Page 55 of The Corruption of Hollis Brown

Please. Please. Take us home.

Walt kept walking.

Please.

Hollis reached out and tried to force calm into them the way Walt had the very first night. Tried to communicate his anxiety, wordless and tender, and the wish for understanding. He couldn’t tell if it was working, but he tried.

Walt stopped in the middle of the street and closed his eyes. He tipped his head back, the way he always did when his heart was breaking. They were a half block from the bus stop. The sign bright and yellow, close.

Take us home, Walt, Hollis said, firm and sure.

Walt took a breath, shaky and wet. He covered their face with both hands.

Why, Hollis? What will that change?

It would never quit shaking him to hear his own name spoken in his own voice.

Give me our arms.

Hollis was a lot of things. Nice wasn’t one of them. But he wasn’t the sort of person who saw someone crying and did nothing about it. He wasn’t the sort of person who was raised to feel nothing from something like this.

Give them to me.

Walt did, all at once. Let them fall to his sides and hang, as hot tears found themselves in the curves of their ears.

Hollis took his own arms and wrapped them around his middle, held tight. Walt startled.

Why are you doing that?

Shh.

Hollis used his hand to wipe his face, to gentle away Walt’s crying.

Walt laughed, hysterical and joyless, but Hollis didn’t let that push him into cruelty.

Do you still want to go to the party? Hollis asked. Or do you need to stay home?

Walt shook his head. Why ask me that? It’s your party; it’s your life—

You don’t have to get all upset. Hollis wiped his face again. I’m not mad, just confused. Did you do something to me or was that just . . . us? As we are supposed to be.

None of this should be happening at all, Walt whispered. I am an abomination.

Hollis thought for a bit. He wanted to do it again, whatever that was. He could still remember the shivery pleasure hidden in the pain of it. Felt muted shocks of it as he wiped their face.

So what? Hollis said finally. I’m not that great of a person either.

More tears.

You don’t understand.

There were years in those words. But Hollis didn’t think that was important.

Why should I need to? We’re both stuck here. You metaphysically and me because looking up exorcisms failed. Let’s just make the best of it. So much of this experience is bad. This one thing is good! I don’t understand why you’re freaking out so much.

I could just jump into someone else.

Dude, I’m not letting you fuck up someone else in this town over this shit. If I saw your eyes in someone else’s head I would feel so bad, I’d throw up immediately. It would feel like my fault, and I can’t deal with the stress of that.