Chapter 10 #3
I avoided his eyes, choosing to add some mints to the basket, too.
“I’ve only been here a week and a half. In that time, he slapped me once before what he did today.
When I was younger…” I stiffened, thinking back that far.
Mom had gotten us out when I was about six, so my memories were vague.
But I did recall nights where I’d woken up to the sounds of his drunken rages, the banging, and the cries of my mother.
I remembered leaving my bed once or twice and had come upon him standing over her still form.
“It wasn’t directed at me.”I glanced down at the basket he was still carrying for me and changed the subject.
“Think Amelie will like this stuff?” I asked.
His eyes remained on me for a long time, and I shifted uncomfortably until his stare moved away. “No doubt,” he murmured.
I paid with cash, a large chunk still leftover from the savings I’d accumulated over the years from birthdays, Christmases, and allowances.
Shaw took the plastic bag of goodies before I could pick it up and carried it outside for me.
I walked out after him, and he took my hand and guided us up the street without another word.
After only a minute or two of walking, I heard a vibration come from the front pocket of his sweater, and he pulled out his cell phone, checking the name before quickly answering, too fast for me to see whose name had come up.
“Yeah?” he rasped, his steps moving a little quicker.
I half-jogged to keep up with him. “Of course she’s with me…
there was a… complication.” The sideways look he gave me said it all.
He was talking about fucking Keith. But whatever the person on the other end of the phone said, it pissed Shaw off enough that he spit out, “Do you really think I’d fucking let that happen?
” His voice rose ever so slightly, and instinctively, I reached out for the hand that’d been carrying my dollar store purchases, and I stroked the back of it with my fingertips.
He immediately calmed and slowed his gait, still seeming agitated with whoever was on the other line.
“Whatever, we’ll be there in five minutes.
” He hung up, thrusting his phone back into his pocket, then passed his bag to his other hand so he could snatch at mine.
He held it tight, interlocking our fingers together.
Holding hands like this with Shaw, I felt myself choking on the emotional impact of it, which was threatening to knock me off my feet.
It felt so familiar and so right, and yet, I still knew nothing of who he had become.
All I did know was that very quickly, old feelings, old ties, already felt more important to me than my old kin, my father.
It wasn’t my father I comforted or was worried about back there…
It was Shaw. When his thumb tentatively began to glide up and down the top of my hand, I peered up to see him watching me, his sideways look apprehensive.
But when I squeezed his hand in return, the tiniest flicker of a smile threatened to crack through his stony disposition for just the briefest of moments. But I knew I saw it.
“I’m proud of you for standing up to that bitch, Celeste,” he told me as we waited for the light to change so we could cross the busy intersection.
I chuckled a little and rolled my eyes. “Don’t know what her deal is, but I’m getting sick of it. I guess everyone has a limit, right? I just thought mine would have lasted longer…”
“Honestly, I think everyone in the school expected you to crumble after the first day,” he said, leading the way across when the WALK light turned green.
I raised my brows, and he glanced at me, flashing me a beautiful, crooked smile. “Oh really? Were there bets or something?”
He shrugged. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Yes, cuz I would have wanted to make one of my own.”
He bowed his head, hiding that tiny smile from me, as we turned into a small apartment complex. “You’re still the same,” he said softly, affection lacing every one of his words. He almost sounded relieved.
“You are, too. In some ways,” I said, studying him, despite how he tried to hide his face from me. “But in other ways, you’re different.”
“How?” He asked curiously.
“I don’t know… darker. Scarier…”
He said nothing but continued to stroke my hand with his thumb, which told me he wasn’t offended by my statement. If Shaw were ever upset in the past, he’d withdraw from everyone. No one could touch him. He wouldn’t allow it. Even me, on the rare occasion.
Meredith, Lee, and their roommate lived on the top floor of a four-story apartment building, which, on the outside, looked like it had seen better days.
The brick walls were covered with graffiti art, the design and overall aesthetic were very seventies, and the parking lot was pitted with potholes.
