by H. Q. Frost
"He doesn't want to walk with us?" she asked, occasionally glancing across at Jeff.
"I told him to keep his distance. 'Cause the cat thing." Dom looked over at her and she huffed.
"Jeff!" she called out but he ignored her.
"Just leave him. He's mad right now and he's gonna ignore you."
"He shouldn't walk alone."
"He's not a baby." The resentment in his tone made her wince.
"I know. I'm not saying that," she mumbled before falling silent.
They walked side by side and she occasionally glanced over at Jeff but wasn't sure what to say or who needed to redeem themselves so silence sat between them. When a woman stormed out of a house with a crying toddler under her arm, Dom's brows furrowed. A man ran out the front door begging her to bring the child back inside but she tossed him into the back seat of a car, pulling away, barely missing hitting Jeff when she jumped the curb.
"I hate this city," Dom grumbled and watched Jeff who was unfazed by the near miss.
"Why don't you leave?"
"My mom. She grew up here, back before it all went to shit."
"This is why I need a job. So I can get out of here and hopefully convince my dad too. This was the farthest away from my mom that he could afford without leaving the state. And we're not that far from her. I couldn't imagine trying to raise kids here. You can't even let them go outside to play without having to worry about them being shot." After she said it, she grimaced and looked away but he saw it.
"It's true," he mumbled. "It's not a good neighborhood and not until you're about five miles out of this city do things start to get a little better. Poverty breeds stupidity."
"That's not true. The people that live here just don't care anymore. They don't care about their kids and that's why assholes roam the streets scaring people. God." She winced again. "I don't mean you and your friends."
"Yeah you do." He chuckled.
"You can be a good book though, Dom. Your pages aren't written. You have your whole life." Her cool fingertips touched his arm.
"Yeah, I'm trying," he mumbled as they approached her house.
"Night." She turned around to say bye to Jeff but he was still walking, ignoring them.
The hug he hoped for didn't happen and she jogged to the front door of her house, leaving him in wonder if it was the fight with Jesse, or Jeff's stupid cat comment that scared her off. It was for the better that he left her alone. But he wasn't going to.
Running across the street, he got Jeff in a headlock and began horsing around as a way to apologize. Nyla closed the curtain after watching them until they were out of sight.
"Who was that kid?"
Startled by her dad, she jumped and turned around wide-eyed.
"You know him?"
"Yeah," she blurted scooting around him to the kitchen.
"Who is he? Where you meeting punks like that?"
"Dad," she groaned. "He's not a punk or a kid."
"If he's under thirty, he's a kid, Nyla. Where'd you meet him?"
"I met him up at the college when I went and got the brochure," she lied knowing it'd get him off her back if he thought Dom was in school.
"He's a student there?"
"Yeah." Unable to lie to his face, she kept her back to him while serving herself from the pot on the stove. "He's third year."
"Just like you'd be right now if you didn't follow me to this hellhole," he uttered, wandering back into the living room.
With a sigh she dropped her head before Goliath got her attention. Grabbing her, Nyla placed kisses all over her furry face as what Jeff said he wanted to do to the stray popped into her head.
***
Tucking the bike between her house and Larry's old house, Dom quietly jumped the fence into her backyard. It was almost midnight and the house was dark except for that kitchen light. He walked to the window that Goliath had scared him from, and when he got close, he strained his eyes to see inside the dark room.
"Nyla?" he whispered.
It took a few minutes until Goliath jumped into the window. This time Dom didn't startle back.
"Hey, buddy. Where's Nyla?" he whispered rubbing the cat through the screen window she pushed against to get his attention. "Nyla," he said a little louder and glanced around.
"Dom?" her soft voice whispered as a dim lamp flipped on. "What are you doing?"
"I brought you fries." A bag from Surf Burgers hung from his grip and the grin on his face made her laugh into her cupped hands.
Grabbing Goliath, she kissed the cat's head before booting her from the bedroom then lifting the window screen.
Thrusting the bag of fries inside her window, he whispered, "Two seventy-nine."
"Bill me." She greedily snatched the bag and stepped back so he could climb through.
As he fumbled and rolled into her room, she giggled watching him get tangled in cords. "Careful," she warned, but didn't help beyond that because she was too busy inhaling fries. "They're so good."
"They were fresh. I tried to get here as fast as I could after I got off. I even stole my buddy's bike to get them here faster." Getting to his feet, he glanced around her boring room. "Where's your dad? He won't come in here, will he?"
"No," she assured, but was still locking her bedroom door to be cautious.
"You didn't have to kick Goliath out," he said hearing the cat at the door.
"You're allergic. She's fine." She plopped onto her bed, thoroughly enjoying her greasy midnight snack.
"So I brought fries to say sorry today sucked."
Around a mouthful she muttered, "Shut up," and tossed a fry at him.
Watching her devour the sack he said, "I'd ask to share but I'm afraid."
With no shame in her fry game she chuckled and scooted enough so he could sit on her bed and the fry bag could sit between them.
Two fries folded into his mouth while he looked around the stark room. "It's boring in here."
There was no denial from her as she glanced around and shrugged. "What do you have in your room? A sauna and waterbed or something?"
