AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I had never been able to self-soothe, not with my words or my touch. Not when my brain didn’t like my voice and my body didn’t like my touch.
Refusing to give in to temptation by turning on my heels and bolting back to the girl who had the innate ability to do for me what I could never do for myself, I crossed the road toward my house.
Get a handle on yourself, you big eejit.
The sound of my mother’s voice was the first thing that greeted me when I stepped inside the front door, followed swiftly by the sound of my stepfather’s grating one when he called out, “Gibs, is that you, son?”
I’m not your son, asshole, I mouthed, sticking both fingers up at the kitchen door animatedly before getting a handle on my emotions and composing myself.
“The one and only,” I said, forcing myself to sound carefree, while I purposefully ignored the way they were holding hands at the table.
Holding hands?
At their age.
Puke.
“You’re supposed to be grounded,” my stepfather informed me. “Or have you forgotten about the very expensive landscaping job you cost me last month at Mrs. Kingston’s?”
“Nope.” I grinned at the memory. “I remember.”
“Jesus, Gibs.” Keith narrowed his eyes. “You could pretend that you feel bad about it.”
“I could,” I agreed, still grinning. “But I’m no liar.”
“You need to do something with him,” he told my mother, tone laced with disgust. “Mark never gave us this trouble.”
“I have,” Mam urged. “I grounded him. He hasn’t seen his friends in three weeks.”
“Except that he has,” Keith argued. “Considering he’s rambling home at seven o’clock in the morning after spending the night at the neighbors like a whoring tomcat.”
“You’d know all about that, wouldn’t you, Keith?” I shot back, unable to stop myself. “Whoring around other people’s houses?”
“Stop it, the pair of you,” Mam snapped, turning her attention to me. “Your father’s right—”
“He’s not my father.”
“This behavior has to stop,” she pressed on. “What you did to Keith’s machinery was completely out of order. You’re supposed to be grounded and you’ve been sneaking out at night.”
“I don’t sneak anywhere,” I countered. “I sleepwalk.”
“And I’ve indulged your late-night walkabouts because, well, we both understand about the nightmares,” she continued, not missing a beat. “But school is starting back next week. It’s a serious time in your life. Sixth year is important, and we both feel that it’s high time you knuckled…” Her voice trailed off when her eyes trailed over me. “What in the name of Jesus are you wearing, Gerard Gibson?”
Confused, I glanced down at myself and then smirked when I noted the silky pink dressing gown with the pom-pom tassels. “Do you like it?” Grinning, I twirled the tassel around aimlessly. “It’s my new look, Mam.”
“Why, Gerard?”
“Why not?”
“Oh, Jesus, Keith.” Mam dropped her head in her hands and groaned. “Take this one for me, will you?”
“Don’t feed into it,” Keith the killjoy interjected, giving my mother’s hand a squeeze. “He’ll keep it going forever.”
“Oh do, Keith,” I shot back, unable to keep my tone light when I was addressing him. “Feed into it. I beg you.”
Shaking his head, my stepfather stood up and moved for the kettle. “Your mother’s right, Gibs. You need to start taking life more seriously.”
And you need to take a long walk off a short cliff, asshole. “Is that so?”
