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“Michael.”
I paused. “I thought you said you drove this morning.”
And when they both fell silent, I decided I didn’t want to know.
Allison giggled. “Anyway, how was your morning?”
Michael snickered. “I take it D.J. was around?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s always around. Only this time, I told my mother exactly what I thought of him. And her, for being with him.”
“You did what?”
“What did you say to her?”
I shrugged. “What needed to be said a long time ago. That there was something wrong with her if she always gravitated to these types of men. That just because she needed him to pay the bills doesn’t mean I had to accept him.”
Allison’s jaw hit the floor. “You said that to your mother?”
Michael’s face fell. “Wow. That’s pretty harsh.”
I shrugged. “Had to be said either way. Not my fault she doesn’t want to leave an abusive dickweed because he pays some of our bills.”
Allison paused. “Does he really?”
I nodded. “Yep. Our dirty little secret.”
Michael sighed. “I mean, at least you got it off your chest, right?”
Even though I made her cry, sure. “Yeah. At least there’s that.”
Allison sat down in her seat. “Did D.J. do anything this morning to bring that on?”
“I mean, other than trying to be my dad, not really. He was his usual asshole self. Told me he’s trying to step in because, apparently, my mother needs help with me.”
Michael balked. “What?”
“Yeah. That’s what he told me.”
Allison scoffed. “That can’t be true. You’ve never given your mother any reason to worry. You’ve never really rebelled.”
Michael chuckled. “Other than that one time me and her snuck out to go to a diner and got sick on milkshakes at two in the morning.”
Allison paused. “You guys did what?”
I grinned. “No need to get jealous. It was three years ago.”
“I’m not jealous.”
Michael grinned. “That pouty bottom lip says otherwise.”
I averted my gaze as he leaned in to kiss her. And the kissing evolved to giggling. Which evolved to him tickling her as we pulled into the back parking lot of the school. I gazed out the window, searching for Clint’s bike. Well, not really bike. But any sort of vehicle that looked like it might have Clint in it. Part of me wanted to tell Michael to drive by his house. Maybe he just needed a ride to school.
Or maybe you know that’s absolute bullshit.
I sighed and pushed my way out of Michael’s SUV. He gave me a one-armed hug before Allison trotted around and wrapped her arms around my neck. I knew they were trying to cheer me up. Trying to offer me the bright side of life, or whatever. But I was slowly coming to the understanding that this was one of those things I had to ride out. There wasn’t a way to make it pass any sooner. I just had to wait it out.
I glared at Michael. “If you hurt her like this, I will end you. Understood?”
