2. Mistakes

The microwave sounded and Janice pressed the OPEN button, grabbing her bag of popcorn, sugar and a bowl. She emptied the bag into her bowl and poured sugar overtop. She went back into the living room, rejoining her cousin Dallas on the sofa to watch Mean Girls on Netflix.

"Push play Dallas." Janice sat the popcorn of the coffee table and Dallas dug the Wii curser to the play option.

"Where Naomi at?" Dallas asked. She had a chocolate tone compared to Janice's tanned skin, with full lips, brown eyes and a wavy sew in.

Janice rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Damien has her this weekend."

Dallas coughed, chocking on her mouth full of popcorn. She caught her breath and moved to the edge of her chair, "You?! Janice, you let Damien take her for the weekend?"

"That's her dad. I can't keep her away from him." She smashed popcorn in her jaws.

"You've never kept him away from her, He just never wanted to be around Naomi." Dallas laughed under her breath.

Janice shrugged.

The girls sat in silence, watching Mean Girls then onto Mulan and Mulan 2. Dallas was slumped over the arm of the loveseat and Janice sat up watching the first season episodes of Friends. Her iPhone tri-tone went off and an unknown number came across the phone screen.

"Hello?" Janice's voice was shaky.

"Hello, May I speak to Janice Neal?" A female's voice came from the other end.

"This is she. May I ask who's calling?" Her heart beat out her chest.

"I'm calling in regarding to your daughter-." The woman paused for two seconds but it felt like a half life to Janice.

"I'm Sheriff of Prince George's County police department. Tonight we were called about a house party going on and upon our arrival, we found Naomi in the back of a car outside of the house."She took a breath.

Janice felt a knot tighten deep in her stomach, "Is my daughter okay?"

"Yes ma'am. She has a couple of questionable marks on her back, I'd like to ask you about though and the emergency bracelet she has was also a huge help. We just need someone to come and get her."

"Ok, I'll be on my way as soon as possible. Thank you." Janice sighed and hung up the phone. Her head started to pound, her heart beating out her chest and her blood boiled. She threw the empty bowl from the popcorn at Dallas, jolting her awake.

She wiped the drool from the side of her face, "why would you do that Janice?"

Janice stood up, rubbing her forehand, "C'mon, we're riding out to Bowie to get Naomi."

"Bowie? That's a brick. She can't wait till the morning?" Dallas stretched and yawned.

Janice went upstairs to grab her car keys, wallet and some money. She walked downstairs, past Dallas.

"Are you coming? 'Cause I'm leaving." She asked.

Dallas scooped her phone off the table, flipped of the light switch and followed behind Janice. Starting up the 2009 Chevy Malibu, her gas hand floated up to 1/2 a tank and Janice's head pounded harder.

"We need to hit up Royal Farms before they close and get everything we want or need cause once I hit the road, I'm not stopping for anything." Janice placed her head o the wheel.

"Why are we going to get her anyways?" Dallas reclined her seat the all the way back.

"Damien left Naomi in the car outside of a party he was at. The police got her out the car and they're currently waiting on me to get her." Janice pulled off and flew down the pitch black roads.

"You shouldn't have let him get her for the weekend then. You know how he is, so you can't be only mad at him." Dallas snapped.

Janice ignored her comment as she pulled into Royal Farms.

"Did you want any snacks or something to drink?" She asked.

"Grab a bunch of snacks. Please?" Dallas rubbed her eyes.

Janice ran into the Royal Farms, grabbing snack after snack after snack and a soda for herself and one for Dallas. She placed everything on the counter an pulled at a fifty dollar bill.

"I need $30 on pump four." She was too anxious, trying to get in an get out.

"You almost didn't make it. We close at 12 and it's 11:35 now." The cashier popped her gum.

"Well some times mishaps come up last minute and you got to hit the damn road this late at night." Janice snapped back.

The girl rolled her eyes, handing Janice her change and bag.

"Have a nice night."

Janice grabbed the bag and pushed the change down in her pocket, running back outside to the car. She opened the passenger door and put the bag between Dallas' feet, processing to pump her gas. She checked the time, looked at the gas pump, checked the time again, then looked down at the gas pump again.

"Janice, stop being impatient. I already know what you're doing. That double looking bullshit cause something isn't going fast enough for you." Dallas snapped.

"Shut up, Dallas. I'm not impatient, just nervous." Janice's voice floated off.

"Naomi will be fine when we get to her." Dallas had a comforting tone to her husky voice.

