Page 40 of Every Sunset
“Max!” I yelled urgently as I hurried towards the entranceway of the house, and saw my son leant against the wall beside the door. He was sitting on the ground, his head lowered and hishand over his face. I started to run, sure he was crying, but when he looked up at the sound of my call I realized he was holding a piece of gauze against his mouth.
“Mom? What are you doing here?” he asked as he quickly stood and moved towards me. I was already up the stone steps at the front of the house and running to him. There were several other parents stood around with several other teenagers who had obviously been hurt during whatever happened.
“Max! What happened?” I demanded as I got to him and pulled his hand away from his mouth, the gauze going with it. He had a split lip and the left side of his face looked red and a little swollen. “Oh God!” I gasped as I realized he really was hurt. “What the hell is this?” I barked.
“Mom, calm down,” Max uttered as he tried to corral me away from the other parents, who were watching us with interest.
“I will not!” I growled as I pulled away from his hold. “This was supposed to be a supervised party! How the hell did this happen? Who hit you?” In retrospect I would realize how out of control and embarrassing I had to have been, but I was angry and terrified. I never wanted to see my son hurt, but to see him bleeding and bruised so soon after what had happened with Callum – it broke me.
“Mom!” Max hissed, embarrassed.
“Excuse me?” I turned and found a man stood way too close to me for my comfort. He was tall, maybe even taller than Logan, but wiry thin and older too. His head was bald and he wore perfectly pressed chinos with a navy linen shirt. He was already looking at me like something he stepped in. It was a look I knew well, and I was also aware that the fact I wasn’t looking my best didn’t help matters.
“Who the hell are you?” I snapped, my back already up at the snooty way he looked down on me and my son.
I took a step back so I knew I was between this asshole and my son.
“I’m Paul St Clair. My son threw the party this evening,” he explained as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at me. He had to be at least a foot and a half taller than me, and even as thin as he was, he was intimidating.
“So you’re the one to thank for this shit show then?” I growled.
“Now, just hold on a minute!” he rumbled as he took a step closer to me. He unfolded his arms and I jolted at the quick movement, instinct screaming at me that he was going to hit out at me.
“Hey!” Maddox snapped loudly, then they were both there, pushing me backwards as they formed a wall between Max and me, and the asshole. “Back the fuck up!” Maddox growled as Logan turned to check first on me, then Max.
“You okay, bud?” he asked.
“Yeah. This is nothing,” Max replied as he waved a hand at his face.
“You wanna explain what happened to your mom, before she really let’s rip on this entitled asshole?” Logan asked with a smile.
“It was just a fight between these two guys,” Max said as he looked to me sheepishly. “I tried to break it up as soon as it started, but I caught a punch. They went for each other and knocked a few other kids over in the chaos. I managed to pullone of them back and Jarod grabbed the other one. Then he showed up and it stopped.” He nodded towards the guy Maddox seemed to be in a standoff with, both of them listening to Max’s explanation.
“Where was the dad before? I thought he was supposed to be supervising things?” I asked angrily.
“I don’t know. He didn’t show until a girl who got pushed over, screamed.”
“In other words, you weren’t supervising shit,” Maddox accused.
“They’re fifteen and sixteen years olds!” The dad snapped. “What was I supposed to do, stand and watch them all night?”
“Yes!” I raged. “That’s the fucking definition of supervising!” I tried to push around Maddox but Logan caught my arm and pulled me back, placing me behind him.
“Who the hell even are you people? Don’t you own that bar in town?” The dad asked as he nodded to Logan.
“We’re here for Max, who got hurt doing what you should have been damned well doing!” Maddox replied with a snarl.
“Madd, please. Can we just get out of here?” Max asked dejectedly.
“Yeah kid, let’s go,” Maddox sighed as he turned to us and opened his arms to direct us all back down the steps. He also kept himself between us and the asshole throughout.
“Just so you know, your troublemaker kid is not welcome in my home ever again!” The asshole barked just as we got to the bottom of the steps.
“Troublemaker!” I was at the top of the steps again before anyone could even stop me. I stood opposite that tall, bald asshole, shaking with my anger. I wanted to punch him in the balls so badly. “How dare you?” I growled instead. “My son is likely the only reason more kids weren’t hurt in this disaster of a party! Did you check on things even once, you self -righteous prick?!”
“What would you know about parenting? How old were you when you had that kid? Fourteen? Fifteen? Sounds about right though, doesn’t it, for foul mouthed trailer trash like you?” he sneered at me and stepped closer. I balled my hand into a fist, ready to follow through on that junk punch plan, but I never got the chance. Logan was between me and the asshole in seconds.
“One more word from your mouth right now, motherfucker, and I promise you’ll never speak another single syllable ever again,” he threatened so menacingly it sent a shudder up my spine.
