Page 37 of Protecting Addison
“Yeah. But thebestpart was when Ricky gave Chrys a smackdown.”
“What?” Addison asked, somewhat alarmed.
“Not physically, just verbally. She asked a dumb question, and he came back and told her to her face that bullies were stupid and told her to go listen to the song ‘Sk8er Boi’ by Avril Lavigne. Oh, and he’s gonna give us self-defense lessons so if she tries to sic her girl posse on me, I can kick their butts. It. Was.Awesome!”
Addison raised her brows as she looked at Ricky in surprise.
“I’m gonna go clean our room so it’ll be ready for Yana when she gets home. I want to set up her Barbies so they’re all waiting for her.” Then Ellory turned and hurried out of the kitchen, toward her room.
“Um…want to put all that in plain English for me?” Addison asked Ricky.
He chuckled. “That wasn’t exactly how it went,” he protested.
“I don’t remember any mention of Avril Lavigne, but he did basically say that the nerds of today could end up being very important people in the future. He made some really good points that hopefully the flower chick will take to heart,” Kevlar explained.
“I’m not holding my breath,” Addison muttered.
“I want to get in on those self-defense lessons,” Wren said eagerly.
“Me too!” Remi agreed, looking up at Kevlar. “When can we start?”
“As soon as you and the others can make the time,” Ricky told her.
“Sweet!”
“I’ll call Josie and Maggie. Wait, Maggie can participate even though she’s pregnant, right?” Wren asked.
“Of course. We’ll just be careful about what she does,” Ricky said.
“You guys good?” Kevlar asked. “I want to get home and touch base with the commander, and maybe even Tex. Want to give him some time to calm down a little though. Don’t think my tender ears can handle any more of those f-bombs he was throwing out.”
Ricky glanced at Addison. “We good?” he asked.
“I think so. I need to finish this brownie cake, then start something for dinner.”
“Pizza. I’m thinking a movie night with the three of us on the couch together is called for.”
Addison agreed. She was still feeling a little raw, and the house would feel super empty tonight without the other kids. “Sounds good.”
“You want company tomorrow for your coming-home party?” Remi asked.
“That would be nice.”
“When I call Josie and Maggie about the self-defense lessons, I’ll let them know we’re all getting together over here tomorrow night. But if anything changes, if you don’t think the kids are up for it or if you need a quiet evening at home with just the family, let us know. We won’t be offended.”
“Thanks. We’ll play it by ear. As much as you guys say this Tex guy is good, I’m not as confidant things with CPS will move quite so fast,” Addison said a little hesitantly.
“Tex isn’t just good. He’s the best. If he says the kids will be home tomorrow, they’ll be home tomorrow,” Kevlar said firmly.
Addison walked everyone to the door, along with Ricky. He thanked Kevlar for picking up Ellory and for the ride home. His teammates had already arranged to get his Explorer from the middle school and return it to him later.
Soon it was just the two of them, standing in their foyer again. Addison felt a little nervous about what would happen with Artem, Borysko, and Yana, but having Ricky at her side helped. A lot.
“Did you really tell Chrys off?”
“It probably went over her head,” Ricky said with a nonchalant shrug. “But I couldn’t stand there and not say anything. She’s pretty, and she knows it. She’s already learned that she can use her looks to get attention and praise. And that the meaner she is, the more attention she gets. I doubt what I said will change things much, but maybe it’ll make her think twice about continuing to harass Ellory. If nothing else, our girl will learn to hold her own, and she’ll be able to ignore her in the future.”
Ricky standing up for Ellory meant the world to Addison. She wanted to kiss him again. To show him without words how much he meant to her. But she had a cake to finish, a pizza to order, and a daughter to check on to make sure she was handling the latest crap life was throwing their way all right.
