His Queen

The Carl Way

They talked for hours until Ray got tired and had to rest. Ms. Ida told them to come back anytime and sent them off with plates of food. When Tyrone took her back home, they sat outside for a minute, but they didn’t kiss again.  

Cleo wanted to, but then Hailey came outside looking scared. Running to the truck, she waved Cleo to get out, “Please I need your help!” She whispered seriously. Tyrone started to get out and come in, but Cleo looked at him, “It’s okay, I’ll call you if I need you.”  

Tyrone didn’t look sure, but Cleo walked confidently with Hailey trembling behind her. When Cleo walked in, she didn’t know what to expect if she was being honest. She’d never seen Hailey scared before and never had her step-sister asked for her help so nicely.  

But when she walked in, she saw why.  

Peyton was on her last nerve with her withdrawal and trying to find things to sell. Apparently, no pawn shop in an hour's drive would give her anything. Not to mention all her former plugs and dealers seemed to be ignoring her.  

After popping cold medicine and benzos like a freak, now Peyton had nothing left. She was now ransacking the house for any silver or copper she could sell. “She’s been like this since I got home, I can’t even keep up with her!” Hailey whined tiredly.  

And it was true because from the moment she’d gotten home her mother had demanded she help find valuables. And since Hailey was a naïve brat, she had thought nearly everything in the home was valuable by some degree.  

But no, everything Hailey had held up pissed Peyton off. So much so she cussed her daughter off back-to-back, until Hailey gave up trying. Pretending to look, Hailey watched out of the corner of her eye as her mama tossed everything.  

 Twice over she went through everything like a mad woman. But when she found nothing, it seemed she was about to lose her s**t. Lose it and possibly hurt her daughter in the process is when Hailey saw the truck.  

“Cleo, is here, I’ll tell her to help.” She lied as she ran out. And now here they were, watching as Peyton began twitching and looking around. “Damn it!” She yelled suddenly throwing a drawer she’d yanked clean out of the counter.   

Turning to see both girls looking at her, Peyton immediately got on the defensive. Mostly because her daughter looked at her like all illusions of her was shattered. While Cleo on the other hand leaned on the back of the couch with a look.  

It was hard to pin down, but it was almost like she’d expected to come home to this. And in way the teenager had. Now knowing Peyton was an addict explained a lot to Cleo. And also made her aware that she could come home to this.  

A dumpster fire of chaos. The disarray of Peyton.  

“What the f**k are you two looking?” Peyton huffed out as Hailey quickly looked away. Peyton began ranting and raving telling lies about what she’d done for them. All the many sacrifices she’d made for the both of them.  

But Hailey couldn’t hear it because she was too busy wondering if this was her life now. While her Cleo was too busy checking her text from Tyrone. She would have listened, but she knew it was all lies of an addict. 

Because as far as she could tell, Peyton was just deprived if she thought she’d done anything for her.  

It was seeing the shiny, new phone in Cleo’s hand, hope sprang up. Peyton knew she could sell it in an instant for less than retail price.  On the streets the brand new IPhone could go for at least two hundred. Which wasn’t even a fraction of what it was really worth.  

But she was desperate and she saw the golden ticket now. 

 “Give me that.” She demanded holding out her hand for it. Cleo’s eyes snapped up, “What?” Peyton scoffed before demanding again, “Give me the f*****g phone. Hell, I don’t see why he bought it for you anyway. Not like you have friends.”  

Cleo didn’t care about the snub, but when Peyton reached for her phone, she pushed her back, “Hell no! You’re not taking my phone so you can go buy drugs. Are you f*****g crazy?” Peyton’s nose flared.  

She was out of control; her mind was all over the place. 

 Usually, she didn’t have to ask twice with Cleo. Even though she didn’t like it. Cleo would do whatever Peyton said with a sad look in her eye. And Peyton had long gotten addicted to the hopelessness that came with it. But now the firm grip she once had was gone.  

Wish is why she needed to get better one last time. She needed to be able to think, to plot to get her way.  

But no, Cleo refused to give Peyton her phone. It was the nicest thing she owned and with no other way to get in contact with Tyrone, she didn’t want to lose it. Peyton grew annoyed, and with her always hating Cleo, she didn’t think about raising her hand to her.  

The smack landed sloppy; it took a second for it to register. Cleo blinked and when realized what happened, Hailey had ten seconds to move. Because then Cleo had Peyton against the wall. “b***h if you ever put your hands on me again I will f*****g kill you!” She shouted throwing her to the floor.  

Peyton was trembling, bottom lip wobbling as she cried for the phone. She just needed her phone! But when Cleo refused, she looked to her daughter, “Aren’t you going to help me!?” Hailey didn’t think she could. Because Cleo was livid and Hailey knew she couldn’t win.  

So, she took the insults and ugly things her mama threw at her. Including the very overused, “I should have aborted your ass when I had the chance!” It still hurt, not as much as the first time, and no apology followed like before.  

