Troublemaker by Trice Hickman Page A

her.”
    â€œShe’s getting ready to order pizza for us, Mom.”
    â€œUh-huh, I heard. Put her on the phone right now or I’m coming over there.”
    Samantha could hear Chase huffing and puffing and giving her back talk on the other end of the line. She didn’t care how much he grumbled or complained, she was going to make sure that he was really at Brad’s, and not over at some girl’s house or out getting into any other kind of teenage mischief. A minute later, Susie Vartron, Brad’s mother, came to the phone, greeting Samantha in a chipper voice that never seemed to lose its enthusiasm even at the end of a long day.
    Samantha felt a wave of relief wash over her body, allowing her to release the tension that had been gripping her shoulders all day. She thanked Susie for keeping an eye on her son and assured her that she and Tyler would get together with Susie and her husband for dinner in the coming week.
    â€œAt least Chase told the truth and he’s in the home of a responsible adult,” Samantha said, allowing herself to breathe easier. She stood in the middle of her kitchen and looked from one side of the room to the other, trying to figure out where she’d gone wrong with raising her son. She’d never been one to stress over situations, especially ones she had no control over. But ever since last night, when Chase had broken the news to her and Tyler that his girlfriend, LaMonica, was pregnant, she’d been on edge.
    Samantha’s entire day had been spent worrying about her youngest son’s future. What impact would this have on his schooling, finances, social life, and mental state? She reached into the cabinet for a glass and then searched the refrigerator for the bottle of pink Moscato that had her name on it. She poured herself a glass and drank it down as if it were spring water.
    â€œLord, give me strength,” she said as she walked upstairs with her handbag on her shoulder, her empty wineglass in one hand, and the open bottle in the other. She kicked off her shoes and plopped down onto her soft bed, staring at a framed picture on her chest of drawers that had been taken four years ago. She and Tyler were seated on a red velveteen settee while CJ and Chase stood behind them bearing big smiles. CJ had been in the first semester of his freshman year at Howard University, and Chase had been entering middle school. “Those were good times,” she said aloud.
    With what felt like a Herculean effort, Samantha removed her clothes piece by piece, shedding her stylish corporate suit, and pulled on her silk bathrobe. “I need a nice, relaxing bath,” she said with a deep breath of exhaustion. She walked into her spa-like master bathroom and turned on the hot water to her Jacuzzi tub. She walked over to the vanity, looked at herself in the mirror, and nearly jumped back when she saw the tired, haggard-looking woman who was staring back at her.
    â€œDamn, I look like a hot ass mess!” she said with horror as she examined her face.
    Being a fashionista, beauty expert, and employee of a renowned cosmetics company, Samantha prided herself in her physical appearance and she put a lot of work into perfecting her look. She knew she wasn’t naturally pretty, nor did she have the kind of body that turned heads. Her facial features were average, her light yellow skin was prone to break-outs, her coarse, sandy brown hair needed constant care, and she fought to keep weight on her rail thin frame. She clearly understood her flaws, but she also knew exactly how to fix them.
    Primer, concealer, and foundation had been her best friends since high school, and over the years she’d mastered the art of applying them so well that her skin looked dewy soft, and smooth. Her small eyes, flat nose, square jaw, and high forehead were nothing to rave about, but once she applied eye shadow, mascara, lipstick, and blush, she created facial contours that were