A special thank you to "Foxy"/"Foxy and Mangles Love" for helping me with this chapter. I am experimenting with the new layout of the chapter, with a recommendation from my good friend Foxy.
Two wolves from the other end of the dorm looked over at me as I closed the door hard. Not wanting to wait until one of them made an awkward comment to me, I briskly walked towards the stairwell and practically skipped my way down the stairs. To any onlooker watching me it would look like I am in some sort of good mood. I walked out of the main building and just walked in a direction. I just wanted to walk away from everything, just to get away. My mind was somewhere else as my body seemed to take over and take me to wherever it wanted to go.
Twenty minutes go by before the beeping of a car horn from across the street takes me away from my thoughts. It wasn't directed towards me or anything, but rather towards a wolf on a bike that cycled out in front of this dude. I hate people that disregard the rules of the road like that. You know, I could really do with some chocolate right now. I walked into "Aglo Street General Store" and carelessly wandered around the aisles looking to satisfy my craving. As I was looking at a selection of Kit Kat bars, I felt a tap on my left shoulder. I glanced to my right and who do you think it was? No, it wasn't Princess again, that would have been way too much of a weird coincidence. It was Kate.
"So… this is why you haven't gotten back to me?" she asked chuckling. "Hi Kate. How are you doing?" I asked, admittedly ignoring her humour filled question. "Oh, I'm alright. I just wanted to go and get some treats for myself." she stated as she gestured to her basket full of biscuits, chocolate, and all kinds of treats.
"Ooh, looks like a fun night for you?" I asked as I lifted up a pack of Kit Kats I selected. "Well, I need to be prepared in case I get really bored later." she began. "I wasn't sure if you would say yes to my invitation. I mean you opened my message, but you didn't reply." Kate said raising an eyebrow somewhat in a teasing yet questioning manner.
"Oh god, how rude. I am sorry about that, it's just…" I trailed off, not really sure how I can explain. Kates expression went from a teasing to a more concerned. "Everything ok?" she asked. "If you didn't want to come to dinner with me, it was ok." Kate said.
"Oh no, no, no." I said. "It wasn't that. It was just my friend, my roommate, he wanted to hang out with me and when I read your message, he got a little… huffy I think is the word. He seemed really annoyed with me. Then I think we had a fight, now I'm here drowning my sorrows in average chocolate." I said holding up the pack of Kit Kats.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry to hear." Kate said pinning her ears back slightly. "I just don't know what to do you know. I feel a bit strange about all this. I've never been in an argument around this kind of nature." I said as Kate and I walked over to the counter. "Humphrey, I think you should maybe go back and hang out with your friend." Kate spurted out. "What?" I asked in confusion.
"Well, he obviously wanted to hang out with you, and considering how often I see you, and how often my friend Princess sees you too, he probably feels that maybe you two don't hang out as much as roommates or buddies are supposed to do. And besides, how about we hang out tomorrow? To be honest I would rather shove this stuff in me and have a movie night with the girls." Kate advised.
"Maybe you're right." I said as she and I joined the line for the checkouts. "Maybe there is more going on than meets the eye. He has a funny way of talking about things. I don't know. To be honest I have no idea why I even want this chocolate. I am not good with confrontation, at any level. It frightens me a little bit." I admitted.
"Oh, I can understand that I suppose. I mean you do seem like the soft and cuddly type, so I doubt that you are used to that kind of thing." Kate said.
A little smirk came across my face. "You should know more than anyone." I retorted. "I do. Which is why I said it." she replied, sticking her tongue out at me at the end of that.
"Maybe I should go back and make sure he's alright." I uttered. "Yeah." Kate said. "We can hang out tomorrow night if you want. That'll make up for not responding to me today." Kate said chuckling.
"Next please." the cashier called.
I walked over, got my chocolate scanned and paid for it. $1.99 was what it came to, though I handed the guy a fiver and told him to keep the change. He seemed to smile as he dipped the spare change into the 'tip' jar.
"I'll give you a message later ok?" I asked as I turned to her. "Yeah definitely. Just let me know when I should expect your arrival." Kate said as she made her turn to the cashier. "I'll see you later." I called out as I left the store.
As I took off to go back to my place, a part of me got to thinking. Something seemed really weird about Kate back there. Normally she's really close contact and very affectionate in the way she usually talks. Maybe she feels a little annoyed at the fact that I opened her message and didn't respond to her right away. Either way something felt really off about her in there. And to be honest I'm reconsidering about even hanging out with her at all if she seemed so annoyed over me not responding to a message. Why can't some people understand that sometimes people get distracted with something and can't respond the second they read a message?
