A Life On The Edge

Grown Ups Only

“What’s this?” River asked picking up Dylan’s gun. This is what I walked out to.

“That River is a hand gun.”

“How do you play?”

“Well, you take this part back here and pull it back until you hear a click. That’s how you put the bullet into place. Then you hold it up high, brace yourself, and push this little lever back and it’ll go bang!”

“Whoa!” he gasped.

“Yup, but you only play when someone big and scary comes into the house with guns like these, and me and Lyle aren’t around. If Tina or Riley are in big danger that’s when you play the Bang Game.”

“What its do?”

“It takes the bad guys away. Forever.”

“Wow.”  

“Dylan what the fuck are you doing?” Tina yelled.

“Teaching River how to protect himself.” He said as if it was the dumbest question in the world.

“With a gun? You don’t teach 5 year olds how to use guns!”

“Why not?” he asked confused. “I learned when I was 5.”

“Yeah and looked how you turned out.” She grumbled snatching the gun from River’s hands.

“What’s that supposed to mean.”

“You’re in love with a girl you can’t have on the run from your murderous father and vengeful uncle. What the fuck do you think it means.” She glared putting the gun back in the cabinet. Dylan bit his lip and frowned.

“Don’t play with guns River.” Dylan sighed.

“Fuck you! I do what I want!” he groaned. I giggled and Lyle sighed with disapproval.

“This is the shit I get calls about.” Tina yelled. “Riley talk to him.”

“Why should I talk to him? He’s acting like me.” I grumbled taking a cookie from the container on the counter.

“Can I have one?” River asked.

“No.” he frowned and reached out to take one. I slapped his hand and moved the container away. “Little fucker.” I said sticking my tongue out at him.

“Bitch.” He said sticking his tongue out at me. I giggled.

“Riley stop it.” Lyle frowned taking the cookie from my hand.

“What am I supposed to do? Stop being myself?”

“No.” Dylan scoffed. “Well at least a watered down version of yourself.” I rolled my eyes.

“River.” I sighed leaning down in front of him. “Come here we have to have a talk.” He sat up and stared at me focused and alert. “Why did you wrap that jump rope around that kid’s neck?”

“He kept calling me a loser.” He grumbled. “I told him to stop but he wouldn’t.”

“What was wrapping the rope around his neck going to do?”

“Make him go to sleep. Like you did that girl. She wouldn’t stop making you mad so you started playing and she went to sleep and left you alone. I was only playing.” I sighed.

“Okay, you can’t do that anymore.” I said as nicely as I could.

“Why not?” he whined.

“Because there are other ways to make kids leave you alone. Like punching them in the balls or something.”

“Reel it in Riley.” Lyle warned.

“Like telling a teacher.”

“There you go.” He laughed.

“Long story short. You don’t play like that. That’s how grownups play not little kids. Understood?” he glared at me and huffed.

“I do what I want.” He stuck his tongue out at me.

“Okay.” I sighed slowly losing my patients. “Now I already told you once. You don’t play like that River.”

“I do what I want!” he yelled in my face and that’s when I snapped. I grabbed his tongue and squeezed.

“Stick your tongue out at me one more time and I will rip it right out of your fucking mouth.” He yelped and closed his mouth as soon as I let go of his tongue. He tried to run away but I grabbed him by his hair. “Repeat after me. I will not put people to sleep.”

“I will not put people to sweep.”

“I am too young to play like that.”

“I am too young to pway like that.”

“Good. You will do what I say or else there will be consequences. You will be punished the next time you disobey. No more cussing at school. No more saying the words fuck, shit, and you will no longer call your teacher a bitch. You do not do what you want. I do what I want. You do what I tell you. You do what Lyle, Dylan, and Tina tell you. Do you understand?” he tried to nod his head but my grip on his hair held his head in place. “Use your words.”

“Yes I understands.”

“Good. Now go take a bath before I beat your little ass.” I let him go and he jumped off the stool and ran towards the bathroom holding his butt. I looked up to see the shocked faces of my friends. I rolled my eyes. “You guys should be used to this by now.” I grumbled picking up a plastic bag. “I’m going to go find more crickets for Ricky.”

“Who?” Dylan asked confused.

“The scorpion. I named him Ricky.”

“That’s not fucked up at all.” Tina mumbled.

“I’ll be back later.” I called and walked down to the beach. A couple hours and 17 creepy crawlers later I headed back into the house but was stopped when I heard someone call my name. I looked over and saw Ryder walking towards me looking worse than he did earlier today. “What the hell happened to your face?”

“Walked into a door.” He joked. I frowned.

“That’s not funny.”

“Awe, I was hoping it would be.” I glared at him and took his chin to look closer at his face. Most of his wounds were open and if he didn’t take care of them they would get infected.

“Did you take care of these yet?”

“Nope.”

“Do you know how?”

“Nope, I would have asked Emma but I don’t want her to see me like this. Max won’t answer her phone, and well I couldn’t really go to Aunt Bridgett.”

“Why not?” I glared.

“I walked into a door.” I frowned. Lyle would be able to help him but I can’t really figure out a way to explain why my English teacher is living with me. “Could you help me out?”

“Um, yeah just wait here.” I said pulled my phone out of my pocket.

“If you’re calling your boyfriend to warn him that I’m coming in you don’t have to worry about it. I already know about you and Mr. Clark.” I froze and dropped my phone. I growled balled my hands in a fist trying to conceal my anger.

“Fucking Kramer.” I growled.

“It wasn’t Kramer. I knocked on your door and saw him on the couch.” I groaned. “I didn’t even know Kramer knew.” I frowned.

“What do you want?” I sighed. “Money? What?”

“I don’t want anything. You’re my friend.” He smiled. “I just want some help with this swelling.”