Chapter seven,
The first time Michael threw the first punch.
Part 2
Nate sat in the dark peering out of the front window, it was two in the morning Michael had to be on his way home by now. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a taxi pull up outside, damn. He ran into his bedroom jumping under the sheets, 'please just come straight in and go to bed.' He listened to his Mother giggling at something his Dad said and then his bedroom door opened with barely a creak. After the door shut he tried to block out other noises that came from his parents room. He wondered if it was at all possible for the night to get worse.
This was all Mikey's fault he told himself, if Michael had done as he was suppose to, he wouldn't be cowering in his bed waiting to be killed.
It must of been an hour later that he heard the sound of Michael sneaking in through the kitchen door. He listened to the stealthy footsteps creeping passed their parents room and then his brother's bedroom door closing. He couldn't wait any longer, trying to stay as quiet as he could he let himself into Michael's room.
"What the hell do you want?" Michael growled, he was getting into bed.
Nate shut the door and came over to the bed, he sniffed and tried to put on a brave face. Michael switched on the bed side light, staring at his brothers face. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"What did you do Nate?" Michael had his feet back on the floor and had hold of his brothers arm forcing him to stay still.
"I er, I." Nate stuttered
"For Christ sake spit it out." Michael hissed.
"I was looking at the Christmas presents and saw you had more than me." The words came out in a rush, then dried up, as Michael's eyes narrowed.
"And?" He prompted.
"And then I remembered when I was helping Dad with the car, the was something at the back of the garage covered in a sheet. And my old bike was broke, so I wondered if - you know he had got me a new bike."
Michael sighed. "So you went into the garage and took a look."
"Yeah." Nate smiled as he thought about uncovering the new push bike. Then the smile went away. He felt his arm jerked roughly.
"What did you do Nate?"
"I just wanted to have a proper look at it you know." He stopped again, now he was here facing his brother he really didn't want to tell him what he had done.
"Nate tell me what you did or, get out I'm tired."
Nate gulped, this was it. "I got it out, and then when I tried to put it back I had an accident- I er, I knocked into the shelves and a tin of paint thinner fell off." He shut his eyes remembering the scene. "All over the roof of the Charger."
"Shit." Michael breathed out the word, then he smiled barring his teeth. "Dad's gonna kill you boy." He drawled. He did a passable impression of their Father with the last four words.
"Please Mikey, sorry Mike, please you've got to help me." Nate begged.
Michael let go of Nate's arm and lay back in bed. "What do you want me to do about it?"
"I don't know." Nate almost wailed. "Think of something, please."
Michael took pity on his little brother. "How bad is it?" He asked accepting the fact he wasn't going to get any more sleep.
"Bad, I tried to wipe it off."
"You idiot, wipe it off as in spread it over the whole damn roof?" He was up now, putting his clothes back on. "Go get dressed. I'll help you but I'm not doing the whole thing myself and if he catches us I'm not taking the blame ok?"
Nate nodded he was grateful for any help he could get.
Michael led the way out to the garage, they took torches because he said they wouldn't be able to turn the main lights on in the garage in case either of their parents got up in the night. He whistled through his teeth at the damage to the paint work.
"You know Nate it might be better just to tell him and take the beating, you know get it over with quick."
"Can't you just paint over it?"
"Nope that's gonna make it worse." He sighed, wishing he could be anywhere else. " He'd notice straight away."
"Notice what?" Both boys froze. "I said notice what?" Frank had got up to go tiolet, and had seen the flickering lights in the garage. He had come out expecting to find thieves robbing the place, not his sons stood looking as guilty as all hell. "Answer me!" He barked, they jumped and then Michael turned pulling Nate round behind him.
"Nate found his main present." Michael replied, licking his lips nervously and eyeing the baseball bat his Father held. "He wanted to try it out. I said you'd notice."
He was lying, Frank knew it. He knew it because Michael always lied to him and Nate's eyes were as big as saucers and the kid was all but cowering behind his brother. He scanned the room trying to see what they had done. Then he saw it, saw the smeared paintwork, some of it down to the bare metal. He moved quicker than either boy thought possible and pulled Nate from behind Michael.
"Which one of you little shits did this? Did Mikey do it, for us making him stay in? Answer me boy."
Nate couldn't speak, he wanted to admit it was him, it had been an accident. The words were stuck in his throat. Next thing he knew Frank had changed his hold to the front of his pyjama's lifting him up on to the tips of his toes.
"Answer me, boy!"
"P-please Dad it was an accident." Nate stuttered.
Michael couldn't just stand there and watch knowing full well what was about to happen. He couldn't watch his stupid kid brother get the snot beaten out of him. He couldn't do it when Nate got bullied at school and he couldn't do it now. He took a step forward, but stopped at the warning glare his Father shot him.
"Leave him alone it was an accident we'll fix it." Michael took another step forward, raising his voice slightly.
"Oh you're gonna fix it alright." Frank sneered. "After I teach the pair of you to respect other people's property." He had dropped the bat now and pulled his fist back. He threw the punch intending to teach first Nate and then Michael a lesson they would never forget, when Nate seemed to suddenly disappear, Michael had pulled the kid free.
"Run!" The older boy shouted shoving the younger in the back to send him on his way.
Michael stood blocking his Father from following Nate back into the house. Frank took in the way the boy stood, he glanced at the hands curling into fists.
"So not satisfied with wrecking your Mom's Christmas and vandalizing my car, you think you're ready to take me on boy.?"
"It was an accident." Michael repeated Nate's words. "I'm not gonna let you hurt him." He didn't wait for a response, the was one thing he had learnt from his Father, you don't fight fair.
It was the last thing he expected, Michael stepped in fast and lashed out. It would of been a good punch against another teenager, it would of probably floored another fifteen year old. It knocked the air out of Frank's lungs but little else. Michael hit him again, knowing that he was probably dead anyway so he might as well continue.
It shocked Frank for a mere instant, the fact Michael would hit him at all was a very big surprise. Then he recovered and returned the favour. The boy wanted a fight he would give him one. For the first time Michael got a full powered blow from his Father. He went down, his head ringing and vision blurring, he went to curl into a protective ball seeing his Father's leg draw back.
"Frank! You stop that now." Madeline shrieked. From the floor Michael watched his Mother drag Frank backwards. "So help me." She continued, jerking her at husband's arm, pulling him towards the door. "I'll kill the lot of you, smother you all in your sleep." She caught Michael's eye. "You and Nate will sort out the car, and until you do you're both grounded and forget about opening any of your presents." She had Frank now out of the garage and towards the house. "And you will leave them alone, at least for today or I'll put the dinner and all of your booze down the garbage disposal. Now get indoors."
Michael stayed on the floor catching his breathe, his head hurt alot and he was going to have one hell of a black eye soon but it had felt good sticking up for his brother. However much of a pain he was most of the time.
