Read Online Under the Bridge by Michael Harmon - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Michael Harmon
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boy.”
“He said you left.”
He shrugged.
“You’re staying here?”
He laughed. “It’s actually quite palatial. Would you like to join us for dinner? Spam. I think the wine selection this evening is Mad Dog 20/20. Fine by any dining standard.”
“If I talk to Dad, will you come home?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s an asshole.”
“Indy …”
“Hey, man, I went to school. I did what he said.”
I clenched my teeth. “Now who’s being the asshole? You know exactly what you did.” I looked at him. “He’s not against you, Indy. He’s not. Neither is the school. LC might have a few bad teachers, but it’s the coolest school in the city.”
“Are you done yet?”
“You shouldn’t stay here. You know that.”
He laughed. “Why not? This is my future, right? This is what they all see when they look at me, right? Fuck ’em, Tate, I don’t care. I’ll give ’em all what they want.”
“He doesn’t see that. The school might and other people might, but Dad doesn’t. I don’t.”
He smiled, the glaze in his eyes still heavy. “You’ve always been the favorite, Tate. Always, man. Ever since we were little, you were always the one.” He paused, looking away. “You’re the one.”
“Please, man. Come home. You know what this is, right?”
“What? My crappy life?”
“No. Things are totally out of control. And if it goes any further, neither of you will be able to make things better. It’ll be the end.”
He spit. “It was the end a long time ago. You just didn’t see it.”
I stared at my feet. “He just doesn’t understand you, Indy. You’re different than him, you know? And you go out of your way to prove it all the time. It’s like you live for it.”
He rolled his eyes. “I am soooo tired of hearing that shit. From you and Mom and everybody else besides him. Nothing but shit from him. That’s what I get. I can’t even wipe my ass without him telling me I did it wrong.”
My pissed-off meter was rising, and I didn’t want to get into it with him. “You’re not coming home?”
“No. And I’m done with school.”
“Fine. Fuck you, then.”
He shrugged. “Oh well.” Then he shut the door, and I stood alone on the stairs as the sun set and the dogs barked.
CHAPTER TEN
We sat at the dinner table, the three of us, and we might as well have been deaf-mutes. Dad rested his forearms on either side of his plate as he chewed, his fork clutched in his fist as he stared at his plate like some rain forest King Kong gorilla man. He’d stopped drinking, which was good, but the tension in the air made me think he was on the verge of exploding .
There was one person in the world who controlled my dad, and it was my mom. She knew how to talk to him and when to talk to him and when not to talk to him, and now she was silent. I couldn’t be silent. I pictured Indy lying on Porkchop’s couch, baked out of his mind and hating the world, and I couldn’t stand it. It made me mad. “Can Indy come home?”
Dad the gorilla man kept his eyes on his plate. Mom looked at me and shook her head. “Not now, honey. Let’s just eat our dinner.”
My neck flushed. “No.”
Dad’s eyes rose from his plate. I swear to God his ears laid back and his neck swelled. He stared white-hot rivets into me. “Your mother asked that we not talk about this now.”
“Dad, I just—”
His voice came low and dangerous. “Shut your mouth, Tate.”
“I’m sorry.” I paused. “I just don’t think—”
Mom cut in. “Tate, please. We’re all upset, and I think a little bit of time would do everybody some good.”
I clenched my teeth. “Does that include Indy?”
Dad dropped his fork on his plate, leaned back, and ran his fingers through his hair. “What are you saying?”
I took a breath, then looked at my dad. “We can’t talk about it because you’ll get pissed, and since everything revolves around you, I’m supposed to shut up,” I said. I sat at the table,
“He said you left.”
He shrugged.
“You’re staying here?”
He laughed. “It’s actually quite palatial. Would you like to join us for dinner? Spam. I think the wine selection this evening is Mad Dog 20/20. Fine by any dining standard.”
“If I talk to Dad, will you come home?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s an asshole.”
“Indy …”
“Hey, man, I went to school. I did what he said.”
I clenched my teeth. “Now who’s being the asshole? You know exactly what you did.” I looked at him. “He’s not against you, Indy. He’s not. Neither is the school. LC might have a few bad teachers, but it’s the coolest school in the city.”
“Are you done yet?”
“You shouldn’t stay here. You know that.”
He laughed. “Why not? This is my future, right? This is what they all see when they look at me, right? Fuck ’em, Tate, I don’t care. I’ll give ’em all what they want.”
“He doesn’t see that. The school might and other people might, but Dad doesn’t. I don’t.”
He smiled, the glaze in his eyes still heavy. “You’ve always been the favorite, Tate. Always, man. Ever since we were little, you were always the one.” He paused, looking away. “You’re the one.”
“Please, man. Come home. You know what this is, right?”
“What? My crappy life?”
“No. Things are totally out of control. And if it goes any further, neither of you will be able to make things better. It’ll be the end.”
He spit. “It was the end a long time ago. You just didn’t see it.”
I stared at my feet. “He just doesn’t understand you, Indy. You’re different than him, you know? And you go out of your way to prove it all the time. It’s like you live for it.”
He rolled his eyes. “I am soooo tired of hearing that shit. From you and Mom and everybody else besides him. Nothing but shit from him. That’s what I get. I can’t even wipe my ass without him telling me I did it wrong.”
My pissed-off meter was rising, and I didn’t want to get into it with him. “You’re not coming home?”
“No. And I’m done with school.”
“Fine. Fuck you, then.”
He shrugged. “Oh well.” Then he shut the door, and I stood alone on the stairs as the sun set and the dogs barked.
CHAPTER TEN
We sat at the dinner table, the three of us, and we might as well have been deaf-mutes. Dad rested his forearms on either side of his plate as he chewed, his fork clutched in his fist as he stared at his plate like some rain forest King Kong gorilla man. He’d stopped drinking, which was good, but the tension in the air made me think he was on the verge of exploding .
There was one person in the world who controlled my dad, and it was my mom. She knew how to talk to him and when to talk to him and when not to talk to him, and now she was silent. I couldn’t be silent. I pictured Indy lying on Porkchop’s couch, baked out of his mind and hating the world, and I couldn’t stand it. It made me mad. “Can Indy come home?”
Dad the gorilla man kept his eyes on his plate. Mom looked at me and shook her head. “Not now, honey. Let’s just eat our dinner.”
My neck flushed. “No.”
Dad’s eyes rose from his plate. I swear to God his ears laid back and his neck swelled. He stared white-hot rivets into me. “Your mother asked that we not talk about this now.”
“Dad, I just—”
His voice came low and dangerous. “Shut your mouth, Tate.”
“I’m sorry.” I paused. “I just don’t think—”
Mom cut in. “Tate, please. We’re all upset, and I think a little bit of time would do everybody some good.”
I clenched my teeth. “Does that include Indy?”
Dad dropped his fork on his plate, leaned back, and ran his fingers through his hair. “What are you saying?”
I took a breath, then looked at my dad. “We can’t talk about it because you’ll get pissed, and since everything revolves around you, I’m supposed to shut up,” I said. I sat at the table,
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