A few hours later, I awoke to an annoying tapping on the window. Eddie was standing in the backyard, smoking a cigarette. I got up slowly, feeling the bruises forming, and opened the window. He climbed through and I fell back down on my bed, rubbing my eyes, then regretting it when I felt the pain.
Eddie sat down on Trey's bed across from me. His elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. I could see he was shaking his head.
"What do you want, man?" I said finally, sounding more rudely then intended.
He looked up at me. An annoyed look on his face. "I need excuses to come here." It wasn't a question. After a few minutes he stood and walked back over to the window. "Just thought I'd make sure you were still alive." He made strange emphasis to the word alive.
I stared up at him, confused, but he didn't look at me.
"Well you don't wanna talk, so I'll go." He didn't sound convincing.
I sat up and stared him right in the eyes, finally realizing what he was talking about. It was his car that I swore I saw across the street. He saw everything, but did nothing. He told me to call him if I needed him, but I didn't. It seemed weird to me that he was taking offence to that. He's acting like it's the first time AJ's ever beat me up. He knows I don't talk. He knows if he hadn't seen it, I would never have told him what happened. I'm making life easier for everyone. Why couldn't he just be grateful?
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I opened them again and he was still looking at me. He looked frustrated or angry. Angry at me?
"See ya around." He swung his feet out the window jumping down onto the dead grass beneath it. He was out of sight and around the side of the house before I could get any words out.
I groaned again and lay down on my bed, falling asleep.
__________________________________________________________________
"Ryan? Ryan! Open this door right now!"
I awoke with a start, almost falling off my bed. I stretched my arms, checking my watch, with a yawn. It was already 9:30. I didn't think I'd been sleeping that long.
"Ryan, I know you're in there! And where the hell's dinner?" Mom was pounding on the door.
I grabbed a sweatshirt off the floor, pulling it over my head and carefully jumped out the window. I took out a cigarette, limping my way over to the front of the house. My bike was leaning against the fence, where I'd left it. I picked it up and swung my leg over the seat. I took off without a clue where I was going.
I found myself circling the dull neighbourhood. Old cars parked on the streets. Dead grass and weeds scattered all over the lawns. The sound of traffic, guys snickering and yelling filled my ears. I paused on the side of the road, lighting my cigarette. I closed my eyes, inhaling the smoke, trying to relax.
I had no real intentions of going home. It was a Saturday night. I knew exactly what my mom's plans were and wanted no part of it. Trey was probably at some club, shacked up with a girl somewhere, smoking marijuana on a street corner, starting shit with randoms, who knows? I was used to this by now, having really know where to go. Wherever I do go I feel like I don't really belong. I know I don't fit in. I don't feel like it anyway.
From across the street a car's alarm blasted and five or six guys emerged from the side laughing. "Trey, you idiot!"
"You fail man! Definitely!"
I looked up, seeing Trey burst from the back end of the car, turning off the alarm and smacking a guy, jokingly.
I kicked off from the ground, heading in their direction. Something to do.
Trey sat on the curb beside a few other guys, passing joints and snickering loudly. They blasted the radio in the car, some guys singing along with the words all wrong.
"Hey Trey, ain't that your bro?" A tall, broad guy from beside him pointed at me.
I pulled up in front of them and nodded. "What? You guys practising?"
Trey stood immediately. "What the hell happened, Ry?" He was staring down at me, at my face, looking concerned. I guess he wasn't as high as I thought.
I leaned my elbow on the handle bars of my bike, glancing at the other guys, who were all staring at me. "Nothing," I tilted my head in a way I hoped would be hiding the bruises.
"That's quite the shiner for something' that didn't happened!" Another guy snorted.
"I'll be right back, guys!" Trey said to the group of them, then motioned for me to follow. I ditched my bike along the curb and followed Trey who was headed up the street.
When I caught up with him, he kept on walking until reaching a street light. I shoved my hands in my pockets, then looked up at him confused. He stared at me, examining my face. He looked mad.
"Guess you haven't talked to Eddie." I said after a few minutes.
"What the hell, man! I told you to stay away from him when I wasn't home! You never listen, kid! He could've killed you!" Trey spat. "I set it up for you! Why didn't you just climb through the window?"
"I forgot alright! I didn't even think AJ would be there!"
"Yeah 'course ya didn't! The guy never leaves. If you weren't so hot headed and mouthy this stuff wouldn't happen! Shit Ryan!" Trey smacked me across the head.
I stood up straight, looking at him face to face. I felt anger flashing through me. It was all okay when Trey decided to provoke AJ or anyone else when he was in the mood to fight. But never for me. And now here he is right in front of me scolding me like he's my father. I wasn't buying the big brother act. Not for a second.
"It's a lil' thing called authority, Ryan! Yeah the guy's an idiot, but he's big, and he ain't sixteen! He can seriously hurt you, but you still won't listen! I don't expect you to respect that fuck face, but at least have some for me!"
I took a step closer to him. "Don't talk to me about respect, Trey!"
"What are you gonna do, huh? You gonna fight me, you little prick?" Trey hadn't moved a muscle. His hands were in his pockets, steady breathing, his voice bored.
After a minute I took a step back, sighing defeatedly. I knew I couldn't fight Trey. It wasn't even him I wanted to fight. He waited a couple minutes for me to settle down. I looked up at him finally, but he said nothing.
He swiped his hand across my neck, causing it to sting. I smacked it away, then put my hands back in my pockets. "You know you got hand prints on your neck, right?" He stared at me, shaking his head. "He try to strangle you?"
I stared at the ground, kicking a stone between my feet. Trey sighed angrily. "And for the record….yeah I did talk to Eddie." I looked up at him curiously.
"But he didn't tell me about this." He lifted my chin up with his fingers, examining my face again.
"I'm fine!" I hit his hand away again, glaring at him.
He shook his head. "C'mon lil' bro. Let's just….go home."