“Abel is my stepson.” Rave took his seat again at the table with a sigh. “And this young lady over here is mydaughter.”
Abel’s face got white. He started to pace the floor. “Is he why you came to thistown?”
Inodded.
“You’ve been looking for me?” Rave pulled the chair out next to him, but there was no way I could be that close to him yet. I was too freaked out, not to mention I was practically naked, standing there in just a white t-shirt. Thankfully Abel was so much bigger than me that his shirt was like a damn dress, but still, I had never felt more exposed in my life, especially with both of them staring atme.
I had imagined seeing my father again over and over for years, but I’d never thought that he’d be sitting in the kitchen in a motorcycle gang vice president’s house wearing a matching cut at four in the freaking morning claiming to be his goddamn stepfather. This was all too damn much for me totake.
“Fuck you, Rave!” I yelled and stormed out of the kitchen and straight out the front door, grabbing my purse and keys off the coffee table on myway.
“Crickett wait!” I could hear Rave running afterme.
Tears were already pouring down my face as I ran down the front steps off theporch.
“Please let me explain,” he called after me, but I was already in my car, enginegoing.
I rolled down my window. “You had your chance to explain for years. Instead you ran up the mountain and played dad for another fucking kid? You make mesick.”
I sped out of the driveway and was just about a mile down the road when I realized that I had no idea where to go. I still had the motel room, but the key for it was back at Abel’s, along with all my othershit.
I really need to start thinking things through moreoften.
Quickly the headlights of two motorcycles were hot on my tail. Abel rode up next to me and started yelling at me to pull over. I was crying hysterically, shaking my head no and swerving all over theroad.
All of a sudden, Rave was in front of me, braking. I swerved off the road, barely missing his back bumper, and slammed my car inpark.
I was a mess. My emotions were getting the better ofme.
Snot was pouring from mynose.
I wasn’t wearing realclothes.
I wanted to be mad, but I was more hurt thananything.
Abel got off his bike and came to my window. “Crickett,” he yelled through the window, “Unlock your doorsnow.”
I shook my head, hands glued to the steeringwheel.
“I’m not asking. Let me in this goddamn car. You’re too upset to be driving. You’ll fucking kill yourself or worse, someoneelse.”
There was no one on the roads at four in the morning in this tiny town in the mountains of North Carolina, but I knew he was right: I was too upset to be driving. I slid over into the passenger seat and hit the unlock button. Abel slid into the driver’s side and locked the car again. He grabbed myhand.
“So Rave’s your old man,huh?”
Inodded.
Thanks CaptainObvious.
“That doesn’t change the way I feel about you.” He was firm,resolute.
I stared out the window at Rave as he just sat on his bike with his head in his hands. “I don’t know if I can dothis.”
“Do what? See him or be withme?”
“Both, maybe. Fuck, I don’t know. I just fucked my goddamned stepbrother.” The words made me feelsick.
Abel started laughing alittle.
