And that was exactly what I did, once I was dressed in some dark jeans and a T-shirt. I halted at my front door, took a deep breath, and made sure I was the Asher everyone expected to see. The Asher who laughed and joked, the Asher who anyone could talk to. I didn’t want to be the Asher who constantly relived events from the past. Or the Asher who had a scar take up the entirety of his left thigh. I wanted to be the old Asher, even if it was only for a few hours.
It didn’t take me long to get to my mom and dad’s place across town, and as soon as I walked in the house, I could hear Belle and Aria laughing. I pasted a grin on my face and sauntered into the kitchen. “Afternoon, ladies,” I greeted, putting on my easygoing attitude.
“Ladies?” Belle snorted. “Where the heck do you think you are? In the 1900s?” She raised a brow and tilted her head to the side, mocking me.
“What?” I widened my eyes at her and flicked my gaze to Aria. “I was tryin’ to be polite.”
“You were being weird is what you were doing.”
“Me?” I gasped, in the same way I’d heard Belle gasp since she was a teen. “How dare you.”
“How dare me?” Belle asked, stepping forward. “How dare you think you can call me a lady—”
“Would you prefer me to call you a gentleman?”
“Mom!” Belle shouted. “Asher called me a man!”
“Asher,” Mom huffed out, and I spun around, not realizing she was standing behind us. “Don’t pick on your sister.” Her brown hair was graying in parts, but she hadn’t dyed it to cover it. She was in her early fifties, and I was sure she was happier now than when she was younger. She could do more than I could, and I was thirty-two.
“Mom, seriously?” I shook my head, but she just stared at me in that way like she always did. She knew me and Belle were as bad as each other. “I didn’t say—”
“It’s crazy how you’re both in your thirties, and yet it’s as if you’re small kids, arguing over who gets to be the captain of the ship,” Aria inserted, leaning against the kitchen counter. Aria was my older brother’s girlfriend, which kind of made her my sister-in-law, although they’d never married. They’d been together since before I could remember.
“That would be me who is captain,” Belle inserted, smirking at me as she pointed at her chest. “I was always the best captain.”
“You were not,” I growled, following her as she exited the kitchen. “You never let me be captain, and I was the one who had a ship for a bed.” It was the truth. I had this amazing bed when I was a kid, but she always had to be the boss, no matter what.
“Whatever, you’re just a sore loser.” She walked past Dad, who was manning the grill, kissed his cheek, and then moved over to Ford, who was sitting at the table.
“Since when did I lose?” I asked, stopping at the edge of the decking and widening my stance as I looked down at Belle. She may have been able to talk forever, but she was still shorter than me. “I seem to remember you not be able to eat as many pizzas as me.”
She shrugged, acting as if the pizza eating hadn’t even taken place, when I’d eaten six slices more than she had. “I won the cupcake bet.” She smiled up at me as if she was the queen, and I was a peasant.
“It still makes you the last loser.”
“La, la, la, can’t hear you!” She laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile in response. Arguing with Belle was our way of communicating, and it always reminded me of a time when I was a kid and didn’t have to worry about anything but what clothes I was wearing the next day and what I’d be eating for dinner.
“You two never change,” a new voice said from beside me, and I turned to look at Cade. “I have a stain on my wall to prove it.” Cade’s gaze met mine, and I stared at him silently.
“You do?” I asked, wincing at knowing what was to come. Aria had been our referee to the pizza eating, and Belle may or may not have thrown the remainder of her pizza when I finished first, which may or may not have left a red tomato patch on the wall of Cade and Aria’s kitchen.
“Yep.” Cade turned to face me fully, looking so much like our dad, although where our dad was entirely gray, Cade was more salt and pepper. “Aria said you’re gonna come fix it, that right?”
I glanced at Aria as she stepped out of the kitchen and stood to my full height. “Yeah, I’ll, erm…I’ll come around this week with some paint.”
