Here With Me

by Alla Kar

  Stretching, I eye her legs. “You’re half naked because I took the liberty of undressing you last night.” And how fucking amazing it was, pulling her out of that dress, and then unsnapping her bra.

  Goddamn, I wanted to take advantage, but I didn’t. I dug through her drawers, then helped her into a long T-shirt.

  “You didn’t…” she whispers, looking at the ground. “You had no right to undress me.”

  I roll my eyes. “You don’t have anything I haven’t had in the past, sweetie. Don’t get yourself worked up.” I zero in on her legs. “But I have to say, slipping that dress over that ass was…tempting.”

  Pressing her lips into a line, she turns away from me. “Get out of my room. Right now. Out.” She points like she’s the fucking Queen of England.

  But I’m not done just yet. Grabbing the back of her neck, I force her to look up at me. “You said you don’t remember much of last night? Do you remember what we talked about in the bathroom?”

  Her eyes widen, and she gently tugs on her lip, nodding.

  “Good.”

  I hear her cuss under her breath on my way out.

  ***

  The goddamn house looks like a tornado hit it. Someone is lying facedown in my bed. I groan and snatch the covers off the guy who is snoring loudly.

  “Hey, get the fuck out of my bed. I don’t care where you go, but you’ve got to get out of here.”

  He sits straight up and rubs his fists against his eyes. I’ve seen him around campus before. “What the…” He stops and stares at me. “This is your bed?”

  “You’re a bright one.”

  “I’m leaving. Don’t beat my ass.” He stands and grabs his clothes on the floor beside my bed. Before I can say anything else, he rushes out of my room.

  My sheets are sweaty and it looks like he may have thrown up on them. I pick up my mom’s clothes and my sweaty sheets and walk to the laundry room. The condo is quiet since it’s only eleven. I don’t think Will or Adam gets up before eleven except for class—ever.

  My mother’s clothes smell like shit. If I didn’t wash them once a week they’d never get clean. Groaning, I divide her clothes into different piles and wash the whites first.

  ***

  Just like I suspected, Will and Adam are both asleep. My stomach growls, and I run my fingers over my face. I don’t feel like cooking. I just want to relax. Making my way to the kitchen, I stop when I see Jaden putting eggs onto two different plates.

  “What?” she says, placing the eggs and bacon back into the fridge. She’s still in her T-shirt, and her legs look good. I’d do anything to spread them apart and taste her, but I don’t. I can’t. I’m promising myself to leave her alone. She’s eighteen and vulnerable.

  “Who is that for?”

  She slams her small hands down on her hips. “You. Do you see anyone else standing around?”

  I lift an eyebrow. She’s getting more and more brazen. I reach behind her and grab the plate. Letting my ear rest against her cheek, I say, “Thank you, Jaden.”

  ***

  My mother’s car is parked in the same spot. The weeds on her tires are taller and thicker. I guess I’ll have to come back to mow it soon. Stomping my cigarette out, I grab her laundry basket and walk to the door. There is an old pickup in the driveway and it worries me. Mom never has company. A loud banging sound echoes from inside.

  “Momma!” I yell, grabbing the knob, but it’s locked. I bang my fist against the door until it shakes. Damn it. “Momma!” I yell again, and this time I hear voices. A man’s voice.

  Clenching my fist over the laundry basket handle, I lean back and kick my boot against the door. For the first few kicks, the door doesn’t budge. Then it cracks and swings open.

  Finally.

  The same disgusting smell hits me hard, but I ignore it. Some of the lights are on. The banging is coming from my mother’s bedroom. I can’t get there fast enough.

  I slam the door open and stop dead in my tracks. A huge man holds my mother by her neck, his thick fingers suffocating the life out of her.

  Even my deadbeat dad didn’t hit my mother. “I suggest you drop her, or you’re going to have a hard time picking your big ass off the motherfucking floor,” I say as calmly as I can manage.

  The man’s head jerks to me. A scar runs down the side of his face and disappears beneath his shirt. He looks me up and down with dark eyes. A sinister smile rises from the corner of a mouth that’s covered by a massive mustache. “What are you going to do about it, kid?” he asks, his voice rough.

