Jamie and Chelsea emerged from the bedroom. Blue was staring out onto the patio, his arms crossed as he shook his head at Terrance and Colleen who were holding hands and walking to the house.
“You guys ready to do this?” Blue asked.
“Yeah, but we don’t have a plan or anything.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take the lead,” Blue said.
“Blue, you don’t have to do that-” Chelsea started, but then her mother and Terrance were in the room. They both looked startled to see their children staring at them from inside the house.
“What’s going on in here?” Colleen asked. “Y’all just standing around?”
“Hey, Dad,” Blue said, and his voice had a false nonchalance to it; he was just barely keeping his rage and anger under control. “I’ve been thinking about it and I’ve decided I want to do the fights. I’m ready.”
“What?” Colleen asked. “What fights?”
“I’m glad to hear it, but this is not the time, boy. Go to the garage and wait for me there.”
“Why?” Blue demanded. “Don’t you want your bride to know how you really made your money? He made it through betting on illegal fights,” Blue said, looking right at Colleen, “and he used to make me fight in them.”
“That’s enough!” Terrance yelled. “I will not stand lying in front of my bride and her daughters.”
“Oh, Jamie and Chelsea know. I already told them.”
“You’re disgusting,” Chelsea spit.
But Terrance’s face only hardened as he looked at her. And then it softened and he looked at them sadly.
“I am so sorry, my dear,” he said to Colleen, putting his hands on her shoulders. “I know I warned you, but it’s still hard when it happens.”
“What are you doing?” Blue demanded.
“I told Colleen about your penchant for lying. I told her how you used to use them on me when you were a child. You used to threaten to tell people I beat you and starved you. I know it was just a cry for help, son, but it was still hard for me. I thought we were past all of this, but here you are talking about illegal fighting pits? I run an auto repair shop for God’s sake.”
“Mom, you can’t believe him,” Chelsea said. “Blue is telling the truth.”
“And how can you tell?” Terrance asked. “Did he give you any evidence or proof of these fighting pits? Or was it just part of a tearful act?”
“There was a guy at the party who talked about the pits and he picked a fight with Blue over it,” Chelsea said.
“Chelsea, you are so naïve. Of course Blue got into a random fight; that’s what Blue does. He fights and he’s very good at it. I’m just sorry he ensnared you in his lie. Please don’t take it personally; it’s a problem he has.”
“I’m not lying and you know it,” Blue said through clenched teeth.
“Mom, please tell me you believe me,” Chelsea begged to her mother. This whole thing felt so surreal. Chelsea didn’t have any proof to what Blue said; she had seen the bruises and his anger firsthand. But Terrance was right; she had no proof. Now she was asking her mother to believe her over Terrance.
“Well, Chelsea, it’s not you saying anything is it?” Colleen asked. “You’re just repeating what he said and, honestly, illegal fighting pits? In Snowbird, Idaho? I don’t think so. Terrance has warned me about Blue’s lying, so enough of this silliness. Honestly, I thought you girls would be happy for me, but instead you’re acting like teenagers again. I love Terrance and he loves me and if you can’t support that, I think you should leave. You can stay at the house for the rest of your trip.”
“Mom, please listen to us,” Jamie pleaded.
But it was too late. Colleen had already turned around and headed up the stairs. “I’m going to take a shower,” she called down. “If your attitude hasn’t changed by then, I don’t want to see you. I’m so disappointed in you girls. I had told Terrance so many wonderful stories about you.”
They all watched as she walked up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom closing the door firmly behind you.
“At least tell me that little display was worth something. You’ll fight?” Terrance asked Blue in a quiet voice.
“No!” Blue shouted. “I’m never doing one of this fights again. I’m going to college on the GI bill and I’m never going to see you again. I’m never going back inside that ring.”
“Please, Blue?” Terrance said. “The GI bill? College? You were never the smart kid; you were the tough kid. You were the kid who pushed back,” Terrance pushed hard against Blue’s chest, but Blue froze and refused to hit back.
“Leave him alone!” Chelsea said. She took a step towards Blue, but he threw his arm out and kept her back and out of Terrance’s reach.
“You’ve got a girl fighting your battles now?” Terrance now. “She’s not even a tough-looking girl. Although I do look forward to calling her my daughter.”
“You’re disgusting,” Chelsea spit.
“Your mother seems to like me well enough. And as for you,” he said turning to Blue. “You think you can just walk away from this? Do you think I’m asking you to go back into the ring for my own monetary gain? I’m thinking about you. They know you’re back in town and they want you to fight, Blue, and you know how they get when someone refuses them.”
“Who’s them?” Chelsea asked.
“So you didn’t tell her everything.” He turned to Chelsea and continued. “The fights have, what you might call, sponsors. They host the event, gather up like-minded men to attend, and bet and they take a cut of ticket sales and the pot. These are not nice men. They are bad and violent. They are criminals and drug dealers and people with almost no moral conviction and Blue is pissing them off. If you skip this fight they’re gonna come for you, Blue. You really think you can survive that? These men have a lot invested in these fights. You can’t just walk away.”
“Bring it on. I’ve been to war, I’ve been to the desert, and I’ve killed men and I’ve watched them die in front of me. You think a bunch of convicts from Idaho are going to scare me?”
“Oh, I think they will,” Terrance hissed. “You still have a few days to change your mind. Be smart for once in your life, Blue.” Terrance turned and walked away from them; he headed up the stairs as Jamie, Chelsea, and Blue watched him go.
“Is there any chance anyone recorded that on their phone?” Jamie asked.
“No, because that would have been the smart thing to do and we are not smart,” Chelsea said shaking her head. “She didn’t believe us.”
“We knew she wouldn’t,” Jamie said.
“Yeah, but it still hurts.”
“I’ll go get our stuff and pack the car,” Jamie said, leaving Blue and Chelsea alone.
“Thanks for trying,” Chelsea said. “It really means a lot to me. I know it wasn’t easy.”
“It felt pretty good, actually,” Blue said with a smile. “It was good having you there to back me up”
Chelsea couldn’t help but smile and when Blue leaned towards her she didn’t pull away, but she kissed him feeling his warm lips against hers.
“You gonna come with us to the house?” Chelsea asked.
“Only if you’ll sleep in bed with me,” Blue said.
Chelsea nodded and looked up sadly up the stairs. Her mother was up there with a monster. She was a princess trapped in a tower and Chelsea didn’t know how to rescue her. She didn’t want to have to trade her mother for Blue; she wanted them both; she needed them both. She needed to show her mother that Terrance was a dangerous and bad person. She wasn’t going to leave her here alone with that monster.
They carried their bags to Blue’s old car from high school and filled the trunk. Chelsea used her hand to shield her eyes from the sun and she looked up at the window she knew was her mother’s. How could her own mother think Chelsea would lie about something like this? How could her mother think she didn’t want her to be happy? Couldn’t she see Chelsea wanted her to be happy with the right person and not this jerk?
She gave a halfhearted wave but couldn’t tell if her mother saw it. She then opened the passenger side door and slid into the seat. The three of them were silent as they drove down the driveway and left the house behind them.