Ryder
"Get the fuck up" Denny yells, jolting me awake. I found myself on the floor of our living room, Blake sprawled out on the couch next to me. We both wore our clothes from the night before, and my head was banging.
"What the hell?" Blake groans as the lights are flickered on.
"You two sure had a fun night." Nikos walks in and chuckles at the site. "What are you so pisses about?" He turns to Denny who looks like he could kill the two of us.
"These two idiots attacked a girl last night." Denny tells Nikos, making him turn to us, enraged. I had no idea what Denny was talking about, I was so drunk I can't remember a thing from the night before.
"Get up" His voice is stern and terrifying. Blake and I quickly scramble to our feet, ignoring our headaches because of the angry man in front of us. "That's ridiculous." Blake defends himself.
"What happened, don't leave any details out." Nikos asked Denny, who was looking at Blake and I with the same angry expression.
Denny explained how we dragged a girl named Xela into an alley and forced beer down her throat while she was kicking and screaming for help.
What the fuck.
I feel a fist connect with my jaw. Soon Blake had the same fate handed to him. "How many times have I told you to never lay your hands on a woman?!" Nikos screamed at us, even scaring Denny.
I wasn't mad that Nikos hit me, I knew I deserved it if what Denny said was true.
"You are both grounded, and will go and apologize to that poor girl."
I looked to Blake, who looked just as confused and irritated as I was. I saw scratch marks on Blake's neck, making my stomach twist. Nikos' eyes followed mine, when he spotted the scratches that were no doubt from the girl trying to escape, we each got another punch.
"I raised you better than this. I don't care if you were drunk, it's never okay." He spat at us.
All I did was nod, how could I have done that?
I never lose that much control when I drink. The remembrance of why I drank so much hit me all at once. Yesterday was another anniversary of my fathers death, I just tried to make myself forget about everything. I didn't want to remember how my father was murdered on a business trip, even though he wasn't the best man, I had needed him. I was his boy, he was always so proud of me, and I always tried to make him proud.
Nobody knows who killed him, just that it happened at a poor town around thirty minutes away. Afterwards, Blake and I found ourselves alone on the streets until Nikos picked us up and took us in. I've never known why he would want two twelve year old boys, but I'm grateful he did. Denny is his own son from one of his old marriages, we have all grown up like brothers. Even though Denny is two years younger than us and is a sophomore, we all get along well and love each other.
"Maybe she doesn't want to talk to them," Denny said, which makes sense. Nikos crosses his arms, "Don't approach her, just if you see her make sure she knows that is not like you and will never happen again."
Nikos runs his fingers through his blonde-white hair and squeezes his temple. "I can't believe you two." He mumbles on his way out.
Denny gives us a look, "She goes to SMHS," he says, shocking me. "So we have probably seen her?" Blake says, looking to the floor. "Her name is Xela, she is the one who punched you in the face the first day." Denny tells us, making Blake's eyes go wide. "A chick punched you?"
"Shut up." I tell him, slightly playfully. Blake laughs, "I would have paid to see that."
Xela
The last thing I wanted to do was go to school. I spent all of Saturday in my room with the door locked, occasionally being threatened to come out by Paul or my mother. Both ended up giving up Saturday night, too drunk or high to care.
But come Sunday, Paul had sobered up and was mad. Mad enough to break my door down, leaving me with an empty doorway and no privacy. My room was directly above the stairs, so I could practically see the kitchen from my room.
The door was broken in a terrible fashion, leaving rigid edges around the frame and wood poking out every few inches.
The rest of Sunday I had to make runs all day for my mom, the threat of a beating hovering in the distance if I said no.
Now it was Monday morning, and I was not excited to go and face Ryder.
The idea of skipping formed in my mind, then instantly made me feel guilty. The thought of Aliza and Penny learning off of books they find in the trash makes me ashamed of even thinking about skipping school.
The second I step outside to start walking, a horn honks and makes me jump. "Need a ride?" Max smiles, Annie next to him. I give them a smile, "Sure" I say, hopping into the back seat, pulling down my Jean shorts when they slightly ride up.
I'm just wearing black jean shorts and a black tank top with a big black sweatshirt over it. Pretty much the same thing as on Friday. It's all I have, besides the torn up stuff.
"How was your weekend?" Annie turns in her seat to face me. I give a weak smile, "Good."
"We need to hang out next weekend, I'm sorry I couldn't this weekend but my parents surprised my sister and I with a trip to the beach!"
My eyes widen, "Annie has her own beach house, it's epic in the summer." Max says.
The rest of the ride is full of talk between mostly Max and Annie. Before I knew it, second period was over. Walking into the class, my eyes met familiar dark ones, making me freeze.
He wasn't even in this class!
I walk past him, trying to pretend like he doesn't terrify me, and sit in my usual seat in the back. To my dismay, he follows me, sitting right next to me.
"You aren't in this class." I say, pulling a folder out of my bag.
"I transferred." He responds, looking right at me, even when I try my best to avoid looking in his direction. The class is slowly filling up, but everyone is absorbed in their own conversations.
"I'm sorry about Friday." He says, making me instantly touch my throat with my fingers, tracing the bruise his friend made. It's covered by my hood, but it's there.
I just nod, hoping he will leave me alone.
"Look I've never hurt a woman, and I don't know what happened. That's not something I would ever do. Even when I am an ass, I would never physically hurt you."
His voice sounded genuine, something I've never heard before. He looked vulnerable when he looked at me, like he was truly shocked by what he had done.
I think about how I forgave my mom so much for when she was drunk and said awful things to me, even hitting me when I was really little. I always forgave her, I always told myself she loved me when she was sober, and she was just a different person with alcohol.
I didn't have to forgive Ryder, I didn't have to convince myself he is nice because he isn't. But that doesn't mean he is someone who hurts women. I can tell he is telling me the truth. Despite how scary he is, I know he wouldn't hurt me physically again.
"Okay." I say, making him sit up straighter, shocked at my words. "Okay?"
"I still don't like you." I add, making sure he knows we aren't going to be friends because he apologized.
"Same here, sweetheart." He smiled mischievously before getting up and leaving the room right before the bell rang.
He never transferred.