Chasing Sin

39

"Mom?" Aubrey asks, coming to a halt a few feet behind me.

She scans over her mother's outfit, clearly shocked to see her here, and even more shocked to see her scantily clothed in a French maid's lingerie costume.

"What the fuck?" Aubrey says, looking her mother up and down as she tugs at her tiny apron skirt, trying to make it cover a little more of her bare legs.

"Aubrey, what on Earth are you doing here?" her mother asks, looking embarrassed and annoyed.

"What am I doing here? Why are you here? And wearing lingerie?"

"That is none... You said you were spending the weekend with your friends! You never told me you were going out of town," her mother chastises.

"Do you really think you're in a position to lecture me right now?" Aubrey snaps, stepping closer to her mom as her temper rises.

"Of course I am. I'm your mother! I deserve to know where you are at all times, and yet I find you here, at Bryan's house, hours away from home? With your boyfriend? What, did you lie to me just so you could shack up with Beckett for a few days?"

Aubrey looks really mad now, and I want to step back, away from the door, but there's no where for me to go, so I just stand there, awkwardly, while Aubrey confronts her mother.

I look back behind me, where Beckett is just watching it all play out, and I see Sin behind him. We lock eyes, and I can tell he's thinking the same thing as me.

Aubrey's mother didn't come here to see her. She came here to see Beckett's uncle.

"I'm not the one with my tits out, am I, mother?" Aubrey shouts, her face turning red.

"Don't you dare try and play that card, Aubrey," her mother says, putting her hands on her hips. "I am still your mom, and I deserve some respect. And I can tell you all have been drinking. The blonde girl smells like she works at a tequila factory, for god's sake."

I know I'm the blonde girl, even though my hair is more of caramel color, but I don't argue or attempt to explain the reason behind the smell. I barely drank three sips of a drink tonight, but I don't think telling Aubrey's mother about nearly getting kidnapped amidst a chaotic bar fight would help anything.

"Yeah, we were celebrating the blonde girl's birthday," Aubrey fires back. "And she's got a name. It's Haven. And don't try and change the subject! You're here cheating on Michael with... Beckett's uncle?!"

She connects the dots and voices what we were all thinking, but hearing it aloud seems too much for Aubrey. Beckett is completely silent, but seems to be struggling to process all of this.

"Aubrey, please don't make a bigger deal out of this than it needs to be," her mom pleads, seeming worried that Aubrey might mention it to her partner.

"Why! Why are you cheating on Michael?" Aubrey asks, crossing her arms. "You're always trying to get me to like him, and he's always buying you stuff! I thought you liked him?"

"Aubrey, let's go inside and talk about this," her mom suggests. She eyes me and adds, "Alone."

Aubrey sighs and holds open the door, letting her mom come inside.

I stand against the wall, trying to be out of the way as much as possible, but catch a view of the back of her outfit. Her skirt is so short most of her ass is hanging out, and I take off my jacket and offer it to her.

"Um, here," I say, holding it out to her. "I mean, you can wear this if you want."

She scowls at me, but takes it anyway, probably figuring her pride is already shot and the idea of being half-naked around eight teenagers might be a little more awkward.