Secrets, Deals and Lies

Chapter 14 - Reckless Child

I took deep breaths as I waited for Billy to tell me more. ‘Something’s… changed.’ And that’s all he seemed to have to say as a plain look covered his face.

‘W-what do you mean? What changed? What happened? Billy, what did you do?’ I yelled starting to panic, my eyes wavering around the room; first to this thing, then that, then that, then that again, and then this and that…

‘Remy, calm down; I didn’t do anything. It-it was just the atmosphere around him; it’s changed. Or maybe I just misread his actions. He seemed okay but he wasn’t the… you know… Jack as usual. But I didn’t talk to him; I wasn't allowed to.’ Billy says shutting the door and plopping himself down on my bed, I stayed where I was.

‘Y-you went to see him? What for? W-was he… okay?’ I stuttered starting to get concerned. Billy sighs and it started to make me even more anxious, ‘I saw Jack the other day; he looked… lost. Like he didn’t know what was going on and what was happening right then and there.

‘When I saw him walking around the street he seemed pretty out of it – his eyes distant. It was so weird because I’ve never seen him like that before; not even after our fight, or after… well, anything.’

I slid down the wall and stared at the floor as I crossed my legs, ‘why did you go see him all of a sudden? W-were you going to tell him, about our…?’ I trail off not wanting to finish the sentence because even the thought of it made me shudder and feel sick.

He hesitates and his voice almost turns into a whisper, ‘yeah, I was. After my Dad had a talk with me he, Zach and Tony gave me a thrashing. They were disgusted in me and my Dad was extra furious and disgusted, he said… he said that I wasn’t his son. “You could never be.” He said with that cold glare.’

I looked up at Billy to see his face but he was only staring creepily into space like he just saw a ghost or something, face pale. ‘He said he was… ashamed of me, that I had no right to be in this house, but it was because of you that he let me stay.’ He stops talking for a long moment and I wondered if he was ever going to start again.

‘It took almost a week until I could finally start walking again. And when I could, I stole one of the Jeep’s and rode to the other side of the island. That’s when I saw Jack but I couldn’t talk to him cos Tony found me and ordered me back here. As soon as I got home Daniel was there and he gave me a thrashing too, cos he couldn’t be there on the day everyone else got to.’ He stops and looks at me, ‘That’s where I got this,’ he points to the big red mark on his cheek and the cut on his lip.

‘Man did that hurt.’ He says sliding off the bed and sitting on the floor as well. He leans his head on my bed and looks up at the roof, his body slumped and tired.

Neither of us said anything for a while and I was glad because I tried to figure how I felt about all this.

In the end he got what he deserved. But was it too much? Should I feel sorry for Billy? Did they really bash him because of me? Was his father that angry that he would do and say that to his own son? Did The Warden, Zach and Tony care that much about me?

I open my eyes and find myself lying in bed, the blankets on top of me keeping me nice and warm. I sit up fast. The last thing I remember was talking to Billy and asking myself all these questions but I was sitting down, on the floor, wide awake.

I look around the room and find Billy sleeping slumped against the wall by the door, he was half sitting down and half lying down, his legs outstretched in front of him and his head hanging helplessly against his chest. I rub my face to try to wake up a bit more but I was still a bit sleepy and my eyes were still droopy.