The inside was no better. The property owner either didn’t give a shit about the people who lived here, or they couldn’t afford the upkeep.
The yellow wallpaper in the halls was peeling, and there were heavy water stains in the ceiling and, in some places, the water had managed to leak through completely, leaving holes that revealed the plumbing above.
The floors were cream and olive green tiling that was cracked and uneven, and when we climbed the stairs, as there was no elevator, I could hear yelling from some units, TV’s blaring in others, and smell booze and cigarettes from most.
When we got to the top floor, Shaw knocked on the dark wood-grained door on the end, and after a momentary pause, we could hear several locks snapping open as we waited.
Meredith opened the door and greeted Shaw with a smile, not seeming at all surprised to see us together, and ushered us in.
When she closed the door behind us and turned around, I saw an angry red mark on her left cheek, no doubt a souvenir from the massive fight in the cafeteria hours earlier.
The apartment was small and cozy. The living room was shared with the small kitchen.
There was a hallway leading left and one leading right, and I could only assume those led to where their bedrooms were.
Haldon was relaxing on their couch, an old grey one that was covered in pale pink and blue pillows and blankets, and on the floor, sitting between his outstretched legs, was the cutest little girl.
Amelie was a blend of Haldon and Meredith, with paler skin but jet black hair and dark, brown eyes that matched her father’s.
Her face, however, reminded me strongly of Mer when she glanced up to smile at Shaw, her pudgy little cheeks dimpling.
“Amelie, this is Casey. She’s going to be babysitting you tonight,” Meredith said, gesturing to me as she took my fleece sweater and hung it on a coat tree.
Amelie peered up, noticing me, a stranger, and her smile became shyer, more uncertain.
I took the bag of goodies from Shaw and crouched down so I was at her level.
“Do you like stickers?” I asked as Shaw and Haldon greeted each other in low murmurs.
Meredith and the two guys moved over into the kitchen, speaking so low that I couldn’t hear a thing.
But I ignored them as I gave the little girl my whole attention.
At once, I could see I’d piqued her interest. Her eyes darted down to the bag with curiosity, and she craned her neck to try to see inside.
I reached in and pulled out a sheet of unicorn and star stickers and showed them to her.
At once, her face brightened up, and she reached for them.
I handed them over and watched as her mouth ticked up into a smile.
“She’s already had her supper,” Meredith said, strolling back into the room.
“She can stay up for another four hours before she has to go to bed,” Meredith said the last few words like they were more of a warning to her little girl than a suggestion to me.
She led me down the hallway to her and Haldon’s room, where there was a big, queen-sized bed in one corner, and at the end of it, is a small little toddler-sized bed with princess sheets and a comforter.
There was a nightlight beside it, and her little purple PJs were folded nicely on the pillow.
“She needs to brush her teeth before, and she can have two stories… no more, right Amelie?” Meredith brought me back into the living room, where Shaw had made himself comfortable on one end of the couch while Haldon was scrolling through his phone, texting wildly.
Amelie, however, was distracted by the stickers.
I chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of things.
You just concentrate on your… uh, crew business?
” I said with uncertainty, and glanced around the kitchen.
“Is there an emergency contact, just in case? Is she allergic to anything?” I asked.
“Yes, I’ve got Haldon’s grandmother’s number written on the fridge.
She lives in the apartment below us, so if anything happens or if you need someone, feel free to knock on her door.
She knows you’re here,” Meredith said. “And Amelie hasn’t shown any signs of allergies to anything,” she added as she took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa from Shaw.
“We just need to wait for the all-clear, and then we’re off. ”
I knew better than to pry into their private club business, so I made myself comfortable on the floor in front of Shaw, sitting across from Amelie, and helped her peel off some of the stickers so she could paste them into her colouring book.
Behind me, I had felt him shift, and slowly, one of his legs extended, moving forward until it rested alongside me, pressing into my side.
I leaned into him, finding comfort in this familiar closeness, and ignored Meredith’s inquisitive stare.