"There's more personality in my room. Favorite room in my house."
"Do you live with Jeff?"
"Yeah. But you don't want to go in his room. The dude's messy and you can probably find a random skank in there a few times a week."
"What?" When she started to cough from almost choking, he put his hand to her back. Through a strained voice she asked, "He sleeps with women?"
"He's twenty-five." He sunk farther down into her bed and his hands tucked behind his head while he stared at the ceiling.
"I know, but I thought... Just, you said he's mentally thirteen."
"He was screwing girls at thirteen too."
"Don't these girls know?" she quietly blurted.
His hard gaze landed on her before he sat up, offended by her belittling Jeff's mental competence. "I think I'm gonna go."
Before he got too far she grabbed his arm. "Wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that."
"You did though. It's cool. You don't have to understand my brother, but don't treat him like he's retarded." A gentle tug freed his arm and he was headed for the window again.
"Wait a minute." She lunged for him and sent fries all over the bed blurting, "Shoot," but didn't tend to the mess; she was more worried about getting Dom to stay.
"Good job, Whiz." Fries were scooped back into the bag from her blanket before he shoved one into his mouth, making her grin and do the same before pulling the blanket off and tossing it to the floor.
"Do you have random skanks in your room a few times a week?" she asked, settling back on the bed.
"Nope." He plopped next to her. "Or Surf fries." Finding a stray fry on the sheet, his hand began the path to his mouth but she bit it out of his fingers. "Whoa!" He snatched his hand back. "You almost drew blood!"
"So good. What's Surf breakfast like?"
"I wouldn't eat it. But the fries are safe if they're fresh." He smiled over
at her and caught her eye before she could look away.
The lock was on but the intensity was guided by grinning lips and happy eyes that should have been followed with their first kiss.
The kiss didn't come.
"Do you carry a gun?" Her smile was gone and his fell as he looked away.
"Sometimes."
"Do you have one now?" She glanced toward the waist of his jeans.
"Yeah. Sometimes I gotta walk home from Surf. You don't walk around here without protection."
"Is it legal?" The fry bag was discarded onto the night stand at her back before she laid on her pillow, staring up at him.
"Registered? No. What about yours?" Scooting down, he laid eye level with her.
"Registered to my dad. I don't really touch it but he keeps it in the kitchen just in case."
"Have you ever shot it?" Her lips held his attention and he wanted to touch her face that was free from makeup, but he kept his hands to himself.
"No. I've never shot a gun. I was kind of excited to go to that hill place."
"I can take you tomorrow." Smirking, he looked away. "We'll go alone this time."
"What about Jeff? Don't you guys hang out a lot?"
"Not as much as I'd like. My mom takes him to therapy on Monday's anyway."
"I have a job interview tomorrow. At the movie theater." Her eyes rolled.
"That's cool though. It's a job."
"I guess. I just kinda thought by twenty-one I'd be starting a career. No offense."
"I'm not offended." He chuckled. "You can't just expect shit to go how you want if you don't work for it."
"I was working for it!" She reeled in her indignation. "I started college hoping to get an internship or something."
"What kind of internship?"
"I want to be a guidance counselor."
His brows raised not used to hanging around women with goals. "Like in high school?"
"I want to help kids. I've always known I'd work with kids somehow, but I had a friend in high school kill herself because she didn't think she had anyone to talk to. That's when I realized I wanted to be a guidance counselor. I want to be the person kids can rely on and trust. I want to be the person that pops into their head when they think life's too shit to go on and they remember some cheesy inspirational quote I've said." She grinned. "I just want to help."
"That's really cool," he whispered rolling to his back to stare at her ceiling.
She was too good for him, but he would try harder to live up to a girl like Nyla's standards.
"What about you? You think you'll be working at Surf forever?"
He chuckled but couldn't look at her. "It's a job for now."
"Why don't you enroll in classes? Can't you get financial aid?"
"Never looked into it," he mumbled. "I have a dream to convince my mom to get the hell out of here one day. I been thinking a lot about it lately and I don't think I'll be able to, but I don't think I can stay here for life like she plans. I wasn't meant to suffer here."
"Where do you want to suffer?" As she asked her question she moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder.
Untucking his hand from his head, he pushed his fingers into her curls but didn't take his eyes from her ceiling.
"I think if I left here I wouldn't be suffering. I haven't really thought about where I want to go yet, but I think anywhere is better than here."
"With the right company, I think anywhere can be peaceful." Her hand gently rested on his chest and it was his moment to feel the lips that occupied a lot of his thoughts, but he was too busy reflecting on his life.
Laying his hand on hers, he whispered, "Maybe," not realizing she was falling asleep.
He needed to leave before his early morning, but he was at that peace she told him the right company could bring and he ended up falling asleep. Sleeping through her internal four a.m. alarm, her dad didn't wake her before he went to work, and she didn't open her eyes until seven when Goliath was hungrily scratching at her bedroom door. Lifting her head from Dom's shoulder made him open his eyes then fling to a sitting position.
"Shit. What time is it?" he blurted.
"Seven."
"Fuck." He jumped from the bed. "I have to go!"
