pisses him off. Seeing the NYU application made him go apeshit. But this is the first time he’s ever hit me in the face or this hard.”
“Who knows?”
“No one. Well…now you.”
“What about Victor?”
I shake my head.
“Why not?”
“Because he’d tell Mama and Papa T.”
“They should know, Mick.”
“No!” I say loudly, hoping I haven’t made the biggest mistake of my life. “They can’t ever know.”
“You have to let them help you,” she argues, sitting up, her eyes filling with tears again. “He can’t get away with this anymore.” There’s anger in her voice now.
“Yes he can. He’s the fucking sheriff. I’ll get into NYU, I know I will.” That’s not conceit. I got my talent for writing from my mother, and she could have gone far if it weren’t for my old man. I’m not going to let that happen to me. “The summer session starts in July. I can survive another six months.”
“What if you can’t?” she protests. “You said that it’s never been this bad.”
“I’ll act like I’m taking the scholarship to North Carolina.” I don’t care if it’s cowardly. I’d do anything to wipe the fear off her face.
“He hit you before he knew you were applying to NYU. Your father can find any excuse or none at all. We are going to tell Mama and Papa T as soon as they get home, and they will help you report this to someone over his head.”
I honest to God want to hug her for caring so damn much. But I have to get Dee off this track. I take a deep breath because what I’m about to say is the hardest for me to admit.
“My mother tried to help me. And she got caught in the crossfire many times because I did a lousy job of protecting her.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that.” Those big, teary eyes are seriously going to do me in. “You were just a little boy. It was her job to protect you .”
“But I’m not a little boy anymore. And I’m not going to make this Mama and Papa T’s problem. My old man has the power in this town. If they try to go up against him, he’ll crush them. No one will believe us, and their reputations will be ruined. Mama T could lose her job at the hospital. People might stop taking their cars to Papa T’s shop. I can’t chance doing that to them. Not after everything they’ve done for me.”
“I understand how much you want to protect them. I do. But who’s going to protect you ?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You won’t be.” Her breathing is rapid, her voice desperate. “It’s not safe. You can’t stay there. Move in with us. Please.”
“I can’t do that. It would raise too many questions. But I’ll stay out of his way, I promise. I’ll do all my writing over here.”
Twin tears roll down her cheeks. “I’m so scared for you. I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt. Seeing these…” Her voice trails off and Dee shocks me by leaning over and placing kisses as light as butterfly wings across my bruises.
I know it’s nothing more than an impulse to comfort and soothe. Other girls have seen the yellow and blue marks and assumed it was from basketball or didn’t care enough to assume anything at all. But Dee’s kissing each one. And though my mind registers her touch as a healing balm, my body responds. I try to keep my hands to myself, but before long her scent and the caress of her mouth are too much.
I cup her cheeks between my palms and draw her face up. Our eyes connect and something special passes between us. The emotions I’ve kept underwater surge to the surface. Being with Dee is wrong on so many levels. But her lips are soft and rosy, and I push all the reasons away.
“Dee,” I whisper as I slowly inch her closer, giving her a chance to stop me, but hoping like hell she won’t.
Her eyes stay open, watching as our mouths meet. Her lips are tremulous against mine. Nerves radiate off her and I don’t take it any further. We stay like that, for seconds, for minutes, I don’t know how long, just
“Who knows?”
“No one. Well…now you.”
“What about Victor?”
I shake my head.
“Why not?”
“Because he’d tell Mama and Papa T.”
“They should know, Mick.”
“No!” I say loudly, hoping I haven’t made the biggest mistake of my life. “They can’t ever know.”
“You have to let them help you,” she argues, sitting up, her eyes filling with tears again. “He can’t get away with this anymore.” There’s anger in her voice now.
“Yes he can. He’s the fucking sheriff. I’ll get into NYU, I know I will.” That’s not conceit. I got my talent for writing from my mother, and she could have gone far if it weren’t for my old man. I’m not going to let that happen to me. “The summer session starts in July. I can survive another six months.”
“What if you can’t?” she protests. “You said that it’s never been this bad.”
“I’ll act like I’m taking the scholarship to North Carolina.” I don’t care if it’s cowardly. I’d do anything to wipe the fear off her face.
“He hit you before he knew you were applying to NYU. Your father can find any excuse or none at all. We are going to tell Mama and Papa T as soon as they get home, and they will help you report this to someone over his head.”
I honest to God want to hug her for caring so damn much. But I have to get Dee off this track. I take a deep breath because what I’m about to say is the hardest for me to admit.
“My mother tried to help me. And she got caught in the crossfire many times because I did a lousy job of protecting her.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that.” Those big, teary eyes are seriously going to do me in. “You were just a little boy. It was her job to protect you .”
“But I’m not a little boy anymore. And I’m not going to make this Mama and Papa T’s problem. My old man has the power in this town. If they try to go up against him, he’ll crush them. No one will believe us, and their reputations will be ruined. Mama T could lose her job at the hospital. People might stop taking their cars to Papa T’s shop. I can’t chance doing that to them. Not after everything they’ve done for me.”
“I understand how much you want to protect them. I do. But who’s going to protect you ?”
“I’ll be fine.”
“You won’t be.” Her breathing is rapid, her voice desperate. “It’s not safe. You can’t stay there. Move in with us. Please.”
“I can’t do that. It would raise too many questions. But I’ll stay out of his way, I promise. I’ll do all my writing over here.”
Twin tears roll down her cheeks. “I’m so scared for you. I can’t stand the thought of you being hurt. Seeing these…” Her voice trails off and Dee shocks me by leaning over and placing kisses as light as butterfly wings across my bruises.
I know it’s nothing more than an impulse to comfort and soothe. Other girls have seen the yellow and blue marks and assumed it was from basketball or didn’t care enough to assume anything at all. But Dee’s kissing each one. And though my mind registers her touch as a healing balm, my body responds. I try to keep my hands to myself, but before long her scent and the caress of her mouth are too much.
I cup her cheeks between my palms and draw her face up. Our eyes connect and something special passes between us. The emotions I’ve kept underwater surge to the surface. Being with Dee is wrong on so many levels. But her lips are soft and rosy, and I push all the reasons away.
“Dee,” I whisper as I slowly inch her closer, giving her a chance to stop me, but hoping like hell she won’t.
Her eyes stay open, watching as our mouths meet. Her lips are tremulous against mine. Nerves radiate off her and I don’t take it any further. We stay like that, for seconds, for minutes, I don’t know how long, just
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