The Delinquents

The Delinquents - chpt. 9

The Delinquents

Chapter Nine

 

            “Who would like to share?” Evan asked, “Anyone?” Evan looked around at all of us and was met with six blank faces. Travis usually started off the group meetings but he had been excused because of recent events. He was upstairs in his room, isolating himself like he had been for the past day and a half.

            His parents had shown up here two days ago, intent on seeing their son. Evan had tried desperately to get rid of them, knowing how their presence would affect Travis. Unfortunately, they pulled the ‘Travis is our kid’ card and forced their way in. Travis caught one look of them and freaked out. When his parents had finally left, the only way he knew to deal with his feelings was to light the shed on fire.

            Needless to say, the guys were pretty pissed that Travis had set the shed ablaze. Inside were all the sporting supplies, outdoor seating cushions, and pool toys. Evan had promised to replace everything as soon as he could. Since Travis had broken down, he had locked himself up in his room, he even refused to come down at meal times.

            “Please guys, someone share something,” Evan was literally begging for us to participate. He was more bedraggled than I had ever seen him. His brown eyes didn't hold their usual light and his hair was limp and pushed to the side without care.

            “Nothing is as interesting as what happened so what’s the point?” Gabe said, inspecting his nails. He had the nasty habit of ripping at them during times of stress.

            Evan gave him a flat look. “Bringing it back to everyone’s attention is not going to make anyone want to share, Gabe.”

            Gabe shrugged, unfazed. “They’re all thinking about it, I just said it.”

            "I feel bad about giving him my lighter," Simon said sullenly, surprising everyone. He was the quietest of the group and rarely shared anything. Sometimes I wondered if his tendency to drift into his own head was a side effect of the drugs he had taken or just hardwired into his personality.

            Evan frowned. "It wasn't you who made him act out, Simon."

            Simon shrugged, pushing back his long dark hair. "If I had kicked the habit of keeping one around than he wouldn't have gotten to it. I should've tried harder." There was something about his expression that unsettled me. Surely he couldn't be that guilty over carrying a lighter.

            Keegan had his arms crossed over his chest as he spoke. “I feel like beating the shit out of his dad,” he admitted out loud. Evan raised his eyebrows, clearly not happy with this piece of truth. Keegan didn’t respond to Evan’s look, he just stared at the wall ahead of him, a muscle jumping in his jaw.

            “Keegan, you know that violence doesn’t solve anything,” Evan said briskly. He seemed eager to squash Keegan's confession.

            Keegan looked unaffected by the words Evan threw at him. “I disagree. Punching someone who has hurt you in the past feels good, it’s a stress outlet.” I didn't miss the brief smile that graced his face.

            Derek shifted in his seat, obviously uncomfortable as well.  “Keegs, that’s not smart thinking.”

            Keegan shrugged, looking subtlety annoyed. “It’s true though. When I used to box I felt good. Of course, it made me want to fight more, but that’s beside the point.” Keegan looked down at his hands, frustrated no one was understanding. “You know when you’re really upset and you get that knot of anger in your chest?”