The second and third week of school was much easier than the first. I'd been making nice with more people than just Toni and Fangs. Of course, they were all associated with the Serpents, but it was better than nothing. Currently, I had my history notes spread out around me at my kitchen table while Fangs and Joaquin, another Serpent in our pre-calc class, sat across from me attempting their pre-calc review homework.
"What'd you get on seventeen?"
"Fifteen."
"What? I got four." Fangs leaned over to read the other's notebook. "Who's right, Pony?" I looked up from reading about the colonization of the Americas. They were both staring at me.
"Neither of you."
"What'd you get on seventeen?" The front door swung open as I dug out my pre-calc notebook. The heavy boots told me it was Doc without even looking up.
"Anybody home?" He called out.
"In here!" I answered, flipping open my homework. "I got twelve."
"What?" They both grabbed the notebook, pulling it over between them.
"Hey, kid." Doc pressed a kiss to the top of my head as he passed behind me, going into the kitchen. "Joaquin, Fangs." They barely acknowledged him, staring at my notebook. "How was your day?"
"Fine."
"What'd you have for lunch?"
"The same thing I eat every day for lunch." I shot at him, looking down at my history book.
"Which is?"
"An orange."
"Pony, we've talked about this." I didn't have to look at him to know he was giving me the disapproving look he'd perfected since I'd moved in. "You have to be eating more than that."
"I know, I know." I glanced towards where Joaquin and Fangs were copying my homework.
"Fine. We're talking about it later with your mom." That thought filled me with dread. "Don't forget about the meeting tonight, boys." Doc shoved himself off the counter he was leaning against. Then disappeared into his bedroom, ending all conversation.
"Shit, I gotta go. I told Toni I'd give her a ride." Fangs hastily shoved all of his things into his backpack, rushing out the front door. Joaquin looked at me for a second, opened his mouth like he was going to say something, and then shut it.
"What?"
"Nothing." He went back to his pre-calc homework.
"You wanna know what all that was with Doc."
"It's none of my business." I thought about telling him the truth. I mean, living here was supposed to be my fresh start. How clean of a start was it if I started lying to everyone that spoke to me? I opened my mouth before I could talk myself out of it.
"I didn't eat enough when I lived with my dad. I passed out twice because of it. Doc and my mom are worried that it's gonna happen again." My teeth were gnawing on my bottom lip, nervous how he was going to react to my confession. I hadn't actually told anyone that before. Sure, people knew. But everyone who knew, knew because they'd heard it from the doctors at the hospital. He just nodded, holding my gaze for a few long seconds. Then went back to his homework.
At lunch the next day, Joaquin handed me a granola bar without a word.
"So, I've been thinking." Mom and I were sitting on the couch in the living room. A terrible made-for-TV movie playing as we ate our pizza dinner.
"That's never a good sign." I laughed out, looking over at my mom. She sent me a playful glare. "Sorry, sorry. What have you been thinking about?"
"Your hair." I immediately drew my lower lip between my teeth. She hadn't said anything yet. And I'd assumed it was because she was mad about it. Like she was mad about my befriending the Serpents. "Your new friends." I set the piece of pizza in my hand down onto the paper plate in front of me. I knew we'd be talking about it eventually. "I'm not mad at you for making friends with the Serpents. It's not them I have a problem with. Hell, I'm married to one. I just know how mad it's going to make your dad. And I don't want anything to happen that's going to jeopardize you living here."
"Nothing's going to happen."
"You don't know that. Things happen sometimes, honey." She sighed, turning fully towards me. "We love having you here. Our family actually feels like a family with you here. But your dad could take that away at any second. He still has full custody of you. Legally. We're working on getting an official custody agreement, but it's taking longer than we thought."
"What are you saying? He could just snap his fingers and I'm back living there?" My pinky fingers started tingling just at the thought of living with him again. This couldn't be happening. "I'm not going back there. I'm not."
"Honey, you have to be realistic here. If-" I shot out of my seat.
"No!" My voice raising. "I'm not going back there!" Her face set into a hard stare.
"Well, you have to. You're having dinner over there tomorrow night. It's either that or you go back to living there." I clenched my jaw, stomping into my room. Slamming my door didn't relieve any of my anger. Neither did whipping one of my pillows at the now closed door. So, I put on the closest pair of shoes and stormed out the back door.
I hadn't thought this through. It was colder outside than it was in the house. The leggings and thin shirt I'd been comfortably wearing before my mom's news were doing nothing for me, now that I was sitting on the only functioning swing in the Sunnyside park. The dilapidated park was on the opposite side of the trailer park that our house backed up to. I doubted my mom would come looking for me here. If she bothered to come looking for me. I had no idea how long I had been sitting here. But a chill had settled into me. And I was starting to shiver.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" The voice startled me. Looking up from my feet, I spotted the one high school age Serpent that was taller than the rest. "Are you aware that Doc's ready to call the national guard to come find you?"
"What?"
"Your mom called him an hour ago, freaking. He's got everyone looking all over for you."
"Well, here I am." The loud annoyed sigh he let out made me roll my eyes. "Sorry for the inconvenience." My words had a bite to them. I was still angry about earlier. With a sigh of my own, I hoisted myself out of the swing. His loud steps echoed behind me as I started making my way back home. I tried to ignore it. But by the time we made it to the edge of the park, I couldn't take it any longer. "What are you doing?" I whirled around, staring angrily at him.
"I'm making sure you get home, princess. Last thing I need is for you to get jumped by a bunch of Ghoulies. Doc would kill me."
"I'm not gonna get jumped."
"You don't know that."
"Why the hell would they jump me? I'm nobody."
"You're Doc's kid. Which makes you somebody." I rolled my eyes at his retort. This again. "That's how it works on the Southside. If you're important to a Serpent, you're a target."
"Yeah, okay." I rolled my eyes for the second time. He continued to stalk after me as I wound through the streets towards home. Neither of us said anything else to the other. We just walked. Me shivering with an angry look on my face, him fifteen feet behind me the entire way. My eyes widened slightly when I rounded the corner of my street. The entire house was lit up. Mom was sitting on the front porch, wrapped in a blanket, staring out onto the street.
"You good from here, princess?"
"Yeah." Then after a second, I threw a 'thanks' at him before continuing to walk towards the house. Mom immediately called Doc to call off the search party. She didn't spare me a glance as I walked past her into the house. I was still mad at her, but now I was feeling guilty for causing so much panic.
"Don't you ever, ever, do that again? Do you hear me?" I kept my eyes on the toes of my boots, not looking up at her as she scolded me. "Do you have any idea what could've happened to you? I can't- Just go to your room. Doc'll be home in a few minutes. We'll talk about it then." I didn't pick my head up until I was in my room. The door closing silently behind me. My bed creaked slightly as I sat on the edge of it. My anxiety was screaming at me; telling me how stupid I was for just taking off like that, how now they were going to change their minds and send me back to live with my dad. Before I knew it, I was curled into a ball around my pillow sobbing.