Clinch: Chapter Six
Xxx
This had to be the most stubborn kid in all recorded history.
"Brandon, sweetie, you gotta drink something for us, okay? You need it."
His head rolled away from where the straw was held, and he looked warily up at them with sleepy eyes.
"B," Mike said, gently. "You gotta get something in your stomach, kiddo. I don't know how much longer your body's gonna like the idea of the stuff it needs being injected into it."
It was like trying to feed vegetables to a toddler.
"Brandon," Stef combed her fingers through his hair. "Please, buddy, just a few sips."
He turned away again. Nope.
Stef sighed, rubbing her forehead and yawning. Who the hell gave this kid his stubbornness?
Oh yeah, she did...
Damn genetics.
"You know, Brandon," Lena began, setting the cup down on the table. "I heard they make milkshakes here, and I heard they just happen to make strawberry ones—aren't those your favorite?"
Brandon's eyes darted to her, a flicker of excitement crossing his features for a moment.
Now we're getting somewhere.
"I heard they put whipped cream on them, too." Lena continued, hiding her smugness. "Let's make a deal. You drink some water for us, and we'll get you a strawberry milkshake. How's that sound?"
Brandon looked tempted, and he seemed to be considering the offer. His eyes darted from the cup of water to his parents. But he continued to look at them stubbornly.
Lena didn't miss a beat. "A large strawberry milkshake,"
His eyes widened slightly, and Stef, Lena, and Mike all bit back a smirk.
"So, that's a yes?" Stef asked him.
All three parents recognized the reluctant acceptation in his eyes, and Mike grabbed the cup, and started to press the straw towards Brandon's lips.
Blushing from the fact that he'd just been sold by a milkshake, Brandon shakily raised his left hand, and cocked an eyebrow at Mike. I can do it myself.
That was certainly a good sign.
Mike bit back another smirk, and made sure Brandon could securely hold it until he let go. Brandon slowly took a sip, and looked up at his parents questioningly.
"One more,"
Annoyance flickered across Brandon's face, and he took another sip.
"One more,"
Sip.
"Another one,"
Brandon furrowed his eyebrows, and repeated the process.
"And...one more."
When they were convinced Brandon had swallowed, they set the cup back on the table.
"Alright Brandon," Stef said, ruffling his hair. "Thank you. We're gonna go get you a shake. Don't fall asleep on us."
When the three adults were in the hallway, they chuckled quietly, and high-fived each other.
"He would have gotten away with it, if it weren't for us meddling kids."
"You snitch,"
Callie whirled around, gasping when Vico slammed her locker shut.
"Do you have any idea how many messes you make?" Vico snarled, pressing her against the lockers. "You just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? Always gotta go make a scene. Attention whore,"
"Get away," Callie growled, and Vico pressed her harder.
"I guess you're just fifty shades of whore, huh? Hooking up with your siblings, desperate for attention—"
"Stop," She demanded.
"You know what, you little bitch? I'm being questioned by the cops in an hour. Can't run, can't hide, because the whole school's got me on lockdown. This is happening because you had to tattle to mommy."
"It wouldn't matter if I said anything." She hissed. "They have evidence. There was a video camera right above his car. They would've known it was you regardless of whether I said anything or not."
"You gave them the idea." He growled. "And now I'm fucked."
"You had it coming. This is your fault."
"You know what, Callie?" He sneered. "If I end up in Juvie, can I borrow your prison uniform?"
"Screw you."
"I'm surprised you haven't yet."
"Get away!"
As people began to look over at them, Vico snarled, and stared her down intently.
"When this is over," He began; his voice eerily calm. "You're going down. You, your boyfriend, and whoever else you've hurt in this damned world."
"Get. Off of me." She demanded. "Or I'll make the police come sooner than an hour."
Vico released his grasp on her, and stormed away as a crowd of people watched.
Heart beating frantically, Callie quickly walked away, a hot tear sliding down her face.
'Do you have any idea how many messes you make?'
There were no more pain meds lingering in Brandon's body. That was evident.
Stef knew this, because his face kept scrunching in pain,
And he kept looking at his hand.
Every muscle in her body was tense, as she willed his eyes to dart away from his hand. Please, God. Please, if you're out there, don't let him figure it out. Not now.
"How're we doing in h—" Mike's question immediately vanished from his lips, when he saw Stef's anxiety-filled face, and Brandon looking confusedly at his hand.
Brandon just couldn't put his finger on this. How'd that happen? Huh. It looked like his hand was screwed up pretty bad. It really hurt, too.
That would hurt when he was playing piano.
...
...
Wait.
Stef and Mike nearly burst into tears at Brandon's facial expression when everything clicked in his mind.
He knows.
Brandon stared at them questioningly, his eyes filled with anxiety. What does this mean?
A tear slid down Stef's cheek, and she wiped it away hastily. Mike looked down at his shoes. Lena walked in, just as the tears began to well in Brandon's eyes.
As tears of confusion and fear streamed down Brandon's cheeks, Stef grasped his left hand.
"Brandon," Stef called, gently but firmly. "Brandon, look at me."
Another tear slid down his cheek, and she wiped it away lovingly. "Sweetie, I don't want you to worry about this, okay? We're gonna take care of it. Everything is alright. Everything is going to be alright."
'How?' Her thoughts taunted her. 'How are you going to fix this?'
You can't.
Yikes.
Anyone else excited for the whole 'Questioning Vico' thing next chapter?