Page 18 of Atlas
“Ha!” He barks out a laugh, though his eyes look furious. “First off,” Oh yeah, his Virginia accent is becoming thicker. I pissed him off. Good, I could use a fight. “You don’t know fucking shit about me, so sit and calm your dumbass down before I am forced to calm it down for you. Second, it’s not hard for me to understand shit. You were a step above a criminal before, but now you’re on probation. You have zero to offer that woman, besides health insurance. Which leads me to my third point, you married her before you ever even took her out on a date, so don’t talk to me about jumping in. It’s sad really, because Lauren deserves a man that cares enough to have the balls to tell her why he really wants to be with her instead of some pussy ass coward.”
“Enough!” Ash’s voice yells out as I am about to come across the room to deck Derek in his stupid fucking face. “You know, you two could be really good friends if you would stop with this pissing contest. Jesus, why do I have to be the mature fucking adult around here when Papa Fox is out? You are both older than me, fucking act like!”
Letting out a breath, I back up and continue to clean my station so we can close up, when I get a text. Looking down at myphone, I instantly feel my anxiety starting back up, but this time for another reason. I open the message and read over it.
Mom: Atty? Is this still your number?
I stare at the message, reading it over and over again. Why? Why is she texting me? Bypassing her text, I pull up a group chat that hasn’t been active in months.
Me: Mom is texting me
It doesn’t take long before I get a response.
Amelia: So? Be a good fucking son for once and answer her.
Alex: Fucking calm down Millie, Jesus, are you going through the change or something?
Me: Look, I’m at work. Amelia, I saw that the check I sent to you was cashed, so I know she got the money for her bills. Please guys, handle her.
Amelia: I can’t, I don’t have gas money to check on her.
Me: You live 10 minutes from her
Amelia: I don’t have gas money to check on her.
Me: Fine! I’ll send you $20
Amelia: $65 or no deal
Me: $65?! I am paying for gas not to get you through the night!
Alex: Millie, stop being a bitch. Atlas, send her the $20. I'll send the rest AFTER we have confirmation that mom is fine.
Amelia: Fine.
The feeling I have is all around unpleasant. Amelia and Alex are my older sister and brother. Alex lives in Washington D.C. around our father and hasn’t been in our lives minus the text messages in fifteen years. Amelia lives about twenty minutes from me in the shittiest area of the city. But, that is where she prefers to be. She is a registered nurse that just couldn’t get her shit together enough to hold down a job, so she hops from one man to the next and when she’s extra desperate, I give her money to run errands for our mom.
Mom is unstable. She’s emotionally manipulative and only cares about herself and her needs. My father left her when I turned eighteen–stating that he only stayed with her for the kids. A ridiculous statement considering my father was never home except to drop off money to Mom. Mom has and will always be a hateful woman, but guilt makes me, at the very least, continue to make sure she has money for food, bills andmedicine.
My phone vibrates again, and I feel dread as I pick it up. My body relaxes as I readPrincesson the screen. Tapping on the message, I instantly let out a short laugh and my heart rate quickens. She sent me a picture of herself sitting on the floor with Bruno licking her face. Her mouth, nose and right eye are scrunched. She’s adorable. She’s perfect and Derek is right, I have nothing to offer her besides good insurance. And my words, I can and will continue to remind her how beautiful she is everychance I get because Ren deserves it. She deserves to have a man worship her for the goddess she is. And that’s what I will do, as long as she lets me.
“You following me?” Ash asks as he slings his backpack over his shoulder. Nodding, I tuck the phone back into my pocket before following him out of the shop.
“Indy!”Ash calls when we enter our, well now his apartment. “Atlas is here to grab some clothes.” I hear the padding of feet before the petite young woman appears in front of us. Her black hair is as wild and curly as Janie’s, and her eyes are an ice blue that is almost unnatural looking. It’s a weird contrast between Ash’s dark as night eyes and then hers.
“Hey At!” She gives me a wide grin before grabbing her phone and walking over to me. “So, I was wondering,” Her voice is light and airy as she speaks. I often think about Indy as a cartoon Princess, just smiley and musical. She flips her phone to show me the screen and my face falls as I’m staring at a chest tattoo of a lace bat nestled perfectly between this model's tits and the wings spread out over the tops.
“W-wondering what?” I laugh nervously, already knowing what the question is.
“Well, when can you do this on me?” She asks, like she doesn’t know my laugh is one hundred percent due to surprise and possibly fear as I see the dark eyes staring at me from the hallway. Ash is beyond over-protective of his little sister. Like, think about touching her and die.
“Why not ask your brother?” I say nervously as Ash shoves my suit into my chest with a little more force than necessary.
Indy rolls her eyes. “He won’t do it!” She stamps her foot down in a huff. “What’s the point of having world famous tattoo artists in your life if none of you will tattoo me!”
Ash lets out an exhausted sigh. Evidently, this has been a recurring argument between them. “Indy, you know you can’t be tattooed right now, and do you really think I’m going to let your first piece be a massive tattoo across your chest? Have you lost your mind?”
“I am an adult!” She growls before spinning around and storming off, slamming her bedroom door when she reaches it.
