The Peach Pits

Chapter 4

"Now that looks beautiful, Trina." Mae's mother smiled as Trina set the pie in the middle of the dining room table.

"It looks perfect," Trina's own mother agreed.

Trina beamed proudly. As soon as they got home, Trina got to work, carefully picking peaches out one of the trees in their backyard and then baking for the past couple hours. Luckily, it gave Mae some time to catch up on her schoolwork in her bedroom on her own. Trina cut the pie open and steam poured out. Mae remembered when their grandmother was alive and she'd bake pies every Sunday. Mae hadn't been bothered to help since she passed.

"What's the occasion?" Mae's mother asked finally.

Mae and Trina caught eyes. "I think Mae has some good news," Trina said, sitting down across from Mae at the table.

Mae's mother turned to look at her. Sure, they looked alike but Mae hated to think she'd look that tired and defeated in her thirties. Hell, the way she was working, it was a possibility.

Mae sighed. "I got into college," she said plainly. "One so far."

Mae's mother looked at her. She blinked for a second then broke out into a smile. "That's amazing, baby. I'm proud of you." Mae could have been fooled. She spotted the tiny hint of jealousy in her mother's eyes.

"Thanks."

"Look at you," her Aunt Lynn said, her eyes creasing when she smiled. "When did you find out?"

"Ages ago," Trina jumped in. "She didn't wanna tell anybody."

Mae tried to sit and eat her pie in silence. She didn't want to be questioned, especially when she knew she got there herself, and from here on out she'd have to do everything on her own to make sure she could actually set foot on campus.

"I don't know why," Aunt Lynn said excitedly. "Do you know how proud we are of you? And how much fun you're gonna have, and how much you're gonna learn-"

"I know," Mae said, cutting her off. "So now I especially have to have time to make sure my grades are good..." She put a little more force on her fork than necessary.

"Mae, don't start," her mother said with a sigh.

"I'm not starting," Mae shrugged. "It's true. If I keep having to skip school because I have to go to work and my grades drop-"

"We know, Mae," her mother replied.

"I know that you know. I'm just saying, a little help would be nice. Which would mean you keeping your job this time." Mae was pissed at how apathetic her mom looked. What kind of mom didn't care that her daughter was basically supporting three other people?

Mae's mother narrowed her eyes at her. "You know how much I've given up for you?" she asked.

Mae looked around. "No?" As far as Mae was concerned, all her mother had given up was the rest of her teenage years because she'd gone and gotten herself pregnant. It's not like she busted her ass to make a living for herself and Mae. This wasn't even their house.

Without saying another word, Mae's mother stood and took her plate to the sink. She left the kitchen.

"This is why I didn't want to say anything," Mae muttered under her breath. She glanced up at Trina, who looked more hurt than her. She hadn't meant to ruin their dessert. Without another word, her mother put her plate in the sink and got up to go upstairs.

"I'm sorry," Lynn apologized. "You know your mom-"

"Can't keep a job to save her life and doesn't care," Mae finished, though she knew that wasn't at all what her aunt was going to say. Mae took her own plate to the sink. Deciding she no longer wanted to be bothered, she started on the dishes.

"Mae," Trina said in a fruitless attempt to change the subject. "If-"

"You can shower first," Mae cut her off. "I'll handle the dishes."

Trina took that as a cue to leave her alone. Before disappearing, she gave her a half-hearted hug and gently placed her dishes in the sink.

Mae focused on scrubbing. She didn't want to think about how her mom couldn't be happy for her, about how she didn't care that they were dirt poor. Just because she didn't care didn't mean she had the right to make Mae's life any harder. And what was her mom planning to do after she left for college? Mae certainly wasn't going to give up her hopes of finally leaving just to stay and support them.

She almost didn't notice when her Aunt Lynn joined her at the sink, drying all the dishes Mae scrubbed. They worked in a comfortable silence for a long while. Truth be told, Mae loved her aunt a lot more than her mother. It was clear where Trina got her kindness and sweetness. Mae hated how uncomfortable things had been between them for the past few years. Aunt Lynn hadn't made it that way. Mae just had a terrible time at feeling guilty about things that weren't her fault. Even though her Aunt Lynn had assured her numerous times over the years it wasn't Mae's fault Trina's dad was gone and her marriage ended, Mae couldn't brush it off. Lynn had always tried to frame it as a good thing, that now they all got to live in the same house. The pessimist in Mae wanted to point out that that was because divorces were expensive and Lynn hadn't worked her entire marriage, so it was either move in with her and her mom or be homeless.

"Lisa'll come around," Aunt Lynn assured her hopefully. "She's just too proud to admit she's failed you. She knows she has, though."

Mae smirked at her aunt's honesty. Still, the understanding side of Mae realized that having a baby at sixteen and life going downhill since would be enough to give anyone a chip on their shoulder. But just because she understood didn't mean she had to care.

"I don't care if she doesn't," Mae insisted.

"You do deserve better," Lynn assured her.

Mae nodded. She didn't have any response to that other than 'I know'. Though it wasn't much, her aunt was a lot better at pulling her weight than her mother. She wasn't able to work but she was a talented artist. Every time one of her paintings sold, it felt like Christmas. Sometimes it felt that didn't happen much more often than Christmas, either.

For some reason, Mae's thoughts drifted to Jesse. She'd finally managed to get the diamond necklace into the shoebox in her dresser. Was that the best place to keep it? What if Trina found it? No, Trina knew better than to look around in Mae's things. She was still conflicted on whether to sell the necklace. She'd look suspicious, bringing it into a pawn shop. Anyone who owned something that nice would keep it, no matter how hard of times they fell on. Mae thought perhaps she should do the same. Jesse had given her something nice- better stole it. Was it fair that, yet again, she had to give up something of hers yet again for her family?

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(A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Who knows what Mae's going to do about this problem? Next chapter will be up Wednesday!)