Jema

8. Blame Game

Note: @VerboseLobster I thought of you although I didn't dedicate it to you. You'll see why.

Nobody has to know that I'm currently imagining tossing my sister out of this van and into the oncoming traffic.

I can't decipher if this was part of a plan to take random revenge on me for who-knows-what, but I haven't breathed since the words fled her mouth thirty seconds ago.

"Anna, what do you mean by that?" Mom asks calmly. Both Mom and Rob look at us through the rearview mirror.

"I accidentally-" Anna begins.

"Dennis had girls in his room every time you left the house when you were looking at that job in Fort Morgan," Corey says quickly.

"What?!" Dennis punches Corey in the shoulder. "Well, Anna bullies the fourth grade kids at school," Dennis accuses.

Everyone looks at me. "Corey is still smoking. He did it outside the movie theater on Friday."

"One thing at a time!" Mom snaps. Kelley repeats the phrase, adding a giggle. "Anna, what did you say?" Mom persists. I avoid her hazel gaze, trying to seem some kind of calm, but it's too late.

"Why does she get to go first?" Dennis complains. He grabs my hand and squeezes as if to say he's got my back. I finally exhale. This is one of my biggest fears come to life.

Mom digs the tips of her fingers into her temples and tries again. "Anna, sweetheart, I'm not mad at you. Just say what you said again." Anna whips her head around to look at me, mouthing I'm so sorry.

"You're dead," Dennis mouths back.

"I s-said..." Anna looks about ready to self-destruct. Her olive eyes are just about ready to pop out of her skull and her face turns so red, it looks like she sunburned from so much embarrassment and shame. "Jema kissed a boy."

Mom blinks a few times, obviously trying not to freak out. I can't help but wonder what's going on in her head. Maybe it's 'why me' or 'this must be a dream' or something like that. I'm just waiting for the inevitable "you're gay? Honey, it's just a phase" or "no son of mine is gay". Dennis squeezes my hand even tighter. I realize I started to hold my breath again, and let it out the air slowly.

"Alright. Corey? What did you say?" Mom asks placidly. Well, that's not what I expected. Not even close.

Corey clears his throat. "Um. Dennis had like, four different girls over when you were travelling back and forth to Fort Morgan for that LPN job," he says quietly. Dennis' cheeks flush red

"I'll need my ten dollars back," Dennis grumbles.

"The ten dollars you gave me to shut up about it? No way," Corey snorts.

"Next," Mom interrupts.

Dennis speaks up. "Anna bullies the little fourth graders at school. They all complain, but Principal Souza won't call you because she thinks it isn't a problem. I hear about it from people's siblings all the time." Anna blushes a deeper red than I thought possible. "You know it's true, Anna."

"Next," Mom interrupts again.

I hesitate to speak up. "Um... Corey was smoking outside the movie theater when we went." Mom doesn't say anything for a little while. Cars zoom past, and Dennis eventually lets go of my hand. The car remains silent, the heat running to counter the chilly March weather.

A whole three minutes passes before Mom speaks up again. "Corey, as long as you live in my house, you will not smoke cigarettes or cigars or vapor or weed or anything else you can smoke, do you hear me?" Corey nods. "Is that a yes?"