Kicking and Screaming (5 page)

MAXIE

Dad finally released me after lecturing me to shame and my mother decided that Jonas and I should join the festivities, instead of working on my bike.

She stopped short of telling me to change clothes when she saw the storm brewing in my eyes. Sometimes I think she thought I really was a witch.

I’m not sure that it’s normal for a mother to be afraid of her own kid, but except for those rare moments when she forgot herself, I always sensed some kind of reticence in her, as if she was expecting me to detonate any second.

Whatever, I grabbed Jonas’ arm and was about to tell him let’s eat and run but got waylaid by the sight in front of me.

"I should've known." In walked Petra Pierson, and her mother, of course. If mother wanted to show off and have the latest gossip spread from here to New York, she'd picked the right duo.

The only thing I liked about Petra Pierson, was that she was yet another target, a person could never have too many of those for practice.

She made a beeline for lord stuffy, all fake smiles and twitching ass...I could just scratch her eyes out. I growled low in my throat and clenched my fists as if ready for battle.

"Oh shit little dove, I think I know what's wrong with you."

"What in the world are you talking about? And why are you looking at me like that, have you gone soft in the head?"

"I shoulda guessed it when you started ranting and raving about this guy."

He shook his head as though stunned that it had taken him this long to figure out something that was glaringly obvious.

"What Jonas, you're starting to scare me." The way he looked at me was starting to make my stomach hurt. Like somehow I knew that what he was about to say was going to be bad for me.

"Oh my poor little sister, I've been very negligent in teaching you the facts of life." He put his arm around my shoulder and shook his head as he looked down at me with a grave look on his face.

"Jonas, did you hit your head in that last crash in Paris?"

He just grinned at me like a simpleton before switching his focus to Jackson.

"Well, are you going to tell me what you're talking about or not?" I brought his attention back to me.

He studied me for a good minute before shaking his head no.

"No, I think I'll let you figure this one out for yourself. I don't fancy having your claws dug into me physically or verbally. No need to scowl at me, at the rate you're going I'm your only ally."

I knew there was no point in forcing the issue because he’d only talk when he was good and ready. So I turned my attention back to the goings on in the room.

"Would you look at her, as if these two aren't enough, mom had to go and invite that dimwitted troll."

"Maxie, Maxie, Maxie, sheath your claws. Didn't I always teach you that you can catch more flies with honey?"

"Why the hell would I want to? Unless I'm feeding them to the twits and their ringer."

***

JONAS

Oh man this is going to be fun. I wonder if I should warn Collins? Nah, let him figure it out, it'll be like watching two bobcats fighting to get out of a sack.

I only hope my girl didn’t get too banged up in the process. Poor thing, she wears her heart on her sleeve for the world to see, even though she’s fooled herself into thinking that she’s tough.

Thank heavens her dad and I have been there to watch her back or these vipers would’ve destroyed her long ago.

If what I was thinking was right, I could only hope that things turned out alright. She deserved some happiness in her life.

I’m gonna have to pay close attention to this Collins guy now though, make sure that he was worthy. And then, merciful heavens, I can pass the baton and let him keep up with her shenanigans, I’m tired.

***

MAXIE

"Hello Maxie, I see no one has taught you how to dress for company still." She walked across the room to sneer down her nose at me.

I’m surprised she’d left Jackson the jackass’s side so soon, but a quick look showed her mother was the one with his ear. That ought to put him to sleep in a hurry.

"And I see no one has taught you how to not be an annoying ass troll." Oops, did I say that out loud?

"Well I never." She huffed through her bird beak nose.

"You never what idiot? You're not Scarlett O’Hara, quit trying to speak like you're some lady of the manor, when we all know you're nothing but a gold digging tramp."

"Humph, I wonder what all those admiring fans of yours would think if they knew what you were really like."

"Petra, are you stupid?"

"I'd thank you not to speak to me like that Jonas Denton, mind your manners."

"And I'd thank you not to spoil my evening. The last time you got tangled up with this one, I'm the one who had to stop her from killing your dumb ass with the scissors she'd used to remove every strand of hair from your head.

How you haven't learned your lesson in all these years is beyond me, you never win."

