6. Shane
Shane
Senior Year
To celebrate our last spring break of high school, Gabe’s throwing a party in his backyard.
Life’s a lot easier now that I live with Gran and my dad ran off to Florida, and I can just do what I want with my friends.
As we barrel down the stairs and through the house, Jon calls from the living room. “Shane, you got a minute?”
JT and Gabe continue out of the house, and I step into the doorway of the living room. “Yeah. What’s up?”
“I know you’ve had a rough year. I won’t pretend to understand, but you can talk to us. We can help you.”
Gabe told him about last night. Fucking rat.
I thought I was hiding my problem pretty well because Gabe’s never said anything about my drug use, but he caught me snorting an Oxy in the bathroom last night. I expected him to flip out, but he didn’t. He just shook his head and walked away.
I close my eyes and let out a deep breath. “I’m okay.”
“No, kid. You’re not.” He shakes his head. “I know I’m not your parent, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t say anything. You’re headed down a very dangerous path, and you need to get a hold of it before it’s too late. It’s only going to get worse.”
“I’ve got it under control.”
“No, you don’t.” He leans back in the chair and crosses an ankle over his knee. “But when you’re ready, I’m here.”
I nod before heading outside with the others.
When my dad left, I didn’t know how to get my hands on what I needed. It was fine at first because the hospital sent me home with pain killers, but those ran out pretty quick.
Eventually, I met a local dealer, Marcus.
It’s actually a better situation because he has access to just about anything I could want, and I don’t have to worry about getting caught. Gran gives me the money she gets from my mom in child support or whatever. If I get low on cash, I just do a few drops with Marcus to pay him off.
Gabe’s shooting the shit with the guys from the soccer team when I reach them. The party isn’t out of control, but by the time midnight rolls around, everyone’s drunk way too much.
Well, I haven’t, but everyone else has. Alcohol’s not really my thing. I usually nurse the same drink most of the night.
Katie and JT are fighting, as usual. That’s all they do. He says some stupid shit, she majorly overreacts, then it becomes everyone’s problem because we have to listen to the two of them scream at each other.
“Just fuck off, JT!” She flips her shoulder-length brown hair.
“Fuck off? Okay.” He crosses his arms. “You know, you can be a real bitch sometimes.”
“Yeah, I know. You seem to bring that out in me,” she snaps.
“No, darlin’.” He grins. “That’s all natural.”
She storms off with a growl.
I don’t understand why he puts up with it. It’s not all Katie’s fault, JT’s a jackass sometimes, but why would you want to date someone you can’t fucking stand half the time?
“You good?” I ask.
“Yeah, she’ll get over it.” He runs a hand through his hair before adding, “Or not. I don’t really give a shit.”
“You keep telling yourself that.” I laugh, patting his back.
He shoots me a dirty look.
“What’s she pissed about anyway?”
“I told her I wasn’t going to prom. Shit’s stupid. I’m not paying to rent a stiff-ass suit just to have her get pissed at me halfway through the night and leave with her friends. We already did that shit at homecoming.”
I roll my lips under. I was there. Homecoming was a nightmare.
“Said she’ll go with someone else. I told her have at it. I really don’t give a fuck.”
“Smooth, J. I bet that really made her feel better.”
“Shut up. Wanna ditch this shit?”
I nod, following him to the front where he’s parked. His grandpa just gave him a new truck for graduation, and he refuses to park it in the grass.
As we round the house, Katie’s standing in the driveway while another senior, Chris, holds her around the waist.
“Get off of me, Chris!” She shoves him.
Chris’s a creepy fucker. Katie dated him for a little bit before her and JT got together, and he doesn’t seem to know when to let it go.
I’m a little surprised Katie hasn’t decked him yet.
And I wish she had because I know what’s about to happen.
JT’s one of the most chill guys I’ve ever met, but not when it involves Katie, and he’s warned Chris a couple of times already.
JT barrels toward them, shouting at the top of his lungs, “Get the fuck off her.” He tears Chris away from her before tossing him into the side of a vehicle. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
“Nothing, man. I was just talking to her!” Chris holds up his hands, tilting his head up to look at JT, practically trembling.
“You don’t get to fucking talk to her! Ever!”
JT swings.
Chris crumples to the ground.
JT should just leave it at that, but he won’t.
“Goddamn it,” I murmur.