  My mother gasps, her arms shaking against his chest. Lifting a brow, I set her clothes to the side. The burly man throws my crying mother on the bed. She recoils in a ball, sobbing into the mattress. Turning toward me, he plasters a sneer on his lips. “Your mother owes me money.”

  My mother’s gaze meets mine.

  “So you strangle her?” I ask, taking a cautious step toward him. “Seems a little…caveman-ish to me. How will she pay you if she’s dead?”

  The floor squeaks as he steps forward. “I’m not leaving here until I have my money, kid. I suggest you leave.”

  “I would ask you if you’d leave your mother, but I’m not sure you give a rat’s ass about her. I’m not leaving, no matter the consequences.”

  He grins. And he’s still smiling when I connect my fist to his face. This isn’t my first fight and won’t be my last. The sound cracks but doesn’t break the bone. Stumbling toward the bed, he catches himself with his big arm. I can imagine the stars swirling in his vision right now, and I give him a swift kick to the ribs before he can fully focus.

  He jerks back, crumpling into a tight ball. “You have ten seconds to leave before I beat you to a pulp and call the police. Don’t come back,” I warn.

  The man tries to stand but falls back to the floor. One hand is curled around his ribs, the other wrapped tightly in his hair. Dammit. Grabbing his upper arm, I haul him to his feet. With barely any effort, I walk him to the door and toss him out. “This isn’t over,” he says, stumbling down the stairs.

  “Says the man crawling for his life. Fuck off.”

  I wait until he’s on his feet and halfway down the sidewalk before going back inside. She’s still curled into a ball on her bed. “Get up,” I say. “Now. You’re taking a shower.”

  She doesn’t protest. She’s quiet while she digs some clean clothes out of the basket.

  “How much do you owe him?”

  “Does it matter?” she asks, slipping out of her slippers.

  “How much?”

  “Three hundred,” she whispers.

  God, three hundred dollars? Shit. I’ll have to work three days of overtime for this. Her lips turn down.

  “Go take a bath,” I say.

  She leaves, walking slowly across the hall where she shuts the bathroom door. I toss the clothes on her bed and start folding. Then I make the bed and pick up all the trash.

  ***

  The kitchen is a fucking wreck. I groan. I don’t even wash the dishes at my own apartment, but I wash hers. With the dishes in the drainer, I make some tea.

  “You don’t have to take care of me, Cade. I am an adult.”

  “Well, if you’d act like one I wouldn’t have to.” I hand her a cup. She sits down at the dining room table and touches the rim to her lips. Her hair is twisted into a towel on top of her head. It reminds me of how she used to be before Dad left and before the drugs consumed her. I only remember a bit before she started doing drugs, but it was nice while it lasted.

  “I don’t know how I let myself get like this,” she says into her cup. “I’m a terrible person. A terrible mother.” She turns to me, her eyes wide. “Why can’t I stop?”

  You’re addicted. It’s a disease. You have to get help. I’ve answered this question with those answers for as long as I can remember. But it happens the same way every single time. She will say she wants to stop. She’ll beg me to give her another chance. Sign her up for rehab. She pr
omises. But she never goes.

  “You’re addicted. You have to get help, Momma.”

  Nodding, she sets her tea down and leans her elbows on her knees. “Okay, son. I’m ready.”

  Chapter Ten

  Jade

  My palms sweat against the kitchen table. The breakfast I made is now on all three roommates’ plates, but my own hasn’t been touched.

  “You not going to eat?” Will asks from across the table. He gives me his best bedroom smile. Placing his fork into his mouth, he pulls it out slowly, keeping his eyes on me.

  “Not very hungry¸” I say.

  A snort comes from the kitchen. Cade smiles as he leans against the cabinet, ankles crossed while shoveling food into his mouth. It would disgust me if he didn’t have that tight shirt on, which grips his biceps. “Or because you may throw it up like last week.”

