This is a work of fiction. All the resemblances are completely accidental. Don't read it if you are not supposed to. You know the drill. My e-mail is ConcertoInD@Gmail.com if you want to tell me something (insults, praises, and whatnot). Thanks!
- IV -
When I came home that day I was surprised to see my father's truck parked in the driveway. He never missed a single day of work in his life. I mean, the man went to work when he was running a fever of one hundred and one. Missing a day of work was as unspeakable to him as eating without saying a grace first. I winced. Could that be why he stayed home? So he can smack me around for not saying grace this morning? I gritted my teeth. "He will never hit me again", I thought and slowly went inside.
To my great surprise there was nobody in the kitchen or living room. I looked around carefully. I could hear the muffled voice of some preacher from the TV. That meant my mother was watching television in her bedroom. But where the hell was my father? I shrugged and walked upstairs.
I walked into my room and blinked. There he was, sitting on my bed, looking like an avatar of righteous anger. My heart sank when I saw that he was holding my sheets that I threw in the closet this morning.
"What's this?" he asked very quietly and shook the sheets.
Ah, to hell with this.
"Sheets", I said calmly.
His face slowly started to turn dark red.
"Why were they in your closet?"
"Cause I threw them in there."
"Jake..." he slowly got up. "I don't know where you picked up this idiotic habit of smart mouthing me..."
"I am not smart mouthing you..."
"Do not interrupt me!" he barked. "You were doing that nasty thing again last night, weren't you?!"
Ah yes, here we go.
"Don't bother to answer!" he shook the sheets again. "I can see it!"
"I had a wet dream", I shrugged and threw my backpack on the floor. "It's not like I can control it, you know... I was asleep."
"The Devil tempted you and you succumbed!" his face was almost crimson by now. "Jake, you need to fall on your knees and beg..."
"No", I said and was amazed with myself.
My father looked like I just spat in his face.
"What... Did... You... Say?..." he finally managed and threw the sheets aside. "What did you just say?!"
Suddenly he moved so fast that I didn't have any time to react. He lunged at me and hit me so hard that I thought that my nose will break for sure this time. It didn't. And then something exploded in me. I staggered on my feet and looked at him, my eyes almost burning from hate and anger.
"Don't you hit me again", I hissed.
He growled and lunged at me again but this time I saw it coming. I pushed him away and he almost fell, caught by surprise.
"How dare you?!" he screamed and moved towards me, his arm raised.
I didn't care that he was my father, I didn't care that I will end up in hell for sure, and I didn't even care if he kills me. I hit him in the face hard and this time he did fall down. I stood there, my fists clenched, breathing incredibly fast, my entire body shaking. He looked up at me with such astonishment in his eyes that it was almost funny. Except I didn't feel like laughing.
"You will never hit me again", I said in a shaky voice. "You hear me? You will never hit me again, you son of a bitch!!"
He slowly got up and for a second I thought that he will lunge at me again. He didn't. He just stared at me like he was seeing me for the first time in his life.
"Get out", he finally said. "Get out of my house and never come back, you ungrateful little bastard! You are going to burn in hell for this and for your nasty dirty mind!"
"Fuck you", I said and he looked like he was having a heart attack.
"Get out!!!" he screamed.
I picked up my backpack and walked out of that room.
"Jake!" my mother was standing by the stairs, looking up with worry. "What's going on?"
"I am leaving", I said. "Good bye."
"What?!" she shrieked. "What do you mean..."
"Get out!!!" my father stormed out of the room, bellowing like a pissed off elephant. "Get out of my house, you rotten bastard!!!"
"William!" my mother turned white. "William, no!!"
"Do not speak, woman!!" he barked and I quickly walked out of the front door and slammed it as hard as I possibly could.
I sat on the curb for half an hour or so and finally I stopped shaking. I got up and walked towards Christy's house and rang the bell. She opened the door and her eyes immediately became perfectly round.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
I threw my backpack over my shoulder.
"Can I stay at your house until I find a job and a place to live?" I asked quietly and she silently stepped aside to let me in.
"Oh my God, Jake", Christy breathed when I told her the entire story. "I always thought your dad was a little..." she moved her finger in circle. "But I never thought that he would actually kick you out of the house!"
"Yeah", I twisted my mouth in a bitter smile. "Chris, I couldn't stand it anymore... He hit me and last night I promised to myself that he will never touch me again... I am so tired of being his punching bag..." I shook my head and she stroked my arm.
"I know", she said softly.
"So I told him to go fuck himself", I said and she started laughing.
"Oh my God", she breathed. "Was it before or after you hit him?"
"After", I said solemnly and she laughed even harder.
"Oh my God..." she said again. "What about your mom?"
I shrugged.
"She won't care much, I think. I mean she looked kinda worried but I don't think it was because of me", I pulled a candy cane out of the box that was sitting on the table. "She never cared if he hit me. She would always say that it was the only way to get the sin out of me... Hell", I grinned. "She didn't mind to hit me herself. Did I tell you when she slammed me headfirst into the stove?"
