His Price(36)

Brandon had his hands wrapped around her too, squeezing to the point of suffocation. As if she was trapped in a cocoon he had formed; an ugly, hardened shell, that held her prisoner to his ways.

I got a first hand view into the box of their lives. Looking from the outside, seeing the tension between Hegan and his dad; they must have been battling for years. Every sentence out of Brandon's mouth was about something Hegan should do or didn't do.

It's no wonder he felt he had no other options, he probably wasn't given any in life to begin with. Where was he supposed to go from that?

It's sickening to see the disconnect between them. They don't have a family, not in the true form of the word. Hegan's deeper than what he wanted show; what he showed the world was only a crust he formed on the outside. For him to have told me all the things he saw in me, it melted my heart.

Looking out the window, the snow glistened brightly under the sun. Squinting my eyes, I spotted something out in the vast yard. A large hill was set a few hundred yards away.

I think it's time for a little fun. When was the last time Hegan had time to play?

Throwing the door open, I ran to the bottom of the stairs. “Hegan!” I yelled. My voice echoed off the ceiling, circling the room. “Hegan!”

The loud clomp of his feet ran across the floor. “What? You alright?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. Throw on some warm clothes and meet me in the back yard.” A huge smile spread across my face, teeth closed tightly inside my lips.

“What?” he asked, arching his brow.

“Warm clothes, outside in ten minutes.” Pointing my finger up at him, I said, “Really warm clothes.” Spinning on my heel, I didn't give him another chance to speak.

Making my way back to the bedroom, I realized I hadn't exactly thought this through, or brought anything warmer than my jeans and jacket. Scrounging through the closet and draws to see what was there, I yanked out a large brown fur coat and held it up. Looks expensive and warm. Perfect.

I hoped Hegan wouldn't mind me using it. But with the money his family had, I was sure they could afford another. Sifting through the drawers, I found thermals, heavy socks, and a large country club sweatshirt.

My clothing issue was solved.

Standing outside in snow up to my calves, I had two trashcan lids rested under each arm, holding them proudly. I'd spotted them in the garage when we left for lunch, and knew they would do the job.

Hegan opened the door and stepped out. Dressed in black sweatpants, a heavy jacket and knitted cap, he looked like he just jumped out of a damn Charlie Brown cartoon. I couldn't contain myself, a gut wrenching laugh spilled from my lips.

Bursting out laughing, he asked, “What?” Holding his arms out. “What the hell are those?” he questioned through chuckles.

“Garbage can lids. Have you ever seen one before?” Smirking wildly, I held them up.

“Yes, I'm not that sheltered. But what do you have them for?” Pushing through the snow, he stood a foot away. “Nice coat.”

“Thanks, I found it in the closet. How does it look?” I pressed my arm into my hip, twirling my leg side to side.

“It looks like it belongs to my grandmother.”

“Hope she doesn't mind me using it.” Gazing down at the fur, I watched it blow in the wind. Each hair waving back and forth. I wasn't a fan of fur, but I had to admit; it was warm.

“She won't. She died about two years ago.”

“Well, then she doesn't need it now, does she?” I knew it was a morbid joke, but he laughed. And my insides rocketed with excitement. It was nice to have someone enjoy my sense of humor.

All my life I had been that person who didn't say the right things at the right times, or maybe I cracked a joke that was colorful to say the least. But most ears didn't agree with it, and often I was cast a glare of: 'How could you say that?'

To see Hegan laughing and know I meant no harm, it felt amazing.

“So what are the lids for? I'm curious.” Hegan curled his arms up over each other, hugging himself for warmth.

It was cold as fuck out here, and with the wind blowing in off the ocean, it felt like it was well below freezing.

His nose was turning a bright red, matching his cheeks. Sniffling with each breath, he rubbed his nose with his wrist.

“Alright, come on,” I said, nodding for him to follow me.

“Where are we going? It's really cold out, you know that?” I heard Hegan accentuate his sniffle, making it much louder than it needed to be.

“That's why I said to dress warm. Don't be a baby, just follow me.” Heading towards the hill, I trucked through the snow. I was happy I'd found the thick socks, otherwise the snow would have made my sneakers feel like sandals.

Trudging up the hill, Hegan followed closely behind me. Turning at the top I handed him a lid. “What am I doing with this now?” He asked, twisting it back and forth in front of his shins.