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"Hello?"
"It's Athena."
"Who? Oh. Yeah. Hey Athena. What's up?"
"I need my second bitch session."
"It's been two days. Did things cool down with that--what's her name--?"
"Ashley."
"Yeah. Did things calm down with Ashley?"
"No. She's still a total bitch."
"Oh. So why no call yesterday, Athena?"
"I was absent. So any bitching would have been totally nondescript. Abstract, even."
"Hmm. Abstract bitching. I'm trying to imagine that."
"I hear you smiling again."
"That happens, I guess. So--bitch on. How'd she piss you off this time?"
"Well, I wasn't the only one absent yesterday. Tyler's been out for two days now."
"Did your school get whacked by the flu?"
"I had the stomach flu brought on by a math test I didn't study for."
"I've had that one before."
"Tyler wasn't so lucky."
"What kept him home?"
"His mother."
"Oh.
"It happened once before. A teacher called his place when his mom was on one of her drinking binges. She hit him so hard she broke his nose. He was out for a solid week that time."
"She abuses him."
"Yeah. Physically, mentally--you know the verbal side of it..."
"Why hasn't she been reported?"
"Man, Artemis, you must not know how the whole system works! Someone reports Tyler's mom, child services comes in, does a bunch of questions, maybe runs what they call 'an investigation,' and maybe they see the truth. That she's a vicious drunk who beats her kids. Then what?"
"I--I don't know, Athena. Then what?"
"Maybe they take Tyler and his two sisters into state custody--you know--for their own safety--just until his mom gets cleaned up, right?"
"Yeah, I guess."
”Problem is, there aren’t many places that can keep three kids together. So they split up Tyler and his little sisters.”
”Where’s his dad?”
”Just another dead soldier. That saying—war is hell—has a special meaning to Tyler. His dad was a real war hero. I mean—no medals or anything. Barely a decent paycheck. But he did his best every day. Tyler loved him like he was a god. But he’s dust now. Probably why his mom drinks.””Yeah.”
”You’re frowning now, Artemis.”
”Go on.”
”Tyler might get to see his sisters occasionally—it’s all scheduling. Then, as soon as their mom dries out (if she does), child services can reassess her and see if she’s a “fit” mother. Based on their decision either Tyler and his sisters go back to the evil they do know or get shuffled into a system full of evils they don’t know.”
”You sound like you have experience.”
”...”
”Athena?”
”I just know things.”
”’k. So no one’s ever called for Tyler and—it’s better that way?”
”The evil you do know or the evil you don’t know. You choose. Tyler’s gotten pretty crafty about avoiding his mom when she’s at her worst. If Ashley had just kept her big mouth shut...”
”Does everybody know about Tyler’s situation?”
”No. Of course not.”
”Then maybe you can’t totally blame this Ashley girl. Maybe if she knew—“
”You’re giving her way too much credit. She wouldn’t give a rat’s ass about Tyler. She’s got her nose too far in the air to see anything other than her supposedly bright future and that I’m-such-an-Adonis jock boyfriend.”
”So you believe people can’t change?”
”What?”
”If Ashley knew, wouldn’t she change?”
”No.”
”’k.”
”I thought I just got to rant—not that I needed to have you try and change what I know about Ashley.””Sorry, Athena. You’re right. Bitch on.”
”No. Never mind. I think I’m done.”
”Sorry, Athena.”
”Yeah. Bye, Artemis.”
”Bye, Athena.”
