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“Fuck, Zeke. How much?”
“Four grand. That should keep him away for a while.”
“You’re not my children,” Mom hisses. “The devil has sent you. God will punish you.”
My little brother should not be in this position. He should not be handing over his hard-earned money to pay off his father. My little sister should not be nursing a bruise from her mother.
“Mom,” I try to plead with her, but she spits in my face. I let her go to wipe the saliva from my eyes and rage sparks like a match, but I contain it, extinguishing it as fast as it flares. Zeke grips my shoulder but says nothing as our mother flings herself onto her bed like a child and weeps.
“Comon, man.” Zeke whips me from the room by my shirt, closing the door. Tabby is still against the wall, her cheek still pink and I pull her into a tight hug.
“I’m so sorry, Tab,” I mutter into her hair.
“Let’s get out of here,” she says into my chest, reaching out for Zeke’s hand. As close to a group hug us Rykers ever get. “Let’s go watch Millie play.”
My muscles all tighten instantly.
Briggs is going to be pissed.
#
Briggsis definitely pissed. Her features are shadowed and everything about her is tense.
“Yikes,” Zeke says, taking Tabby by the shoulders and steering them both in a different direct as Briggs stomps toward me.
“What the hell, Xan!?” She huffs at me, her wild eyes darting around. “Where were you?”
“I’m so sorry. My dad showed up. I lost my phone. I told Del to call you. Did she not call you?”
“She didn’t,” Briggs says her posture settling but then I notice she’s shaking. “She doesn’t have my number.”
We silently watch each other, waiting to see if this anger sticks or we chalk it up to unfortunate events. She glances to the field a bunch of times and I follow her gaze. Millie is standing with the other girls, a large Band-Aid on her forehead.
“What happened to her?” I ask, unable to process one more shift in focus.
“We were in a bit of an accident,” she says quickly waving her hands. “It was fine. Just went into the ditch. Millie hit her head a bit. She’s fine. Officer Denton said we were fine.”
“You should have taken her to the hospital.” I put my hands on my hips and her scowl deepens.
“We’re fine, Xan.”
I walk away from her, straight to Millie whose eyes widen as I approach. I take her shoulders and lower to her height. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry. This would never have happened if I was on time.”
Millie’s cheeks went full pink and she glanced at her friends. She was embarrassed but I didn’t care.
“I’m fine. I bumped my head on the seatbelt thing, the metal button on my hat cut me a little.” She pushes my hands from her face. “I’m fine.”
Her voice is a little firmer and she steps back from me and I see in her the same walls Briggs built around herself.
“You’re sure,” I ask. Worry cuts me deeper than it has for any of my siblings. Fear I didn’t know possible is dug up from the depths of my heart.
“I have to go play. We’ll talk later.” Millie turns and runs to the field, her friends giving me wrinkled nose glares before they follow her.
“I told you she was fine.” Briggs crosses her arms as I approach her again. “I’d love it if you didn’t undermine me in front of her.”
“This Dad thing is still a bit new for me, okay?” I don’t mean to sound like such a dick, but after this past week I just want to grab a case of beer and drink in my apartment until I pass out and forget every bit of misery.
