Chapter 6 April 2003 #5
“Gray!” Kent was screaming for me. Pleading for me to help. I stood up and rushed toward Trevor, but Tommy caught me first, clotheslining me with his arm as I tried to run past. His arm smashed against my throat, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to my knees unable to breathe.
“Don’t fucking touch him!” Kent’s voice was like a sonic boom. An explosion of rage so powerful, it sent a chill through me. He jolted up and tried to get to me. Our eyes locked, and the look he gave me wasn’t one of fear, it was pure, undeniable passion. “Two-liter, I—”
“I know. I know, Kent.”
Trevor kneed Kent’s stomach so hard, he doubled over, hugging his tummy. Kyle stood in the doorway looking like a deer in headlights. His eyes were opened as wide as they’d go, and he just stood there watching it all unfold. Trevor hollered at him to help grab Kent, but he didn’t budge.
“Kyle!” I shouted, hoping I might be able to appeal to his good nature. “You gotta help us.”
Trevor whipped his head in Kyle’s direction, flashing him a terrifying glare.
“Get your ass in here.” Kyle shook his head and slowly backed away, but my brother wasn’t having it.
Slamming Kent to the floor, he lunged for Kyle, and I made my move.
I knew if I could just get to Kent—if I could get hold of his hand—I could drag him down to my mother’s room.
Trevor wouldn’t touch him there. He wouldn’t risk my mother’s wrath.
Tommy was on me when I lunged, jumping in front of me to block my path to Kent.
I dove to the ground, sailing past his leg and landing beside Kent.
Oh, God. Kent.
His eye was already turning an awful shade of purple, and I couldn’t bring myself to look at him.
I knew this was my fault. Every hit, every kick.
It was down to me and my loud mouth. I knew I’d been moaning too loud when we were in bed together, and knowing that all of this was because I couldn’t keep my big mouth shut felt like slashes to my skin.
Sucker-punches to my heart. Ice in my veins. It was all my fault.
“Baby,” I whispered, cupping his cheek with my hand. “We have to get out of here. Come on.”
“He’ll hurt you,” he whispered. “I can take it. It’s okay.
I don’t want you getting—” Kent screamed as Tommy’s foot connected with the side of his face, and I saw red.
I lunged up, reaching for the picture of me and Kent on my bedside table.
While Tommy was busy attacking him, I smashed the frame over his head.
Tommy let out a cry and covered his head as blood dripped down his forehead, creating little red lines down his fingers.
As he stumbled back, I grabbed Kent’s wrist and pulled, launching him up off the floor.
We made it through the door and took a left toward the stairwell, but Trevor and Kyle were standing in front of it, Trevor still screaming at him.
I pulled Kent to my right and ran to Momma’s bedroom and twisted the knob.
Locked.
Why the hell was it locked? Momma normally didn’t even shut it, just left it cracked in case we needed her. I banged on the door, desperate to get her attention. “Momma! Momma, please!”
The next sound I heard was Kent crying out. I turned to my left and watched in horror as Trevor’s fist slammed into his stomach. Tommy stumbled out of the room still holding his head. Our eyes connected, and I could tell that if he had his way, in that moment, he would have killed me.
“Fucking piece of shit faggot,” He hissed at me. I didn’t pay him any attention, because he wasn’t who I was worried about. Trevor was dragging Kent to the staircase as I continued banging on Momma’s door.
Why the hell wasn’t she answering? The hallways had been filled with echoing screams that crashed off the walls and collided into each other, and she’d slept right through them.
Realizing banging on the door wasn’t going to get me anywhere, I set my aim on Trevor.
I rushed past Tommy, chasing after my brother as he dragged Kent back into my bedroom.
“You think you can fuck my brother and walk out of here? Are you really that fucking stupid, Kent Fox?”
“Just let me go, Trevor!” He said, his voice stronger than it had any right to be. When I turned the corner into my bedroom, Kent was standing up, facing my brother. He wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t letting Trevor see him as weak or broken.
“I’ll tell you what,” Trevor said, his nostrils flaring.
“I’ll let you go, but I want you to end it.
Tell Grayson he’s dead to you. That you’re never going to speak to him again.
If you do that, I’ll let you walk out of here right now.
