Chapter 1 #2
“Then, if you aren’t chicken, come over here and give Vail a nice, sweet kiss.
” In my peripheral, I noticed how Shaw was practically vibrating in anger.
His fists were clenched, and his eyes were more shadowed beneath his messy, blonde hair.
Lee, meanwhile, had lost all sense of humour as he watched us, his face surprisingly void of any emotion.
Huh, I didn’t think that was possible. He usually wore a confident smirk, like I wore my void, cold mask.
Casey hesitated. She actually hesitated.
This was the same girl who would pal around with us on our bikes as we rode through the streets of Harley, the low-end, scariest, shittiest place in Ashland, without fear.
This was the girl who I’d seen single-handedly beat the crap out of Hunter Tremblay, and hadn’t batted an eye when he managed to bloody her lip or when he pulled a clump of her long, dark hair out of her head.
She was going to drink toilet water last week, for Christ’s sake!
But at the prospect of kissing me, she’d gotten all nervous.
I watched as she chewed on her full bottom lip, and I couldn’t help but grin at her.
I didn’t realize this dare would make her so uncomfortable.
But I was a greedy little bastard (at least, that was what my dad had always said), and I wanted that kiss.
So I puckered my lips at her and made a kissy sound before clucking like a chicken, which I knew would only enrage her, making her only more determined not to back down.
Casey hated it when I teased her, and like me, she had never lost at a game of chicken.
Sure enough, she lurched to her feet, her face set and determined, and I felt a wave of anticipation wash over me.
I knew the other two guys were watching as she slowly stepped over to where I had been lazily lounging, like a king, in the navy armchair next to the space heater.
I didn’t move, except to tilt my head back to look up at her, a small, smug smile on my lips as I waited.
She paused again and slowly reached out to cup my face, something that I hadn’t been expecting her to do, but I decided I liked it.
She crouched over me, and I could feel her fingers trembling a little against my cheek, but I didn't say a word. She halted an inch or two away, and we stared into each other’s eyes…
my grey-green gaze daring her to go through with it; her beautiful brown ones uncertain and a little anxious.
“Case, you don’t have to…” Lee said suddenly.
“We don’t have to count this dare-” Shaw said at the same time.
But just as they both spoke, she made up her mind, gently pressing her mouth to mine, effectively silencing the other two.
Her lips were soft, much softer than I had thought they would have been, and I couldn’t help but grin against her mouth.
I slid a hand up her arm and hooked it at the nape of her neck, keeping her in place as I kissed her back.
It lasted for only a few seconds before she pulled away, and I let her go.
She didn’t look at me again, nor did she say anything.
She just walked back to her sleeping bag, sat on it, and looked up at Lee, “Ready for your dare?”
It was hours later, and I woke up with a start in the dead of night.
The soft, orange glow from the space heater created large shadows from the furniture along the walls, and as I looked around, trying to figure out what woke me, I couldn't stop the shiver of fear that raced up and down my spine. After living in Harley my whole life, I’d become accustomed to hearing gunshots in the night, or the arguing and the occasional beatings from neighbors as couples would hash it out.
But my senses had also grown hyperaware to notice when something was wrong. And I was not alone.
From across the circle of bodies, I noticed Shaw shift and lift his head a bit from where he had been curled up in his sleeping bag.
Beside him, Casey was sleeping soundly, and I spotted that their hands were clasped.
Not unusual. I have caught them holding hands so many times over the years; I had learned it’s more of a comfort thing than boy-likes-girl.
Shaw was releasing her hand to move a little more, his face pointed towards the archway leading into the hall. We both listened, waiting…
I heard the soft breathing of Lee and Casey as they continued sleeping.
From one of the small windows at ground level to the grass outside, I heard the tapping of one of the dead bushes, hitting the glass again and again.
But that was not what woke me. I know it.
It was something else… something out of place.
Thump!
I tensed and sat up a little more in my sleeping bag, waiting…
Thump… thump… click-click…
That was coming from the front door. I was absolutely certain.
There was more scuffling, more scratching like someone was messing around with the handle, and I immediately knew someone was trying to pick the locks to get in. I’d been about to lurch to my feet to get Casey’s mom, when she suddenly appeared, bat in hand, and raced into the sitting room.
“Come with me. C’mon kids, wake up!” she hissed softly, but I could hear the urgency in her voice. She’s lived in Harley for years. She’s no fool. She knew exactly what was happening and the dangers that came with it.
“Huh? Mom? What’s going on…” Casey yawned as she came to and rubbed her eyes. Beside me, Lee stirred and sat up, looking confused.
“Shhh… quiet, now. I need you kids to come with me.”
“What’s wrong?” Casey’s voice, even though she was whispering, somehow pitched a little in fear.
“It will be okay, but I need you kids to go to my bedroom and hide in the back of the closet.” My eyes adjusted a little more to the dimness of the room, and I finally saw the cell phone she had cradled between her cheek and shoulder.
She had gotten the police on the phone. I got to my feet, ready to take charge, and I held a hand out to Shaw, who took it and got to his feet.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Whoever was at the door was now throwing their body against it, and it rattled in its frame.
Casey cried out as her mother moved towards it, bat raised, and shouted, “Whoever you are, I’m armed, and the police are on their way!”
Just as Casey was about to run after her mother, Lee scooped her up in his arms and carried her down the hall to the bedroom with Shaw and me following.
We did as we were told and crawled over the stack of old shoes and slippers until we were all hidden in the back of the bedroom closet she shared with her mom.
Casey was crying softly, but Lee held her tight, hugging her close.
I could hear him as he murmured something in her ear, but he had been speaking so quietly that I couldn’t make out the words.
Knowing him, I would bet he’s picking the perfect thing to say to comfort her.
He had always been good at that. Optimistic, easy-going…
like a teddy bear, Casey said once. Though he had cringed at her words, I could see him fighting back a smile of pleasure when she’d wrapped her arms around him, laughing as she teased him.
She’s the only one he’d allow to get away with calling him that.
And right now, he was being that for her. Good.
Shaw sat on my other side, and the guy looked bored.
Bored . His head was resting back against the wall, eyes glazed over a bit, and he looked like he had been about to fall asleep.
Seriously, this kid is only eleven, and the idea of a home invasion by a potentially armed crackhead or criminal didn’t phase him in the slightest.
As for me, while I was not the one to comfort the others, I was also not deadened to the seriousness of the situation.
I felt around Ms. Cooper’s closet until my fingers brushed against one of Casey’s hockey sticks that was propped up in the corner.
I grabbed it and positioned myself in front, ready to defend my friends in case shit got real.
Crash!
I heard Ms. Cooper’s scream from the kitchen as the door broke in with an ear-splitting bang.
I wasn’t sure how we managed it, but none of us cried out.
I listened hard, and I heard Casey’s mom shouting, as well as the distant ring of the metal bat as she landed it on the bastard who had busted in here. Where the fuck were the cops?
There was a scuffle from the hall, then the heavy thud of someone being shoved against a wall. It was a sound I knew well… having heard it many times when my old man would use my mother as a punching bag. Which meant either Casey’s mom got the best of the intruder, or…
I jumped to my feet and threw myself into the bedroom, ignoring the hissing protests from my friends.
Gripping the hockey stick, I ran into the hall to see Ms. Cooper lying in a heap on the floor, looking dazed as she gingerly touched her forehead.
Now I get a good look at the asshole who had broken in and attacked her.
With just one look, I knew instantly that this guy was a serious drug addict.
Judging by the condition of his body, I was a hundred percent positive that he was on the same shit my old man liked to use.