by H. Q. Frost
"He can't tell me no, Dom."
"But I really don't want to piss your dad off. He didn't shoot me the other night and I owe him my respect."
Unbuckling, she scooted to the middle of the bench seat and pulled his hand off the gearshift, locking their fingers.
"I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. Thanks for staying to talk to him last night. Totally not how we should have met each other's parents."
"Yeah. Weird," he mumbled. "Just, if your dad tells you no, we won't go, okay? Don't piss him off just 'cause he doesn't want you to go."
"You're a good book, Dom." Her head laid on his shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm trying," he muttered.
When he pulled up to her house and didn't cut the engine, she disappointedly asked, "You won't come in, will you?"
"I have an early morning. My schedule's changing after this week. I'm not sure to what because I'm about to pick up a lot more hours at Reboot, but maybe we could go on a real date or something."
"It might have to be at the theater while I work, but sure." She laughed.
"Or I'll come over early and we'll do a breakfast date."
"I called you my boyfriend and Jeff told me I better clear that with you first."
"He did?" He wasn't surprised, but didn't know what else to say because it was a topic that they had yet to discuss.
"Yeah, he said you don't like girlfriends, you just like to talk to a lot of women at once."
He laughed and turned the radio off.
"Is that what you're doing?"
"What?" He laughed again. "Seriously? You think I'm playing you?"
"No, just are you talking to other girls?"
"Besides my mom?" He gave her a crooked grin. "I haven't even had the time to see any of my friends."
"I don't mean your friends, Dom. I mean am I your girlfriend or are we just kickin' it?"
"I don't know, Nyla." Releasing her hand, he wiped his clammy palms over his jeans.
"Well, what do you want?" It wasn't like her to push for answers like that, but Dom was a different type of man than she was used to. One she felt the need to lock down before someone else.
"What do you want?" He lifted his eyes to hers and the boyish look that rarely graced his face was there.
"You." She softly touched his cheek and slid her fingers into his hair.
"Cool." He nodded. "I won't talk to other girls."
The wonder if he was still sleeping with Renee made her insecurities rise. "Are you right now?"
"I told you I haven't even had time."
"So you haven't slept with that Renee girl again?"
He saw the wince on her face and he sighed. "Why do you ask questions you don't really want to know about?"
Her wide eyes darted to his with the worry he was going to confirm he had.
"It seems like you want to hurt yourself with my answers."
"I don't," she protested. "I just want to know."
"I don't want to know if you fucked that Gavin guy," he blurted.
"I didn't!"
"Still. Why do you want to know something that'll make you hurt?" The weakness he saw so often in his mother was coming out in her and he wasn't sure he could handle that.
"I just want to know if you're sleeping with someone."
"What difference would it make? We're not together. Well now we are, I think. But we weren't."
"Okay." She quickly unbuckled, assuming his answer was yes. "I'll call you tomorrow." When she tried to slide out of the truck he wrapped his arm around her waist and shifted in his seat before pulling her closer.
"I'm not. I told you I haven't even had the time to talk to anyone. Any free time I've had I've been with you, getting you to work." He pushed her hair behind her ear then slid his nose across her cheek to her hair.
"Come in, Dom," she whispered in a libido-driven plea.
"I can't." He kissed her cheek. "Kiss me though."
Unable to deny him that, she shifted to get her lips to his before easing him back against the door with a gentle push.
"Dom," she moaned his name while he kissed over her neck.
When he went for her mouth again, and his hand slid to her chest, a knock on the window made her jump and him tense, thinking it was her dad.
"Nyla?" Austin called through the glass.
"Shit," she panted.
"Fuck," Dom grunted and sat up straight. "I really fucking hate this guy, Nyla," he said loud enough so Austin could hear him.
"I'm sorry," she repeated a couple time in hopes to calm him down. Turning toward the window, she cranked it partially down. "What, Austin?"
"I thought you weren't supposed to see this guy anymore?"
"Why don't you fuck off?" Dom barked.
