“Good. Then stay the fuck away from me.” I dropped the hand I was holding.
Katie turned and walked away, and the next thing I knew she was joined by her group of mean girls, all of them throwing daggers my way.
“You can’t just say ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ like a normal person?” Garth shook his head. “I know she’s a piece of shit, but damn dude, you really tore into her.”
“The only way to deal with bullies is to bully them,” I said as I chugged back my beer.
“I know she’s a complete asshole, but dude, calling her a slut was a little harsh.”
“Would it have been better if I’d lied? She is a slut, just like I am an asshole. I thought we were all telling the truth in that moment.”
Garth just shook his head. I was pretty sure some days he woke up and had no idea why he was my friend.
“I am getting out of here.”
“I don’t even know why you come to these things,” Garth said, standing up. “Wanna go get a bite to eat?” He asked, probably worried that I was headed for some sort of destructive shit. I was on a roll tonight.
“Nah, man, I’m just going to go home. Monica and Edward actually set me up in one of the guesthouses. Eddie gave me some shit about how I was going to be a man soon and needed to have my own space. I think he was just sick of seeing me in his perfect fucking house.” I laughed darkly, thinking about what people might say to him after meeting me. The real reason dear old Dad wanted me out of the way was so he didn’t have to look at me--a reminder of the one thing that he’d failed at.
I placed my beer bottle, on the graffiti-laden, beige coffee table, gave Garth a salute and headed through the crammed crowd of drunks and out the door.
Once outside, I zipped up my black leather jacket and climbed onto my Harley, the familiar hum when I started the engine vibrating my tense muscles into submission. I remembered back to the first time I’d gotten my bike. Sixteen and spiraling, and my dad’s way of making things better was to buy me anything that I wanted...and I wanted a Harley V-ROD. It was the only time in my life I was glad that my father liked to throw money at things in the hope they’d go away.
“Hi, Kyler!” A group of girls said as they stumbled drunkenly towards me. I pretended I didn’t see them, revving my bike and watching as they jumped out of the way as I drove by, leaving the lemmings in the dust.
5
“There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil, a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."
"And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody."
"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is wilfully to misunderstand them.” ― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Madison
“Thanks for doing the dishes, kiddo.” Mom hung up her cell phone. From the moment we’d gotten here, it felt like all Mom was doing was answering that phone.
“For a housewife, she seems to have a lot of things to do. We’ve been here for three weeks and all you’ve done is work,” I said, drying the last of the plates and putting them away in the cupboard.
“Come on, Maddy, this is a really good job. It’s also nice working for someone that knows me and that I’m comfortable around. You didn’t really want to stay, did you? Delaying school, working three jobs, killing myself to afford the rent in a two-bedroom apartment with lead in the water. Still it wasn’t enough to afford university tuition. This job is too good to be true, honey. We wouldn’t have been able to get out if it weren't for the generosity of this family. I’m grateful for it and you should be too.” A familiar stern look that I’d seen a million times before crossed my mother’s features.
I knew she was right, I should be happy that the burden of university expenses was lifted off my shoulders, but I also missed home. I missed the neighborhood, no matter how broken it’d been when we’d left.
“School starts soon, you’ll make new friends,” Mom rubbed my back, reading my mind.
“I know, Mom,” I said, trying to placate her or avoid the subject. It wasn’t just my friends. It was this house, these grounds, the people here--everything felt foreign and unfamiliar. It was all heavy and I was crumbling under the weight.
I needed to be alone. Just me and my thoughts, peace and quiet. My gaze trailed out the window and I noticed the pretty pool, outdoor lights reflecting off the water. I wasn’t much of a swimmer but it looked tranquil and inviting and the perfect spot to clear my head.
“Monica said we could use the pool, right?”
“Yes, she said to make ourselves at home.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. Rich people don’t necessarily mean what they say.” I thought back on my mother’s previous employers, how they’d treated her like vermin. It all started so nicely in the beginning, but after a while it became evident that my mother was nothing more than a punching bag, to be used and discarded at their whim. It always made me so mad; I would literally shake when they snapped their fingers, or called her girl. I never understood how she took it in stride and without feeling completely humiliated.
“Monica and I have been friends for a very long time. She’s kind. We can really be happy here, just give it a chance.” My mom placed her arm around my shoulder. “I’ve known her for practically my whole life. She didn’t grow up with money. She was my neighbor growing up. Our mothers were best friends. Monica isn’t like the others, I promise.”
I took in