“Good.” Cade placed his hands on my shoulders. “Also heard you won, congrats.” He winked, and I knew then he wasn’t mad about the stain in his house. He’d been dealing with Belle and me our entire lives, so it was nothing new to him, and in view of the big picture, it didn’t compare to that time we accidentally set the garden on fire. The local fire department had to come and put it out, and both Belle and I had been grounded for the week. But it was worth it just to prove her wrong. She’d said I couldn’t start a fire with two sticks, and she’d been wrong. Well, kind of wrong. I may have cheated, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Thanks.” I grinned. “As if I’d ever lose.”
“Cupcakes,” Aria coughed out as she got closer. I narrowed my eyes on her and opened my mouth to tell her it was a fluke, and the only reason Belle won was that she had someone helping her. And by someone, I meant Elodie. But I didn’t get the chance because she continued, “Look at Leo grinning over there.”
Both Cade and I turned to look at Leo, who was sitting next to Ford at the table, his cell in his hand, and sure enough, a grin on his face. His thumbs flew over the screen, and a second later, he rolled his eyes and looked up, almost as if he could feel our gazes on him. His stare met mine and widened, then he glanced back down again.
“That was—”
“Weird,” I finished off for Aria. “I’m gonna go see what has him smiling. You know, be the cool uncle and all that.”
“Think you’ll find I’m the cool uncle,” Cade retorted as I stepped away from him.
“Nah.” I shook my head and glanced at him over my shoulder. “You’re the old uncle.”
“Old as in wise,” he answered.
“Old as in old,” I came back at him, then turned back to face Leo, now with a matching grin on my face, but he wasn’t looking at me. Instead, he was staring at his cell like it was his lifeline.
“'Sup, Leo?” I asked, pulling the chair out next to him. The smell of burgers cooking on the grill wafted over to us, and my stomach rumbled in response. I hadn’t been able to stomach any food before I’d left my house, and now I was starving.
“Hey,” he murmured, typing away on his cell again.
I looked over his shoulder, trying to see what he was doing, and as soon as I spotted Elodie’s name at the top of his messages, my stomach flipped. I was desperate to know how she was, but I didn’t want to seem too eager. I’d dropped her car off the next day for her like I’d promised, and I’d been so tempted to knock on her trailer door, but I hadn’t. I didn’t want to come across a certain type of way, so I kept my distance and waited until she would come to me, but I had a feeling she wasn’t that kind of person. She didn’t seek out help because she wanted to do it all herself. I understood it because I was the exact same, but sometimes it wasn’t what was best for you. I’d learned that the hard way, and I had a feeling she was going to have to as well.
“How is she?” I blurted out, instantly regretting it. I couldn’t keep the words inside, not when she was currently talking to Leo.
“She’s…” Leo slowly turned his head, and finally, his hazel-eyed gaze met mine. “She hasn’t been at school all week.” His eyes shined with concern, which made me more worried than I already was. It wasn’t my place to look out for her, though, no matter how much I wanted to.
“You’ve seen her?” I asked, trying to sound easy, but I was anything but.
Leo clicked on his cell, and a second later, he held it up to me, showing me a picture. Elodie’s face filled up the screen, and although it had been five days since I’d found her with her boyfriend punching her in the
face repeatedly, she was healing well. The swelling was down on her face, and her lip was nearly a normal size. But the bruising was dark, and it would need heavy makeup to cover it up.
“She looks…rough,” I managed to grit out before I glanced away from his cell. I couldn’t look at her while I was here surrounded by family and not knowing who was there for her. I cared, more than I probably should have, but there was something about her. Something I couldn’t turn my back on. Something which pulled me closer.
“I was supposed to meet up with her,” Leo continued, “but Mom said I had to come here.” He huffed out a breath. “If Mom knew what happened, then I bet she would—”
“Don’t tell her,” I ground out, keeping my voice low. “Elodie doesn’t want anyone to know, and your mom…” I looked over at Belle, who was in deep conversation with our mom. The scar on her neck caught my attention, and I knew if Belle was aware of what was going on, she’d push herself on Elodie, and maybe that was what she needed, but it wasn’t what Elodie wanted.
