In Too Deep

by D C Grant

Chapter Nineteen

  Josh woke with a pounding headache and a dry mouth. His body ached and he moved around to try to relieve the stiffness in his limbs. He was aware of the ache in his side and remembered that Bevan had kicked him there. There was something in the bed with him and he reached down and pulled out a hot water bottle. There was another lying on his other side. His father must have put them there after he had fallen asleep. He was naked under the sheets and dimly remembered his father undressing him. He pushed the covers back and slowly sat up. The pounding in his head increased. He sat on the edge of the bed, lowered his head into his hands and groaned.

  The door opened and Josh quickly pulled over the sheet to cover himself.

  “Welcome to the morning after,” his father said as he came into the room.

  “Go away,” Josh mumbled.

  “You might as well get up and get dressed. A shower might be a good idea. I’ve rinsed out your clothes from last night but I think you need to get some water on you too. And no sea water this time.”

  “Then get out so that I can get dressed,” Josh protested.

  “Why so shy, Josh? You didn’t complain last night. I’m your father, remember. I used to change your nappies.”

  “I’ve grown up now, or haven’t you noticed?”

  “No, Josh, I haven’t noticed. You’re acting like a two-year-old.” He strode over to the chest of drawers as he spoke and opened a drawer. “Here,” he said, pulling out a pair of boxer shorts. “Put these on. When you’ve had your shower, I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”

  Josh grunted an acknowledgement as he took the boxers from his father’s hand. After his father left, he slipped on the boxers then rummaged around for a shirt and shorts to take to the bathroom. Once there, he put the shower on ‘hot’ and relaxed as the warm water washed off the reminders of the previous night. A bruise just below the right side of his ribcage was evidence of Bevan’s kick. He wondered if his father had seen it. When he looked in the mirror after he’d dried himself off, he could see a red mark on his chin where Bevan had punched him and his tongue explored the cut on the inside of his mouth.

  After dressing, he left the steamy bathroom and went into the lounge. His father was in the kitchen and the kettle had boiled. Josh sat down at the dining table and held his head in his hands.

  “Not much fun, is it?” his father said, as he spooned coffee granules into a cup.

  “Don’t give me a lecture, Dad. Not now.”

  “I don’t think I need to. The morning after is punishment enough.” He opened up the fridge door. “We’re out of milk. I’ll have to go to the store and get a bottle. You wait here. I won’t be long.”

  Josh was about to tell his father to forget it when the phone rang.

  His father answered. “Yes, that’s fine,” he said after a few seconds. He looked down at his watch. “In the next half hour? Well, I suppose that’s alright. Yes, I’ll be here. See you later.”

  He put down the phone and looked at Josh.

  “The real estate agent is bringing someone through the bach in half an hour.”

  “Great,” Josh muttered.

  “I won’t be able to get the milk. Can you go and get me a litre from the store, Josh?”

  Josh was about to tell his father to get lost, then remembered that someone was going to be invading his house. He’d prefer not to be around when they came through.

  “Yeah, sure,” he said, getting up from the table. “A walk will do me good,” he lied.

  His father fished his wallet out of his back pocket and handed over a ten dollar note.

  “Get some bread, as well. And the Herald, if they have it.”

  Josh took the money and slipped on his jandals by the front door. The bright light stabbed at his eyes so he went back inside for his sunglasses then headed down the drive.

  “Hey,” Hayden said as he fell into step beside Josh. “Where you going?”

  “To the store – for milk.”

  “Going surfing today?”

  “Don’t think so.”

  “Why not?”

  “Feeling sick.”

  “You don’t look well.”

  “Why are you so interested anyway? You don’t have to come with me. I can find the store by myself.”

  “I just thought that I’d walk with you.”

  “Then don’t talk, okay!”

  Hayden shrugged and continued to walk alongside him in silence. After his initial resentment had subsided, Josh found he didn’t mind Hayden’s company. He felt rejected after the events of last night and Hayden’s presence convinced him that someone still wanted to be with him.

  Hayden spoilt it by starting to talk again just as they reached the bend in the road at the Lion’s tail.

  “Doing anything with Gina today?” he asked.

  “No, she left me,” Josh said.

  “Oh,” Hayden said. “I thought she was really keen on you.”

  “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

  They walked for a few seconds in silence. Then Josh realised that he wanted to talk to someone, tell someone about the hurt that he was feeling. Perhaps Hayden wasn’t a good choice, but there was no one else around.

  “She left me for Bevan,” he said. “I went to a party last night. I drank too much. I think I passed out. When I tried to find Gina, she was in a bedroom with Bevan. He was trying to undress her.”

  “What did you do?”

  “Went in there to smash him up but his big brother came in and threw me out. I walked home.”

  “I could see she was no good,” Hayden said.

  Josh looked at Hayden, perplexed.

  “What are you saying?” Josh stopped walking and faced Hayden. They were almost at the shop now - it was just across the road.

  “She was trying to prove something.”

  “Prove what?” Josh asked.

  “That she could get any one of the surfers on the beach. She decided to get you and she succeeded. She did it because she could. Did it to get back at Bevan.”

  Josh looked at him, annoyed. What Hayden said was true. Just then a car went past them which Josh recognised as belonging to the real estate agent. A family was inside it and he knew where they were going. He stepped into the road and raised his middle finger at it but it carried on down the road and turned the corner, the occupants oblivious to his gesture.

  “Bastards,” he said as he lowered his arm.

  “Get off the road,” Hayden said, as he grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t touch me!” Josh tugged his arm away.

  “Look out!” Hayden yelled as he tried to pull Josh off the road.

  Only then did Josh hear the car coming up behind him. The brakes squealed as it bore down on him. He turned and could see the driver’s eyes wide in shock as the car skidded forward. The brakes had locked. Josh realised it was going to hit him and it was going to hit him hard. In the few seconds before the impact Josh knew with absolute certainty that he didn’t want to die