Manky rolled his head lazily as I approached them. He reached up to scratch the scalp beside his hideous short green mohawk that he probably hadn’t washed in decades. “Look who it is. Butt boy.”
Sparks cackled, kicking a bony leg up in the air before coughing. His fingertips were black and I had no fucking idea why and what he’d done to them, but it looked like they were rotting. “Butt boy,” he sang when he finally managed to get his breath.
None of them knew I was gay, and they called everyone they didn’t like some nickname. Mine came when Manky decided that “you have a big ass, I bet you like it when guys stare.” When I mentioned that clearly Manky had checked it out, the day had ended with both of us bruised and battered. I won that fight, even if he wouldn’t admit it.
Beside them, Buds grunted and held out his hand, asking for the joint from Sparks, but Sparks took another drag instead of passing it over.
“What do you want, butt boy?” Manky gave me a stupid grin. His nicknames didn’t hurt me. Everyone in this park knew what he was—a junkie.
“Did you give my mom meth?” I didn’t beat around the bush. I didn’t need to. I was here for one reason only.
Manky’s smile wavered and he straightened, though he was still swaying. “What the fuck did you say to me, butt boy?”
I crouched so I was level with his face and smirked. “Are you that high that you can’t understand English, fuckface? Am I gonna have to say it again? Did. You. Give. My. Mom. Meth?”
Manky bared his missing teeth. The ones he did have were disgusting. “You fucking watch your mouth. I didn’t do a fucking thing. You accusing me, butt boy?”
Buds waved his hand impatiently. “Come on, man, give me the weed.”
Sparks cackled again. “No way, man. This is good.” He pointed at me. “Didn’t ya hear butt boy? He wants meth. Get the meth for him, Buds.”
I shot him a glare. “So, you did give it to Mom?”
“We never fucking said that.” Manky hauled himself to his feet.
I rose as well, and I was much taller than him. He barely came to the middle of my chest, but somehow whatever drugs he took always made him stronger than he should be.
He jabbed a finger into my left pec. “Fuck off, butt boy, before we make you regret it.”
I laughed and shoved him, and he went flying over his lawn chair, tumbling over the top and splaying across the dead grass.
Sparks’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, man. You okay?” He didn’t move to help.
I stepped forward as Manky flailed, trying to regain his balance. “All you have to do is answer a question.”
Buds raised his hand and waved at something behind me. “Peanut, you got any meth? Moose’s lookin’ for some.”
I went to turn to check in with their other friend, Peanut, whowasmy size and was on enough steroids to kill an elephant, when something hard came crashing against my temple. The ground met my face as I collided with it. My world spun, the sudden urge to vomit rising in my throat. Oh fuck, this wasn’t how I planned for this to go.
Peanut was a monster. His shadow enveloped me as he raised a brick over his head. My vision was hazy already and my head was throbbing. I couldn’t get up, so I clenched my eyes shut, hoping he didn’t kill me. Ginny had already lost a mom, she didn’t need to lose a brother, too.
If this was the end, I had a lot of fucking regrets.
10
ZAYN
“Move. Move. Fucking move.” My legs were pumping as hard as they could, but I wasn’t going to reach Keaton in time. Sweat slid in a line along my spine.
The massive man with a brick slammed it down, but Keaton’s fight instincts must’ve finally kicked in because he rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding death. I didn’t bother slowing down, just let momentum carry me forward. When I collided with the giant, we both tumbled over Keaton on the ground, who grunted, and then we landed and flattened a guy sitting on his ass. His joint went flying.
The big man lost his brick as I smashed my fist into his solid jaw, then did it again and again. I wasn’t about to stop because he’d clearly been ready to fucking kill my... whatever Keaton was right now.
Myfucking boy.
The man in the robe whistled, clearly trying to get my attention and play referee, but I hammered my victim until my fists ached instead. When his eyes were still too shiny and bright with consciousness, I jacked him in the Adam’s apple. He wastoo big for me to fight fair, and I didn’t care if he choked to death anyway.
He grabbed his throat and rolled away coughing and hacking, and I got to my feet, glaring at the other men. My gun was back in the trailer because I hadn’t wanted to walk around with it, but I was regretting that decision. Or perhaps it was lucky? I wasn’t sure. I would’ve shot each and every one of them in broad daylight.
