While Eight’s wrestling with Oscar, mom takes over the assault on Hash, trying to kick him the groin. Luckily, Hash falls over sideways and she kicks the wall instead.
“Fuck!” she grunts.
Her distraction gives me time to tackle her. I would’ve jumped on her back like Oscar did to Eight, but she would’ve bucked me off in three-seconds flat. As horses go, mom’s wilder than most.
She stumbles, then hits the ground hard, her chin bouncing off the pavement.
“Goddamn!” she snarls in pain, then turns to her back and tries to get me off her. I’m sitting on her stomach, my knees squeezing her hard while she slaps at me.
“Would ya help?” I yell at Max and Ash. “Like get Hash out of here!”
Max and Ash race over to Hash and lift him to his feet. “Take off,” Max says. “We’ll talk them down.”
Hash shakes his head. “I’m not fuckin’ going anywhere and leaving you with these assholes.”
“Hey!” I say, going daughter-bear on him. “No one calls my mom an asshole except me!”
My momentary distraction costs me as mom grabs my hair and rolls me over onto my back. “You little monster,” she says. “I will lock you up until you leave home.”
Meanwhile, Eight has literally hauled Oscar over his head and tossed him on his ass. “Same,” he says to Oscar, then moves past him towards Hash.
Max and Ash step in to block him. Oscar scrambles to his feet and joins them. “You’re gonna listen, dad.”
I push mom off me. “I gotta help them.”
Mom glares at me. “Are you nuts? You are nuts. What’s gonna happen when Elle sees you?” She’s calming down though, coming back to being her old self.
“I think we can call her grandma now. Me and Oscar accidently broke her cover.”
In the meantime, Eight stops cold. Sure, he could turn Hash into a happy meal, but he won’t cross the line with us kids. He takes a few deep breaths.
“Explain,” he says, still sounding and looking mad.
“Maybe you should take a couple more breaths,” I say as I get to my feet. “Because you’re not gonna like the explanation, even if Hash is innocent.”
“Okay, listening.” But Eight’s arms are crossed and he’s staring at Hash with daggers. “You better fuckin’ hope the explanation is enough.”
“We gotta go inside,” I say. “Hash’s bleeding.” I glare at Eight. “You’re a bully.”
Eight glares back. “Says the little shit who got Oscar kicked out of school.”
Mom let’s that comment go, which worries me.
We flank Hash as we take him inside, mom and Eight following us. Brielle is sitting next to Sean, a wad of tissue in her hand. “Is it over?” she says tearfully.
Mom and Eight look at her with guilty faces. Then mom says to Eight. “We need to start being better parents.”
Eight nods. “Yeah.” To Brielle, he says, “Sorry, kid.”
“It’s okay,” Brielle says in a small voice.
“But not really,” Sean adds sternly.
Meanwhile, Mercy offers a wet towel to Hash and steers him towards a chair. She glares at Eight. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Eight looks at all of us with a neutral look on his face. “You were inking my fuckin’ kids. That’s what’s wrong with me.”
“Let me tell them,” Oscar says to me.