"There's only one thing I want to win here this evening, and he's standing right over there."

She tossed her blonde locks our way as she smiled across the room at her intended target, poor sod.

"I think she's got you beat there too."

I have no idea what Jonas meant by that, but it sure made him laugh his fool head off.

After the twat was gone I let myself relax again. Jonas was being an ass and had sought dad out to share some idiotic idea or the other, leaving me here by myself.

"Good evening imp." He who shall remain nameless slithered into my atmosphere. I wasn’t too thrilled about the way my skin seemed to tingle at his nearness, which made the glare I gave him harder than my usual death glare.

"Don't you dare, only dad can get away with calling me that. How did you escape the coven anyway, to talk to lil ole me?"

Why does he keep studying me like he’d like to dissect me, or...my own thoughts were making me twitchy. Maybe Jonas was right, maybe there was something wrong with me after all.

"Are you ever pleasant?"

"Yep, but only to human beings I like, I tend to steer clear of sub human species who work my nerves like a sore tooth."

I did not appreciate him throwing his head back and laughing like I'd said something funny, which only drew the attention of the bubble headed trio; who all scowled in my direction, before making a beeline towards us.

"It's like Mr. Collins' menagerie, look at them, not a working brain cell among them." I had to shake my head at the puppets as they approached. Geez, you’d think he’d left a trail of crumbs or something.

He didn’t seem too worried about my glower, so I decided to save all my energy for whatever these three had coming my way.

***

JACKSON

"You're nothing like I would expect of someone with your talent."

"What did you expect, a seventeenth century vestal virgin?"

"No, just someone a little more, what's the word...refined." That stung, but I’d be damned if I’ll ever let him know.

"Would you like me to show you how refined I am Count fuck-you-la? What the hell is that you're wearing anyway, an ascot? What a complete ass."

She took a step closer like she was ready for battle. All that fire, I wonder what hell she’d bring down on my head if I kissed her? Better save that for later, I had the feeling that if and when I got my mouth on her, it was going to take way more than that to satisfy me.

"Oh I see, it's considered bad for me to dress like a gentleman while it's completely acceptable for you to dress like a chimney sweep."

"Chimney...why you...I ought to kick your preppy ass; and do something with that damn hair, you look like an electrocuted rodent."

I had to work hard not to laugh, she was back to breathing fire again, and just before the others reached us, I was beginning to realize just how much I was enjoying sparring with her.

MAXIE

"Well Jackson, we're waiting for you, we so enjoy listening to that wonderful Texan accent of yours."

"He's from Chicago you ass, he doesn't have a Texan accent, what a flea bag." Jenny was a real twit in every sense of the word.

"Maxie, why don't you go find Jonas and disappear for hours like you usually do?" Petra smirked at me, was she implying....

"These two I have to go easy on, they're the rotted fruit of my mother's womb, but you I would have no problem cutting."

"Mama, Maxie is being obnoxious again." Miranda yelled all ladylike, just as my impartial mother entered the room; note the sarcasm.

"Maxie, whatever are you doing, can't you ever keep a civil tongue in your head?"

She grabbed the skin of my arm in the hard pinch she'd always reserved just for me since childhood, and pulled me out of the room like a child.

I fought back the tears as they tried to gather. There was no use feeling sorry for myself she was always going to take their side over mine no matter what.

I had to remind myself that I was doing this for Janet, that losing it and pulling a family massacre right before her nuptials wasn’t exactly an ideal wedding gift, though it would sure make me happy.

"Mother, I wish you wouldn't tug on my arm like that, it hurts."

"Well, it hurts me to have a daughter who's so, so...ooh you make me so mad. We're going out to dinner and I don't think you should come, just make your excuses or I'll do it for you."

I didn’t falter in my step or turn around to see who else had witnessed my humiliation.

The wretched tears were there no matter how hard I tried to hold them back. I was suddenly very tired. Tired and hurt.

“Very well mother, I won’t embarrass you any farther.” I pulled my arm away from her and refused to rub the spot that now stung.

Without a backward glance, I headed for the stairs and freedom. I wish I could just hit the door and keep going, but I knew it wouldn’t be that easy, nothing in my life ever was.