“Your mom will insert herself into it, you know she will.”
“I know,” Leo huffed and turned in his seat to face me fully. “Elodie said you’re friends with someone she looks to as a brother. Does he know what’s been going on?”
I shook my head, not willing to voice an answer. There was no way in hell Jax knew because if he did, the boyfriend wouldn’t have been able to walk. Elodie was keeping things secret from Jax, and I wondered if she was keeping her dancing a secret from Leo. If she was, it meant I was the only one who knew what she did. Did that mean she was only honest and open with me?
I blinked at Leo and turned away, watching as Dad wrapped his arm around Mom’s shoulders and pulled him to her. They’d been through so much over the years, everyone surrounding me had, but they all had someone who was there for them no matter what. Dad had Mom, Belle had Ford, and Cade had Aria.
But I had no one.
Elodie had no one.
Maybe this was a sign. Maybe our paths were meant to cross, and we were meant to be each other’s someones. Or maybe I was overthinking yet again. I rubbed at my chest as a burning sensation flowed through me, and I knew then I couldn’t stand by and let things lie. I had to do something, even if that something was making sure Elodie knew I was there for her. Because if I was dealing with her shit, I didn’t have to deal with my own.
I turned back to face Leo, who was still watching me, but I didn’t know what to say to him, and I didn’t know what to do. “He’s dangerous,” Leo said, leaning back in his chair. “Knox is a bad guy, Uncle Asher.”
I leaned my arms on my thighs, staring at nothing. “I’ll sort it out, Leo. You concentrate on school and being Elodie’s friend, yeah?”
I didn’t know how I was going to sort it. I didn’t know what to do, but what I did know was I had to keep her safe. I had to make sure she was okay.
* * *
ELODIE
I stared at myself in the mirror, turning my face left and right to check I’d covered the multiple shades of bruising I had. It had been nearly a week since the “incident,” and I had barely gone out of my trailer—or out of my room. All I wanted to do was hide away so no one would see me, but by Thursday, I hadn’t had a choice but to venture out. I’d worn a cap and some old sunglasses that only had one arm, but it was enough of a disguise not to get noticed when I went to the store for some food. This time, though, I’d kept it all in my bedroom so Mom and Remy, her boyfriend, wouldn’t eat it all.
My money was running low—lower than it ever had, and it was because I hadn’t been able to pick up any shifts this week. So, it didn’t matter that I still had a twinge in my ribs and some bruising on my face, I had to do my best cover-up job and grit my teeth so I could go into work and earn some money. I’d stretched as best as I could, but I wasn’t sure if it helped because every time I took a breath, it was like someone putting a needle into my chest. I knew I probably should have gotten it checked out, but I didn’t have the money to pay to see a doctor, so I managed. I’d always managed.
Usually, I did my makeup backstage at the club, but there was no way I was going to go in there barefaced for everyone to see the bruising on my face, so I’d decided to get completely ready before I left, which included the strips of fabric for underwear. I pulled on some sweats and a hoodie over the top of them, and as I was grabbing my backpack, someone knocked on the trailer door.
I halted in the middle of my room and waited to see if anybody would answer it, but when the silence ensued, I stepped forward. I’d just made it into the living room when the knocking turned into banging, and a voice shouted, “You have five seconds to open the door before I break it the fuck down!”
Tony. Fuck.
My gaze clashed with my mom’s, where she was in her usual seat on the sofa with her eyes half-closed as she came down from her latest high. Remy was nowhere to be seen, and it was only then I’d realized the more time I’d spent at home this week, the less he’d started to come by. If I’d really thought about it, I would have been able to put it all together, but I hadn’t. I’d just been relieved he wasn’t here.
“Two!” Tony shouted.
“Mom?” She slowly turned her head to face me, and it was as if she was staring through me and not at me.
“One.”
