I wrote him off completely, telling myself that once I got out, I sure as hell wasn’t coming back.
Ever.
“Hey, can you grab me a soda?” Roy called out.
“Coke, Mountain Dew, or Dr. Pepper?” I asked.
“Whichever one you haven’t held up to your face yet. Which makes you look badass, by the way. I don’t know why you aren’t coming to school. The ladies would be all over you with those bruises.”
I rolled my eyes as I reached for the exact Coke I’d pressed against my eye the other day. I carried the food back out to the living room, tossing it right at Roy’s fucking chest. He stumbled with it, dropping his controller and crashing his car into a ditch. I chuckled as he cursed under his breath. But there were more important things than fucking Forza 4.
Like figuring out what the hell I was going to do about Rae.
“So, how long’s the dad gone now?” Roy asked as he cracked open his drink.
“For the next couple weeks, I hope. At the very least, the rest of this one,” I said.
“I smell a party coming on.”
I shook my head. “Maybe once I’m healed a little. But not this weekend. Marina’s place is fine.”
“Why the hell don’t you wanna show off those bruises? You always did before.”
I shrugged. “Just don’t feel like it this time. The fuck you care about it so much for?”
“Damn. Fine. I’ll put a sock in it.”
“Thanks.”
I flopped back down into my seat, refusing to talk about what happened with Roy. He’d poked and prodded when he first came over after lunch, skipping his last two periods in favor of hanging out here. He did it often, too. Just randomly came over, knocked on the door, and took up space in this house. My father couldn't stand Roy. And sometimes, neither could I. But he was my only friend that didn’t pry about my bruises beyond making a few bullshit comments.
Some worse than others.
We continued our racing game in silence, stacking up the winnings and racing around the tracks. Forza was getting boring, though. We had plowed through all the car racing games over the years, and it was the most mindless game on the damn market. Around and around a racing track, racking up money to modify cars we’d never have. Playing the same racing game as some defunct twelve-year-old somewhere whose mother wanted to pawn him off on games so she could fuck her boyfriend in peace.
If only they knew the life that was headed straight for them, full speed ahead.
“Earth to Clint. You there, man?”
Roy’s voice ripped me from my trance and my eyes fell against the projection screen. Shit, the race had started and I was still hanging out at the starting line. I sighed as I peeled away from the flashing lights, racing around some random city with some random obstacles and some random cars chasing after us. I cut through the town, running some cars over trying to get into first place. I lost myself in the mindless momentum of it all. I sank myself into the tens of thousands of dollars we racked up in this game.
“Just twenty grand more,” I murmured to myself.
A knock came at the door.
I jumped at the sound. It shocked me so badly that Roy gave me a quizzical look. We finished up the race while the knocking continued, and I knew exactly who it was. I looked at my watch, clocking the time. School had gotten out thirty minutes ago. And not just anyone stood at someone’s door, knocking for ten damn minutes.
Roy furrowed his brow. “Who the fuck isn’t leaving you alone?”
I set my controller down after the race came to a close. Roy cursed the game, muttering under his breath about how we deserved more money from that win. I rolled my eyes as I made my way for the door, wondering if I should open it. Did she know I was here? Was my bike parked out front? I hadn’t gotten on the damn thing in a couple days. For all I knew, Dad had sold this bike off as well.
But when she knocked at the door again, I opened it up just to get her to stop.
“You should go,” I said.
Rae looked up at me, but she didn’t say anything. Her jaw fell open in shock and her hand reached out to touch my bruises. I backed away from her touch. If Roy saw her out here, it’d be the end of both of us. He’d never let me live this down, and he’d tease her relentlessly about it in school.
Which meant I wasn’t liable for the condition I left him in.
Rae gasped. “I’ve, uh… I’ve been worried about you.”
I shrugged. “Well, here I am. Still alive and kicking.”
“What did he do to you?”
“Who the hell’s at the door, Clint?”
I rolled my eyes. “None of your damn business, Roy.”
Rae tried reaching up for my bruises again, but I backed away. I closed the door a little more, trying to block her view of the inside of the house. It was a wreck. Shit was strewn everywhere, and I hadn’t showered since Monday morning. But she didn’t take the fucking hint.
