Dana turns to me with a huge smile on her face. “That was so fun.” She’s grinning as she pulls me into her for a hug. I like Dana’s hugs, they are warm as sunshine, and she always smells of home baking.
“Dana, what has dad told you?”
My stomach curls in on itself, and unlike the pricking on the back of my neck, I understand this sensation. My cheeks heat as I look up at Jack, Dana’s older brother.
Ice-blue eyes narrow on me, and my spine straightens. My stomach squirms as he glares at me, and I’m wondering what I’ve done wrong. Each time he looks at me like that, I want to ask why, but my courage fails me, and I’m sinking my heels into the lawn.
“Go away, Jack.” Dana releases me and folds her arms across her chest. I notice her nails are painted a vibrant blue, and I wonder how I hadn’t noticed that before.
Jack still glares at me, and I’m snared in his gaze. I want to snarl at him so he’ll stop looking at me, but at the same time, I hope he never stops looking at me.
“She’s an Outsider, and we don’t mix with them.” He takes a step closer, and my feet sink further into the grass. I want to be brave, but he’s taller, so tall that I have to crane my neck back to look into his eyes.
“Shut your face.” Dana steps closer, and she’s like a warrior from one of her fairy tales. She’s so strong, and sometimes I wish I was like she is.
He releases me from his hold and turns those crystal eyes on his sister. He sneers. “Make me, you little brat.”
I move quicker than I thought possible. My hands reach out, and like I’ve pushed Dana a million times on the swing, they slam into Jack’s chest, and I watch in horror as he stumbles back and he’s falling. A look of utter shock covers his features but turns to anger; when he thuds heavily onto the lawn, he bounces back up and towers over me.
“You little shit.”
I raise my head high. “Touch me, and my dad will kick the shit out of you.”
“I wouldn’t touch you.” The way Jack looks me up and down makes me uncomfortable, and I frown. “I wouldn’t piss on you if you were on fire.”
“Mom!” Dana’s scream pierces the air, making both Jack and I jump apart.
He swings around and steps closer to me, lowering his voice. “You’re scum, and my father doesn’t want you around Dana, and neither do I. We know your kind, and you’re not welcome here. No one wants you here.”
“What did dad tell you?” Jack grabs Dana’s arm and drags her over to me.
I’m staring at my best friend in the world. She chews her lips, and her blue eyes waver. “She’s my friend.”
Jack shakes her, and I’m ready to knock him on his ass again when his sharp gaze pins me to the spot.
I see Svetlana come out the back door with a tray of drinks. Did she think I was scum?
“Tell her.” Jack forces out.
“Dad said that I can’t play with you anymore. That you are an Outsider.”
“Drinks!” Dana’s mother, none the wiser, steps onto the lawn, and Jack releases his sister before stepping into my personal space.
“Now fuck off and run home to your alcoholic mother.”
It’s like a slap to the face. My eyes sting, and when he starts to grin like a shark circling blood, I know I can’t let as much as one tear fall. I’m running past Jack and Svetlana, I’m running home, and the worst part is, Dana doesn’t call me back or follow me. She never tries to stop me.
My small fists pound the blue chipped front door, but no one answers. Jiggling the old handle, the door swings open, and I step into the hall. I’m ready to call for my mother when I hear raised voices coming from the bedroom. I close the door quietly. My brother’s bike rests against the marked wall.
I advance down the hall, and my parents’ bedroom door is open.
“So that’s it, you’re going to run.” My mother snivels, the once pink nightgown is wrapped tightly around her tiny frame. She’s thin, too thin. She blows smoke into my father’s face. Seeing him, something in me softens and turns to goo. I’m ready to call out to him, tell him the horrible things Jack O’Reagan said to me, but something freezes me to the spot.
He stuffs shirts into a bag and glares at my mother. “I’m not running. I’m leaving. I can’t do this anymore with you, Jane.”
My mother grabs the bag with her free hand; the ashes from her burning cigarette landing on the worn-out brown carpet.
“Daddy.” My heart pounds too fast, and I’m tempted to touch my chest. My parents freeze, and my father’s shoulders fall forward like he can’t hold his weight up any longer.
“Sweet Pea.” His smile has all the moving parts slot back into their rightful place. His smile tells me that everything will be okay.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
My dad is so tall, but he bends and kneels before me. His soft brown eyes speak words that I don’t comprehend at ten years of age.
“Daddy has to go away for a while.” My dad reaches out and touches my arms, but I barely register his large hands on my skin.
“Who will take care of me?” The words are whispered because no matter what, I don’t want to hurt my mother’s feelings.
“Your mother will.” My father squeezes my arms and stands.
