Forevermore

Twenty Three

It surprises me that Lucas is standing his ground, but I feel a hint of pride over the matter.

"Nicholas!" Mom yells. "Get in here now!"

I roll my eyes and Lucas lets out a sigh. She always has been one for dramatics. If no one pays attention to her, she'll find a way to change that.

My brother pauses the movie when my dad enters the room. "What? Is everything okay?" Dad asks in a panicked tone.

"Your children are outrageous!" She exclaims. Lucas scoffs, which earns him a glare. "What's so funny?"

"Paloma, let's not start." Dad's words go through one of her ears and right out the other. And that's how I know things are about to escalate.

"You," Lucas replies to Mom's earlier question. "Your whole..." He waves his hands around. "Everything. Everything about you is a joke."

"Says the one who made me a dinner that I didn't even want last night." She argues like a literal teenager.

"Paloma," Dad warns.

"Not right now, Nicholas." She holds a hand up. "If your son wants to talk badly, he can stick up for himself."

Lucas sits upright, anger coating his demeanor. "Are you trying to use that against me?" he asks. "Like I'm the one in the wrong when you're the one who went who-knows-where as your son made you a full meal?"

Faux guilt is built into my mother's frown. "Of course not. I just got so caught up. You know how I get, don't you?"

The switch-up brings a confused furrow to my eyebrows.

Lucas glares at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Indi was right. You don't deserve any association with this family. Usually it's the kids, but you're the one who ended up a disgrace."

My eyes widen. Indi was right? He heard the argument?

Anger seethes through Mom's expression. "Nicholas, shut him up. Right now."

But Dad doesn't comply. "If my son wants to talk badly, he can stick up for himself."

And again, pride courses through my veins.

I didn't think team-tagging against my mother would be so thrilling and simultaneously so stressful, yet here we are. She's needed someone to set her straight for years, and maybe, just maybe, she'll listen.

If she would listen for once, maybe she'd be better.

At the same time, fighting instills so much fear within me. I'm not sure where or how quickly this could progress, but I know that there is so much worse than I've seen beneath my mom's surface.

So I listen with caution.

"Do you know how badly it hurts me to look at you?" Lucas whispers. "To think of you?"

My heart breaks for him, but I know this is something he needs. I wasn't expecting it to happen now, but I don't intercept.

"Do you think it's any better for me?!" My mom is much louder. Her eyes ping-pong between me and my brother. "I regret treating you guys the way I did."

She knows she messed up. She knows that if Lucas is mad at her, that's it. All three people don't want her here which means all ties will be cut off. And of course, what better way to win us over than manipulation?

Relief floods through me when I realize that my brother knows this too.

He gets off the couch, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm sick of this, man."