As Chris scrambles to his feet, JT knee’s him in the stomach and he goes down again, exhaling sharply.
A crowd starts to form, but no one moves to help the poor kid.
Chris gets in one shot when he stands again, but that only seems to piss JT off more. He knocks him to the ground again and climbs on top of him, landing another punch. Then another, and another, and another.
Racing to them, I grab his arm and pull him off. “Enough!”
He’ll kill the sorry fuck if someone doesn’t step in.
He jerks out of my hold, going right back to it and shouting something incoherent.
Gabe reaches us and helps me pull him back again.
Sirens blare.
“Fuck,” I shout, still holding a flailing JT as he screams at Chris who’s sitting up, looking like he got mauled by a pack of coyotes.
I don’t know who called the cops, but the station’s only a couple of blocks down the road, so it doesn’t take them long to get here.
When the police show up, they immediately clock JT who’s raging, covered in blood, and still yelling that he’s going to kill him.
They call to get medical attention for Chris and pull my friend from my grip.
JT doesn’t cool off. Even as they shove him against the cop car and cuff him, he’s still screaming.
Chris isn’t helping the situation, shouting right back, calling JT every name in the book.
It’s amazing he can even speak with his face torn up like that.
Katie sits in the grass, sobbing.
When they pull JT back from the car, he looks over at her with anger still burning in his gaze. He spits, not breaking eye contact with her. She looks like she wants to say something but doesn’t as they put him in the car and drive away.
After telling Jon what happened, Gabe and I wait anxiously while he heads down to the station to sort things out.
We’ve all had a few run-ins with the local police.
One of the guys, Officer Dipshit, has a habit of showing up at just the right moment to kill whatever fun we’re having.
Luckily, Jon’s always been able to get us out of trouble.
But it’s only been minor consumptions or alcohol, or disturbing the peace, stupid shit like that.
Something tells me this time might be a little different.
Gabe paces in the kitchen, biting his nails. “They’re gonna let him go. They have to, right?”
I tell him the same thing I’ve said the other ten times he’s asked me that. “I don’t know, man.”
When Jon finally comes home, his throat works as he waltzes into the kitchen.
“So?” Gabe asks.
Jon shakes his head. “There’s nothing we can do. They’re pressing charges.”
Gabe stands from the island. “Dad! What the hell! We’re about to graduate.”
“Yeah, I know. I tried. He’s been in trouble too many times already. They’re not going to go easy on him. This is why I keep telling you boys to be fucking careful!” he shouts, slamming his hand down on the kitchen counter.
Colette stands on the other side of the room with tears in her eyes.
“I know, but he’s not even done with high school.”
“But he’s legally an adult. This is what happens when you get caught and you’re a part of this life. They will throw the book at you just to make a point.”
“But they can’t do that!” Gabe shouts, sounding like a kid again.
“They can! Dean and I have been warning you boys for years! You never fucking listen. Take this as a lesson. If you aren’t careful, you’ll be next.”
“How long is he going to be in there?”
“I don’t know.” He swallows, shaking his head. “It’s not gonna be good, I can tell you that much. He fucking assaulted someone! Put him in the hospital! And he had weed in his pocket! The court isn’t going to just overlook that.”
Colette moves to place a hand on Jon’s shoulder.
Gabe turns back to me, looking just as scared and helpless as I feel.
It’s a long three days before his initial hearing and then another few weeks before he accepts a plea deal for two years.
It’s a devastating blow, but Jon says it could have been worse.
I can’t imagine that. It feels shitty enough that he’s gonna miss graduation, but now he’s losing two years of his adult life too.
Things are weird without him—walking across the stage at graduation, knowing he won’t be called behind us, our grad party at the clubhouse for two instead of three.
Nothing feels right, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around why I get to continue living my pathetic life and he doesn’t. He deserves it more than I do.
This time when Ash comes to visit for the summer, I make a point to keep my distance.
I don’t want her to see me fucked up, and I can’t seem to not be fucked up anymore.
The whole thing would be a lot easier if the stupid kids in town would leave her alone.
I don’t know what happened this year, but it’s like every dumbass with a dick has noticed her for the first time. It’s fucking annoying.
Gabe’s lying flat on his back with his legs hanging over the edge of his bed when I walk in and plop down on the desk in the corner of his room and ask, “Did you threaten Ash’s boyfriend?”
“Yeah, why?”
“She’s pissed.” I laugh.