Just a cold look as her mama turned to Cleo again to demand something that wasn’t hers to demand. And Cleo looked even more disgusted having never heard Peyton talk to Hailey like that before. She thought she’d enjoy it, seeing Hailey get the brunt of Peyton’s shitty behavior.  

But no. The sweet person she was instantly got heated hearing a mother talk to her child like that.  Leaning in, Cleo gritted out, “You are going to get clean. And you’re getting clean now,” Punching her in the nose before she could speak, Peyton was unconscious in seconds.  

Hailey winced when her mama hit the floor and watched Cleo stand, “Come on, you gotta help me.” Picking up Peyton’s feet, Hailey was wide-eyed as Cleo began to effortlessly drag her to the basement door.  

“W-what are you doing!?” Following her as Cleo opened the door, she turned to look at her stepsister tiredly, “We’re putting her in rehab.” Hailey looked around as Cleo instructed, “Now grab her under the pits or she might wake up with brain damage. Not that we could do anything to her brain that she already hasn’t.”  

Picking her mama up by the pits as told, Hailey helped Cleo carry her down to the basement. Laying her down by the washing machine, Hailey watched her wither and moan. Stroking her hair out of her face, Hailey whispered, “It’s going to be okay mama.”  

Peyton didn’t hear that though, but both mother and daughter heard the chain rattling. Cleo came over with a twenty-foot-long chain that looked brand s******g new. Tying it around a pole and then looping it around Peyton’s waist.  

It was the cold metal against her skin that had her jerking awake. Just as Cleo was putting the bad lock on it, Peyton couldn’t move as the heavy chain stayed in place.  

Pulling at the heavy chain, Peyton hissed, “What the f**k is this!?” Cleo looked at Peyton amused, “Rehab,” Peyton was in horror as her daughter asked for her, “How is this rehab? I mean shouldn’t we take her to someone, to get like...I don’t know real help?”  

Cleo looked at Hailey confused as she grabbed a duffle bag from behind the dryer, “Help with what?” Looking at Peyton, Cleo rolled her eyes, “She’s broken in whatever sad way she’s broken. And while I don’t care, the last thing I want is this tweaker selling my bed while I’m still in it. Again.”  

Peyton’s nose flared in anger as she growled, “So you’re just going to leave me down here?” Cleo nodded, “Yep until you’re out of withdrawal at least. And then maybe a week extra, just to make sure you don’t fall back in with old habits.”  

Looking at her daughter, Peyton gritted out, “Aren’t you going to say anything!” Hailey looked at Cleo pulling stuff out of a duffle bag. Water, chips, lunch meat and bread. Walking over to her, Hailey whispered scared, “Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, we’re locking her in the basement!”  

Cleo shrugged, “So? You’ve two locked me down here tons of times.” Shaking her head slowly in denial, Hailey looked at the duffel bag horrified, “Wait, she’s locked you down here before?” Cleo looked at Hailey unsure if she was being funny or not. But when she saw nothing but surprise, Cleo saw Peyton wilt.  

Huh...that’s interesting.  

“Yeah, but now it’s her turn. And I can’t lie and say I’m not enjoying it.” Cleo said as Peyton tried to yank at her chains. But they didn’t budge as Hailey looked between them unsure, “Are you sure this is going to work?”  

Starting to yell at her daughter not to be an i***t, Peyton was silenced with a look from Cleo. “It worked for Carl, didn’t it?” Peyton and Hailey looked at Cleo confused as hell, “Who?” Hailey asked to be sure, “Carl? Shameless?” Cleo supplied looking between them.  

Both still shook their heads lost on who this person was. Cleo shook her head sadly, “Never mind. It’ll work,” throwing the duffle to Peyton, Cleo told her straight up, “We’ll both check on you from time to time. We’ll come back to fill up the bag of food.” Giving her a dirty mop bucket, Cleo shrugged, “Piss, poop, and vomit in this I guess.”  

Completely disgusted as Cleo and Hailey tried to leave, Peyton hollered, “Hey!” Turning, Hailey looked scared as Cleo stood indifferent, “People are going to notice I’m not around-.” Cleo laughed mockingly, “You mean your “friends” whose husbands you sleep with? Or the neighbors you’ve been rude to since you’ve moved in? Yeah, I don’t think anyone but the scum you sleep with will be looking for you. And I think we can handle that.”  

Turning both left Peyton yelling for them to come back. Pleading for them to come back, not to leave her. But they did, closing the door behind them and leaving Peyton downstairs in the basement.  

When the door closed behind Hailey, she looked at her step-sister texting. Knowing it couldn’t be anyone but that man, Hailey watched her start to leave. “Wait.” Cleo looked at Hailey amused, “Oh don’t tell me now that your mama is in the basement you want to hang out?”  

Shrugging Hailey admitted, “Kind of.” Cleo jerked back in shock at the omission. But Hailey didn’t want to be alone with the mess her mama had made. So, she picked up the broom and said, “Besides, this place isn’t going to clean itself up.”  

Agreeing Cleo took off her hoodie, twisted her hair up into a bun and got to work.