“Shit.” I rushed forward and flung the trailer door open. “Tony,” I breathed out, my eyes wide as I spotted the two men behind him. He’d brought backup, and he only did that when—
“You’re evicted,” he ground out, stepping past me into the trailer. I couldn’t do anything but shuffle backward as they all barreled inside. “Rent hasn’t been paid again. I’ve had enough of your bullshit.”
I wasn’t sure whether he was talking to Mom or me, but she pushed up into a sitting position and gripped on to the arm of the sofa to keep herself up. “What?” she asked, her word slurred. I couldn’t even remember when the last time I saw her completely sober was. Maybe six months? Twelve?
“Get your shit and get out,” Tony ordered, and finally looked over at me. “You have fifteen minutes.”
“Please, Tony, I…I can get the money.” My hands started to shake because I knew I couldn’t. Even if I had a good night tonight—an amazing night—there was no way I could make this month’s rent, not all in one go. And not after I’d already paid last month's.
“No.” He crossed his arms over his chest, his frown deepening as he stared at me, then turned to my mom. “Get your shit and go.”
“Whatever.” Mom laughed and slowly stood as if this was all a big game. We were getting kicked out, and she didn’t give a flying fuck. “I already got another place to stay anyway.”
“That right?” Tony asked, tilting his head to the side. “Then, you’ll have no problem getting the fuck off my trailer park, huh?”
“You’re a fat dick,” Mom spat, but not once did she look at me. Not once did she tell me I had another place to stay.
“Mom?” I ventured, my voice small. “What do you mean you already have another place?”
“Remy has a new place.” She looked at me, her empty blue eyes making my stomach dip. My mom wasn’t there anymore, she hadn’t been there for a long time, but she seemed more alert than she had in months.
“What…what about me?” I didn’t know why I asked. I should have already known she didn’t care about what happened to me, but deep down, I’d hoped. I’d hoped she did care. I’d hoped she was going to take me with her.
“What about you?” She leaned her entire body against the thin wall of the trailer as the two guys started to gather stuff up from her bedroom. They knew she wasn’t in any state to get it herself, and Tony meant business. “I ain’t takin’ you with me. Get your own fuckin’ place.” She huffed out a breath, rolled her eyes, and pushed her hand through her greasy, limp hair. “Always wanting something from me.”
My shock over the whole situation disappeared at her words, and anger replaced it. Burning anger. The ki
nd of anger I couldn’t control. “I never ask you for anything!” My voice echoed throughout the trailer. “I haven’t asked you for anything from the moment Dad left.”
“He was a piece of shit too,” she responded, looking me dead in the eyes. “You’re exactly like him. Your eyes, your face,” she sneered.
“I’d rather be like him than you.” I stepped forward. “Look at you. Look at you!” I waved my arm in the air at her, but she didn’t move an inch. She didn’t care. She’d never cared. I could see it clear as day now. I’d been a fool. A fool to think one day she’d get sober and be a mother to me. I’d been blinded by my love for her, but not anymore. I was done with her. I’d stood up to Knox, and now she was the final nail in the coffin.
“You are a piece of shit. You are the one who bailed in the worst way possible.” I took a final step closer to her. “You are not worth it.”
“And you are?” She laughed. “You think I don’t know about the boyfriend who beat you?” She snorted, but the grin on her face made me want to close the last bit of distance between us. “Couldn’t even stay in line for him, could you?”
“You…” I couldn’t even form the words. Couldn’t voice how she made me feel. Couldn’t even be bothered to talk to her any longer. We had to be out of the trailer. It was her fault, but it was also mine. I’d tried to stay, I’d tried to stick to my plan and last until the end of senior year, but just like with Knox, I should have left a long time ago. “You’re nothing,” I whispered, feeling the words deep down in my bones. “You’re nothing to me.”
I took one final look at her, etched her drugged-up face into my memory, and twirled around. It didn’t take me long to pack up all my things because I owned so little, but it still took me two trips to my car. Once I was loaded up, I turned back to face Tony, who had the two guys dragging Mom out of the trailer.
Fast Burn: Burned Duet: Book One Page 14