I seemed to arrive back at my building rather quickly. As I was approaching the door, I saw Garth exit the building. It seems I always seem to see him coming or going rather than staying. He was turning towards my direction. He made eye contact with me as he and I approached each other.
"Hey man." I uttered.
"Dude be careful up there." he said, seeming exasperated.
"Why, what's wrong?" I asked.
"I don't know man. Hutch just seems to be really, off set up there. All I asked was if he wanted to come have a drink with me and my buddies, you know, maybe try and cheer him up a little or something. And he was like "I'm fine, just leave me alone." in a very snappy tone to me. Just be careful as I don't think he's in a good mood". He finished to which I nodded my head.
"Thanks for the heads up." I said. "You wanna tag along with me? Come have a drink with the guys? I'm sure they would love to see a legitimate Irish wolf at the bar." Garth suggested. I was taken aback. This wasn't the Garth that we met at the start, he seems to have massively wised up. "Well, I don't know man. I want to check up and see how he is. Maybe I can get through to him. I can join you later if you want." I suggested.
The likelihood of that was unlikely but I still would like him to presume I am a mannerly gentleman.
"Sure dude. Message me and I'll send you the deets. Later man." Garth said spinning off.
I was at my door. I didn't know if I should just use my key to walk on in or should I knock the door and let him answer. Garth said he was upset about something. I didn't want to go in and maybe cause a little more disturbance. I just stood there, seemingly staring at the dust on the numbers 72 at the door. I decided to knock gently, tap tap, tap, and I opened the door slowly.
"Hello?" I called out.
There wasn't any response. I walked in and closed the door, possibly twenty times softer than the way I did earlier. I walked slowly into the living room, and Hutch was still there. Sitting at the edge of the sofa staring out the window. To be honest it looked like he hadn't moved an inch since I left.
"Hey man. Are you alright?" I asked approaching him gingerly.
There was no response. I kept approaching. Only the sound of occasional chatter from the open window of wolves outside and the sound of a TV laughter track from a TV in the apartment beside us. Hutch didn't even so much as look at me as I edged closer and closer to the sofa. A sat down at the complete other side of the sofa.
"Dude, please talk to me." I said in the most reassuring voice I can muster.
I am very difficult when it comes to things like this. I don't know how to deal with emotional confrontations. Hutch turned to look at me, and his eyes were red. I mean they were completely bloodshot. The fur around his eyes and down his cheeks on his face were stained and matted down.
"Dude, what's wrong?" I asked as I scooted over to the middle of the sofa to be closer. Hutch tried to talk, but all I really heard was slurred speech. "I'm sorry, I didn't understand." I said gently, trying not to sound rude.
Hutch cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I am sorry for the way I acted earlier. I wasn't really angry at you or anything like that. It's just, there has been so much seemingly going bad for me and I was looking forward to spending some time with my best buddy. And I think all this just made me lash at you. I shouldn't have." Hutch said, sounding like he was choking up at the end of the sentence.
A small tear rolled down his right cheek. I reached my hand out and rested it on his which was resting on the sofa. Hutches teary eyes looked up to meet mine.
"I'm really sorry." Hutch barely managed to muster before crying again. "Hutch? Talk to me, what's wrong?" I asked as I edged myself closer to him. With my other hand I wiped the tears away from his face.
"There's a lot about me I never mentioned before Humphrey. Partly the reason with me moving to the city to get away from it all. I just wanted to feel like…" he began before trailing off, tears rolling out of his pain filled eyes again. I squeezed his hand in an attempt which I thought would comfort him. "Look I understand if you feel like you aren't comfortable telling me. I am not going to force you to tell me anything you don't want to." I said.
Hutch was shaking a little. To be honest I don't think I have ever seen anyone like this before. When I squeezed Hutch's hand, he took a few deep breaths and seemed to compose himself.
"Well Humphrey, there is a lot I never told you about me. For starters, my home. To say my home was broken was an understatement. From as early as I can remember there isn't one positive memory of my father. There were many nights I would be trying to sleep in my room, and I would hear him just belittle my mum all the time, calling her an ungrateful bitch and just super degrading things. She would be slapped in public and things like that, and people in town all watched and did nothing, made cowardly by the fear of my father to do anything. But it was even worse at home behind closed doors Humphrey. I regularly saw my father beating my mother. I used to pray that he had to work late, or never come home at all".
It was hard to describe how I felt about what Hutch was telling me. I just couldn't believe it.
