BABY GIRL

6.

Maggie

Ana trails behind the Captain and I follow, but along the way, we hear the sound of the alarm.

"Uh, Mathematics." Anna grumbles, "You should head back to class Mag, we'll catch up later."

I may be twice as curious to hear what the Captain will say to Nate, but for convenience's sake, and since Ana has indirectly dismissed me, I have no reason to tag along. I give her a nudge and remind her to stay calm whatever happens in his office.

Several minutes after Mr Ron has begun Math class, Ana sneaks in and quickly reaches for her seat. We exchanged glances and I mouthed to her, asking her what happened at the Office. She pulls out her notes and tore a piece from it. She scribbles something, then gives it to her seatmate, Bryan, and he passes it to me.

The note says: Suspension. A week.

Terrible. First day back to school and Nate's already earned himself a suspension. I don't think David's going to like the sound of that.

***

Just like I expected, David did not take the idea of Nate's suspension lightly.

I can hear them arguing, explaining, talking, disagreeing and whatever.

If I listen close enough, I might be able to make out what they're saying, but hell no, I'm not even interested in eavesdropping on my best friend's family matters.

To avoid temptation, I may as well just leave the room entirely and go take a swim or something.

Sounds like we have a plan.

I grab a towel and head out to the poolside.

After I strip down, I jump in and swim to the shallow end of the pool. The thoughts of my Mom come crawling back into my mind, and for some reason, the fact that she has not called me even once since we parted ways doesn't even annoy me as much as it should.

I'm done being angry. Moving forward, I'm going to focus on myself alone.

I start swimming laps, slow and steady. Stroke, breathe. Stroke, breathe. It’s so nice and relaxing.

I didn’t even realize how long I'd been swimming until I heard the door slam. Nate comes out first, then Ana, who’s tailing after him.

“Nate, wait!” she’s calling. “Can you just stop for a second?!”

He doesn’t.

He yanks open the door to their dad’s car and gets in like it’s his.

Ana throws herself into the passenger seat just as the engine roars to life. She doesn’t even shut the door properly before he’s backing out of the driveway.

And then they’re gone.

I linger in the pool a little longer, just floating, trying to convince myself that what I just saw wasn’t as intense as it seemed.

My chest feels tight, and my arms are tired, but I don’t want to go back inside. Not yet.

The back door creaks open, and I quickly lift my head from the edge of the pool.

David.

He steps onto the patio like he doesn’t even realize his shirt’s half untucked, his hair mussed like he’s raked his hand through it one too many times. His eyes are on the driveway at first, but then he sees me in the pool. He seemed to hesitate for some seconds before he started walking towards me. He pulled one of the chairs by the pool, easing himself down. He doesn’t say anything right away, and I don’t expect him to.

“Sorry you have to go through that. I, um… I saw them leave,” I say softly, not sure if I’m even supposed to stick my nose in their family matters. “Being a parent is definitely not easy.”

David exhales like he’s been holding his breath for hours. “Yeah,” he mutters. “They’re both mad at me, I believe.”

I hesitate, careful not to pry, but something about the way his shoulders slump forward makes me ask anyway.

“Is… is there anything I can do to help?”

He rubs his hands over his face, then clasps them together, elbows on his knees.

“Nate’s been off his medication,” he says finally. “I found out today. He’s been skipping doses for a while.”

I wince but stay quiet, letting him speak his mind.

“He told me I had no right to tell him what to do,” David continue, his voice rasping slightly. “Why the hell would a kid say that to his own father?”

I rest my chin on the concrete, my fingers trailing through the water. “I'm sure he doesn't mean it.”

“I know,” he says. "I just... don't know how to get him back on his meds. Because he needs to take them, else, I don't know what he will do next."

His jaw flexes slightly, like he’s trying to keep it together for just a little longer.

I want to say something reassuring, something that doesn’t sound hollow. But I don’t have the right words.

Instead, I say quietly, “I believe in you and I know you'll figure this out.”

He glances at me then, and his eyes soften a little.

“Thank you, Maggie.” He says, and I know he’s being sincere.

“You’re welcome, sir.”

“You can call me David, please. Just David.”

“Alright. You’re welcome, Just David.”

I watch the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles at my lame joke, and my heart swells a little with excitement.

At least I made him smile a little.