  Adam lifts his head and furrows his dark brow. “You threw up?”

  Dammit. I give Cade my best go to hell look. “I was just nervous.”

  Adam leans closer to me. “Have you had any more symptoms? The medication. Ya know—”

  “No,” I snap, standing and grabbing my plate. I feel Will and Cade staring at me. “I haven’t.”

  Adam frowns and leans back in his chair. “Jade, I was just asking, calm down.”

  “I am calm,” I say, trying to keep my eyes on the floor as I walk to the kitchen. Cade’s gaze is heavy on the side of my face as I grab a Coke from the refrigerator and toss my plate into the sink.

  “Can you take me to class?” I ask my brother.

  Adam gives me a worried look before sighing and grabbing his keys.

  ***

  He taps his fingers to the beat against his steering wheel. “You know it’s okay to not be okay, right? I want you to know you can talk to me.”

  Right. Because the first thing he’ll do is tell Dad. Dad just sends me to doctors who push more pills down my throat. I don’t need pills. I’m not sure what I need, but all the medication I’m already on isn’t good for me or my body.

  “I know, Adam.”

  He nods. “Okay.”

  Adam drops me off at the arts center since I have journalism this morning. I’m fifteen minutes early so I can get a seat in the back away from everyone. All the seats are empty when I walk in. I take the first row against the wall and the last seat in the back. My fingers tremble as I open my notebook and pull out my pencil.

  A few kids filter in and take seats closer to the front. My heart jackhammers as I watch the clock move closer to 11:10 a.m. Selena walks in two minutes later. Her eyes rake over the students, and I know she’s looking for me. Like she always did. Her sneer rises slowly up her face when she finally spots me.

  Our professor comes in a few minutes later, carrying an armload of things. With a loud sigh, she drops the materials on her desk. “Okay, students. We’re going to go over chapter one today, so let’s take notes.”

  She talks the entire period, pacing in front of the classroom, her hands folded behind her back. I’m turning the page when I feel something hit the side of my head. My body stiffens at the contact. A paper wad falls to the carpeted floor beside my foot. Snickers sound from the front left of the classroom.

  An ink spot starts to bleed over my notes, and I slowly remove my pen from the paper. Only ten more minutes. Our professor is smiling at the overhead like she’s proud of herself when she jolts up like she’s been asleep. “Time’s up. Do the questions at the end of the chapter for homework and read chapter two. We’ll be going over it Wednesday in class.”

  Finally.

  I sling my bag over my shoulder and dart to the exit. The guy in front of me takes his time, blocking the door while he tries to throw his paper into the wastebasket.

  I don’t look behind me, but I can feel the stares. And hear her whispering. As soon as my foot breaks the barrier of the doorway something shoves into me from behind. My foot snags on the doorframe, sending me face first into the doorknob. Everything in my bag scatters into the hallway, while I fall to the ground. I automatically clutch my eye and press down at the ache. Stars form in my vision and black threatens the corners. I can’t tell who is in front of me or if anyone is trying to help.

  The person behind me passes, laughing over her shoulder. It’s the redhead who’s been following Selena around. She glances over her shoulder with a look I wish I never had to see again. The same look from senior year all over again. I try to blink my eye open, but all I see is black.

  “Jaden, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I whisper, getting up with the help of the door. My eyes tear up as the next class filters in, all staring me down.

  “Jaden? It’s Will. Can you see?”

  Will? Oh, God. I stare up at him. He’s frowning, rubbing his hand over his head. “Do you need some help? A ride?”

  My eye is burning, but I’m not asking him for help, I have too much pride for that. “I’m fine. Adam is coming to get me.” Lie. “I’ll see you at the house.”

  He opens his mouth to say something, but finally just nods. “Okay, see you at the house.” He turns and walks down the hallway, past the group of girls who are pointing and staring at me. Selena isn’t laughing. She’s watching Will walk away from me.

  I don’t wait to see what she does, I turn and run.

  ***

  A book digs into my back, so I shift against the bookcase. My legs are under my chin, hands by my side. Only a few students are on the third floor in the library, and most are in the study rooms in groups.

