"Then what?" Jon asked after a few moments.
"Jon, you wanted help, right? You felt guilty enough to wish for someone to know what you did?" Stephanie spoke plainly. As Jon listened he could not see the teen goth girl at all. She was speaking maturely as a mother. "You're no longer alone in all this. That means letting me help you do the things you can't. If it's not good enough I'll abandon your phone, and respect your wishes to not have me involved. Is that what you want?"
"No, you're right mom. I trust you." Jon nodded in understanding. "Oops, I guess I should call you Stephanie when it's just the two of us?"
"No, you can keep calling me mom." Stephanie replied quickly. "I mean, what if one of your siblings overheard you calling me by my first name?"
In truth Stephanie only added that bit about his siblings as a cover. The idea that Jon would call her anything but mom felt wrong on a basic level. He was her son after all.
"I'll head for the trailer park now to get your phone. I shouldn't take long, but I expect you and the others to be in bed on time. I'll leave Melissa in charge." Stephanie said as she headed for the door.
"Wait, you're heading out now?" Jon had expected Stephanie to have her confrontation with Athena the next day due to how late it was.
"It's the best time to catch her off guard. There's a fair chance Athena will be drunk and not in the best state of mind. You forget that I know about the lives people are living now thanks to your wishes. I have the upper hand in every way." Stephanie reassured her son confidently.
"It's hard to argue with you. I'd just feel a little better if you had some kind of backup." Jon couldn't help worrying about her. He'd gotten her involved this deeply, and he felt his guilt building once more.
"I'll be fine Jon. Your mother is one tough lady if I say so myself." Stephanie smirked before realizing what she said. "A lady who is apparently very cliche and cheesy. Don't worry though. I can still knock heads if I need to."
With that Stephanie left Jon's room. As she went to tell Melissa she was heading out and grabbed her keys she thought about what Jon had said. It may not be a bad idea to have some help if things went sideways. She would be walking into Athena's home field advantage. Who could she get in touch with to help her at this time of night though?
