Page 47 of Chasin' Cole

She should've known better.

I grip the handle on the glass storm door as she takes a step back to make room for me. I stride past her, not even botherin' to take off my muddy boots.

"Boots," she demands.

I turn and cross my arms over my chest. "No."

"They're muddy, Rose," she replies as she raises her eyebrows at me.

I kick them off my feet, leavin' them wherever they land.

"What's gotten into you?" Mama clears her throat.

"You tell me," I shoot back. "What's gotten into Rose?"

"Well," she tilts her head to the side, her auburn hair fallin' behind her shoulders, "for starters, you slept at Cole's last night."

"And?"

"You lied to me," she grits her teeth.

I let out a laugh. "You know what they say. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, now does it?"

I watch with satisfaction as her face turns scarlet. "You will not speak to me that way in this house."

"You're the last person who should be demandin' respect," I snap at her. "It's earned—not freely given. Not by me."

"You watch your tongue, young lady," she places her hands on her hips.

"Or what? You'll drive across town and convince Cole to break up with me? Cause you already accomplished that. Are you goin' to kick me out and leave me homeless next? That sounds like something the connivin', manipulative Mary Ellen Young would do. You don't care about anyone. All you care about is yourself!"

"That's not why I talked to him," her shoulders slump. "I—"

"Bullshit!" I scream the moment Howard walks into the hallway to see what's goin' on.

"Rose?" he asks, his forehead furrowed.

"I hate you," I spit at Mama. "I hate you so much right now."

"Watch yer tongue!" she hollers back at me.

Howard steps between us, his back to me. "What did you do?"

Mama’s guilty cobalt blue eyes shift to the carpet. "She spent the night with a boy."

"Not a boy," I clarify, "myboyfriend."

"I didn't ask what Rose did," Howard says softly. "I asked whatyoudid?"

"I told Cole he needs to figure things out before he leaves Rose for a year while he's off gallivantin' across the globe doin' God knows what."

"I thought I asked you not to get involved with Rose's relationship," Howard raises his voice a little. "I told you to let her be. You need to figure out a way to fix this. Rose is an adult. She gets to make her own decisions about who she loves and how she spends her nights."

"I don't need to fix anythin'," Mom answers. "I've done nothin' wrong. She on the other hand—"

"You have done something," he counters. "Yellin' like this is out of character for Rose. You've upset her. And you need to make it right."

"Yer takin' her side now?"

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