"Any idea on how long you're staying?"
Max looked up at his adoptive father as the party wound down and they were cleaning up. Lizzie had taken Lovetta and Nikki home, so Max was alone with David and Gwen.
"I'm hoping to stay for a long time," Max told him, running a hand through his curly hair. "It's like I told Nikki—I missed ten years. I'm not missing any more."
"Well, that's good."
"I'm gonna start looking for a job and an apartment. That's a good place to start."
"You know, you could stay with us." Gwen's head snapped up from where she was dumping deflated balloons in the trash.
"David, are you sure?" she asked.
"We have room in the basement, if Max doesn't mind it."
"No, I don't," Max sighed. "I spent most of high school hanging out down there anyway. And I can still live with my daughter."
"It's great that you want to be a parent, but where the hell were you?" Gwen's voice said she wasn't going to drop the topic.
"I can't talk about it right now. Just know that if I had a choice, I would've stayed here."
They gave him an odd look as he dug his keys out of his pocket.
"You're still in the same house, right? I know the address."
"Yeah, we are," David replied. "We'll see you at the house."
"Bye."
Max headed out to his car and started the engine. Once he was on the road, he let the gravity of everything that had happened that day wash over him. Old memories he wanted to bury began to resurface as he thought of being a father.
You are my son, Max, and you will do what I say!
You gave up being my dad when you walked out on my mother!
Listen, you little shit. I'll give you twenty-four hours, but at the end of that, you're coming with me.
Oh, or what, motherfucker?!
Either you come with me or I hurt everyone you care about. And that little girlfriend of yours that you love so dearly? The one with the beautiful body?
Don't you dare fucking touch her, you asshole!
She'll be first unless you do what I say.
…you bastard.
So what's it going to be, boy? Are you going to listen to your father or let her die?
He pulled into the driveway and got out of the car, taking out his housekey for the first time in almost eleven years and unlocking the front door. The house looked the same as it had when he lived there. It was almost completely dark, save for the upstairs hallway light that was still on. He sighed and headed for the basement door.
"Gwen? David?"
He turned to see Nikki sitting up on the couch.
"It's just me," he told her.
"Oh." There was an awkward silence. "Come sit down."
Max sat down on the couch at the opposite end, not wanting to invade her space.
"You promised there was an explanation for why you left. Are you going to tell me?"
"Yeah." He took a deep breath. "It was because someone threatened to kill you if I didn't leave."
"What?! Why?!"
"Because you were my girlfriend, and they were someone who wanted me to help them. The quickest way to get me to agree was to threaten you. And trust me—they aren't the type to bluff about shit like that. If I didn't do it, you were going to be killed."
"Who was it?"
"That I can't tell you, but they've been arrested. That's why I was able to come back." He stared at the coffee table that had several crayon drawings on it. "I was hoping to apologize and give you some closure on all this."
"Why did you leave a note instead of telling me goodbye?"
"I was afraid that if I talked to you face-to-face, I wouldn't be able to leave."
"…so, what do we do now? We can't go back to the way things were when you left."
"Yeah, I figured that wasn't an option. I guess the only thing we can do is try and move on, right?"
"Right." She checked her watch. "Well, I've got to go to bed. I've got a shift tomorrow after I drop Lovetta off."
"And I've got to set up in the basement. Good night."
"Night."
She walked up the stairs and he watched her go until he couldn't see her anymore. His throat tightened as the words he wanted to tell her remained unspoken. A truth that he'd realized that day.
I still love you, Nikki.
Lovetta woke up before her alarm went off. It was a rare occurrence, but she'd had a dream that felt real. She hoped it was real, but that wasn't likely. The ten-year-old slid out of bed and got dressed before heading downstairs for breakfast. Her mother and grandparents were already in the kitchen.
"Morning," she greeted them, sitting in her normal spot.
"Hey, Lovey," Nikki replied. "How'd you sleep?"
"I had a dream that my dad came home and you threw a piece of pie in his face."
"Vet, that wasn't a dream," Gwen stated. "Your dad did come home. And your mom did throw a piece of pie in his face."
"It was real! Yay!" She clapped her hands and heard the basement door open. Her dad walked into the kitchen, his curly hair looking as messy as Lovetta's.
Guess I got my curls from him!
"Morning, Max!" David chirped. "I'm so glad you're home!"
"It's like, seven in the morning," Max sighed, going over to the coffee maker. "I need my coffee."
"You never were able to function without it," Nikki commented, handing their daughter a plate of bacon and eggs.
"What can I say? I hate getting up early." He glanced at Lovetta and smiled. "I don't know why our daughter's a morning person."
