Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
“Dad’s going to be pissed,” Adam stated the obvious as he drove me home from school.
I was sure the school had already called my dad to tell him I was suspended for three days.
“I know that already,” I bit out, even though it hurt to talk from my current split lip.
Hopefully, my dad will be more lenient once I explain things to him. It was something I couldn’t—wouldn’t—be explaining to my brother. He didn’t need more ammunition to blackmail me with.
“He’s going to make you help Ezekiel at the shop as punishment.”
I let Adam talk because I wasn’t in the mood to engage in a conversation about the obvious consequences of my actions. He was right, my dad would make me do more work at the shop. Not that I minded; it would be better than being couped at home.
Now that EZ was out of school, he helped my dad out in the mornings while he took classes at night.
Although it had been a year, I don’t think Ezekiel was over losing Sabby.
We didn’t mention her name or bring up old memories that included her because he always retreated when we did.
Ezekiel was never much of a talker, not from what I remembered, but now he was worse.
According to Dad and Adam, he used to be very outgoing and loud, but after Mom, he toned it down, and now, without Sabby, he ultimately shut down.
“Don’t go there with her.”
His words still haunted me. They went with me everywhere as a reminder, and all I had to do was take one look at my brother, and the proof that I had done the right thing was there for me to see.
I didn’t want to be like my brother—alive but not living.
Hell, if I were being honest with myself, that was my father as well.
He had us, and he loved us, but now I knew that the love he had for us and the feelings he had for my mom were two different things.
A partner walked alongside you in life while your children took their own paths and had to find their own ways.
My dad loved us, but he knew we wouldn’t be walking alongside him forever.
As soon as I made that realization, the fact that Astrid would have someone else that wouldn’t be me gutted me.
I mean, nothing had to change, right?
It was a question I didn’t want the answer to, at least not now. For now, I was content with how things were.
Which brought me to my suspension and the fact that high school was changing everything. I was angry, and even though it was irrational, I was angry at Astrid.
“Why did you hit JD anyway? He’s always been a prick, but if you leave him be, he fucks off.”
JD was a super-senior who hung out with Adam’s friends. He would have graduated if he had done something more than get high and ditch class. In my opinion, it wasn’t that hard to graduate high school. All you had to do was show up and do the work. JD was a fucking creep, and a jerk.
“He’s a fucking loser,” I spat.
JD and I were even in height, but the fucker had more weight on me. My hand hurt like a motherfucker from the punches I gave him. He might have been stronger than me, but I was faster.
After what happened today, he might not be graduating this year either since he was constantly getting in trouble, meanwhile, this was my first offense.
“Now, thanks to you, he might stick around longer. Sucks for you, I’m out this year,” Adam mocked me.
School had kept him around way longer than he deserved, which was the main reason for our fight.
When we got home, I sighed, and instead of going inside the house, I made the small trek toward the auto shop. I might as well get it over with and go face my pops.
EZ was hanging out by the register. He looked up at me and shook his head, but I could see the fucker was smiling.
“Nice lip, but other than that, you look okay. See, I told you that having older brothers would one day be a blessing.”
I raised my hand and flipped him off.
I wasn’t about to tell him he had a point. Years of not snitching on EZ nor Adam when they beat me up as a kid prepared me to take a beating and not look like a pussy afterward.
“Who’d you beat up?” he asked.
“The school didn’t say?”
EZ shook his head. “Dad had to make sure he heard correctly. He asked the office twice if it had been Adam and not you.”
“That’s ’cause I’m his favorite.” I grinned despite my lip.
Ezekiel rolled his eyes.
“He’s in the office.”
EZ nodded toward the back room, where my dad had a desk and piles of paperwork. I believe it looked the same since my grandfather opened up shop.
I was a little hesitant when I tapped on his door. Dad probably knew it was me already.
“Come in,” he said calmly.
My dad was sitting at the old desk with a few papers in front of him. Once I walked in, he looked up.
“Nice lip,” he commented, echoing EZ.
“It looks worse than it feels.”
“Who’d you fight?” he asked.
I wish I could tell if he was angry or disappointed by his tone. If I could pick one, I would pick his anger any day because disappointing Dad sucked.