"You work mornings too?"
"Shit! I've never been late." He headed for the window but she grabbed his hand.
"My dad's gone. You can go out the door." Pulling him to the bedroom door, she opened it and Goliath ran into the room, circling around Dom's feet. When he bent to pick her up, Nyla stopped him, blurting, "Don't! You'll get sick again."
"Sorry, buddy." He opted for a quick pat then followed her through the house. "I thought you got up at four with your dad?" That was the only reason he let himself get comfortable and fall asleep.
"I slept through it. Sorry. You want some breakfast before you go?"
"No. Thanks." He pulled open the back door but quickly stopped before exiting. "I'll come by at three. Will you be home?"
"Yeah." A smile lit her sleepy face as he walked the few feet to hug her, and she wrapped her arms around him.
"Bye." He was rushing out the back door and to the stashed bike before he was late. Going home to shower and change wasn't an option. There was no time.
It was the first time in awhile that he actually looked forward to doing something, seeing someone, but when his mom called him with car troubles, his plans of going to Nyla's that night got cancelled so him and Jeff could fix her car. It wasn't so bad; spending time with Jeff and doing something that challenged them both was something he strived for often. But Jeff found more enjoyment with their friends, getting high or drunk, and Dom felt more like a disappointed father than brother anymore.
That entire week, Nyla left her window open, hoping if she didn't see him in the afternoon, he'd show up in the night. He hadn't, and she began to wonder what she did wrong that Sunday night she saw him last. When she showed up at Surf on Thursday, he wasn't on shift and the desperate act angered her, making her promise herself she wouldn't chase him. That Friday she left her window open but convinced herself it was for relief from the warm evening, and at eleven his whisper came through her window.
Hurt that he hadn't been by, she said nothing as she grabbed Goliath and locked her out of the room then opened the screen. The full moon lit enough of her room that he carefully climbed through the window this time, knowing what to expect so he didn't get tangled in cords. Sitting in the center of her bed, she expected an explanation and he saw it on her face. Not able to vindicate his absence, he tackled her into a hug.
"Dom," she groaned from the unexpected blow, and when she tried to push him away, he began to tickle the animosity from her. "Stop!" She laughed. "Stop, please! You're gonna make me wake my dad!" She wrestled him in laughter then shoved him away. "What the hell, Dom?"
"Get dressed. My friends want to meet you."
"Your friends?"
He knew the skepticism in her voice was due to the unpleasant meeting of Jeff and Jesse, not to mention the fact he'd blown her off all week.
"We won't stay long. You just gotta meet Boney."
Boney was the reason he hadn't been there all week. It took the whole week to convince him she wasn't going to rat them out like he suspected. He didn't want to be at Nyla's when Boney decided to start something, because he knew that was coming. Like they resolved most conflict, they needed to fight it out before Boney would calm down about the issue.
"I work tomorrow. I got that job," she mumbled.
With a grin he lifted his hand in the air for a high-five. "At the theater?"
Her arms folded over her chest and she didn't give him what he waited for, but she fought a smirk. "I could have told you that if I would have seen you this week."
"I'm here right now." He tugged her arm. "Now get dressed and let's go." When his fingers snapped, her eyebrows shot up but he put on a boyish grin that she could only make out from the white of his teeth because she refused to turn on the
lights. "Please? I won't keep you out late."
"It's already late, Dom."
"It's only eleven. Come on, Nyla, you're too young to be too tired to party."
With a huff she stood from the bed and mumbled, "Turn around."
Happy she wasn't too hard to convince, he turned his back but his eyes went to the standup mirror, able to make her out through the moonlight shining in the window. Forgetting about the mirror, she pulled her tank top off but turned her back after only a quick side view.
"Wear jeans. We're gonna be outside. Bugs." His eyes stayed fixed on the mirror and was rewarded when she turned around while pulling on her shirt, neglecting a bra.
"Where we going?"
He wanted to change plans and stay there to see more than what he already had. "The hill. For a bonfire." Turning around, he let his eyes skim what she was hiding under a t-shirt and jeans, but she didn't notice.
"Climb out so I can let Goliath in. I'll come out the back door."
When they walked to the front of her house and she saw the Cavalier that acted as the getaway car the first time she saw Dom, her steps slowed. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed her hesitation and it didn't take long for him to figure out why.
"We can walk," he quickly suggested.
"It's fine." Lifting her head, she pushed down the moral compass guiding her back toward her house.
"Took you fucking long enough," Boney bitched as they got in.
"Fuck you," Dom muttered and grabbed Nyla's tense hand.
"Hi, Myra!" Jeff blurted from the front seat and she smirked.
"It's Nyla, Jeff." Dom shoved his shoulder.
"Hi, Jeff. Jesse." She glanced around Dom to smile at Jesse.
"That's Boney." Dom pointed at the back of his shaved head.
"Hi," she mumbled sensing Boney's unwelcome demeanor.
Not acknowledging her, Boney headed toward the liquor store, then demanded, "Beer money," after pulling into the parking lot. All three guys slapped money into his hand and he turned around glaring at Nyla. "You drinking?"
"Oh—"