"I'm not!" Lovetta whined. "I'm a night owl!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! I only woke up early today because I couldn't go back to sleep!" She puffed out her cheeks and Max couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't tease her!" Nikki admonished.
"Sorry." He took his mug out from under the coffee maker and started drinking it.
"You don't add stuff to your coffee?" Lovetta asked, intrigued.
"Nah. I prefer it black and bitter. None of the extra crap." Lovetta shrugged and ate her breakfast. Once she was done, she ran upstairs to brush her teeth and her hair before coming back downstairs to see her mother checking her watch.
"Time to go, Lovey," Nikki told her.
"Can Max come, too?" Nikki glanced at her ex, who shrugged and nodded.
"I'm willing to go, but it's up to the boss."
"Is Mom the boss?"
"Yes, your mom's the boss. That's the way it's always worked."
"It's fine with me," Nikki sighed. "Let's go."
"We can take my car," Max offered.
"Sure. Why not?"
The three headed outside and got into Max's car. Lovetta made herself comfortable in the backseat while Nikki buckled up and Max started the engine. He backed down the driveway and followed Nikki's instructions.
"What kind of job do you have?" Lovetta asked Max.
"I don't have one at the moment," he replied, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. "I'm going to start looking, though, so I can help out."
"You mean pay child support?" Both parents looked at each other, then glanced at their daughter.
"How do you know what that is?"
"This boy named James at school has divorced parents, and his dad has to pay child support to James's mom."
"Yeah. I was supposed to do that, too, but I didn't even know you existed until yesterday. I'm not leaving again, though. I promise."
"That's good."
They pulled up to the school and Lovetta glanced out the window to see Alexis Winters waiting there. She ducked down.
"I want to spend the day with Max!" she declared quickly.
"Vet, you have to go to school," Max told her. "I want to spend time with you, too, but you're ten and the law requires you have to go to school unless you're sick."
"Please? I don't wanna go." She looked out the window and Max followed her gaze to Alexis.
"Is she giving you a hard time?"
"Yeah… because her mom keeps telling everyone not to go near me or our family."
"Lovetta, you tell her to mind her own damn business next time she starts harassing you," Nikki stated bluntly. "She has no right to judge our family."
"Okay. Bye, Mom. Bye, Max."
"Wait!" Lovetta looked at her dad and he wrote something down on a scrap of paper he'd pulled out of his center console. "This is my phone number. If you need something and your mom isn't available, call me."
Lovetta got out of the car and watched her parents drive away. She then turned towards the school… and was immediately seen by Alexis and her two bitchy friends—Lauren and Bianca.
"Well, if it isn't Lovetta," Alexis sneered.
"Hi, Alexis," Lovetta mumbled.
"Who was that guy who dropped you off?"
"His name is Max, and he's—"
"One of your mom's clients, right? My mom says that the only relationships teen moms like yours get are on the street corner, and even those are temporary. How much is he paying her?"
"Shut up, Alexis." Lovetta couldn't believe the words that came out of her own mouth. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Of course I do. Your mom slept around when she was in high school and your dad left her when he realized what a whore she was. Then she was stuck with you—an ugly little bitch who doesn't know when to shut her mouth."
"That's… that's not true! My mom only loved my dad!"
"Sluts and whores are incapable of love, dumbass. And your dad probably ran out on her when he found out you were—"
"Shut the fuck up, Alexis! Before I make you!"
Lovetta slapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late.
Alexis was pissed off.
"Don't act so high and mighty! You wanna make me shut up?! Then meet me on the playground during recess and we'll settle this, one on one. Unless you're a scared little slut like your mom!"
Lovetta bit her lip as the bell rang for them to go to class.
"Hey, Gwen, any clue where I should apply?"
Gwen glanced up from her laptop to see Max staring at his computer screen.
"For a high school dropout?" she inquired. "Your options are severely limited."
"For your information, I have a GED."
"A GED gives you a few more options, but not many."
"Says the woman who has two useless degrees."
"At least I have a fucking job, you little shit."
"Can you help me instead of berating me?"
"Sure. What kind of job are you looking for?"
"Something that I can do and still be there for Lovetta. Like, I dunno… maybe work as a temp or something?"
"Yeah, that would work for you. Apply at an agency."
Suddenly, Max's phone went off. He didn't recognize the number, but he still answered.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Is this Max Greene?" the woman on the other end asked.
"Yeah, this is him."
"My name is Katrina McCormick. I'm the principal at Sleepy Peak Elementary. I'm calling because Lovetta has gotten into a bit of trouble and we couldn't get ahold of her mother. This was the number she asked us to call. What is your relation to her?"
"I'm her father. What kind of trouble are we talking about?"
