Read Online Violence Begets... by Pt Denys, Myra Shelley - Free Book Online Page A

talk in the morning?”
    “No, pleeeeeeeease!” I heard her beg
and my heart broke. I hated denying her anything.
    Just then I heard Sylvia holler upstairs
for Emma to come back down and hang her coat up. I prayed she wouldn’t try to come
in again.
    Eventually, Sylvia came to my door and
asked what had happened to the Christmas tree and if I knew where my dad was. I
told her I had no idea on either account, and she left to help get Emma ready for
bed.
    After the house quieted down, Kevin
asked, “You okay to be alone tonight?”
    I shot a startled look at him, having
forgotten he was sitting next to me. I then looked at the clock and realized he’d
been with me for over two hours without saying a word.
    I thought about it, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
    “Text me if he comes after you again.”
He walked to the window. “I’m serious. If you need something, let me know!” He was
harsh, but I knew I could text him if I had to.
    “I will,” I said hesitantly.
    “Wear a long-sleeved shirt tomorrow
to hide the bruises,” he said, again with the commands. “You can’t hide what’s on
your face. Tell people we got in a fight tonight with some guys. I’ll back the story
up.”
    “But you don’t have any bruises,” I
said, feeling embarrassed. It would look like I got a total beat-down in a fight
and he didn’t.
    “Don’t worry about it. Just do it. K?”
    “Fine,” I said, still not liking the
idea but thinking it was better than telling people my dad beat me up.
    “Night, Rick.” It was the first time
he had called me Rick and not Ricky or Saint Ricky.
    “Thanks,” I answered uncomfortably.
He jumped out my window without a reply.
    Later, I tensed as my dad came home.
When I heard him behind my locked door, I felt tears sting the cuts on my face.
    “Rick?” he said, sounding drunk. I held
my breath. “Rick?” he said again quietly. “I’m sorry.”
    The silver lining of being too terrified
to sleep was the fact that, without sleep I wouldn’t have any nightmares. On the
flip side, it made me sick to hear him in the other room sobbing and Sylvia trying
to comfort him. I was equally racked with guilt and hate as I tried to ignore the
increasing pain that was screaming for my attention. I got up as the sky began to
lighten, nearly an hour before my dad’s alarm was set to go off. However, I hadn't
planned on running into Sylvia in the hallway. She stopped abruptly, looking at
the bruises on my face.
    “Does your dad know you got in a fight?”
she asked distantly. I considered the irony of her statement before slowly answering
her.
    “Yeah, I think so.”
    “Did he ground you? I would’ve. You’ve
brought nothing but pain to that man. It’s a wonder he hasn’t sent you off to boarding
school just to be rid of you. Don’t you dare let Emma see you like that,” she said,
narrowing her eyes at me as she turned sideways to squeeze down the hallway, afraid
to touch me in any way.
    Sylvia and I had never loved each other,
but we at least used to treat each other with some level of respect. However, after
the accident, all she saw in me was the person who had taken the favorite son from
the man she loved. I tried to shrug her off as I finished getting ready for the
day. I’d hoped the new start would work out for us, but apparently I’d been wrong.
    It was freezing out, and it was way
too early to wait at the corner. It shouldn’t have surprised me, but as cars drove
by, I wondered how the world could go on like nothing had changed when everything
in my life was out of control. Zarahemla at least provided a little shelter from
the bitter weather and the sight of people living normal lives. I wasn’t there ten
minutes before Kevin walked in.
    “Thought you’d be here,” he said, smiling,
a rare thing to see him do.
    “What happened to you?” I asked, surprised.
    “Told you, got in a fight.”
    “But you didn’t.”
    “Didn’t I?”
    “Well, obviously. But…”
    “I messed with the wrong