I get a nod in response and Mark is starting to think and calm down as I move in front of a nervous Vicki.
"You like the attention don't you Vicki," I ask with a sinister tone and get a nod in response," You like games so much that when you make the rules you just have to rub Mark's nose in it when he fails?"
"He threw someone off my balcony and I had to pay damages. Add to that that nobody would touch me because they were afraid of him," Vicki tries to defend herself but I'm not caring.
"Answer my question or when I leave neither of us is ever coming back," I tell her quietly.
"I get punished when he randomly hooks up with a girl so if he breaks the rule he should get it back," Vicki says quietly.
"When has he fucking punished you," I ask exasperated.
The silence between the three of us tells me more than she ever could and I can finally see some real guilt coming over her face. I start to shake my hands out like I'm trying to get blood into them and both Mark and Vicki are like scolded children and I have to remind myself to my humor that I'm the youngest person in the room.
"Vicki how many real boyfriends have you had," I ask before clarifying," Ones that were actually around for more than a month."
"I guess eight since high school," Vicki answers confused.
"Mark I know you've had a lot of women but how many actual relationships have you had," I ask, keeping my calm.
I hear him mumble and get very ashamed, I'm not normally concerned but with Mark crying and scared instead of angry and fighting. I try to calm him down and what I hear next honestly shocks the shit out of Vicki and me.
"One. This one," Mark says embarrassed.
"One, you've only been in one relationship all this time baby and it's with me," Vicki asks stunned into speechlessness.
"I fuck things up and girls get pissed when I am talking with other women so it never lasts long so I never tried then we started dating and I didn't think we needed the rule with other people but I thought she was giving herself an out in case she got jealous," I hear Mark say to me but my shock is still in effect.
"Baby I like fun and you like fun too, it was just to give us some space so we didn't get jealous and bored," Vicki tells him moving over to Mark on the couch," I just wanted us to have fun together and apart."
"Well that didn't fucking work now did it," I say finally bringing the conversation around to the real problem," And as of now you to are gonna make up, put on your big kid underwear and have a real relationship. No more fooling around with other people for either of you, that shit caused this problem and it has to go."
"But Vicki still wants to do a threesome," Mark says, making me groan audibly.
"Maybe later baby, He's right and he's got better luck with his relationship then anyone I've ever heard of," Vicki says quietly.
I let them talk it out for a few and stay quiet as wounds get mended and hearts get put back together. I get a handshake from Mark that turns into a hug and I almost need to tap out before he lets me go. Vicki chuckles a little and gives me a hug before whispering in my ear 'threesome or group sex with your girls' as a question. I calmly break the hug step outside and down the stairs as they close the door after me. I get to the bottom and send Mark a text telling him to smack her ass hard and in a few moments I hear Vicki yelp and start to raise her voice at Mark. I don't wait for the questions as I hop on my bike and head back home.
The drive is long but I'm feeling good, sex with Vicki was good and I was able to get her and Mark to settle up. I also got the Old Man to listen to me and we're still friends which makes me feel alive and happy as I pull into the driveway and park in the garage. I get inside and see all the girls are in the den with Loretta talking but all eyes are on me as I approach. Matty gets up to ask me if everything is okay and I give her a surprise kiss and hold it till she starts to melt before breaking it.
"That is for being a strong and thinking woman," I tell her, getting a dopey grin.
I turn to Katy and she looks confused from her spot on the couch and I gently tackle her and force a nice hard kiss on her. My hood gets pulled over my head and we're in the dark listening to cat calls from the rest of the girls and I remember something very important, breathing. We break the kiss gasping and I get off her letting her sit up again.
"What did I do for that," Katy asks, confused but happy.
"You are that hard ass bitch who knows just what to say to help me do 'everything' that makes things better," I tell her, getting a playful smile.
All of us start to relax and I find out they were out shopping and Loretta took them to more than a few stores. Apparently Kori, Matty, pre ordered prom dresses for next year, Rachael got something very private but I have a feeling that I'm gonna find out much to my delight sometime in the future what it is. Katy went craft shopping and is decaling all of the girls' new hooded jackets. Imelda went and saw her mom who is doing well but tired from too much work. I listen intently to their events of the day and remember the girl's homes they visited.
"Hey when you girls were out did you meet Jackie at all," I asked curiously happily.
Ever get that feeling that you are now going to get some bad news. As soon as I mention Jackie everyone in the room stops laughing and gets really quiet. I can tell Loretta has something important to tell me and it's been weighing on her apparently since I got here but it's Kori who moves over to me and sits on her knees in between my legs facing me.
"Guy we found out today and don't get mad at your Mom, she did all she could but it's just the system," Kori explains quietly.
"What happened to Jackie," I ask as Kori takes my hands to calm me down.
"Jackie got pregnant, she was facing eviction if she didn't terminate the pregnancy and instead she left the home," Kori tells me as I start to fume," We talked to the girls and she isn't with the baby's father. He turned his back on her and she can't go back to the home now that she filed out."
Jackie is pregnant; Steven got her pregnant and shut her out. It's a spark really, the fuel of my rage is already there but you took the first person to accept me down in Texas last year and you not only dishonor her by turning her away when she's pregnant but you but you leave her homeless and out on the streets? Meltdown and explosion to go off in 3… 2… 1…