"Dom, calm down. Austin, go away. Go back to your house and mind your own business."
"Is your dad awake, Nyla?" The threat in Austin's tone made Dom reach for the door handle.
Clutching his shirt, she said, "Please don't get out of the truck."
"Fuck." Both hands gripped the steering wheel.
"Austin, get away from the door so I can get out." She turned back to Dom and kissed his cheek. "Thanks for showing up tonight."
Grabbing her hand before she got out he asked, "When do you work next?"
"Tuesday at noon."
"Shit. I can't get you to work."
"It's okay. I'll ask someone from work." With a smile, she pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Night."
"Do me a favor. Close and lock your window tonight. Don't leave them open please."
"Austin's harmless," she assured.
"He's a prick." His eyes shot to Austin who stood on her lawn shirtless and smoking a cigarette. "I don't like the asshole."
"Call me tomorrow."
"Nyla, promise me you will."
"I will." She quickly kissed his lips before getting out.
When Austin approached her, she ignored him and unlocked her front door, waving to Dom before she went inside and shut it in Austin's face. Austin turned toward Dom's truck and stared him down a minute before wandering back up his front steps.
With a grin on his usually serious face, Dom walked through his front door to a small party, and the smile fell. He knew Jeff never organized the get-togethers at their house; their friends just showed up because there wasn't anywhere else to hang out if Boney wasn't around.
"You looked like you won the lottery for a minute there, Dom," Kaitlyn said from across the room.
"You guys gotta go." He'd never kicked them out before, but he had the first step down to being the 'good book' Nyla thought he was and he didn't want temptation to ruin that.
"What the hell for?" Jesse bitched.
"Dom, you can't kick my friends out!" Jeff protested.
He wanted to scream at his brother. Tell him they weren't his friends, they were just using him for somewhere to party, but he grit his teeth and went into the kitchen.
"Dom, are you mad?" Jeff's voice came from behind him.
"You know tomorrow is an early day. I worked six hours today and haven't had a day off since I started the new job. I'm tired, not mad. And they're assholes, not your friends."
"They're our friends."
Dom stared at the confusion on his brother's face, but there was no point in explaining.
"I have to get to sleep. Mom's not working a double. Everyone better be gone before six. Including the girls, Jeff."
"But you're mad." Not letting him by, Jeff grabbed his shoulder. "Smoke some pot." He shoved a joint in his face.
"No. Stop." Pushing his hand down he said, "At some point all this shit has to stop. I don't plan on staying here forever and if you can't look after yourself, I can't leave."
"You're not my babysitter, Dom. Mom said you're not my babysitter."
"I'm your brother." He looked into Jeff's drained bloodshot blue eyes.
"Where do you want to go anyway? Move in with Myra? You can't do that anyway, Dom."
"I'm going to bed, J
eff." He walked around his brother who was feistier than usual and he imagined it had a lot to do with the fact they hadn't spent much time together the past few weeks.
He'd fix that problem just as soon as he figured out how to maintain his schedule and a girlfriend.
"Dom?" Jesse lifted a beer in question.
Dom stared at him. He was his oldest friend. At one time they'd had similar goals and Jesse had his shit together, but then they met Boney and they all started to lose sight of that. There were things Dom would never lose sight of though. Like making sure his future wouldn't be taken from him. He had setbacks, like a temper and friends that provoked it, but he refused to get lost in that town.
"No, man," he muttered walking to his bedroom, yanking his shirt off.
Tossing it to the floor, he closed the door and leaned his forehead against the wood, trying to think of how he'd get his brother straight without having to tell their mom. Next to Dom, Jesse was the second best in Jeff's eyes, and Jesse didn't give a shit about himself, let alone any of his so-called friends.
"Dom," a voice came from behind him in the dark room and he flipped on the bedroom light to Kaitlyn standing next to his bed, stark naked.
