i can't just stand by

Five o'clock rolled around. He brightened, collected his bag, and went off in search of his mother.

--only to find her in the midst of an argument. Scott frowned, hanging back at the cautioning look she shot him over the man's shoulder. Melissa and the man parted ways after just a moment more, the latter in a huff and the former in thinly veiled frustration.

"What's up, Mom?" Scott wondered, curious.

Melissa's expression softened, though the tired look in her eyes remained, as it always had.

"Nothing," she said with a sigh, hand raising to ruffle his hair.

"Are you sure?" He prodded. "You looked...mad."

"I'm sure," his mother assured him, smiling a little. "Don't worry about me, honey."

"But I always do," Scott protested, earnest. Melissa laughed quietly.

"Never lose that," she advised, putting a hand on his shoulder.