Chapter 6
(June)
"Fuck you!" I woke to a start, glancing around my room. I sat up, confused. "You know what, just get the fuck out of my house!" Zach... I heard crying as well. Female crying.
"Fine! You're such a fucking asshole! I'm fucking done with you, like you fucking care! I can tell you've been cheating on me. I just wanna know with who!" She yelled. I recognized the voice. It was Kara. I glanced over at my clock to see it was twelve. Damn, I'd slept long.
"I told you already, you fucking bitch!" Zach snarled. Wow, I had never heard him talk in such a hostile tone, not even to Deron. "I am not fucking anyone, I have never cheated on you! Now leave, leave, leave!" I heard his door open, followed by the sound of a struggle.
"Don't push me!" She shrieked.
"Well, then move! Now, I hope you understand. I am done with you, completely. Do not call me, do not text me, do not try to come over here and see me!" He said sternly.
"Oh, ha!" Kara barked. "You think so fucking high of yourself mister Riedel. I will be sure to never call you again!" With that, I heard the sound of quick footsteps followed by the front door slamming.
"FUCK!" Zach yelled in the hallway. I frowned, wondering if anyone was home. That's when I realized that I had to piss really bad. I stood up and walked towards the door, hesitating before opening it. I looked cautiously to see Zach with his forehead against the wall beside the door leading into his room. He seemed startled when I started walking and jumped back. "Oh. My apologies. I did not mean to wake you," He said dully.
"No, that's alright. You okay?" I called over my shoulder as I walked to the bathroom. I felt like I was about to piss myself.
"Yes, yes...," He replied. I pulled my dick out of my pajama pants and began to piss into the toilet. I didn't believe him. He sounded pretty bent out of shape. Shit, he'd just broken up with his girlfriend. I'd be upset too.
When I was done, I walked back out and glanced into his room. He was sitting on his bed, staring at his cell phone. "Where is everyone?" I asked.
"I do not know. Claudia took Abigail somewhere, I believe... and Deron is at work." He looked up at me and suddenly a sly smile came on his face. "Heeey... Want to get drunk?" He asked. I laughed, crossing my arms.
"Not yet, man.. I just woke up. I do need cigarettes, though," I pointed out. Yes... sadly, I had managed to pick up the habit again. All thanks to Zachary Riedel.
"Mm. Do you have the money?" He asked while texting someone.
"Yeah," I replied, hopeful that he would go get them for me.
"Oookay. Get dressed, we will go into town if you like," He answered, shutting his phone and looking up at me. I nodded.
"Cool, thanks!" I walked down the hall a couple steps and into my room. I glanced around until I found the black pants I'd been wearing the day before. I took off my pajama bottoms and replaced them with my jeans. I went to my dresser and picked out a Rammstein shirt. I returned to Zach's room to see him texting again. He glanced over at me, finished up and stood.
"Let us go," He said and cleared his throat, adjusting his pants in the front. It was a bit awkward when he did that... He would just suddenly grab at his dick, but I understood why. I nodded and ran down the steps, slipping on my shoes which were laying by the front door. I grabbed a bottle of soda from the kitchen before we left.
Zach pulled out his own cigarettes when we got into his car and he handed me one, putting his own in his mouth. I grinned as he handed me his lighter. He started the car and backed out of the driveway. I looked over at him. He looked kind of mad still.
"Are you sure you're okay?" I asked warily. He blew smoke out through his nose and smiled.
"I am, how do you say... dandy!" He said in a strange voice and laughed. "No, really. I am fine. She was... Wooh, she was something else," He said while shaking his head. I nodded and took a drag of my cigarette, gazing out the window for the remainder of the short drive.
By the time we got there, Zach had to sit in the car and finish his cigarette before he could go in. Eventually he opened his car door and flicked his cigarette butt out before entering the gas station. I watched as he stood in line. He was tapping his foot, seeming very impatient.
I realized that I had forgotten to give him my money. It was in my pocket... Zach returned quickly and got into the car. He looked at me with a hard look and I smiled. "What?" I asked. He tilted his head slightly and I pulled out my five, and then handed it to him.
