Jack sighed loudly, and she could see him crack his knuckles from the corner of her eye.

“Why, Jack?’ Maggie pressed, a little louder and slightly incensed as she grew increasingly impatient for an answer.

“He looked at me the wrong way.’

She gaped at him, her eyes wide. “He looked at you the wrong way?’ A humorless laugh slipped from her lips. “What does that even mean? How does somebody look at you the wrong way?’

She noticed his jaw tightening. He was clenching his teeth, staring straight ahead with a sullen look on his face, and she was taken aback by just how much he looked like his father right at that moment. He was the vision of Tom; just as stubborn, too.

“Do you think this is fun for me?’ Maggie continued before Jack could even attempt an answer. “Do you think I like having to come pick you up because you’ve been suspended for fighting? For breaking a kid’s nose?’ Her voice was shrill as it rang through the silence, cracking with emotion. “Do you think I like calling TJ’s therapist and telling her we’re running late, that I can’t bring my ten-year-old son to his appointment on time because my other son, who’s old enough to know better by the way, is getting into fights at school because some kid looked at him the wrong way?’

Jack turned away, staring out the window. “It’s always about TJ…’

Maggie snapped her mouth shut at the sound of his murmured words. She doubted he had meant for her to hear him. But she did. Loud and heartbreakingly clear. She inhaled deeply, the breath shuddering through her as she stared out at the gray afternoon, the red stop light casting an ominous glow over the busy intersection.

She wanted to say something to him, but she didn’t know what. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong. That it wasn’t always about TJ. That it was about both of them. That they were her whole world equally. But the signal turned green and the traffic started creeping forward. So, without saying anything, she continued driving through town toward the elementary school, realizing now more than ever just how much her sons needed her.

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