"She was in a fight on the playground. Could you come and pick her up? I'll explain more then."
"Yeah, I'm on my way." Max hung up and closed his laptop. "Lovetta got in a fight."
"See, I told David that there's no way you two would end up with a daughter who doesn't curse and doesn't get in fights, but he insisted that Lovetta is a pacifist."
"Well, at any rate, I've gotta go pick her up." He let out a sigh and grabbed his keys. "I'll be back."
At the elementary school, he found his way to the office without a problem. There, he found Lovetta with dirt on one cheek and a bandage on the other. It reminded him of Nikki back when they'd first met as kids—a tomboy who loved to play in the mud.
"So, what happened?" Max asked his daughter.
"I got in a fight with Alexis Winters," she mumbled.
"Mr. Greene?"
He looked up to see a woman with dark red hair pulled back in a bun. She had a no-nonsense expression on her pale face.
"You must be Principal McCormick," he stated, holding out a hand. "I'm Max Greene."
"It's a pleasure to meet you. Come in my office. Lovetta, you too."
The father and daughter pair headed into the office, where Max could see the skinny blonde girl from earlier sitting in a chair. A woman who must've been her mother was sitting next to her, a sour expression on her face as she viewed Lovetta with disdain.
"Now, we're here to get to the bottom of this—" Miss McCormick stated before the woman cut her off.
"Honestly, Katrina! It's obvious what happened! Lovetta is a disturbed little girl with terrible morals who attacked my little angel!" She stood up. "Expel her! Trash like that shouldn't be in our town!"
"Mrs. Winters, I'm going to ask that you please sit down," Miss McCormick sighed. "I would like to hear what the girls have to say before we decide on punishment."
"That sounds fair to me," Max agreed. Mrs. Winters glared at him.
"I would like to speak to Lovetta and Max first. Mrs. Winters, please take Alexis outside."
The bitchy woman left with an offended huff, the door slamming shut behind her.
"Lovetta, would you like to tell us what happened?" Lovetta nodded.
"This morning, when Max and Mom dropped me off, Alexis started getting in my face. She said all this horrible stuff about my family and I told her to shut up. She got mad and then said that we would settle it on the playground at recess. I went to defend myself because she'd just track me down later if I didn't show up."
"Ah." Miss McCormick nodded. "Who threw the first punch?"
"Alexis did, when I said I didn't want to fight. She got mad and knocked me over so she could hit me a whole bunch. I fought back so I wouldn't get hurt too badly."
"That does line up with what a few of your classmates told me."
"Hang on a second," Max objected. "Lovetta, what exactly did Alexis say that was so bad?"
"She started calling Mom a… I can't say it. There were a lot of bad words involved."
"You can say them," Miss McCormick assured her. "Trying to stop kids from cursing is pointless. I've learned that over the years."
"She said Mom was a slut and a whore who could only find a relationship on the corner. And that I was like her—an ugly little bitch who didn't know when to shut her mouth."
"Did she say anything else?"
"Yeah. She also said that my dad ran out on my mom because he found out she was pregnant with me. That was when I told her to shut the fuck up. Then she told me that we would settle it on the playground and if I didn't show up, I was a scared little slut like my mom."
"I don't know about you, Miss McCormick, but that sounds like Alexis was the one who started this whole thing," Max told the principal.
"It sounds like that to me, too. You're her father, you said? We haven't seen you before."
"Well, circumstances beyond my control kept me from being here, but I'm back and I intend to stay."
"We have Lovetta's side of the story, but unfortunately, I also have to hear Alexis's. More than likely, it'll paint Lovetta as the instigator. Could you send her in? Oh, and tell Jessica to stay in the waiting room. I don't want her influencing her daughter's testimony."
"You got it." Max led his daughter out, inwardly fuming as he looked at the blonde pair. "She wants to see just Alexis."
The skinny girl headed into the office, her nose stuck up in the air in a snobby fashion. Max and Lovetta sat down, Jessica (Mrs. Winters) giving them a look of disdain.
"Who the hell do you think you are, coming in and acting like her father?" she sneered.
"I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm Max Greene, and I am her father."
"Really? Then where have you been?"
"I would've been here, but a situation prevented me from staying."
"That's what all men say, but I know what happened."
"Oh, yeah? Enlighten me."
"You had a one-night stand with her mother in high school and that abomination was the result. You left to avoid responsibility. But thank God you're here now."
"Why's that?"
"Because now you can raise your daughter with much better morals than that green-haired harlot who gave birth to her."
Suddenly, Max knew exactly who had been telling Alexis that bullshit about Nikki.
