Ghosts

Chapter 21

"How did you know about me being at Luke's?" I ask my mom. I'm busted.

"Well, before you came home, dropped off by Luke, his mother called and said that you made pizza for them and that you were invited to stay over any time." My mom glares at me.

"Mom! It wasn't anything bad." I say, looking down at my hands.

"Boys, go to your room, I have to talk to Marney." My mom orders. The boys don't hesitate and run up the stairs, only, I know they didn't go all the way up and to their room.

"Mom, it's not what you think. I would never ever sleep with anyone." I say, shaking my head at her.

"What did you do when you went over there? And, you said you were staying with Ally. What happened to that?" She asks.

"First off, Max cheated on me last night with Ally, okay, mom? So if that night wasn't crappy enough, Luke brought me home but everyone was asleep. So, I didn't want to wake anyone up. He said that I could stay over at his place and I said thank you and went. I told him that if he tried anything I would walk home and sleep in the boys' fort in the back yard. So, please stop giving me crap because I've had enough crap in the past 24 hours." I start to cry and my mom comes over to hug me.

"Had you told me that it happened in the first place, I wouldn't be mad at you at all. I'm going to have your dad give Max a piece of his mind. Thank The Lord that he doesn't have a gun." My mom says and holds me tightly like she did when I'd fall as a baby and cry.

"M-mom, don't do that. I'll be mocked or something... Or whatever. I need to handle this myself." I say in between sniffles.

"Honey I never did like Max. I knew he was trouble. But, Luke isn't very different."

"I-I don't like Luke." I say flatly.

"Oh," She says which really makes me wonder what she was thinking. "Well, you should go upstairs and take a nice warm bath, and when you get out, I'll have ice cream for you and we can talk some more. Believe me, getting it all out helps."

I nod and walk up the steps and am greeted by Chris.

"I'm gonna kill him! Tae Kwon Do really will come in handy!" Chris does a small kick and a weird punch and I laugh a little.

"Well, thanks." I say to him and grab my most comfortable pajamas out of a drawer and go into the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

~

"Honey, boys are unpredictable. They are hard. They are like the hardest pet you could ever have." She says. She and I are sitting on the couch, and she's hugging me tight again. "The thing is, is that boys are like trains. Basically. If you miss one, you can always make the next one. They always come. Your grandpa said that to me when I was your age and was stood up by the guy that I basically dreamed about. Now, look. Your father came around and he was the right guy for me. You should let Max go because he has done nothing to deserve someone like you. You're too good for him." My mom says and then takes a deep breath.

"Thanks mom," I smile at her and let out the rest of my sobs.

"And, this is the only time I'm going to swear because your brothers are asleep; Max was an asshole who probably sleeps around. I wish I had the heart to tell you that. But, Marney, it'll be tough leaving Ally behind. I know how close you two were. Although, stuff happens for a reason, and that is something you need to keep in mind. Something good will come out of this, I promise you. It's not just the ice cream that you get." I laugh at that. "I love you, sweetie."

"I love you, too, mom." I smile and let go of my mom.

"I'd offer you more ice cream, but I don't have any. I think tomorrow, you and I should go to a spa together and that'll take your mind off of things. I've missed doing things with you, too." She says and kisses my cheek, then she gets up and grabs her phone to schedule a mani-pedi, massage, etc.