STINGER ▹ lang

6 » two steps back, one step forward

Cassie's little pink lips purse and she wisely nods before snuggling back down in her sheets. Laurie doesn't meet her mom's eyes as the woman shuts off her youngest's nightlight and then closes her bedroom door. Laurie taps her fingers against her upper thighs as she waits for Maggie to focus on her. And, when she does, boy, does Laurie regret it.

"Have you lost your mind?"

Now that is the most reasonable question she's been asked all evening. From being arrested to seeing Scott shrink down into a tiny little blip of nothingness, the fifteen year old feels like her mind has literally blown. She wonders if a person can die from so much shock. Nah, if it were to happen, the shock would cause a heart attack and she'd die from that. Considering that the shock of the moment period has passed though, she doubts she'd be fortunate enough to pass onto into the other world.

Darn shame.

Resigning herself to the fate of life on earth, Laurie heaves a groaning sigh and rubs her index finger hard up and down the center of her forehead, "Probably."

"We'll talk downstairs."

Maggie is already halfway down the staircase, and Laurie can do nothing but obey (albeit pretty reluctantly). She wavers on each foot until she reaches the last step, jumping down from the last step to the ground floor. By this point, Maggie is already sitting at the kitchen table while Paxton stands behind her with his arms folded across his chest.

Yikes.

"Okay." Laurie decides to start, figuring it's the best way to go, "First off, y'll people wanted me to start 'bonding', or whatever the horse pucky you called it, with Scott so, technically this is all y'll's fault!" Paxton and Maggie drop their jaws and look at her in disbelief, "Secondly, I am a minor and to hit me is to abuse me so please," Laurie winces away from them dramatically, "do not use physical force. I bruise easy and I might cry."

They show no signs of pleasure. No, no, they look actually pretty ticked. It turns out Laurie's calculation of starting off first was pretty far off base there. Paxton clenches his jaw, glancing out the dark window. Maggie just shakes her head at her, rubbing her forehead and sighing out a heavy breath. It's really Mom's reaction that gets Laurie down. She doesn't mean to get her upset like this! She really wasn't even thinking about Mom or Cassie when she jumped into helping Scott.

Egad, that's exactly something Scott would say.

Laurie scowls at her own thoughts, viciously shaking her head to knock that right out of her.

"Laurie." Paxton starts off measured before he snaps, "You are insane!"

"True." Laurie shakes a finger at her stepfather-to-be and nods tiredly.

Maggie sits in the chair across from her daughter while her hands wring on top of the table.

"I know you always like to test the limits but this is too far!"

Laurie's pearly whites grit at that, "Don't tell me what is too far."

"I will tell you what's too far! This is my house, my rules!"

"Ugh! Could you be anymore unoriginal? 'Your house, your rules!' Oh, please!" The fifteen year old scoffs and rolls her eyes, "I didn't know that when my mom said yes to the dress that meant I was buying into the ball and chain too!"

"Laurie LaRue Lang," Maggie goes all out with the whole full name thing, "This has nothing to do with my marriage; it has everything to do with you getting arrested! What is going on? This is nothing like you!"

"Oh, and what do you know about me?" Laurie squints at her mom, "I'm a teenager! I don't even know what is or isn't like me!"

Maggie just (once again) shakes her head at her, waiting until the girl hopefully comes back to her senses. Maggie thought she was getting better. Over the past few days when Laurie was apparently out there with Scott planning some insane heist, she seemed... well, as sappy as it sounds, happy. Fulfilled and content even. She smiled brighter and fuller.