“JD,” I answered honestly.
“That’s old man Benji’s grandson, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Mhmm,” he murmured.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” I said because I couldn’t take the silence. Then I turned back to double-check that I had closed the door. I didn’t want Ezekiel to listen to what I had to say.
“JD is a dipshit?—”
“—and that’s not a reason to get in a fight with him,” my dad interjected.
“He said something about Astrid, and I couldn’t let it go.”
Understanding dawned on my father’s face.
“What did he say?”
Just thinking about what he said had my blood boiling again.
“Nothing worth repeating,” I told him. I didn’t want to say that shit, especially to my dad, but he probably figured it was sexual.
My dad leaned back and sighed.
“You can’t beat up everyone who says something bad about Astrid.”
I remained quiet because even though he was right, I knew that if something like that happened again, I would do the same shit I did today.
After a few seconds, his lip turned upward knowing why I had no comment.
“When you were little kids, Astrid would lose it when anyone was mean to you. Guess the tables have turned, huh?”
I bit back my smile. Astrid was a ferocious little thing when we were kids.
“I’m guessing I can’t go to the bonfire tonight,” I muttered, disappointed.
My dad shook his head.
“You may go, but I want you home early.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I smiled at him.
He rolled his eyes playfully at me.
“You’ll be coming here in the mornings while you’re suspended,” he said as I walked out.
“I figured.”
Once home, I pulled out my phone, only to find Astrid had blown it up.
Astrid: What the hell were you thinking? Why did you fight JD?
Astrid: Are you okay?
Astrid: What the hell will I do without you for three days?
Astrid: Did your dad take away your phone? Hi Mr. Kane! Can you pretty please let Ty call me and then he can go back to being grounded?
Her last message had me smiling and I forgot it would sting because of the stupid lip.
Me: I’m fine. Want me to pick you up for the bonfire?
My phone began to ring immediately after sending the text. Had she been waiting for my message all this time?
“Yo,” I answered.
“What the hell happened with JD? I left your locker, and everything was fine. The next thing I know, you were fighting him.
I opened my mouth, but the truth wouldn’t come out. I didn’t want to go down that road because I was sure I would fuck it up and get angry, and she didn’t deserve that.
“He was being a dick, and I got tired of listening to his lame ass.”
Astrid seemed to let it go, and for that, I was grateful.
“Your dad didn’t ground you? I thought for sure we were missing the bonfire.”
“You would have bailed if I wouldn’t have gone?”
She didn’t hesitate to answer.
“Duh, who the hell would I talk to?”
That struck me as odd.
“I don’t know, those girls you hang out with?”
She let out a humorless laugh.
“You’re the only real friend I have, Ty. Most girls who talk to me only do it in hope that it brings them closer to you. The other half knows hanging out with me means they get to hang out with Adam and his friends.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” I tried to assure her.
“It is what it is,” she said it nonchalantly. “I mean, it doesn’t matter, I still have you. I don’t know what I’ll do when you get a girlfriend.”
My heart accelerated at that word. It somehow felt wrong coming from her lips.
“Why would that matter? No one will ever come between our friendship.”
Astrid stayed quiet for a few seconds, and I would give anything to know what she was thinking about.
“Most girls won’t be okay with you having a girl best friend, Ty,” she said softly.
“If anyone has a problem with you, they have a problem with me,” I stated confidently. “I promise never to let anyone come between us.”
“Same for me,” she assured me. “I’m going to go eat. Pick me up at eight?”
“Yeah…and, Astrid, you’re not going to wear that skirt, right? It’s going to get cold later.”
Astrid had worn skirts to school before, but not only did this one hug her body, it was a few inches shorter than the ones she usually wore.
I caught a couple of my friends staring at her legs, and I had to keep biting my tongue all day before I told them to look elsewhere.
I had no right to tell her how to dress.
No right to tell anyone to look away either.
If JD went tonight, there was going to be a round two.
“I wouldn’t mind tapping that tight little ass.”
By the time JD had said those words, I had enough, and the most fucked-up thing was that I was imagining the same thing they all were.