  I can feel my eye swelling, but I can’t call Adam early because he’ll know this wasn’t an accident. Waiting it out is my only option. Pulling out my compact, I try to steady my shaky hands. A dark bruise forms under my eye, redness skimming the outsides. No. No. No. One single tear slides down my cheek and drops to the library carpet.

  “Jaden?”

  Shit. The compact slips from my hand and snaps closed against the floor. When I glance up, Cade is staring down at me with a furrowed brow. His lips are pressed into a tight line while he watches my face.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s the library, what do you think? What happened to you?”

  “I tripped into a doorknob.”

  Lifting his eyebrow, he squats in front of me. Firm fingers grab my chin and turn my face to the left for a better look. “Bullshit. It’s too bruised. It wouldn’t be this dark if you tripped. Who hit you?”

  Snatching my chin from his hand, I look down at the floor. “I really did hit a doorknob.”

  My eyes turn to his boots. They’re scuffed and dirty. With both hands on his knees, he stands. “Okay, since you don’t want to tell me what really happened…” He starts to leave

  “Wait!” I yell. “Are you going home?”

  He leans against the bookcase. “Yes.”

  “Can I have a ride?”

  Pursing his lips, he takes me in slowly, making me squirm. “What’s in it for me?”

  I narrow my eyes. “Excuse me…it’s called being a good person. Helping someone out. Being a Good Samaritan.”

  “Baby.” He smirks. “I’m the furthest thing from a good boy you’re ever going to see.” The muscles in his arms flex. “Believe me.”

  “Well…” I stand and swallow the lump in my throat. “I’ll wash your clothes for a week?”

  He looks down at his watch.

  Ugh! “Okay, what do you want? Tell me what you want, and I’ll do it. Just please give me a ride home.”

  Dark eyes pin me in place. I’m almost afraid of what he’s going to ask. “Okay, I’ll give you a ride home. But, just know you owe me a favor.”

  “You’re not going to tell me what it is?”

  Rolling his shoulders, he straightens back up. “Nope.” Then he turns to leave. Bastard!

  ***

  “I need to stop by my job real quick before we go home.” Cade gives me a long sideways glance. “Is that okay, Princess?”

  �
��If it wasn’t, would it matter?”

  Cade grins and puts his truck into park. “I’ll be right back.”

  I nod. I have nowhere else to go. I wait until he’s in front of the truck to look up. His jeans fit tightly to his ass. And what a freaking ass it is.

  I got a view Saturday morning. Since Cade felt it was necessary to sleep in my bed—naked. God, my body heats thinking about it. Right next to me. Naked. It obviously didn’t bother him like it did me. I stood there staring at the fine lines of his muscles, the tattoos lining his body. A small quote is tattooed around his hip, but I couldn’t read it. I was too busy staring at what was hanging between his legs.

  A truck blows its horn behind us, and I snap out of it. A flash of blue catches my eye from the side of the shop. An old blue Mustang is parked to the side, a FOR SALE sign on the window.

  Before I know what I’m doing, I step out of the truck and walk over. The paint is a periwinkle blue, with two black stripes down the front. Leather seats. Stick shift. I have to have this car.

  “What are you doing?”

  I jump and press my back against the car. “Is your boss selling this?”

  Cade lifts a heavy brow. “Who’s asking?”

  Crossing my arms, I stare back down at the car. “Just answer. Is it for sale?”

  Cade nods, lights a cigarette, and takes a long drag. His lips form a perfect O as he exhales. “It’s for sale but not worth shit. It needs a lot of work. I think the boss is asking six grand for her.”

  Six thousand. That’s chump change for my dad. But, he would never give me the money for it. Not for a car. Not after what happened. Maybe if I tell him it’s for something else. But what? I’ll just have to use some of my savings for traveling to do it. Or get a job. If Dad would let me.

  “You want this car?” Cade asks bringing me back to reality. “Your dad is loaded, and you want this car?” He laughs, running his fingers through his hair. “What goes on in your head?”