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12
Ryder
Iblast the music on the car stereo, hoping to annoy people in this neighborhood while waiting for Penny to return. Scrolling through my phone out of boredom, I realize I’ve missed a few messages and calls from a girl I used to fuck frequently at the club. She was my favorite booty call before I had convenient pussy at the house around the clock. I delete all the messages and tuck my phone back in my pocket.
Looking up and toward the house, I still don’t see Penny. I’m getting slightly annoyed about her taking so long to gather her shit when a different feeling creeps up on me. Could she be stupid enough to try to get away from me? The thought has small hairs on the back of my neck rising. She wouldn’t.
Before I can think about it any longer, the song ends. There is a small stretch of silence between this song finishing, and before the next one starts. In those two seconds, I hear something that sounds a lot like a scream coming from the house.
My head snaps up, my eyes glued on the house as I turn the radio off with one hand, the other on the door handle. When I hear the second high-pitched scream, my body moves on its own. I’m out of the car and at the front door in the blink of an eye.
Not bothering to check if the door is unlocked, I use my run’s momentum to kick in the piece of shit door as I go. The wood gives way easily, the whole thing coming off its frame as I enter the house.
More screams echo through the house, and I follow the sounds until I’m standing in a kitchen. Penny is on the floor, her arms trying to protect her face. Some guy in on top of her, straddling her torso as he rains down punches on her.
An all-consuming rage shoots through me, filling every fiber of my being as I take in the scene before me. I feel my muscles vibrate as my body gets ready for a fight. The next instant, I’m across the room with my hands around the guy’s neck. He was so busy beating up Penny, he didn’t even see or hear me coming.
I drag him off of her by his neck, throwing him against the closest wall, and readying to beat the ever-living hell out of him when I see his face.
What the fuck? Thomas Keller?
His chest is heaving, and his eyes are wide with shock, and I imagine I look exactly the same to him. I release him with a shove, and he sags against the wall, gasping for air.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” He spits in my face when he finds his voice again.
For a moment, I’m so shocked to see him I just stand there, staring at him. This is her boyfriend? Him? The guy who got me kicked out of school. The reason I got sent away from the only foster family who ever gave a shit.
Like an old wound ripped open again, Penny’s betrayal cuts through me like a dull knife.
I turn and look at her, still lying on the floor. She’s propped herself up with one hand and is cradling her bleeding face with the other. Tears are running down her face, and even from a few feet away, I can see her body shaking. With red-rimmed eyes, she looks up at me, a barrage of emotions reflecting back at me. I’m so lost in the depth of those blue orbs that I’m only vaguely aware of Thomas making a run for it.
The back door opens and slams shut, leaving Penny and me alone inside the house. The only sound remaining is the sound of her ragged breathing.
It takes me a moment before I can compose myself enough to ask, “Him? You’ve been living with him?” All she does is nod as more tears run down her already swelling face. I should fucking leave her here… with him. She deserves it. And yet, I can’t get my stupid legs to move.
Sobbing, she collapses back onto the floor and curls up into herself. I try to force myself to leave and enjoy seeing her fall apart, broken, and beaten on the floor. All I need to do is walk out of here and leave her behind, be done with her… but I fucking can’t, and I hate her even more for it. Hate her for making me care.
When my limbs decide to work again, I stomp past her and through the house, trying to find the bedroom. When I do, I see the half-filled bag sitting on the bed. I open the closet and grab some more clothes, shoving as much as I can in the bag. When it’s stuffed full, I zip it up and swing it over my shoulder.
I walk back into the kitchen and over to her. Bending down, I slide my arms under her small, trembling body and pick her up. Without looking down at her face, I carry her out to my truck. Somehow, I open the door without putting her down. Depositing her on the passenger seat, I make my way to my side of the truck, throwing her bag on the bed as I pass.
“Do you need to see a doctor?” I ask when I get behind the wheel. I keep my voice monotone on purpose, not wanting her to know how much this whole thing affected me.
“No,” she whimpers as I pull out onto the road.Thank fuck. Getting a doctor would be a real inconvenience right now.
We drive home in silence, and I still can’t look at her, can’t even bring myself to glance over at where she’s sitting.
By the time we pull up to my house, even her whimpers and sobs have quietened down. I park the truck, kill the engine, and get out. Grabbing her bag from the back, I ignore her getting out of the truck and following me inside.
Mojo bypasses me and heads straight for Penny, whining when he sees her. I throw my keys on the counter and head to my room, slamming the door shut behind me. I can’t fucking believe this. Why would she be with that cocksucker?
God, I should have known it was him; she sold me out and lied to protect him. Of course, she stayed with him. She probably loved him even back then. Probably still does. Why else would she do this? Why else would she let him treat her like this? Fuck him and fuck her.
When pacing my room is not enough any longer, I lose my boots and jeans, replacing them with shorts and running shoes. Leaving my room, I hurry through the house to get out the back door. As soon as the door shuts behind me and my feet hit the grass, I run.
I pump my legs until my muscles scream at me to stop, but even then, I keep going. I run until my lungs burn, and my heart feels like it’s about to explode. Only then, when I’ve pushed myself right up to the edge of passing out, do I slow down and walk back home.
When I get back to the house, it’s already dark, I have no idea how long I ran for, but I’m pretty sure it’s been the longest run of my life. Inside the house, everything is quiet, and only one lamp is on in the living room. Penny is curled up on the couch, Mojo sprawled out in front of her, not even moving when he sees me coming.