” Kent’s eyebrows drew together, and he turned to me, tears pooling in his eyes.
He could have lied. That’s all he had to do. He could tell me that he never loved me, and that tonight had been a mistake. He’d know I wouldn’t believe it. Then, once Daddy got home, he’d fix it. He could talk sense into Trevor.
“Say it,” I whispered. I nodded at Kent, mouthing that it was okay. Silently pleading for him to just say the words. Begging Kent to break my heart before Trevor broke his neck. “Say it, Half-pint. Please?”
He sniffled, his bottom lip wedged between his teeth as he bit down.
Kent’s hands were shaking, and God, I wanted to hold him and tell him everything was gonna be okay.
That we’d survive this, and we could still be together.
We might not be able to talk until Trevor left for college, but what was a few more months when we had our entire lives ahead of us.
Kent smiled at me. It was big and bright and so fucking beautiful I almost couldn’t stand it. It was one for the record books. One that filled my heart with pride. I nodded again.
Then Kent shook his head.
My heart cracked in my chest. I couldn’t breathe.
“Say it. Dammit, Kent, say it!”
He walked toward me, his head held high.
With his hand pressed against my steadily breaking heart, he said, “I’ve loved you, Gray Collins.
From the second I looked up and saw you in that desk next to me, I fucking loved you.
” Kent’s smile widened even more, his eyes never leaving mine. “You can go fuck yourself, Trevor.”
Trevor nodded, and then he made his way toward us.
Hs reared back his hand and smacked Kent in the back of the head with his palm, sending him crashing to the floor.
I cried out for him, tears scalding like little drops of acid that tore into my flesh, leaving me raw and exposed.
He grabbed Kent by the neck and jerked him to his feet.
As Trevor turned toward the door, dragging the only person who made a bit of sense in this world to me behind, our eyes connected.
“I love you, Gray. I love you so—”
Trevor slammed him into the doorframe, and Kent let out a wail that ripped my heart to shreds.
“Where are you taking him? Trevor, where the hell are you taking him?” My voice was broken, my throat raw like it was filled with gravel.
I tried to follow after them, making it to the bedroom door before Trevor turned around and glared at me.
The look he was giving me was one I’d never seen before.
His pupils were dilated so widely it looked like his entire eye was black.
He took a step forward, and then he slammed his fist into my stomach, dropping me to my knees.
“You sit your ass down and wait here until I come back. So help me, Grayson, if you follow us, I’ll fucking kill him.
” Trevor eyed me up and down, the disgust clear on his face.
“You make me sick. The things he was doing—what you were allowing him to do to you. It’s demonic.
You stay right here, and you beg God for forgiveness.
When I get back, we’re gonna have a nice, long talk. ”
“Trev, please! Don’t hurt him. He didn’t do anything I didn’t ask him to. I wanted it. Probably more than he did.”
He flinched, tensing up like the words stung him. “Fucking filth. That’s what this is. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and it ain’t right. You stay on your knees, and you pray. You understand me?”
“You won’t hurt him?”
He reached over, shoving me by the shoulders until I fell back against the floorboards, banging my head against the side of the bed as I fell.
“I will if you don’t do what the hell I just told you to.
I’m not playing, Gray. You sit right there, and you think about what the hell you’ve done.
If you step foot outside of this room, I’ll kill him in front of you. I’ll make it hurt.”
I couldn’t choke back the sob that was climbing up my throat.
It was panic and pure terror. Kent needed me right then.
He might not have known it. He might have thought I was letting them take him because I was a coward—and maybe I was.
But if that’s what it took to keep him safe—to keep him alive—what choice did I have?
I took a deep breath, and I nodded.
Trevor turned to walk away, peering over his shoulder at me one last time before pulling the door shut behind him.
My head was in a fog. It almost felt like it had the night Kent blew that smoke in my face.
I was dizzy and disoriented, lying in a naked heap on my bedroom floor.
My head was throbbing from where I’d gotten hit, but I didn’t worry about that.
I couldn’t worry about it. They could be taking Kent anywhere, doing God knows what to him.
Kent’s clothes were still resting where he left them. His shirt was on my dresser. His underwear hung from my bedpost. His jeans were by my door. Trevor didn’t even let him take his shoes. His feet were going to get hurt from the gravel in the driveway.