“Yeah, it’s just, well I have this paper due tomorrow,” Ilied.
I could feel her nodding her head and then she began to move. She sat up and pulled on some clothes as I quickly pulled my boxers and jeans on. I managed to pull my t-shirt on while I jammed my feet into mysneakers.
“Thanks for the fuck, Ryan. Stop by anytime,baby.”
I nodded and moved away from her doorway the second she said “baby.” While walking down the hall, I tried focusing on anything to keep memories at bay. I read the posters and banners that covered the walls. Nothing wasworking.
“Ryan.”
I stopped when I heard my name. Jack, from the baseball team, held his hand up. I nodded and went over to him. Jack had been sitting in front of a bunch of open books at a small table in the community room. He was a distraction that I desperatelyneeded.
“’Sup, man?” Jack stood, and we bumped fists. “You’re not in this dorm too, are you?” heasked.
I shook my head and turned to look down the hallway that I just came from. This dorm was mostly for seniors from what I hadseen.
“No, I still live at home,” I admitted, but I didn’t know for how much longer. I needed out and away from there. Mom and Dad allowed me to accept the USC scholarship on the condition that I stayed at home. They said it was due to costs, which I sort of understood. But I knew the real reason. “I was visiting afriend.”
Jack’s eyebrows lifted to his backward baseball cap. He knew what I was therefor.
“Sweet, Ry. Getting in a senior girl’s pants,” hejoked.
I laughed along and then said I needed to get back home and work on a paper. It was bullshit, but I wasn’t one who enjoyed small talk. I had too much on mymind.
“Alright, man. See you at practice Saturday,” Jack said and sat back down in front of hisbooks.
I wasn’t exactly eager to get home, but Mom had been avoiding me since the sentencing. The sentencing for Dad had been on Monday, and now it was Thursday night. I knew that she blamed me for what happened toDad.
I thought about all of this as I took the bus home. I groaned out loud as I approached the house and saw Chad sitting on the porch. Even though Mom had been avoiding me, my brother hadn’t been. We’d had several altercations since the sentencing, and all of them had left me angry andsore.
“Glad you’re home, little bro,” he sounded tired but lookedagitated.
Chad picked up a can of beer from the deck of the porch and began to guzzle. I heard laughter from inside the house. Not just our mother’s, but multiple women. I looked back at Chad and leaned on the weathered pillar. I fucking hated mylife.
“Yep, you guessed it, little bro. Mom’s got herfriendsover.”
Chad pulled out a wad of cash and taunted me withit.
“I made mine. Now you better get in there and make Momhers.”
“What the fuck? Why do you get to keep it and she keepsmine?”
“Because!” Chad stood and grabbed a handful of my shirt. “I’m the man of the house now. This money goes to help make up for the income that you costus.”
He shoved himself away from me, but he was drunk and came back at me and punched me on the side of my face. I reached for my jaw and quickly ran my tongue along the inside of my mouth to make sure all of my teeth were stillthere.
“Can you stop being a selfish pussy for a minute and think about Mom? You took Dad away fromher.”
“Chad! I tried to tell the fucking school it wasn’t him! I told them and the police that you and I had been fighting!” Iyelled.
“Damage is done, Ryan. You better get in there and make Momhappy.”
He flopped back down on the worn-out metal chair with the woven seat and back panels. The grin on his face made me want to beat the shit out of him. Instead, I kicked the base of thepillar.
“Oh, and Ry,” Chad started. I stopped walking midway to the door. “After you’re done entertaining Mom’s friends, Marie is comingover.”
“I don’t fuckingcare.”
“You’re going to recordus.”
