I just want to lay here with you for a little while. Like we used to before all this stuff happened.” He wrapped me up in his arms and held me tightly. “I mean I don’t want to make light of this but I’m really glad Tucker beat you. If he didn’t we might not have had this.”

“Yeah I know. I’m really glad I decided to come in your window that night. And I’m really glad that you didn’t turn me away.” I laid my head on his chest and just listened to him breathe as his hands glided over my hair.

“I would never turn you away. Anyone who turns you away is not worth knowing. I hope you know that.”

“I do. You tell me that all the time.”

“Yeah well I mean it. You just wait once we are out of high school our lives are going to be so great together. We won’t have to worry about your family anymore, or the stupid people who just don’t get you. We will be happy together just like we are now.”

“You think we’ll be together that long?”

“I’m not planning on breaking up are you? I mean think about all we went through already, and you did come through my window I think that must mean something.”

“Yeah you’re right, but I don’t think I’m ready to plan our future together.”

“Then don’t, just plan on a nap for the next few hours.”

“That sounds like an excellent plan.” I turned over and kissed him really quickly on the mouth. “Good night Josh.” I snuggled into his arms and closed my eyes. Beside me I could feel him stirring. I waited a few minutes before sitting up. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just thinking about us you know, about everything.”

“Like what? Talk to me about what you are thinking.”

“I’m just thinking about how a couple months ago I thought that this would never happen and now it is, and how much I just never want this to go away. I never want you to go away again.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I mean you are the one who is graduating before me. You are leaving me behind remember?”

“I’m not leaving you behind. I’ll still be here for you always. And you are the one who went 2 years without talking to me.”

“I didn’t mean to, I just.”

“I know, it doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter, this is the second thing you said today that seems like an attack. Maybe we should talk about this.”

“I don’t mean to attack you, I just.”

“Never mind it was stupid, I think I could really go for that nap we talked about earlier.” I laid back down and folded myself into the covers.

“Reese, don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad I just want a nap.”

“Ok,” He put his arms around me, “Sleep well Reese.” I shut my eyes and let myself enjoy the warmth of his touch.