Chapter Nine

Fuck ‘Em

Meg

The sun was high in the sky, beating down on us as we lounged by the pool. The sounds of laughter and splashing filled the air, a stark contrast to the peaceful quiet we had enjoyed earlier in the week. I let out a long sigh as I took in the scene.

"The pool is busier today," Karmen pointed out, her gaze sweeping over the crowded water.

"It's Friday," I sighed in return, feeling a bit of the weariness of the week settle in. "The weekends are always crazy at campgrounds. We should've camped Sunday to Thursday."

Whenever Lo and I hit the campgrounds, we never stayed over the weekends. We liked the peacefulness of the weekdays—the calm, the stillness, the way everything just seemed to breathe easier when fewer people were around. But here we were, in the thick of it, surrounded by families and kids who had poured into the campground for the weekend.

We were at the same pool we had been at three days ago, but it was a different place now. There were at least three times as many people, and the once-quiet water was now a sea of chaos. Still, we had managed to claim two tables near the deep end, which, thankfully, was much quieter than the shallow end where the kids were splashing around.

Alice was floating lazily on a purple floatie, with Greta and Cyn drifting alongside her, chatting quietly. Lennox had wandered off to the shallow end, where she was wading in the water, and Reva, Paige, and Nikki had just left to head to the store to buy some souvenirs for everyone back home.

"There are such cute kids here," Karmen sighed, a wistful note in her voice. "I miss Cole and Calla being this little."

"Yeah," I agreed, watching a little boy nearby laugh as he splashed his sister. "Though, I will say, I like being a grandma better than a mom." I winked at Karmen. "I can send them home to their mom and dad when I'm tired and want a nap."

Karmen pointed at me, her eyes lighting up with realization. "That is a good point I did not consider. I'll just have to wait a few years until I get my baby fix again."

"Just come to our clubhouse. You'll get your fix," I laughed, imagining Karmen surrounded by the little ones running around back home.

"I wouldn't mind having a little baby to dote on either," Wendy sighed, her voice soft with longing.

"Maybe with Adley moving back home, she'll find someone to settle down with, and you won't have to wait so long for that wish to come true," Karmen teased, her tone light.

"Lord have mercy," Wendy sighed, shaking her head. "Slayer would lose his shit if Adley turns up pregnant."

"I didn't mean like tomorrow she'd be pregnant," Karmen laughed.

"I know, I know," Wendy replied, her voice a bit more serious. "God knows it will happen when it's meant to. I hope it's not soon, though."

I followed Wendy's gaze and watched as Lennox knelt next to a little girl who was splashing happily in the shallow water. The girl couldn't have been more than five, with curly blonde hair and a bright pink swimsuit. She was talking animatedly, her hands gesturing wildly as she chattered away at Lennox, who was listening intently with a warm smile on her face.

"You know she's gonna be a great mama," I sighed, a bittersweet feeling settling in my chest. "It's crazy how much she reminds me of Jonas' mom."

Wendy turned to me, a curious expression on her face. "I thought you were his mom?"

"I am, but that didn't happen until he was three years old," I explained, my mind drifting back to those early days. "His parents died in a motorcycle accident. Lo and I adopted Jonas, and the rest is history."

Karmen shook her head, a look of admiration in her eyes. "I knew you were cool, but you just went up fifty notches."

I felt my cheeks heat with embarrassment. "Lo and I just did what anyone would have done," I said, brushing off the compliment. But the truth was, Jonas had saved us just as much as we had saved him.

My attention shifted back to Lennox and the little girl. They were still deep in conversation, the little girl's eyes wide with excitement as she spoke. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was clear that Lennox had a way with kids. Her patience, her kindness—it was all so natural, so effortless.

But then, something changed. A tall, blonde woman approached them, her face unreadable as she walked up to Lennox and the little girl. She was skinny, with a sharpness to her features that made her look out of place among the relaxed crowd at the pool. She wore a black bikini that accentuated her angular frame, and her movements were quick, almost aggressive.

I watched as she said something to Lennox, but I couldn't hear what it was. Whatever she said, though, it made Lennox rear back as if she had been struck. Her smile disappeared, replaced by a look of shock and confusion, and she stood up abruptly, her posture stiff.

"What the hell is that about?" Karmen asked, her voice low and tense.

I shook my head, my eyes narrowing as I watched the woman. She grabbed the little girl from the water, yanking her away from Lennox with a force that made my blood boil. The girl protested, her face crumpling in confusion, but the woman didn't seem to care. She dragged the child out of the pool as if Lennox were some kind of leper, not even sparing Lennox a second glance.