"Danke," He said cockily and smiled before turning on the engine. He handed me the cigarettes when we were out of the gas station parking lot. "So... Would you like to drink later?" He asked. I stared down at my cigarette box, thinking if I really should.
"Uh, yeah," I decided. "I guess I could do that." Zach stifled laughter.
"Well, what else were you going to do? And it is not like you must go to school tomorrow." He pointed out, glancing at me. I rolled my eyes and began packing my cigarettes. He made a good point though. My life fucking sucked...
<<>>
"Do you want to go out to the tree and drink a little?" Zach asked, now that everyone had gone to bed. I thought about it and nodded.
"Yeah, that'd be cool," I replied. He grinned and we both walked into the kitchen. He opened the freezer and pulled out a bottle of amber liquid.
"Hope you do not mind Southern Comfort," He said and walked away. I really never drank it before. I followed him out the door. The air was fresh and warm, and I could hear frogs peeping from the field across from our house. We made our way down to the tree. Luckily it was full moon, so we could see quite well. We both took seats.
I took a deep breath in and glanced around. Zach had already opened the bottle and taken a couple swigs. "Want some?" He asked. I nodded, my stomach twisting with excitement. I hadn't gotten drunk in probably a year. He handed me the half gallon. "It is 100 proof, so be careful..."
"Okay." I put the bottle up to my lips and took a large sip. The taste surprised me. It was sweet, but still disgusting. It left a warm trail the whole way from my mouth down to my stomach, and I couldn't help but grimace. Zach laughed at my face.
"Do not throw up on your first sip there," He laughed. I shook my head and smiled.
"I won't. It's actually not that bad," I told him. He nodded and took a very large sip himself. I, sadly, could feel the effects a little bit already. My head felt a little heavy. I watched as he lifted the bottle and took a large swig, putting it down when he was done. He suddenly leaned over and spit into the grass. I laughed and reached for the bottle. "Why did you do that?" I asked.
"Because, it makes the harsh taste of it go away a little," He explained with a smile.
"Hm..." I took another sip, a bit larger this time, and swallowed harshly. I almost began to cough. Even though the taste was not horrible, it left you with a bit of a choking feeling in your throat. I leaned over and spit into the grass beside me. My mouth, surprisingly, felt a little better. "Ha, that's funny."
"Mmmhmm." I looked over to see Zach with one leg stretched out, reaching in his pocket. He pulled out his cigarettes and glanced at me. "Way number two of getting the taste out," He said happily. I laughed and took another large swig.
After a little bit, I was beginning to feel very drunk and we started talking. "You know, Dylan," Zach began. "I do like you. I apologize for coming off so-" I cut him off.
"Like a fucking asshole!" I practically yelled, not really thinking about what I was saying.
"Er... sure.. But, uh. You are beginning to feel like a real brother to me." I looked over. He was giving me a stern look, and I could tell he was being serious. "That day, when you came home after your fight at school, I was very angry. I wanted to kick the guy's ass who did that shit to you." I was shocked, and didn't quite know what to say.
"Oh... well... Thank you. I never knew you felt that way," I said, trailing off a little. This was bizarre.
"I suppose what I am trying to say is that I want to get to know you," He said, sounding like every word he told me was hurting him. He seemed like the type of person who didn't like to admit his feelings.
"Okay... I'd like to get to know you too, Zach," I replied before taking another sip of SoCo. I grimaced and coughed.
"You good?" He asked. I nodded. "Well, do you want to go inside now?" He asked. I shrugged.
"I guess so." I was fucking wasted, so I didn't really care what we did.
"Alright, let us go," Zach said and stood up steadily. I attempted to stand and made it, but immediately stumbled. Zach grabbed my arm to steady me. I remember thinking that it had been the first time he'd ever really touched me. "My god, boy. You certainly are gone. Claudia will kill me if she finds out...," He grumbled as we began walking.
Eventually we made it into the house and we both sat down on the living room couch. He had gotten himself a cup and practically filled it with alcohol. I finally got a good look at it to see that it was a little below half. He sure could drink a hell of a lot.