"When mum got her job, she was relieved that she wouldn't have to be home as often anymore. But once mum was working all these hours, guess where he turned his attention." Hutch said. I didn't need to answer. "The only other person in the house. He used to scream at me, telling me that I'm just fat and useless and that mum never loved me. It wasn't long before my father became physical. He slapped me, pulled my ears, and one night he pulled my tail so hard I swear it was milliseconds before ripping off completely. Not only was I being bullied at school, but I couldn't even feel safe at home anymore with my father. I never told my mother what dad was doing. She must have thought he simply got bored of hitting her cause she wasn't there anymore. But it all changed one night. My dad found my journal after he snooped through my room to go into my secret compartment underneath my bed while I was in the bath. He found the passages where I said I was questioning my sexuality." Hutch said, with a sense of dread overwhelming him and myself. I don't think this next part will be very nice to hear.
"I remember the door flying open, the handle and lock completely broken. He ran in, but I don't remember much of what he was screaming. I was just in so much shock. I think it was mostly him calling me a faggot, and a dead son is better than a fag son. Then he forced my head underwater." Hutch added, shaking again. "I was terrified. I was so convinced that was the end of it. And then, he stopped. He let me go. My mum came back early from work and came in to save me. She smashed a vase on his head."
Hutch kept his head down. After about a minute of silence Hutch spoke.
"Mum got him restrained and she called the cops. He got jail time for abuse and spousal battery. And I found out today he got on parole. Mum called me about an hour saying that he has been trying to contact her again, calling over at the house and all that. Says he wants to make amends with us. And to be honest I'm scared. What if he tracks me down? What if he tries to… tries to… tries…" Hutch stopped, and tears were flowing down his face.
I lunged over and wrapped my arms around my best friend and held him close to me. "Well, no matter what happens, I'll stand in the way. No one is going to hurt you when I'm here." I said softly. "I want to say Humphrey I am so thankful you are my friend." Hutch said as he relaxed into my arms. Hutch and I just laid there for another minute, just me keeping him close. "Mum wants me to come home this weekend for a dinner with my aunt. She wants me to visit. I told her I was too scared to visit after what she told me. She assured me that as soon as he comes too close to us the police will lock him right back up again. But I am honestly terrified.".
"I mean that is understandable. But you can't live in fear forever. And your mum wants to see you man. You should go down and visit her." I said.
Hutch sat up properly and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. I shouldn't be living in fear anymore. Maybe I should go home."
"Yeah man you should. Give your mum a hug and maybe have a long talk with her." I advised, to which Hutch nodded his head.
"Thank you for talking with me dude. I really appreciate it." Hutch said as he turned his head to smile at me. It was nice to see that he was picking up a little.
"That's it man. And when you're there tell her I said hi." I said chuckling.
Hutch chuckled as well and turned to face me. "So, what are you going to do this weekend when I'm away?" he asked. "Probably pizza, and maybe chill out. Nothing huge planned. Might take a visit to the Lego store but that's about it." I said. Hutch chuckled, before asking; "Would you like to come with me this weekend?" Which I have to admit caught me off guard a little. "What? Really?" I asked. "Yeah man. I don't want you here by yourself. Well, you'll have Garth, but I bet you'd rather come with me." Hutch said chuckling.
"I don't want to impose man; I want you to enjoy your weekend." I said.
"Dude you are not going to impose, and I'm not sure if that is the correct use of the word." Hutch said turning to me smiling.
"Oh, shut up." I said lightly punching his arm.
"Please? I'm not really that close to my family so it would be great to have someone there I can actually talk to." Hutch said. Snickering at his comment I replied, "Ok fine then I will come. But you owe me for it. I'm not sitting on a bus for a combination of six hours to get nothing in return". Another vibration from my pocket broke the silence as Hutch and I looked at each other. "Oh, you getting invited out again?" Hutch asked, his voice tone showing significantly less enthusiasm.
I brought my phone to see it was Garth. I told Hutch it was Garth, and I read out the message; "Hi man. How's the roomie? The offer is still open if you guys want to come down. I'm at Joe's Tavern on Cherry street.", and I locked my phone and set it down. Hutch seemed to look at me blankly.
"You want to go out and do something? It may lift your mind a bit." I suggested. Hutch looked down and shook his head saying, "I don't really want to do anything". Before I could utter a word, Hutch grabbed my hand. "Can you stay here with me?" he asked softly. "Please I don't want to be alone." he said with his voice much softer, almost pleading.
"Hutch I was going to stay anyway. But yes, I will stay here." I replied with a chuckle.
His eyes seem to light up as I said that and now it was his turn to wrap me in a hug. "Thank you." Hutch uttered.
"No problem. But you are crushing me." I said, to which he released me, which made me gag for air. "Now how about we order fatty food and watch some shitty late-night movies?" I asked.
"Is that Shakespeare?" Hutch replied jokingly.
I looked at him and said in absolute deadpan delivery; "Yes. Now shut up before I smite thee." I said getting up to go and dial for a takeout. Pizza seems appropriate.
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