the fact that he’s a dick.
“Elisabeth—”
“Beth.” I cut him off. “I go by Beth. Where’s your phone? I’m going home.” The police
confiscated my cell and gave it to Scott. He told me in the car that he tossed it in the garbage because I “didn’t need contact with my old life.”
“You just turned seventeen.”
“Did I? Wow. I must have forgotten since no HC TITLE-AUTHOR
89
one threw me a party.”
Ignoring me, he continues, “This week my
lawyers will secure my legal guardianship of you. Until you turn eighteen, you will live in this house and you will obey my rules.”
Fine. If he won’t show me the phone, I’ll find it. I hop off the chair. “I’m not six anymore and you aren’t the center of my
universe. In fact, I consider you a black hole.”
“I get that you’re pissed off I left.…”
Pissed? “No, I’m not pissed. You don’t exist to me anymore. I feel nothing for you, so show me where the damned phone is so I can go
home.”
“Elisabeth…”
He doesn’t get it. I don’t care. “Go to hell.”
No phone in the kitchen.
“You need to understand.…”
I walk around his fancy ass living room with his fancy ass leather furniture looking for his fancy ass phone. “Take whatever you have to say and shove it up your ass.”
“I just want to talk.…”
I lift my hand in the air and flap it like a puppet’s mouth. “Blah, blah, blah, Elisabeth.
I’ll only be gone a couple of months. Blah, HC TITLE-AUTHOR
90
blah, blah, Elisabeth. I’ll make enough
money to get us both out of Groveton. Blah, blah, blah, Elisabeth. You’ll never grow up like me. Blah, blah, blah, Elisabeth. I’ll make sure you have some fucking food to eat!”
“I was eighteen.”
“I was six!”
“I wasn’t your father!”
I throw my arms out. “No, you weren’t. You were supposed to be better than him!
Congratulations, you officially became a
replica of your worthless brother. Now where the fuck is the damn phone?”
Scott slams his hand on the counter and
roars, “Sit your ass down, Elisabeth, and shut the fuck up!”
I quake on the inside, but I’ve been around Mom’s asshole boyfriends long enough to keep from quaking on the outside. “Wow. You can take the boy out of the trailer park and pretty him up in a Major League Baseball uniform, but you can’t take the trailer park out of the boy.”
He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.
“I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“Whatever. Where’s the phone?”
HC TITLE-AUTHOR
91
Noah told me once that I have a gift that borders on supervillain status—the ability to push people past the edge of sanity. The way Scott releases another breath and rubs his forehead tells me I’m pushing him hard. Good.
Scott tries for that obnoxious, level tone again, but I can hear the edge of irritation in it.
“You want trailer park, I can go trailer park.
You are going to live in my house with my rules or I’ll send your mother to jail.”
“I broke out the windows of the car. Not her.
You have nothing on her.”
Scott narrows his eyes. “Wanna discuss
what’s in your mom’s apartment with me?”
My body lurches to the left as the blood
seeps out of my face, leaving behind a blurry and tingling sensation. Shirley already warned me, but hearing it from him is still a shock.
Scott knows what I don’t want to know—
Mom’s secret.
“Push me, Elisabeth, and I’ll have this same exact conversation with the police.”
I stumble as I try to stay upright. The back of my legs collide with a coffee table. Losing the battle, I sit. Right beside me is a phone and as much as I want to, I can’t touch it. Scott has HC TITLE-AUTHOR
92
me. The bastard traded my life for my
mom’s freedom.
HC TITLE-AUTHOR
93
Ryan
I LEAN AGAINST THE CLOSED tailgate of Dad’s truck and listen from two parking spots away as Dad recounts to a group of men loitering outside the barbershop every detail of our meeting with the
“Elisabeth—”
“Beth.” I cut him off. “I go by Beth. Where’s your phone? I’m going home.” The police
confiscated my cell and gave it to Scott. He told me in the car that he tossed it in the garbage because I “didn’t need contact with my old life.”
“You just turned seventeen.”
“Did I? Wow. I must have forgotten since no HC TITLE-AUTHOR
89
one threw me a party.”
Ignoring me, he continues, “This week my
lawyers will secure my legal guardianship of you. Until you turn eighteen, you will live in this house and you will obey my rules.”
Fine. If he won’t show me the phone, I’ll find it. I hop off the chair. “I’m not six anymore and you aren’t the center of my
universe. In fact, I consider you a black hole.”
“I get that you’re pissed off I left.…”
Pissed? “No, I’m not pissed. You don’t exist to me anymore. I feel nothing for you, so show me where the damned phone is so I can go
home.”
“Elisabeth…”
He doesn’t get it. I don’t care. “Go to hell.”
No phone in the kitchen.
“You need to understand.…”
I walk around his fancy ass living room with his fancy ass leather furniture looking for his fancy ass phone. “Take whatever you have to say and shove it up your ass.”
“I just want to talk.…”
I lift my hand in the air and flap it like a puppet’s mouth. “Blah, blah, blah, Elisabeth.
I’ll only be gone a couple of months. Blah, HC TITLE-AUTHOR
90
blah, blah, Elisabeth. I’ll make enough
money to get us both out of Groveton. Blah, blah, blah, Elisabeth. You’ll never grow up like me. Blah, blah, blah, Elisabeth. I’ll make sure you have some fucking food to eat!”
“I was eighteen.”
“I was six!”
“I wasn’t your father!”
I throw my arms out. “No, you weren’t. You were supposed to be better than him!
Congratulations, you officially became a
replica of your worthless brother. Now where the fuck is the damn phone?”
Scott slams his hand on the counter and
roars, “Sit your ass down, Elisabeth, and shut the fuck up!”
I quake on the inside, but I’ve been around Mom’s asshole boyfriends long enough to keep from quaking on the outside. “Wow. You can take the boy out of the trailer park and pretty him up in a Major League Baseball uniform, but you can’t take the trailer park out of the boy.”
He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes.
“I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
“Whatever. Where’s the phone?”
HC TITLE-AUTHOR
91
Noah told me once that I have a gift that borders on supervillain status—the ability to push people past the edge of sanity. The way Scott releases another breath and rubs his forehead tells me I’m pushing him hard. Good.
Scott tries for that obnoxious, level tone again, but I can hear the edge of irritation in it.
“You want trailer park, I can go trailer park.
You are going to live in my house with my rules or I’ll send your mother to jail.”
“I broke out the windows of the car. Not her.
You have nothing on her.”
Scott narrows his eyes. “Wanna discuss
what’s in your mom’s apartment with me?”
My body lurches to the left as the blood
seeps out of my face, leaving behind a blurry and tingling sensation. Shirley already warned me, but hearing it from him is still a shock.
Scott knows what I don’t want to know—
Mom’s secret.
“Push me, Elisabeth, and I’ll have this same exact conversation with the police.”
I stumble as I try to stay upright. The back of my legs collide with a coffee table. Losing the battle, I sit. Right beside me is a phone and as much as I want to, I can’t touch it. Scott has HC TITLE-AUTHOR
92
me. The bastard traded my life for my
mom’s freedom.
HC TITLE-AUTHOR
93
Ryan
I LEAN AGAINST THE CLOSED tailgate of Dad’s truck and listen from two parking spots away as Dad recounts to a group of men loitering outside the barbershop every detail of our meeting with the
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