"Okay, Jessica. How about you tell me where you get off on talking that bullshit about Nikki?"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, bitch. You're talking bullshit about Nikki and I'm not going to stand for it."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm saying to shut the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up. And get your facts straight before you start feeding that bullshit to your daughter so she can bully my daughter."
"My Alexis is not a bully! She's an—"
"Angel, yeah, but here's the thing. People aren't perfect. If they're perfect, they're either Jesus or a robot, and I don't think you want to claim Alexis is either."
"You're giving me parenting tips, when you ran out on your family for over a decade?!"
"You don't know anything about me. I know I'm not perfect, but I also know that parents are supposed to care about their damn kids all the fucking time, whether it be when they get in a fight or they need somebody to listen to their problems. And I can tell you right now, Jessica, that you are fucking failing as a parent if you're excusing that kind of behavior from your kid. I'm trying to be better. Maybe you should, too."
Jessica opened and closed her mouth, unable to come up with a retort for that. The office door opened and Miss McCormick motioned for the three to come back inside.
"Well, based off all the accounts I've heard today, both girls are going to be punished," Miss McCormick told them. "However, Alexis, your punishment will be more severe."
"That's not fair!" Alexis whined. "She bit me!"
"It's called 'asserting dominance'," Max chuckled.
"I agree with Alexis!" Jessica snapped. "Why is she being punished more?"
"Because, Jessica, we have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying at this school. And from what I've heard, what your daughter did today is only the tip of the iceberg. Alexis will serve three days of out-of-school suspension, followed by three days of in-school suspension. And she'll also be required to write a letter of apology to Lovetta, Max, and Lovetta's mother. Lovetta, you're suspended for three days. That is final."
"My daughter is not going to be subjected to that kind of humiliation! I'm taking her out and putting her in a different school with a more reasonable principal! Come on, Alexis!"
The blonde girl was led out of the office and the door slammed shut behind them. Miss McCormick breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, thank God she's gone."
"Is Lovetta still suspended?" Max inquired.
"I'm afraid so, Max. She has to be punished for this type of behavior."
"Well, I can promise you that it won't happen again. Come on, Lovetta."
Nikki blinked.
"She's what?"
"Suspended for three days for getting in a fight with Alexis Winters," Max repeated. "Trust me, the brat had it coming."
"Alexis or Lovetta?"
"Alexis, of course. Lovetta was defending her family. That's a sign of a good kid."
"Oh, believe me, I know. So, what's the damage?"
"Lovetta's the worse off. She's going to have a black eye, from what the nurse said, but she did manage to bite Alexis."
"Aw! She takes after me!" Nikki smiled. "I always told her, in a fight, you have to assert dominance over your opponent. It's the best way to win."
"I'm just happy she's already learned not to take shit from assholes like Jessica and Alexis."
"So, how did Alexis get punished?"
"Three days each of in-school and out-of-school suspension, plus a letter of apology to us and Lovetta. Jessica got pissed off and said Alexis isn't going to that school anymore."
"Yes! We don't have to deal with her!"
"I also told her she's failing as a parent for excusing her daughter's behavior and that she needs to step it up."
"You gave her parenting advice?"
"Hey, a parent should care about their kid all the time, not just when they're in trouble."
"I agree, and you're being a great dad so far."
"Thanks, Nik."
They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Nikki coughed nervously.
"Well, we'd better figure out what we're going to do with her for the next three days while she's suspended."
"Hey, I could spend time with her when I'm not filling out job applications."
"I'd appreciate that."
"Are you two gonna kiss?"
They turned, startled, to see their child standing there.
"No, we're not, Vet," Max sighed. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I came to say good night. So… night, Max! Night, Mom!" She ran upstairs and Max glanced back at Nikki.
"I think every kid from a family like hers dreams of the day their parents get back together," Max commented. "I did for a while. But… it's probably not going to happen."
"At the very least we can parent her together."
"Yeah."
"Good night, Max."
"Night, Nik."
Okay, so funny story: I was in the middle of writing that tense confrontation with Max and Jessica and really into it—you know, feeling the tension. My dad was watching football—the American version—in the living room, about ten feet from my bedroom door. Because he's a dad who's super into football, he started yelling at the TV all of a sudden, which startled me while I was writing. I jumped and started laughing, which completely broke my immersion into the scene. So, if it feels different after Max tells Jessica people aren't perfect, that's why. It was part of a startle reflex.
Anyway, I didn't write the actual fight between Alexis and Lovetta because I didn't feel like it was important to the story. Maybe I'll write it as an extra story later on, but I want to focus on the family right now. Also, Nikki would totally tell her daughter to bite her opponent in a fight to assert dominance. Try to change my mind.
So long and thanks for all the fish!