Bad Combination

"Mom I said I'm sorry and I am. Stop lecturing me!" the term 'looks could kill' was in full effect right now. She hated it when I got an attitude. Oh well, I'm a teenager.

"'Sorry' doesn't account for you breaking a school window!" She just couldn't get past that fact, could she? "And you will not speak to me like that, Maia."

"Well, it was better than my other alternative. I could break a window and get expelled or I could get expelled and sued for breaking the freak's face for grabbing my ass!" And of course I was yelling.

"You forgot you add grounded to the list and watch your language!" Mom yelled to match my tone.

"Who freakin' gives a crap!" I couldn't stand there anymore so I grabbed my jacket and swung the door open as hard as I could and I left. I didn't respond to my mom's voice yelling other words to me; I just got into the car and drove, not really knowing where I was going. A few minutes later my phone rang. I knew it was mom but I looked at it anyway. Huh, it was my brother, Jack.

"What do you need, Jack?" I like my brother, bit overly protective at some points but he's cool for the most part. He lives with my dad in the state of Washington so I don't see him that much.

"Mom called," he said simply.

"Ok just tell me what you want before I hang up."

"Maia, stop being rash and just calm down a bit…. And things probably would have went better if you hit the guy," I heard his soft laugh on the other end of the line, making my anger melt away. Most of it, anyway. "But he shouldn't have touched you. No one should touch you, not like that," he said, all since of humor gone.

I laughed. "You can cut the protective brother crap, Jack, I won't see him again. I'm guessing mom didn't leave out the part where I got expelled?" I said this like a hiss.

"You guessed right." Of course I did. "Where are you? You should get home."

"Like hell I will. I'm already grounded for who knows how long and this just made it worse." My anger was working its way back up.

"You need to get home, Maia." He said, flipping his protective switch on. "Mom may worry a bit too much but with you she has good reason." He said, trying to defuse my anger that came with his protective switch.

I laughed a little. "Whatever, Jack. Bye." He said good-bye too and let me hang up. I tried to figure out where I was. I gave up after a few minute and just pulled over so I could think. I sighed in frustration and tilted my head back on the headrest. I waited nearly two hours before I got back on the road.

I found a gas station and decided to stop for directions. The guy behind the counter looked kind of gruff but not in a scary way. He had kind eyes. "Well now, what's a perdy girl like yerself doin' out so late?" He was missing a few teath and that gave him a funny voice.

"I'm getting myself lost." I said with a sincere smile. I told him the park near my house and asked how to get there. Of course I wasn't stupid enough to give him my address! He smiled toothily and sent me in the right direction.

When I got home mom was on the couch, asleep. I was going to try to sneak past her but I tripped over, wouldn't you know it, my own feet!

"Wh- who- Maia!" She leaped up and pulled me into a hug. "Where have you been? You didn't even call or txt or… anything!" She had that worried mother look that made her look 10 years younger, with her big eyes that I had too.

"Sorry." I tried to get around her but she stopped me.

"We still need to talk, Maia. Sit down." She sat but I stayed standing just to show her that I didn't like being told what to do. She sighed but continued. "Ok so we need to get you back into a school and then there's the little grounded thing that I mentioned earlier." Were mothers just made to piss you off?

I sighed as to not show too much anger. "Yeah I know, mom, grounded for a month."

She narrowed her eyes only slightly. "I think you've worked up three."

"Mom!"

"But I haven't decided yet," she looked down at her feet, now. "Once we get settled, your father will decide." Honestly I think my mind shut down. There was no way this woman was going to take me anywhere near my father.

Even in my head calling him 'dad' disgusted me! "I'm not going." I said when I found my voice. "There is no way I'm going back to the man that just used you to get the oh-so-admirable son he's always wanted then shuts us out of his life completely. I mean did he ever love you or was it all just bullsh-"

"Maia!" Mom cut me off. "That's enough. And you are going." When mom wants something it's very rare that she doesn't get it, of course I'm usually the one that won't give it to her but still. And when she gets mad, like really mad, she gets calm. That one thing we don't share. And right now she's mad and dead set on getting her way.

This is obviously not a good combination for me.