Chapter 28
Christina sat down on the chair farthest from the two women, which wasn't exactly far enough to the teen. It was across from them but three seats away. She liked to keep her distance, especially when she was in trouble.
Of course, Stef knew what the girl was trying to do, but she didn't let it phase her too much or address it verbally. Instead, she nodded and stood up, beginning to walk over towards the empty seat in front of the black-haired girl. It was as if the blonde was basically saying Nice try. But that's not going to work.
"Well, Christina, it's nice to see that you're so willing to have this conversation with us," Stef attempted to joke before sitting down. Both women smiled at Stef's attempt to lighten the mood, but Christina wasn't so quick to budge. Rather the teen rolled her eyes and moved her hair from her face and toward the back of her ear before sighing and staring at the family photos that were on the refrigerator. Lena moved over to sit beside Stef.
Both adults exchanged awkward glances before the blonde finally began. "So, I'm sure you have an idea about what all of this is about. Yes?"
The teen rolled her eyes again at Stef's question. It annoyed her that they were going so slow. She wasn't used to people doing that. In fact, she was more accustomed to the storm without the calm. And for some reason, now she preferred it.
Stef didn't take the girl's constant eye-rolling lightly by the stern look she shot the teen in response. She could tolerate a little disrespect. She knew that all of her kids were teens and they're hormones were out of whack. But even then, both moms had their limits to how much they were willing to take.
"Enough with the eye-rolling, Christina," Stef warned in a serious tone.
Why? she wanted to ask but shook her head slightly instead. It wasn't like her being polite and focused during this conversation was going to change the outcome anyway. And the anticipation was really beginning to get the girl's nerves.
Christina knew that if she had to pack her bags and leave now, she'd be fine.
Or as fine as she could ever get.
There was always her mom to go back to.
That woman was her safety net as well as her destruction.
It just depended on which one Christina was willing to sacrifice.
Her safety or her home?
"Okay," Lena began in a calm and rational tone. "Well, let's start off by saying that although we don't condone what you chose to do yesterday–"
"At all," Stef added forcefully as she eyed the teen. "You purposely put yourself in harms way for no good reason and that's not something we allow to happen in this house."
Christina wanted to tell the woman again that it had nothing to do with her…That it was none of her business. But she didn't want to get into another argument like the one she had with Stef the previous night.
Lena sighed as she listened to her wife, suddenly realizing that her blonde counterpart wasn't going to let her take the lead in this conversation as she had promised she would. She tried to reel the conversation into a less intimidating one. "It was dangerous and there will be consequences for your actions. Like being grounded for one. We were thinking two weeks."
Christina listened carefully to Lena and she couldn't help but be confused. She had already been grounded… And over here it didn't seem like a big deal at all. No tv. No video games. No leaving the house aside from school.
It was like not being grounded when it came to some of the homes she'd been in. This was more of a luxury than anything else.
"Okay," Christina answered.
Lena and Stef exchanged glances when they realized that the conversation was going smoother than expected. "Okay," Lena nodded once. "And there's also something else that we'd like to discuss with you."
The teen sighed and opened her mouth to mumble something, but Stef already knew that it was coming and gave her another warning look that caused the girl to look away and close her mouth.
Lena pressed her lips together awkwardly before continuing the conversation. "Stef and I think that it'd be best if you...talk to someone."
Christina squinted her eyes at the women as she tried to process the information she was being given. She had an idea about what they were talking about but couldn't believe they were serious.
"What?" she said in a confused yet still harsh tone that depicted obvious resistance.
Now it was Lena who let out a deep breath before continuing. "We feel that we aren't …well equipped with the tools you need to overcome this...habit.," the woman said nervously.
"Overcome what habit?" the teen asked as if she were completely clueless.
Stef forced herself into the conversation when she realized Lena wasn't getting very far. "You. Trying to get yourself killed. That habit. Remember?" the blonde said sarcastically.
"I wasn't—"
"It doesn't matter if that's what you call it, Christina," the blonde asserted. "It's what you did. And we're not going to sit back and watch you do it, so you start your therapy sessions on Wednesday at 5 o'clock."
"And what if I don't want to go," the teen said as if the matter could somehow be swayed.
"You don't have a choice," Stef responded with ease. "We've already talked with Bill and he's going to have you start these therapy sessions whether you're here or if you get moved—"
"What do you mean you talked with Bill? Hold up. You told him about this?" Christina sounded as if she'd been betrayed.
Stef nodded.
"Why?" Christina spat as she crossed her arms over her chest again before standing up in front of her chair.
