Mary and Halley (sequel to When Mary Met Halley)

twenty

Courtney and Caleb both began to say something but then my hand connected with her cheek hard enough to force her back two steps. I fought not to continue the assault and barely won. 

"Daaaamn," Courtney said, lighting her own cigarette.

Hazel's fell to the ground forgotten, and I saw by the look on her face she was about to jump on me.

"Don't do it," I warned. "I'll fuck you up, Hazel, I swear to God I will."

"Fuck you, Mary! You stole my kids!" she yelled, fists clenched at her sides, weighing about ninety pounds from the look of it. Tears of fury ran down her face, followed by her fingers making clawing motions in the sallow skin. "You won't even let me see my own kids!"

I pushed her out of my face and she stumbled backward again. "You don't even deserve them!" I shouted back. "And they're not your kids anymore bitch!"

"Wow, this is better than Cops," Caleb's newest acquisition said almost admiringly. I pointed a threatening finger at her and she made a motion of zipping her lips, feigning innocence.

Halley was done. "You have five seconds to get the fuck out of here, you shit disturber," my entrancing girlfriend said, pulling out her phone and dialing 911. She looked back at Hazel steadily. "Five. Four. Three. Two."

Hazel wasn't that stupid after all, and the fight had gone out of her. There wasn't much energy for battles when you were wasting away to nothing. 

She only had eyes for me. "You'll pay for that," she said, walking backward and still holding her cheek. Whatever, she'd had way worse before. It wasn't like she hadn't asked for it. 

"Yes, we'll regret it too probably, right? Fuck off, you are a terrible person," Halley said flatly, thinking of Jasper too. "Don't come back here!"

"I'll do what I want," Hazel taunted, a safe distance away now.

"Oh my fucking God, just get out of here, Hazel," Caleb said in irritation. "You've only gotten worse. What a surprise."

She turned her wrath on him. "Shut up, gimp boy. Your girlfriends left you for each other, how pathetic is that? And how's that settlement money? You know that's the only reason Courtney's with you, right? Sorry, Court."

The other girl waved it away. "You should probably take off, girl. Maybe that whole rehab thing wasn't a bad idea after all. You're acting a little crazy, no offense or anything."

"I'll be back," Hazel said, turning to include all us in it, not pointing the cigarette. "And you will regret it." The shadows swallowed her as she passed the house after Caleb's.

"And me without my popcorn," Courtney said brightly as Halley and I wrapped our arms around each other and made our way back to the porch. "It's like trailer trash wars, I hate to leave and miss anything."

"Knock it off, Court," Caleb had the balls to put in. 

But Halley didn't need his assistance. "Hey Courtney, remember that night I got stung by a bee and Caleb came up to the hospital room? What were you doing in the car again with Leif?" Halley asked mock-casually. 

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," came the airy reply. "Let's go, baby," she said smoothly to Caleb, suddenly in a hurry. "Before they rub off on us." His eyes lingered on us but he allowed her to pull him to the car.

My good siblings were subdued after that whole scene, as were Char and Nate. "Damn," Noah said, shaking his head as he relit the joint. "Caleb's right though; she's gotten worse. What's she on, meth?"

Halley tightened her arms around me because she knew that it hurt, regardless of how much Hazel pissed me off.  If my sister kept on the way she was, she would be dead soon, and there was nothing I could do about that because I felt like I'd tried everything. If she couldn't make it at this latest expensive rehab, one of the best in the country, she wasn't going to make it.

It's a terrible thing to watch an otherwise healthy person slowly kill themselves, especially if it's a family member you grew up with, someone you're programmed to love and care about even if they turn out bad. The shittiness of their behavior and lifestyle doesn't remove that underlying foundation, and it makes it that much harder. 

Addiction is a disease, but there comes a time when a person has to commit to getting better, to getting help.

A person has to decide if they want to live.

"Probably," I answered my brother now, wishing my hands weren't so quick to lash out. "Sorry, I shouldn't have hit her. I'm a great role model," I said sardonically, focusing on Halley's chin on my shoulder, where she was digging it in a little to tickle me. Her arms were sure and comforting around my waist.

"You're fine," Charlotte said flatly, taking her hit. "You should be applauded for your restraint."

"Oh sure," Joey retorted. "I punch a guy and I'm in trouble for fighting, but Mary slaps the shit out of Hazel and is superhero of the year." He was mostly messing around.

"It was the drinking that was the issue in your case, buddy, which you well know," his girlfriend reminded him with a flick of the ear. Oops, must have gotten that from me. 

"That's right," Nate put in, taking the rapidly shrinking joint from Char. He inhaled and blew the smoke in Joey's face before putting it out. "Drinky McDrinker." He stood up and pulled the other boy up, then offered his hand to Char. "Lottie Doddie, we likes to party," he half-sang with a wink.

"Lies," Joey muttered, shaking his head. "Lies and blasphemy."

Halley kissed my ear, bringing every tiniest bit of my attention to her in an instant as we followed the kids in. "What's on head radio?"

I smiled a little. "We are family."

"I got all my sisters and me," Nate took over at full volume, dancing his way into the living room with an arm around Joey and Char. "We are fa-mi-ly! Get up everybody and sing!"

Family indeed.