The girl's cries echoed in my ears as the woman stormed off, leaving Lennox standing there, looking like she had been slapped. My heart ached for her, for the way that woman had treated her as if she were nothing. I wanted to go over there, to do something, but before I could move, Lennox turned and walked back toward us, her face pale and her eyes downcast.

"What happened?" Wendy asked as Lennox approached, concern etched in her features.

Lennox shook her head, a small, sad smile playing at her lips. "I don't know. I was just talking to the little girl about her floaties, and then her mom came over and... well, you saw what happened."

"That woman acted like you were going to hurt her kid or something," Karmen said, her voice sharp with indignation.

Lennox shrugged, but I could see the hurt in her eyes. "Some people are just like that, I guess." She motioned to the tattoos that covered a good bit of her body. "She told me she didn't appreciate trash talking to her daughter."

I stood and tried to get eyes on the bitchy woman. "What a fucking bitch," I muttered, still seething as I watched the woman disappear into the crowd. "You didn't deserve that, Lennox."

Lennox forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It's okay. I'm fine."

But I knew she wasn't. I could see it in the way she held herself, in the way she avoided our eyes. That woman had gotten to her, made her feel small, and it made me want to scream. Lennox was one of the kindest, most genuine people I knew, and to see her treated like that—it was infuriating.

"I'm going after her," I muttered.

Lennox grabbed my arm before I could take a step. "No, Meg. Don't. That woman is her mom, and if she doesn't want her daughter talking to me, then that is her prerogative."

"You mean her fucked up prerogative," Karmen growled.

I tried to wretch my arm from her hold.

"Please, no," Lennox whispered. I could feel the hurt in her voice.

"Fine," I muttered and sat down. "But if I see her boney ass around the campground, I'm going to tell her to–"

"Meg," Karmen called and motioned to quiet down.

"Have a nice day," I finished.

Alice, Greta, and Cyn floated to the edge of the pool by us.

"Everything okay?" Alice asked.

I glanced at Lennox, who shook her head.

"All good," I called. I could feel that Lennox was embarrassed by what happened when she should have slapped the woman in her damn face.

Who was she to judge someone by the way they looked?

"I think we're about ready to get out," Greta said.

"Once Reva, Paige, and Nikki come back, we should head back to the campsite and start dinner," I said, trying to not let on that I was pissed as hell.

Alice gave a salute. "Sounds like a good plan!" They floated back to the middle of the deep end.

We all sat in silence for a moment, the mood around the table suddenly heavy. The noise of the pool seemed distant now, the laughter and splashing fading into the background as we all processed what had just happened.

After a few moments, I reached out and squeezed Lennox's hand. "Hey," I said softly, waiting until she looked up at me. "Don't let her get to you. You did nothing wrong, okay?"

Lennox nodded, but I could tell she was still shaken. "Thanks, Meg."

God, did I want to take off at that bitch and let her have it. No one made Lennox sad.

We sat there for a while longer, just being together. The buzz of the busy pool hummed around us.

Eventually, the noise of the pool brought us back to the present, and Karmen broke the silence with a sigh. "Here comes Reva, Paige, and Nikki. Let's get packed up."

The suggestion was met with murmurs of agreement, and we all started gathering our things.

"Let's go," I said.

Alice

"You're kidding me."

Karmen shook her head, her expression a mixture of disbelief and frustration. "We were all so shocked."

"Who calls someone trash just because they have tattoos?" Nikki asked, her voice laced with anger. "Are we living in the 1940s or something?"

"If you ask me, it's rarer to see someone without tattoos than with them," Wendy said, tugging her sweatshirt over her head. "We're all trash if that lady thinks tattoos are trashy."

"I say we take a little walk around the campground and see if we can find Miss Bitch to have a little talk," I suggested, the fire in my belly rising as I thought of how hurt Lennox must be.

"Meg wanted to do that, but Lennox stopped her," Wendy sighed. "I'm sure she just wants to forget the whole thing."

A knock sounded on the camper door, interrupting our conversation. Wendy opened it, and there stood Meg, looking like she was about to lose her shit. Her usual calm demeanor was replaced with a stormy expression, and I knew whatever had happened must be bad.

"What's wrong?" Wendy asked, concern dripping from her voice as we all gathered behind her to listen to Meg.

"We just had a visit from the owner of the campground," Meg started, her voice tight with barely restrained anger. "It seems that the bitch from the pool went to the office and complained about Lennox."

"No," I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth.

Meg nodded, her jaw clenched. "Yup. Said she didn't feel safe with her being around her kid."

My eyes bugged out at her words.

"Are they kicking us out?" Wendy asked.

Meg shook her head. "No. I think he more came by to let us know that she had it out for Lennox. He said we might want to try to keep to ourselves the rest of the time we are here."

