The Bad Boys of Summer Anthology(280)

Gage sighed, bringing his free hand up to his face and running his palm over it. His back was against the headboard, and as I looked up, he was staring across the room, suddenly in deep thought.

“Just tell me what you want to know,” he murmured.

“Tell me about Kristina.”

He stilled for a minute, but I grabbed his hand, assuring him it was going to be okay. “Kristina,” he breathed out, squeezing my hand. “She was my favorite person on Earth… after my mom died.” He paused again, swallowing the emotion. “My mom died when I was four years old, but I swear I remember everything about her. She called me her little prince, her hero. Her miracle.”

“Her miracle?” I questioned curiously. “Why?”

“When I was born, I was sick. I wasn’t as healthy as they thought I’d be. I had heart problems and they’d even told her I probably wouldn’t live past five…” He choked and I squeezed his hand, begging him not to stop. “It was my birthday. I was turning four and my mom threw a huge birthday party for me. She never told me I had a chance of dying—that I was sick. I didn’t find out until I was twelve and the only reason I found out then is because my dad yelled it at me while he was drunk one night. Had I known why she was throwing such a huge party for me, I wouldn’t have relished in it. I would have been bitter, angry at her.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“That same night she came in and kissed me goodnight. She told me she loved me so much, and I thought she was just being an emotional mom. Her tears confused me, but I was young. I couldn’t question it like I wanted to. If I would’ve known what she was going to do, I would’ve stopped her. I would’ve begged on my knees for her not to go.”

Gage choked again, his grip tightening around my hand. I adjusted myself beside him to get a good look at his face. A tear had fallen down his cheek. I gasped, reaching to brush it away. “What happened to her?” I whispered.

He didn’t answer right away. He seemed to be recollecting his breath. He was reliving the memory and I hated how torn he looked. “My mom died to give me her heart. So I could live on… She gave it to me. We had the same blood type and she was tired of waiting on someone else’s heart, so she…”

I gasped again as more tears ran from his eyes. He shut his eyelids, lowering his head and most likely reliving the memory. “Gage, I’m so sorry,” I whispered, pulling him against me to hug him.

He sobbed a little, swiped at his face, and then pulled away, inhaling deeply. “I would have done anything to stop her. My mom meant so much to me. When I found out she passed away, Kristina told me it was just her time to go. She never went into detail, and I didn’t think on it when I’d gone into surgery two days later and came out a healthy boy. My mom told me over and over again that she would die for me. That she would give up everything for me. I used to believe her, but I never thought she’d literally do it.”

“Oh,” I mumbled. “So where is Kristina now?”

He shook his head and glared at his lap. “I don’t know.” I remained silent. How could he not know where his own sister was? Before I could ask, he spoke up again. “A few years after my surgery, we moved from Texas to Virginia. Kris begged my dad to get us an apartment so we could move out, and he did, but of course he didn’t do it for free. Kris had to pay him back. My dad was and still is a huge dick, and the only reason I’m glad he’s a part of my life is because he gave the band and me our breakthrough. He introduced us to Ben and Ben took it from there, setting us up on gigs, traveling for talent shows, singing at parties, until finally we were picked up and given a record deal.”

“Ben knows your dad?” I frowned. That was news to me.

“Yeah. He met my dad at his… strip club.” He looked at me sheepishly and I laughed a little. “My dad owns a chain of strip clubs, and I hated it. He worked late nights, went in early for no apparent reason. I don’t like what my dad did to my mom before she died. He broke her heart in more ways than one. He cheated on her countlessly with women he didn’t even know… At least that’s what Kris told me. We traveled so much that no place seemed like home except Suffolk.” Gage clamped his mouth shut, looking at me again. “I guess he’s a part of the reason I thought it was okay to do it as well. He was the only man around when I was younger. I thought it was cool he always had chicks on his hip. When I was a teenager, I knew it was wrong, but it felt good to do.”

