The Humdrum Life of a Hero

Chapter 17

I remain at the top of the stairs with Jay by my side. Both of us refusing to move father toward Tony. The only sound in the entire house is Tony's fingers tapping furiously against the wood of the railing. "I'd love to come up there right now and fucking clock you until you go unconscious, but I just saw our dearest daddy pumping gas down the street. So, I suggest you change out of that," Tony points at Jay and I's robes, "And as much as I don't want to, I'll stall him as long as I can in exchange for keeping all of our whereabouts between us."

I nudge Jay to the side and I scurry back into my room. Jay follows me through the doorway and slams the door. He doesn't say anything when he begins rummaging around the room, searching for his clothes. I start on the other side of the room, creating as much space as possible between the two of us.

I find his shirt, and I silently throw it at him. He mumbles something to himself, but I can't hear what he says, not like I care anyway. I almost wish my dad and Tony would come up here and kick his ass. Truly, Jay didn't do anything all that bad, but I hate when people assume I need help or that I'm some helpless little girl. In fact I'm the exact opposite, and not to mention I absolutely hate asking for help. I can't help the fact that I know whoever I ask to help me will not do the job better than I know I can.

"Sarah, why do you have all of these family photos in your closet?" Jay says rather quizzical and upbeat considering him and I's circumstances. I stand ramrod straight and turn to face Jay who has a picture in each hand, examining them closely.

"No reason," I try to stay coy, evading answering his question. I return to digging for his pants when he speaks up, "Sarah, honey, talk to me."

"Sweet talking me is not going to help," I tell him when I throw his pants at him. He catches them and pulls them on.

"Did you take them down before or after your mom came for a visit?" He presses the subject, ignoring my blatant disinterest. I spin around and angrily eye him, hoping he gets that I don't want to talk about it. I shove him to the side as I walk to my dresser to pull out a bra and some underwear.

He sits down on the bed as I slide my underwear up my thighs and under the robe. My hands rest on the belt of the robe when I realize that I don't want to redress in front of him. I already got naked in front of Jay once, and that was in the dark. The thought of doing it again, in broad daylight and with two of my three brothers and, possibly, my father in the house, doesn't sound all that appealing. "Be a decent human being and close your eyes."

"I will if you explain the collection of family portraits littering your closet floor," he bargains with me.

"Don't be an ass."

"Don't bottle things up."

He stands up and takes a step closer to me, confining me to the spot where I'm standing and ruining my chances of fleeing his quetions. I lock my eyes on the floor, avoiding him even though he's just inches away from me. Jay places a finger under my chin and lifts it, forcing me to meet his eyes. His baby blues are baby grays at the moment, no longer the electric blue they were last night, and his hair appears dirty and greasy. His breath smells rank as well. He's a mess.

But he's my mess, and my mess is trying to be helpful. I sigh and whisper, "I'll tell you later."

He smiles and drops his finger from my chin. Then, he makes a scene of covering his eyes with his over-sized hands, jokingly peeking through his fingers. I drop the robe after he stops playing around and finish getting dressed. I'm pulling on a t-shirt when Jay comes and wraps his arms around my waist. "Not the time, Keely."

He burrows his head into my neck, pressing his lips against my skin. I shiver and slump into his embrace.

"Yeah, Dad," I hear Tony yell loudly from downstairs, "Ask SARAH when you're UPSTAIRS if she's into ordering a pizza."