“Let me come in. Let me help you clean up a bit.”
I scoffed. “I’m fine. Get out of here, Rae.”
“You need a doctor, Clint. Someone has to know what’s going on.”
I paused. “Did you tell anyone?”
“Tell anyone what?”
“Rae, don’t you dare tell me you told someone at that fucking school what's happening.”
“And what if I did?”
She tried reaching for my eye again, but I snatched her wrist. If she told anyone at that damn school what was going on and they started poking around, I wasn’t sure I’d survive my father’s assault. I’d kept it hidden from the school this long. And the last thing I needed was someone attempting to upend my life because it was their job to give a shit about me.
“Leave, Rae. I’m serio—”
“Cleaver!?”
I closed my eyes and quickly dropped her wrist. I stuck my tongue into the inside of my cheek as Roy pried the door away from my hand. I sighed as Rae’s eyes flickered over to him, and he pushed his way beside me, chuckling. I’d tried to spare Rae from my best friend, but it had been her choice not to fucking listen.
Why the fuck did she never listen?
Roy laughed. “What the hell are you doing here, Cleaver Beaver?”
Rae rolled her eyes. “I could ask you the same thing, Roy Toy.”
He shrugged. “I don’t mind being a toy. Especially Marina’s.”
“Gross,” she murmured.
I sighed. “I’m fine. Thanks for the homework, but it wasn’t necessary. You’ve done your duty for the day. Let the school know I’ll be back when I feel like it.”
Roy scoffed. “Homework? This idiot thought you’d actually want homework?”
Rae grumbled, “I’m not an idiot.”
“Goodbye, Rae.”
“Wait a second. Rae?”
I saw her grow uncomfortable as Roy studied the two of us. She shuffled on her feet, her hands buried into the pockets of those faded brown pants of hers. I shoved Roy out of the way with my hip, going to close the door.
But it was too late.
“Hold up. Hold up, hold up, hold up. I know what’s going on here.”
Roy’s voice filled my ears as panic flooded Rae’s eyes.
I growled. “Roy. Cut the shit.”
He barked with laughter. “Ho-lee shit. Are you fucking kidding me? You got it on… with her?”
Roy threw his head back with laughter as Rae turned bright pink. I looked over at her, trying to tell her how sorry I was with my eyes. But all she did was look down at her feet.
“Glad you’re doing okay,” she murmured. Then she turned on her heel and walked down the porch steps.
Roy slapped my back. “Holy fucking shit. That’s a serious trophy, dude. Was she still a virgin? Does she shave? I feel like a girl with the last name ‘Cleaver’ either shaves everything, or shaves nothing. Come on, man, you can tell me. Wait a second, why the fuck didn’t you tell me in the first damn place? We’ve got so much to talk about!”
I slammed the door closed and whipped around on him. I glared at him through my good eye, backing him slowly into the living room. He held up his hands in mock surrender, furrowing his brow deeply at me.
Then I licked my lips. “That was some bullshit you just pulled back there.”
He scoffed. “And?”
“You were an ass. And you had no right to be.”
“Oh, come on, Clint. There’s plenty of bitches in the sea, dude. Don’t waste another minute on the likes of that stuck-up snob. She’ll end up like her mother, and you’ll be glad you got rid of her when you could. You know they all end up like their parents.”
I wanted to strangle him. I wanted to rip his tongue straight from his head. But I didn’t. I drew in a few deep breaths before pushing by him, then scooped up my game controller. I fell against the couch and sighed, closing my eyes as a headache spread along the back of my skull. My mind conjured the face of Rae. The embarrassed look in her eyes. The bright pink tint of her cheeks. Maybe this was for the best. Maybe she was embarrassed, having been with me.
I mean, I was the school bully, after all. The big, bad, manwhore wolf. The man who couldn't even stand up to his father for fear of losing his own fucking life.
I certainly wasn’t some prize to take home to Mommy.
“You ready for another race?”
My good eye flew open as Roy flopped down beside me. His Coke sloshed over the side, falling to my jeans with a cool splash. I slowly looked down at it, then glanced at him as he took a sip.