I pursed my lips, shaking my head teasingly. “You’re drifting from Kristina again.”

“Oh, right.” He adjusted himself against the headboard, clearing his throat. “Well, after Kris and I moved out, we used to stop by my dad’s club every week so she could get some money from him to pay certain bills. Kris searched all over for a job, but no one would hire her because… Well, she’s, like, a girl version of me—tattoos, bed hair, love for music, kinda careless. We had the same characteristics, and I think that’s why I loved her so much—not only because she was my sister, but because she was like a best friend as well. After my mom died, Kris was the one who raised me. We hardly ever had a penny and she hated asking my dad for money but did so anyway because she knew he’d give it to us. He’d only give it after a lecture, though. He’d always ask her to join the strip club and dance for him. He would tell her over and over again that she wouldn’t have to worry about a dime, but she always refused. She would tell him over and over again that she had responsibilities—taking care of me.

“It wasn’t until I was ten years old when things started to change. When Kris started drifting from me. She’d leave me home alone sometimes. She’d leave a note on the counter telling me to fix a sandwich and chips for dinner and to go to bed on time. I broke the curfew a few times while waiting on her. One night I wished I hadn’t.” Gage’s features hardened as he pressed his lips together. “She came home drunk with matted hair, wearing fishnet stockings and too much perfume. Her makeup was smeared; her breath reeked of alcohol—she just didn’t look like the Kris I knew. This started happening after she’d gotten raped. I could understand her pain, but I was upset she was trashing herself.

“I helped her get undressed, helped her into the shower, and even helped her get into bed that night. She kept shivering and I didn’t know what else to do, so I curled up against her side to try and keep her warm. She still quaked, but it wasn’t as hard. I knew exactly what was happening to her, so that night I made her promise to stay away from Dad and his club. I made her promise she would find a real job and come home to me like she was supposed to. She was all I had. I didn’t want to lose her, too.”

I bit my bottom lip, thinking he’d continue, but he remained silent, his eyes distant. “Did she stop?”

He laughed humorlessly. “If she stopped, I wouldn’t be so upset with her right now. I would know where she is. Who she’s dating and what she’s doing every day.”

“Oh,” I whispered. It was all I could manage. I could see the pain in his glistening eyes, but he was trying to fight it.

“I won’t act like she didn’t try, though. She did. That same night she kissed my forehead and said, ‘Okay, kiddo.’ She did well for the next five years. She found a job at a retail store and went to work every morning while I went to school. She’d pick me up after school and we’d go out to eat, to the park, or just go home and hang around the house and watch movies. We’d make songs together, play our guitars—she taught me how to play—and we’d be our own band. It was fun… but then she started disappearing again. When it happened again, I was fifteen. It was my freshman year and I’d just met Deed, Roy, and Montana. They occupied most of my time and sometimes I’d come home late from a night out with them… but she still wouldn’t be home.

“Then one night, I knew I couldn’t face her again. I came home from practicing guitars with Roy at the park. It was late when I got back—around three in the morning maybe. I remember it was the weekend. Shower water was running when I stepped in, so I knew she was home. It wasn’t until after I’d eaten a bowl of cereal, changed into pajamas, and then slid between my sheets that I realized how long she’d actually been in the shower. I scrambled out of bed and rushed for the bathroom. To my luck, it was unlocked, but I hated what I saw. She was bent over in the tub, her head hanging beneath the shower water. It was cold. I felt it as I pulled her against me in a panic. She had vomit on her shirt, in her hair, on her too-short dress. She looked like complete shit and it freaked me out.

“The next morning, Kris was nowhere to be found. The next week, she was nowhere to be found. The next month, still nowhere to be found. I picked up two part-time jobs and in between those, I had school and then I would practice with the band. I was exhausted, ready for it all to end. I was on the verge of dropping out one time, but I didn’t. It was hard not to do, but I motivated myself to keep going.