It wasn't the first time she'd pulled something similar, but it'd be the first time he denied her. Kaitlyn always got a thrill going behind Renee's back and having sex with Dom. Not that Dom was exclusive to Renee, but the naive girl didn't think her sister was fucking the same men she was. The thrill Kaitlyn got from it always made the sex better for Dom. And though Kaitlyn was a bitch, she wasn't as bad as the others. She wasn't as lost as the others. If Dom ever claimed friendship with any of them, it was Kaitlyn. While Renee was eighteen, Kaitlyn was his age and had her shit together, only hanging around the usual group once in a while and it was only to see Dom.
"Get your clothes on." He huffed and walked toward his charger, plugging in his phone that Jeff always had drained to a five percent battery life.
"What?" she snapped.
"Get dressed and get out."
"Seriously?"
"I have a girlfriend." And turning down a naked girl in his bedroom had never been harder, especially when he hadn't had sex in over a month since meeting Nyla.
"Who?" she demanded to know, not remembering Nyla even existed.
When he ignored her, she threw a pillow at him.
"Fuck you, Dom. You made one of those skanks your girlfriend over me?"
"Shut up before Renee hears you in here."
"It's Renee?" Shock loudly carried her words around his room.
"What? No. Fuck no! Get dressed!"
"Not until you tell me who. I don't even believe you. You can fuck any of us you want. You wouldn't get a girlfriend."
"Get the fuck out of my room, Kaitlyn. Get out of my house."
"Who is it, Dom?" she demanded to know and marched toward his cellphone.
"Kaitlyn," he said in warning but she snatched it off the desk.
When he reached for it, she turned her back, causing him to reach around her naked body while she fought him away, trying to scroll through his messages.
"Kaitlyn!" he yelled trying to wrestle the phone from her.
Childishly fighting over the cellphone, they were oblivious to the bedroom door opening. Her naked back was pressed against his shirtless front while he held her by the stomach and tried reaching over her shoulder to grab his phone.
"Smile, you fucking whore," Renee said snapping a picture before Dom shoved away from Kaitlyn.
"Renee, he has a girlfriend," Kaitlyn quickly blurted, not wanting her sister to find out she'd been sleeping with Dom as long as she had.
"Even better," she said cattily, while looking at the picture on her cellphone before marching out of his room.
"Renee!" he yelled going after her.
If Renee found out who his girlfriend was, he didn't doubt she'd track her down to show her the picture. She was in her car before he got out the front door. Making a u-turn, she drove over Dom's grass and dropped the pedal, leaving tire marks.
"Fuck!" he blurted knowing he couldn't fix that before his mom saw it.
"That bitch left me!" Kaitlyn screamed as she burst out of the house, finally dressed. "Oh my god." She began to pound out a text on her cellphone. "You're all a bunch of losers!" she seethed, realizing no-one else had a car to get her home, not knowing Dom got the truck from her brother that day. Looking up at him from her phone she said, "It's that girl, isn't it? The black girl you brought to the bonfire a few weeks ago."
"You have to delete that picture, Kaitlyn," he practically begged.
"It's probably not even that bad," she mumbled.
"You were naked and I didn't have a shirt on!" he blurted, stabbing his fingers into his hair.
"She doesn't even know who your girlfriend is. Chill out."
"It won't take long for her to figure it out. Please, please. Fuck, please just try and help me out."
"Yeah, whatever, Dom. You think Boney would come get me?"
"I'll give you a ride," he muttered walking back into the house. "Leave, now. All of you. Leave!" he screamed going into his bedroom for shoes. "When I come back, no-one better fucking be here." His eyes found Jeff staring back in confusion. "I fucking mean it."
"What happened, Dom?" Jeff continuously repeated.
"Leave!" Dom shouted at Jesse who jumped to his feet.
When Dom started the truck, Kaitlyn mumbled, "Who is that girl?" trying not to sound as jealous as she was.
"Don't talk to me," he grumbled heading toward her house.
"Oh fuck you, Dom!" she shouted. "You're too good for us now that you got a girlfriend in college, huh? You think you're better than us now?"
His eyes stayed on the road and his lips pressed closed.