"I do not think you need anymore.. do you?" Zach asked and then took a sip from his cup. I shook my head, my world spinning slightly. I could really tell the effects now that we weren't in the dark. He smiled and nodded. "Did not think so." There was a weird silence for a couple minutes. "Dylan, I have been wondering something...," He began. I looked over to see that he was scowling at the floor, his hands firmly gripping around his cup. He took a deep breath and continued. "What, if you do not mind me asking, happened to your mother?" He was still staring at the floor when he'd finished.
My stomach dropped. I looked at Zach and thought for a moment. He was trying to open up to me... I felt like he had a right to know. "Well," I began. "It's a long story. I'm sure you know when I was four, she abandoned me and shit." I looked over and he nodded. I could already catch myself slurring. "It was probably about a year or so after that, when I was five I guess... that, um, she was arrested for the murder of my older brother, along with neglect and abuse for both of us. She and her boyfriend are both on death row... or dead now, I'm not even sure." I stopped and swallowed. It was not too difficult to tell him as I thought it would be, probably due to the alcohol. "I think uh... I think she locked him in a closet and let him starve. I didn't really know it when I was younger, but I gave them a lot of their evidence, obviously. They'd been trying to get her, when my first foster parents took me in, for neglecting me, but she left the country.. She couldn't get away when she killed him, though." I grabbed onto the choker around my neck nervously, the familiar feeling of being swept away by memories taking me over.
"I do not even know what to say." Zach broke me from my thoughts. I looked over at him to see he was staring at me, a soft expression on his face. It was the softest look I'd ever seen him make.
"You don't need to say anything," I said and gave a crooked grin. "I-I'm sure you've noticed my scars." He nodded slowly.
"I have," He stated, sounding a bit disgusted and uncomfortable.
"It's just sad because all the shit that happened to me, it's happening to a bunch of kids around the world everyday, ya know? It sucks. I'm really lucky I guess." I stared at my feet, not sure what else to say.
"You are. You have a great family around you now," Zach told me, taking a large swig of his drink. I looked over and nodded with a smile.
"I know." Zach sighed and ran his fingers through his messy hair. He'd gotten it cut about a week ago. He just cut the longer part so that it was shorter, so now he looked like he had short hair with a little sticking in front of his eye. I liked it... a lot. I frowned and shook my head, looking down at his pants. They were tight at the top and got a little looser at his calves. His legs were spread obnoxiously like they always were, and I could see his boxers sticking out the back. My stomach began burning and I didn't know why. I hadn't taken a sip of that shit in a while.
"What?" Zach snapped me back to reality. I looked up to see him looking at me with a raised eye brow. I shook my head.
"Nothing...," I replied. "I like your pants." He laughed slightly and took another sip before pulling out his cigarettes.
"What they do not know will not hurt them!" He said and lit one in his mouth. I smiled and shook my head. He released smoke and let one arm rest on his stomach. I looked at the clock to see it was two in the morning. Damn.
I turned my attention back to Zach to see him ash his cigarette onto his hand and then wipe it on the thigh of his pants. Ah! That explained why all of his black pants had grey streaks on the thighs. I found myself watching him closely again. He looked lost in his own thoughts as he smoked. "I have been wanting to get my other nostril pierced," He suddenly said. "What do you think?" He looked over at me, and I noticed his eyes were a bit bloodshot. He must have been drunk..
"Yeah, sure. That'd be cool," I replied with a grin, lifting my feet onto the couch. He nodded slowly and went back to looking forward. I was enjoying looking at his profile. I was jealous of his nose, I came to find out. Thinking back, it surprises me that Zach seemed to have no idea that I was staring at him so intently.
Eventually he had to get up to flick his cigarette outside. I watched him go, my stomach twisting. I felt excited... it was strange. He came back and I smiled at him. He looked good, too good I would say. What the fuck am I saying? I thought angrily. What am I saying...?
My stomach dropped as I gazed at Zach take another sip of his alcohol. His words replayed in my head from earlier... His pretty fucking eyes shining in the light... his stomach showing when he stretched, his boxers sticking out of his pants slightly, his mouth as he exhaled smoke. My mind was racing, my heart started beating fast. Fuck! I stood up and walked quickly away, rushed up the stairs and made a swift turn to the bathroom. I kneeled in front of the toilet and proceeded to vomit.
I was fucking disgusting...
How could I...?