JACKSON

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, that a mother would speak to her own child like that. Anyone could see that the imp was just a little high strung and opinionated.

And if I were being honest, I would probably pop off at the mouth if I had to deal with those three on a regular basis myself.

I slid back into the shadows as Maxie ran up the stairs, probably to her room, my eyes following her every move.

What was I getting myself into here? This wasn’t my fight, and she’d gone above and beyond to show her contempt for me. Still, I couldn’t stand the thought of her hiding out in her room licking her wounds.

"Oh Mr. Collins, I didn't see you there, we're just about ready to take our leave, I'll just tell the others."

"Give me five minutes, there's something I have to do." I barely got the words past the heated anger in my gut.

She seemed to want to say something else to me, and from the way she looked from me to the stairs, I knew she wondered if I’d overheard her little set down.

After she headed back into the room with the others, I took the stairs two at a time. I had a pretty good idea which room was imp's, but wasn't sure, until I heard the sobbing.

Without giving it too much thought, I pushed the door open and came up short. What I saw before me gave me pause, I'm not sure what I felt, but I know it wasn't good.

The emotion was so foreign that it caught me completely off guard, until the haziness cleared from my vision.

She laid across the bed, her head on the legs of the guy I'd been introduced to earlier, who was reclining against the headboard.

He had his hand in her hair and I wanted to break it off at the shoulder and beat him with it. Well, shit Collins. You always were a bull headed ass. Nothing easy for you huh?

Looks like you might be too late anyway. I didn’t like that feeling either and instead of turning to head back the way I came, I made my presence known, and not too nicely at that.

"Sorry, didn't know I was interrupting." I made to leave when what I really wanted to do was kick both their asses. Apparently, I'd lost my mind after too much exposure to this bunch.

"You're not interrupting. I'm just doing my brotherly duty here." He actually rolled his eyes at me.

Brotherly? I stayed where I was with my eyes on him gauging the atmosphere so to speak.

"I wasn't aware she had a brother, I thought the Doves had only girls."

"Consider me the adoptee, the stray that mom and dad brought home."

"Stop it Jonas. What do you want, your douchiness? Did you come to gloat, aren't you going to be late for your dinner?"

"I'm not going." I stepped farther into the room.

That got her attention, "What do you mean you’re not going?”

"Uh, I have to go get something, be right back." The big bruiser slid out from under her and my body relaxed.

"Jonas, don't leave me here alone with him, I'll skin you alive." She grabbed on to him while shooting missiles at me with her eyes.

"Stop the theatrics will you, I said I'll be back squirt." He got up from the bed and I started breathing normally again.

She pouted and huffed as he headed for the door, but I could see the hurt in her and it tore at me. Poor baby.

"You two really are a pair." He whispered that cryptic shit to me before breaking out in laughter and leaving the room.

"Are they always like that with you?"

"What do you care, you're no different..." She sniffled and wiped her nose with her hand like a toddler.

Why I should find that move so endearing was beyond me, but it seemed there wasn’t anything about her I didn’t like.

"Really, you know me that well."

"I know of you." She picked at the bedding and refused to look up at me.

"Perhaps, it's time you told me just what it is you know."

"I don't have to tell you shit Mr. Potter."

I had no idea who or what she was talking about, so I just closed and locked the door and walked towards the bed.

"Well then, neither of us is leaving here until you do." I folded my arms and looked down at her. I can be just as stubborn as she if need be.

I don't think I was expecting the shoe that came flying at my head, but my reflexes were quick enough to field it.

"Who would've thought Le Dove would be such a brat?"

"Suck it fuckwit." Had I ever seen anything as beautiful as she in a temper? I don’t think so.

"Such language, now that you've got that out of your system, let’s talk."

"Eat shit and die creep."

"Ah, I see, this is the way you shield, I'm supposed to become repulsed and just give up right, no dice imp."

I kept advancing on her as she tried to escape through the wooden headboard.

"Get out of my room asshole, I don't want to talk to you."

I finally reached her side and towered over her, she looked so tiny on the big bed with tears drying on her cheeks.

"What hurt you Maxie?"

"You'll never know." Her voice was soft and forlorn. And that, I think, was the saddest thing of all.

***