protect and provide for their children; they aren’t supposed to profit from them. Even Colleen would have never done anything like this and suddenly Chelsea was aware of just how well she had it. She had a mother who looked out for her and protected her and defended her. Colleen may not have been a perfect mom, but she had been a good one.
“I’m so sorry, Blue. And thank you for protecting me.” He gave a quick smile and then winced as he tested the bruise around his eye. “It doesn’t look too bad yet,” Chelsea said, she was completely unaware if she was helping him or not. “Why did you come back?”
“He got in touch with me in the military, promised that he had changed and he apologized a million times. He begged me to come home so we could reconnect and I could meet my new stepmother.”
“Did he apologize?”
“Nope. I had just finished putting my bag in the room when he came rushing in because he couldn’t wait to tell me about this new fight ring he had found. He told me I would just have to fight once and we could make a mint. He told me we could split it fifty-fifty.”
“So you do all the work and he gets fifty percent?”
“Well, Chelsea,” Blue intoned impersonating his father’s voice, “I did find out about the fight and set the whole thing up, so really one hundred percent should go to me. I’m doing you a favor.”
“That’s awful,” Chelsea said shaking her head. “Why are you still here?”
“Because I didn’t come back to Snowbird to reconnect with my father. You’re the reason I’m here, Chelsea. He told me you would be in Snowbird and I wanted to see you. I still want to see you. I’m not a little kid anymore, I don’t depend on him, and I can leave whenever I want. He can pressure me all he wants, but he can’t make me do anything anymore”
Chelsea shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re in the same house with him. I can’t believe you can stand to look at him.”
Blue shrugged and said, “He’s the only family I have.”
Chelsea looked around her kitchen. The cabinets still wore the thin shadows of paint from when Jamie and Colleen and Chelsea had stenciled birds and apples on them. The wallpaper had never been changed and the pale linoleum floor was still there. But it didn’t feel like home anymore. No one lived here, no one had lived here in awhile and she could feel it. There was a staleness in the air and a thin covering of dust on everything. Knickknacks and small items like keys and bags were missing.
Her mother was living with a man who had forced his son into illegal fighting pits. Her mother loved that man and wanted to marry him and Chelsea had to convince her not to somehow.
“Can we stay here tonight?” Blue asked.
Chelsea nodded and she stood, walking towards her childhood bedroom, the one she and Jamie had shared. But the two twin beds were gone and had been replaced with a treadmill and more empty boxes. For some reason she couldn’t quite identify, Chelsea wanted to cry. She had spent so much of her life in this room, laying on her stomach and gossiping with her sister. They used to sneak out and sneak boys in and stay up late at night watching MTV.
Chelsea closed the door to her childhood bedroom and opened the door to her mom’s old room. It was practically empty. The mattress and box spring were still in the room, but both were bare. The dresser was empty and all the perfumes and makeup that used to sit on it were gone.
Chelsea opened the closet door and pulled out clean sheets and made the bed while Blue took quick shower. She still couldn’t get over what he had told her. While she had been gossiping and curling her hair Blue had been fighting for his life and protecting her all at the same time. He had already seen so much and been through so much; she didn’t know how he managed to get out of bed every morning.
Blue came out of the shower in
“I’m so sorry, Blue. And thank you for protecting me.” He gave a quick smile and then winced as he tested the bruise around his eye. “It doesn’t look too bad yet,” Chelsea said, she was completely unaware if she was helping him or not. “Why did you come back?”
“He got in touch with me in the military, promised that he had changed and he apologized a million times. He begged me to come home so we could reconnect and I could meet my new stepmother.”
“Did he apologize?”
“Nope. I had just finished putting my bag in the room when he came rushing in because he couldn’t wait to tell me about this new fight ring he had found. He told me I would just have to fight once and we could make a mint. He told me we could split it fifty-fifty.”
“So you do all the work and he gets fifty percent?”
“Well, Chelsea,” Blue intoned impersonating his father’s voice, “I did find out about the fight and set the whole thing up, so really one hundred percent should go to me. I’m doing you a favor.”
“That’s awful,” Chelsea said shaking her head. “Why are you still here?”
“Because I didn’t come back to Snowbird to reconnect with my father. You’re the reason I’m here, Chelsea. He told me you would be in Snowbird and I wanted to see you. I still want to see you. I’m not a little kid anymore, I don’t depend on him, and I can leave whenever I want. He can pressure me all he wants, but he can’t make me do anything anymore”
Chelsea shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re in the same house with him. I can’t believe you can stand to look at him.”
Blue shrugged and said, “He’s the only family I have.”
Chelsea looked around her kitchen. The cabinets still wore the thin shadows of paint from when Jamie and Colleen and Chelsea had stenciled birds and apples on them. The wallpaper had never been changed and the pale linoleum floor was still there. But it didn’t feel like home anymore. No one lived here, no one had lived here in awhile and she could feel it. There was a staleness in the air and a thin covering of dust on everything. Knickknacks and small items like keys and bags were missing.
Her mother was living with a man who had forced his son into illegal fighting pits. Her mother loved that man and wanted to marry him and Chelsea had to convince her not to somehow.
“Can we stay here tonight?” Blue asked.
Chelsea nodded and she stood, walking towards her childhood bedroom, the one she and Jamie had shared. But the two twin beds were gone and had been replaced with a treadmill and more empty boxes. For some reason she couldn’t quite identify, Chelsea wanted to cry. She had spent so much of her life in this room, laying on her stomach and gossiping with her sister. They used to sneak out and sneak boys in and stay up late at night watching MTV.
Chelsea closed the door to her childhood bedroom and opened the door to her mom’s old room. It was practically empty. The mattress and box spring were still in the room, but both were bare. The dresser was empty and all the perfumes and makeup that used to sit on it were gone.
Chelsea opened the closet door and pulled out clean sheets and made the bed while Blue took quick shower. She still couldn’t get over what he had told her. While she had been gossiping and curling her hair Blue had been fighting for his life and protecting her all at the same time. He had already seen so much and been through so much; she didn’t know how he managed to get out of bed every morning.
Blue came out of the shower in
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