"What the fuck ever. You're not better than me. None of you are. You're all a bunch of fucking losers and as soon as I can, I'm leaving this fucking place and not even Renee will see me again."
He huffed but continued to remain silent until he realized she was crying. Tugging her shoulder he said, "You're crying?"
"Fuck you all! I hate you guys!" she sobbed into her hands. "I hate my life."
"Kaitlyn." Confusion as to why she was bawling her eyes out set over his face.
When he put his hand on her shoulder, she aggressively shoved him away with a shriek.
"I hate myself, I hate myself, I hate myself." The words chanted from her mouth while she clawed at her wrists.
"Holy shit," Dom blurted while he watched the fit she was throwing possess her body.
Quickly pulling over, he unbuckled and grabbed her hands to stop the clawing that had already drawn blood. Shrieking like a madwoman, she thrashed to fight him off while he tried to stop her from hurting herself.
"Kaitlyn, stop!" he screamed, having to pin her down to the bench seat and wrestle with her for several minutes until she burst into sobs that sounded as if they were clawing from her throat.
"Fuck," Dom panted trying to catch his breath.
Unsure what to do with the unstable girl, he pulled her up and into his arms wanting to offer some sort of comfort that would make her stop crying.
"She's going to post that picture everywhere," she said through tears. "Everyone is going to see me naked. They're going to see how fat I am."
His eyes went wide at the insane words. At the insane girl he never knew her to be.
"You're not fat," he blurted.
"I have rolls! And freckles everywhere! She's going to show everyone!"
He wanted to shove her out of the truck and floor it; put as much distance between him and the one hundred and twenty pound mental case he didn't understand breaking down in his vehicle.
"You're a pretty girl, Kaitlyn," he mumbled.
Repeatedly telling her she was skinny and pretty, he wasn't sure how much more he could take, but ten minutes later she abruptly stopped crying like she'd flipped some sort of switch.
"You can take me home now," she said as
if someone else took over her body.
"Are you okay?" he asked scooting away from her, keeping his guard up in case she attacked him like he'd seen in scary movies.
"You can take me home now," she repeated while her gaze stayed on the floor of the truck.
He couldn't help but look over at her every few minutes while he quickly got her home, and when he pulled up to the curb, she hugged him softly as if she were afraid to hurt him.
"Thanks for always being my friend, Dom," she said in an unnerving tone, and when he looked into her face, something wasn't right. "Jeff too. When you leave this hell, take him with you. He deserves to see a real city."
"Kaitlyn," he blurted as she was getting out.
"I'm okay." She flashed him a fake smile then closed the truck door.
She wasn't okay and an uneasy feeling turned his stomach, making it so he couldn't leave. Sitting there a few minutes, he remembered her dad and younger sister had committed suicide, so he got out of the truck, not willing to let the girl kill herself.
As he approached the dark house, he almost went back to his truck, not sure it was worth disturbing their sleeping family if his hunch was wrong. With his hands in his pockets, he quietly walked around Renee's car to the back of the house hoping there'd be a bedroom light on or something indicating where her room might be. There were no lights on but when he turned around, Kaitlyn was standing in the yard by a tree. Quietly approaching her, he saw the rope in her hand and it took a moment for dawning to hit.
"Kaitlyn!" He yanked the rope from her hands making her jump. "Fuck, fuck. Don't do this shit, man. Please, come on!" Though he suspected the worst, he wasn't prepared to be faced with it.
"You scared me. I just need some fresh air."
"Really." He held the rope up while a sickly feeling crept through him. "You're gonna do it like this?"
Tears broke through and she dropped to the grass crying into her hands. "You don't understand what it's like living here. In this house. With these people."
"But you can't fucking kill yourself!" he stressed in a whisper and glanced back toward the dark house before sitting on the lawn next to her.
Thoughts of how early he had to be up, the long day ahead, Nyla, they were long gone. The only thing he could think about was the depths someone's pain could reach and how others could be clueless to it.