Janice wiggled the gas pump to get the last few drops of gas and placed back over to the drivers side. She jumped in and flipped the transmission on and pulled off. She made her way through town and out to Route 50, sitting at the light before the high school. Dallas sat herself up and slightly turned up the radio.

"Do you think he'd ever step up and take being a father seriously?" Dallas asked.

Janice chewed at her bottom lip and shook her head, zooming through the green light, "No I don't." She paused, "But what could giving him a chance actually hurt?"

"Currently, it has hurt a lot. Naomi is sitting at a police station in Bowie, alone because of him." Dallas dug into the bag filled with snacks and pulled out a Mountain Dew and a Dr.Pepper, placing them in the cup holders.

Janice ran her fingers through her hair and inhaled deeply as Dallas cracked open her Mountain Dew.

"My mom doesn't know that Damien took Naomi for the weekend and she gets off in less then 15 minutes. She's going to chew me out because she doesn't want her with him."

She smirked and continued her rant,

"He's out selling, doing his own shit and I have to pull her a birthday party out my ass this weekend now, Dallas. I depended on someone for once and I've been let down. Since she was born, Naomi has not left my sight to go with anyone and the first person I trust to take her, leaves her in the car for who knows how long to go to a party. I've been doing this by myself since I was 13 years old and I still haven't got a single break, a tiny bit of help or even support. Nobody tries to help me, nobody has ever bothered to. I do everything for Naomi Tanvi Neal."

Dallas sipped down half her Mountain Dew and peered at Janice,

"We're family and you know I would break my back for you and Naomi. If you need help with her party, I will definitely help you. That's no big deal for me."

Janice shook her head, "Everything has to be planned tonight and I don't have time. It's not that easy."

"We can make it happen and we will." Dallas sighed, heavily.

The girls remained silent as they traveled through Denton, into Queen Annes, Kent Island and onto the bridge, until Janice's phone broke their silence. She scattered to find in it. Her mom's name and number flashed across the screen. She answered to her mother's voice blasting through the phone's speakers.

"JANICE, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU AT? YOU LEAVE MY HOUSE A MESS, NO NOTE SAYING WHERE YOU'RE AT AND WHERE IS NAOMI?" Her high voice echoed in the car.

Janice choked up her words, slowly, "I'm on my way to Bowie to get her now."

"Bowie? Why the hell is she in Bowie this time of night Janice?" She snapped.

Janice looked over to Dallas in worry, "Damien took her for the weekend."

Her mother hung up and the car was consumed by their silence again going through Annapolis and to Bowie.

Janice tapped her fingers on the wheel, anxiously. She just knew her way to the police station from memory and always having to pick up Damien from there. She parked on the road and literally jumped out her car, forgetting to be it in park.

"JANICE!" Dallas screamed as she pulled the emergency brake.

Janice ran into the police station, "Hello? Hello? I'm here to pick up my daughter!"

An officer stood up and came from behind his desk with a stack of papers, "These were people arrested tonight. Go through and see if yer name is there."

"My daughter is four year olds and she wasn't arrested. Where's the Sheriff at? That's who called me to come get her." Janice snapped.

"Sonya!" He shouted.

A short, heavy set women with her blonde hair in a bun, emerged from the back office. Janice jogged back to her.

"Is my daughter here? Please tell me she is." Janice begged.

She nodded and exhaled, "She's asleep. There's a nasty rash coming up the side of her face from her neck to the corner of her left eye though."

"Did you give her anything with purple or blue dye in it?" She asked.

"No ma'am. She was scratching it when we picked her up. I also have some questions for you about some marks we found on her back." Sonya signaled Janice to follow her into her office.

She sat behind her desk, Janice sitting across from her. She saw Naomi laying across the couch, covered up in her blanket she took with her. Sonya placed several pictures across the desk of bruises going across Naomi's back side, butt and thighs.

"We observed her body for any signs of abuse and everything else we check for with children when we find them and this is everything that we found."

She held up a picture,

"Are you or her father abusing her?"

Janice's eyes were wet with tears, "I've never beat her before and I never would've hit her so hard to bruise her like that. They weren't there when I washed her hair in the tub this morning."

Sonya nodded, "So her father did this?"

Her heart beat out her chest, "I have to go home ma'am."

"You wouldn't want to press charges on him for this?" Sonya questioned.

Janice lifted Naomi up from the couch and laid her head on her shoulder, "I don't need to. I have a child to raise on my own."

She nodded in understanding, "Drive safely."

Janice stormed out the station and out to her running car. She placed Naomi gently on the back seat, got behind the wheel and sped off.