"Christi—" Lena tried to start but the teen was too fueled on her next problem to want to hear either of them out.
"What the hell is wrong with you people? What gives you the right to—"
"It's our job!" Stef yelled back at her.
"No, your job is to collect your check and mind your own damn business," Christina challenged without a hint of regret this time.
Now she was angry.
And the look on Stef's face was the last thing she would be concerned with at this point. She'd been quiet long enough.
The blonde forced herself to look down at the floor so that she wouldn't engage in an already heated argument that wasn't going anywhere. She placed her hands on her hips before removing them and leaning them against the table. Stef glanced back up at Christina who had obvious signs of rage practically darting rays at the both of them. "You start your meetings on Wednesday, Christina. You can be mad all you want but that's not going to change anything and neither is leaving so just… SUCK IT UP," Stef answered matter-of-factly as she let the teen know her only option.
The teen rolled her eyes and began to walk away which surprised and angered Stef at the same time. Lena noticed this and chimed in again. "Christina," she said pleadingly while eyeing the girl at the same time.
The teen rolled her eyes again before turning around and looking at the two women. "What?"
"We don't just get up and walk away from a conversation or get up from the table before saying excuse me."
Christina shot her wtf look because all of these rules seemed ridiculous at this point. After a few seconds, she finally said "excuse me" in a harsh tone before getting up and walking away.
"2 weeks?" Stef muttered to her partner once Christina was out of earshot. "I think we'd have a better chance of getting a jaguar to behave."
Lena sighed when she realized the blonde might be right. "Probably… And when were you going to fill me in on the conversation you had with Bill?" Lena questioned the woman.
"What conversation?" the cop asked through squinted eyes.
Lena's mouth opened slightly. "…Stef."
"What other choice did I have, Lena? You and I know that if we made it seem like she had an option, she wasn't going to go."
"I'm not sure forcing her to go is the best option either."
Stef sighed as she placed the dry plates back into the cupboard. "Well, we gotta start somewhere…"
"Christina can you take out the garbage?" Lena asked as she began washing the dishes after dinner. All of the other children were helping to clean up.
"Because that's not racist at all," Christina mumbled as she got up from her chair to remove the garbage bag from the can. And even though she knew that what she was saying made no sense at all, the last thing she was concerned with was her logic.
She didn't need to use it anymore.
Screw what these people think about me, she thought to herself before tying the bag and pulling it out of the can. Everyone else watched her silently and awkwardly as she stormed out of the backdoor. Stef rolled her eyes communicated with Lena through eye-contact.
Lena inhaled a deep breath as she considered what to say next. She waited for the door to close all the way before speaking.
"How's that racist?" Jude questioned with obvious confusion.
"Christina's last name in Infante," Jesus answered. "She's Spanish and mom just told her to take out the trash."
"I tell all of you to take out the trash," Lena argued.
"True," Mariana defended.
"All of us except for Brandon," Jesus felt the need to continue.
"Jesus!" Stef scolded over the table which caused the boy to lower his eyes toward his empty plate. A long silence followed.
"She's just upset with us right now," Lena told them. "Let's give her some time to cool off."
"It seems like that's all we're doing," Stef said sarcastically.
"Some people take longer to cool off than others," Lena justified. "A certain blonde in this room comes to mind…" Lena said as she tried to get Stef to realize why her and Christina clashed so much.
Both were hot-headed and neither were accustomed to getting told what to do.
Stef stared back at Lena with a frozen expression on her face. After a few seconds, she shook her head and appeared confused. "I don't know what you mean about that..."
"Of course you don't," Lena smiled as she walked over to wipe the table clean.
"Fuck!" Christina yelled when she threw the garbage bag into the bin outside and watched it topple over and fall on the floor. She stared depressingly as the food spilt out of the bag, letting out an exaggerated breath. "Because I didn't have a bad enough day today," the teen muttered as she bent over to pick up the dirty napkins from the floor and threw them back into the bag. "Ew," she said as she tried not to inhale the smell too much.
As soon as she finished, she lifted the bin up from the floor and began rolling it to the front of the house. She already knew that garbage day was tomorrow and she didn't want to come back outside if either women were to tell her to move it after the fact.
The black-haired girl placed it in position and crossed her arms over her chest. She closed her eyes and took in a desperately needed second, to breathe and remove herself from everything.
She needed to pretend everything was fine.
Even if only for a second.
"Hey," she heard someone whisper.
No way, she thought to herself before opening her eyes and seeing the last person she'd ever expect walking towards her.
"Mom?" she muttered under her breath…
To be continued