"No", Christy looked shocked.
"Yeah", I shoved the candy cane in my mouth. "I was like seven."
"Jesus", she breathed. "Why?!"
"Oh, I ate an entire box of chocolates", I said indifferently. "And gluttony is a sin, you know..."
"Oh, Jake..." Christy's mouth twisted helplessly and she looked like she was about to start crying.
"Knock it off", I sighed. "I am alive, aren't I? And my nose isn't even broken."
"Yeah", she gave me a small smile. "Jake, you can stay here for as long as you want, okay?"
"What about your parents though?" I frowned and she gave me the look.
"Oh, please", she snorted. "They love you and you know it."
"Okay..." I said doubtfully, thinking that if it was Christy who asked me for such favor, my parents would start throwing crosses and garlic at her.
"Come on", she said and got up. "You will have your own room!"
I stared at her and she grinned.
"Yeah", she nodded. "My dad decided to combine his "library"..." she made air quotes and rolled her eyes. "...with his office."
"He has a library?" I couldn't believe this.
Christy snorted.
"No", she said. "It was just a room with like a dozen books in there... He thinks if it's more than five books on the shelf, then it's a library", she rolled her eyes again. "So my mom told him to get off his high horse and just move all that stuff into one room. I think she wanted to make something out of that bedroom for herself..."
"Oh", I said uncomfortably. "I shouldn't really..."
"Oh shut up", she grimaced. "Like she would say no to you!"
I buried my face in my hands. I felt so ashamed of myself for feeling all that anger towards her last night, that I was ready to shoot myself.
"Chris..." I muttered. "You have no idea how much..."
"Knock it off", she growled. "That's what friends are for. Now come on! I'll show you the room!"
I was worried that her parents wouldn't react as nicely as she said they would. I sat on the chair in the room that Christy said was mine from now on, and I chewed on my fingernails.
"Hey, Summers", Christy opened the door. "Come on down. My mom's home!"
"Oy..." I muttered and she laughed.
"Come on", she repeated and I followed her downstairs.
"Hey Jake!" Mary looked at me with worry. "Are you okay?... Good God, look at your face..."
"I've been worse", I muttered. "Mary, I hate to be an intruder..."
"Oh Jake", she sighed and suddenly she sounded just like Christy. "Don't even think that!"
"I don't even have any money", I said and my ears started to burn. "But I swear, when I get a job..."
"You better finish that sentence with "I will get a puppy", Mary said with sudden steel in her voice and I blinked. "Jake Summers, if you will even hint at paying me, I will seriously kick your butt!"
I felt like crying. Nobody's been that nice to me before. I mean, Christy and her family were always really friendly and they never objected when I would hang out with Christy all the time but this...
"Matt will find you a job", Christy promised. "Let's eat! I am hungry!"
"Order pizza", Mary commanded. "I don't feel like cooking anything tonight."
"Cool", Christy ran towards the phone. "Jake! What kind of pizza do you like?"
"Any kind", I said feeling almost lost.
Like I had a lot of different pizzas before. The only times I would have something like that would be when I hung out with Christy.
"I am ordering Hawaiian then", Christy nodded.
"Get some pepperoni too", Mary said. "For Matt."
That night Christy stayed at my new bedroom until almost two in the morning. We laughed like crazy and I almost forgot about my father and the fact that I was kicked out of my house. Christy twirled the strand of her hair in her fingers, her pink bunny pajamas looking really funny on her. She wrinkled her nose.
"We need to go shopping for you", she said and I almost groaned.
"No", I said immediately. "I can't buy anything and it's bad enough that I am eating your food and intruding on your ter..."
She threw a pillow at me.
"Shut up!" she said.
I caught the pillow and laughed.
"No, really Christy. Tomorrow I will make sure that my father isn't home and I'll just go back and get my stuff, okay?"
"I'll go with you", she said and I shrugged.
"Sure. My mother might start saying "Our Father, Who Art in Heaven..." the minute she sees that I brought a *girl *with me..."
Christy laughed hard and suddenly she stopped and looked at me, her face embarrassed and almost scared.
"Oh my God, Jake..."
"What?" she looked weird.
"I just peed my pants", she whispered and I completely lost it.
We were howling with laughter until the door opened and Arthur, Christy's dad walked in.
"So", he said. "Laughing, huh?"
"Uh huh", we said in unison.
"So", he said. "Having good times, huh?"
"Uh huh..."
"Well that's good then", he frowned. "Get in bed, Crispy!"
"Dad", Christy looked like she was sobbing from laughter. "Don't call me that!"
"Get in bed, lady or I swear to God I will drive you to school tomorrow!"
"Okay, okay, okay!" Christy immediately jumped off the bed. "Night Jake!"
Arthur grinned.
"She won't be caught dead with her father driving her to school", he said and I laughed again. "Night, Jake."
"Night, Arthur", I said and he closed the door.