“I’ll go get someice.”
“Go away, Ryan,” hemumbled.
Go away? He didn’t mean that. Not like,forever.
“I’ll beback.”
I crept down the hall and listened at the corner of the hallway for Mom and Dad. They were fighting in their room. I started to run to the kitchen but stumbled in pain. My stomach was killing me. I made it to the kitchen and took the whole ice cube tray back to hisroom.
Chad was sitting on his bed but looking down and rubbing on his legs. He was crying. It had been the first time I had seen Chadcry.
“Um,” I stood at the foot of his bed holding the ice cube tray up. “I brought theice.”
He wouldn’t look up at me but still rubbed on his legs and held his stomach. My stomach hurttoo.
“Does your stomach hurt too?” I asked. “Minedoes.”
He leaned forward, clutching his stomach. His eyes and mouth were tightly closed, and tears streamed down hisface.
“Want me to get some tissue?” Iasked.
“I want you to leave mealone.”
I didn’t understand. He was never like this to me. I reached for the ice cube tray and started removing cubes from thetray.
“I have ice. It’ll help,” I said and started placing them on the top of his legs. “Looks like your legs hurt since you’re rubbing them themost.”
“Stop it!” Chad yelled andstood.
My heart pounded as I stared up at him. He grabbed his stomach and sat back down on his bed. He had never yelled at me likethat.
“I was trying to help,” I explained. I tried to stop the tears but couldn’t, and my stomach ache was gettingworse.
“You can’t help,Ryan.”
“Yes, I can. I broughtice.”
“You don’t understand.” Chad doubled over and told me toleave.
“No,” I whined. “Please let me stay withyou.”
“Get out, Ryan!” Chad started to cry hard, and he curled up on thebed.
I jumped when my dad’s fist pounded on the doorframe.
“What’s all thenoise?”
“Nothing, we’re sorry. There’s no noise,” I said and moved to sit next toChad.
Our dad stumbled into the room, and when he yanked me off the bed, I could smell his heavy beer breath. From the floor, I watched him beat Chad with the belt andyell.
“Are you in here crying like a pussy?” He was walloping him so hard and Chad had curled into a ball. “Huh, Chadwick? No goddamn son of mine cries like a pussy! Pussy boys cry! Are you a pussyboy?”
“No!” Chadyelled.
“Do you want to show Ryan what happens to boys whocry?”
“No!”