"What in the fuckity fuck?" Karmen demanded, her arms crossing over her chest in defiance. "Lennox was just being nice to her kid, and she runs to the fucking campground po-po to rat on us?" She shook her head, her frustration evident. "I say we find her campsite, and pay her a little visit."

"As much as I would love to," Meg said, her voice softening, "Lennox is not okay with that. This pregnancy has got her emotions all out of whack, and this bitch isn't helping matters at all. She's on the phone with Jonas right now. I'm afraid she's going to end up leaving."

"No," Nikki cried, her face paling. "We can't let that bitch ruin our girls' trip."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. I could feel the anger coursing through me, but I knew that if Lennox was already upset, we had to handle this carefully. "We need to talk to her, make sure she knows we've got her back. We can't let this woman make her feel like she has to leave."

Wendy nodded. "Lennox has been through enough without this bullshit. She doesn't need to be stressed out right now."

"Where is she?" I asked Meg.

"She's still in the RV, talking to Jonas," Meg replied. "She was crying when I left her."

My heart ached for Lennox. "I'm going to go check on her," I decided, stepping toward the door. "Maybe I can help calm her down."

"We'll come with you," Karmen said, her voice gentle now. "We're all in this together."

We made our way out of Mini Weenie and across the campsite to Meg's RV. The sun was setting, casting a warm, golden glow over the campground, but the beauty of the evening was lost on us as we marched toward Lennox.

Meg opened the door, and we filed in, the air inside thick with tension. Lennox was sitting on the bed, phone in hand, tears streaking down her cheeks as she spoke softly into the phone. When she saw us, she quickly ended the call, wiping her eyes.

"Guys, you didn't have to come over," Lennox said, her voice shaky.

Raven, Cyn, Reva, Greta, and Paige filed in behind us.

"Is this the meeting to figure out whose ass we're beating?" Greta asked.

"I call dibs on the first kick!" Raven called out, already throwing a mock kick into the air as if she were landing it right on our invisible enemy. She balanced on one leg, her foot snapping out in a swift motion. Her face was a mix of playful fury and fierce loyalty, and it was clear she'd be the first to defend any one of us. She grinned, her eyes flashing with mischief as she settled back down, crossing her arms as if daring anyone to challenge her claim.

Meg sat down next to Lennox, wrapping her arm around her shoulders, drawing her in close. "Feel better after talking to Jonas?" she asked gently.

Lennox nodded, her eyes still red from crying, and wiped her cheeks. "Yeah. I just... I was really embarrassed. I was just trying to be nice to that little girl because she started talking to me, and then her mom... she made me feel like I was doing something wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Lennox," I said softly, trying to reassure her. "You were just being yourself. It's not your fault that little girl's mom is a raging bitch."

Lennox sniffled, her expression torn between lingering hurt and frustration. "I know. It's crazy that her daughter was so sweet and nice while her mom was mean." She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, her voice trembling slightly. "She was just... rotten."

"Probably jealous of you," Raven mumbled from her spot, still simmering with righteous anger.

Lennox looked down at herself, doubt clouding her features. "I think you're wrong about that. She seemed to hate every inch of me."

"Because she probably hates herself," Greta whispered, her voice gentle but firm. It was the kind of insight that cut through the noise and settled deep, making you think.

"What did Jonas have to say?" Meg asked, her arm still wrapped protectively around Lennox.

"The same thing King said to you," Lennox sighed, the corners of her mouth twitching up in a small smile. "Fuck her."

We all burst out laughing, the tension in the room breaking as we shared in the moment of defiance. It was like a collective exhale, pushing away the bitterness that had been trying to creep in.

"They're right," I said, the laughter dying down but the warmth lingering. "We can't let her ruin the rest of our trip."

"Yeah," Meg agreed, her voice full of determination. "We've got two more nights here, and we are not letting that woman ruin them."

"I say we have dinner, break out the drinks, and eat s'mores until we're ready to puke," Greta suggested, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She turned to Lennox with a playful grin. "Well, you can have all the Shirley Temples you want."

Lennox sighed, but there was a small smile on her face now. "Okay. That sounds good to me."

Meg squeezed Lennox tighter, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "Love you, hun."

Lennox leaned into the hug, her shoulders finally starting to relax as she found comfort in the circle of her friends.

"Meg, get the food going; Raven and I will get the drinks flowing, and the rest of you can just work on cheering up Lennox," Greta ordered with a nod, slipping into her role as the ringleader.

As we all moved to our tasks, there was a renewed sense of purpose in the air. We weren't going to let some narrow-minded woman ruin our time together.

Raven shot me a wink as she grabbed a couple of bottles from the cooler, shaking her hips to an imaginary beat as she lined up the drinks. "This is going to be the best damn night of the whole trip," she promised.

Let's freakin' hope so.