To Romance a Kanker
Ch.7: Brothers in Arms
"You said you have siblings, right?"
I nodded, setting my hot chocolate down. We were sitting at their kitchen table, which was a simple wooden circle. "A brother and sister. My brother is ten, and my sister is five."
"You know" Eddy said. "You would think having a big brother would be the best thing in the world. To toss a basketball with or hide the TV remote on Mom with. For me, it was a nightmare."
"My brother was cruel. He hit me all the time and would always tell mom and dad I fell. He never cared if I saw him drunk or nothing. Or...kissing his girl. Never. One night was the worst though" he said, choking back tears.
I reached across the table, gently taking his hand. He gave a nod, taking a second to pick up the pieces.
"We had a cat" he said softly. "An orange one named Skyla. One night one of his buddies came over. He had a dog that hated cats. I meant couldn't stand them. Well, Mike put the two together in one of the closets and locked it."
My heart dropped. "Oh no. Did...?"
Eddy frowned. "She was okay. But she was hurt really badly. I tried to open the closet, but Mike backhanded me and pulled out a belt. I... I got whipped bad" he said pulling up his shirt to reveal a 6-inch scar on his shoulder.
I stood up, my hands shaking. I was not one for violence, but I wanted to kill his brother. Eddy shook his head.
"Next day, my parents cornered him after seeing Skyla. He tried his old tricks, but they were done. Told him to pack his things and go. Didn't see him again till last summer."
"How old were you when he did this?" I asked.
"Seven. So, a while. Dad was hurt. He tried raising Mike the right way, but it didn't take. I hate him. I really do."
"Anyway, he had taught me how to scam people. So, I scammed the kids around. I thought it was right. What I got was angry glares and hurt feelings. I was wrong. It didn't help how Lee could be. Really demanding and kissing on me and stuff. Nah, what turned me around was how she reacted to Mike." He said allowing a smirk.
I lead in as he grinned. "So, after the kids accepted us and stuff" he said, taking a few minutes to tell that story, "The Kankers dragged him into his trailer and beat him. I mean beat him. He called Mom crying. I was in the room. Mom rolled her eyes, said "That's what you get" and hung up."
If it was not for the facts that two sleeping adults were in the house, I am sure Eddy and I would have fallen in laughter.
Eddy smiled. "But yes, it sucks. I go through these bad deals. But hey, I got you guys. Brothers in Arms."
The next day, a brother in arms would show me Peach Creek High.