ULY (Bay Falls High - Them Book 1)

by Jaxson Kidman

  From the bed, my mother was starting to get scared.

  “I’m calling the police,” she said.

  “No,” I said. “Not yet.”

  “Ulysses!” she screamed.

  Calvin decided to make his next move… a really cheap fucking move too.

  He jumped for the bed.

  Going for my mother.

  She rolled to her right and almost fell out of the bed.

  I dove at Calvin, taking my life into my own hands.

  My shoulder smashed against his ribs as I drove him away from the bed.

  I picked him up and started to run toward the bedroom door.

  I braced myself for the pain because I knew he was going to stab me.

  He didn’t stab me as I threw him out of the bedroom.

  I shut the door behind me, leaving my mother in peace.

  The rage that soared through me took away all sense of rationality. I should have just called the police. But this was more than the police showing up.

  All that this piece of shit did to me and my family.

  What he did to Mara…

  Calvin stepped back until he hit a wall.

  He waved the knife in the air at me.

  “Just let me go and it’s all done,” he said. “You got your hits on me, kid. You did good. I don’t blame you for defending your mother.”

  “This isn’t about my mother,” I said. “She can fend for herself.”

  “Then what are you doing?”

  “You told Mara you were going to break her neck. That’s what I’m going to do to you.”

  “Yeah? Fucking try me. You have no idea what you’re up against.”

  The knife was suddenly gone from Calvin’s hand.

  A fist slammed against his jaw and he turned and fell and curled up into a ball.

  I saw Ash and Hil standing in the hallway, dressed in all black.

  Hil spit on Calvin.

  “You have no idea what you’re up against, asshole.”

  * * *

  “Are you okay?” Ash asked me. “You’re bleeding.”

  I touched my cheek. My ribs burned red hot. “I’m fine.”

  “What are we doing with him now?” Hil asked.

  “What are you two doing here?” I asked.

  “Belle is with Mara,” Ash said. “No way you’re doing this alone, Uly. This is too personal. For all of us.”

  “How…”

  “Mara called Belle,” Hil said. “She put Mara on speaker and we heard the whole thing. What that piece of fuck had done to your mother. To Mara. And that he was the one behind Charger. This isn’t just about you, Uly. This is about Them.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “I… uh… yeah.”

  “Yeah,” Ash said. He grabbed my shoulder. “Yeah.”

  “So what the fuck do we do here?” Hil asked.

  Calvin crawled toward the next wall and got back to his feet.

  The three of us - Them - closed in on Calvin.

  “Oh, fuck,” he said.

  “Fuck is right,” Hil said. “You wanted this fight.”

  “You don’t get it,” Calvin said. “They’ll kill me.”

  “Gambling debt,” I said to Ash.

  Ash laughed. “Sucks to be you then.”

  “I just want to get out of here,” Calvin said. He looked at me. “I won’t say a thing to anyone. I’ll never go near your mother again. We’ll call it even. I won’t tell anyone a thing. Think about it. It’s win-win.”

  “Win-win,” Hil said. “That sounds fair.”

  “Right?” Calvin asked.

  “You threw a woman down the stairs,” Ash said. “You threw my best friend’s mother down the stairs. Want to know something about my mother?”

  “What?” Calvin asked.

  “She died in a car accident,” Ash said. “Drunk guy hit her and sent her off a cliff. That guy got arrested and I never got my hands on him.”

  “Look…”

  Ash grabbed Calvin’s shirt.

  Calvin let out a yell.

  I touched Ash’s arm. “Let him go. He’s right.”

  “What?” Ash asked.

  “We’ll call it even,” I said. “Win-win.” I looked at Calvin. “We’re going to watch you go, okay?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Calvin said. He showed his hands. “Sure. No problem.”

  Calvin walked to the stairs.

  Both Ash and Hil looked at me like I was crazy for letting him go.

  But I had a plan.

  At the top of the stairs I moved in front of Calvin.

  “This is where we say goodbye,” I said to him.

  “Ulysses…”

  I side stepped and smiled.

  Calvin turned around to make sure Ash and Hil weren’t going to push him down the stairs.

  “Relax,” Hil said.

  “I’m not going to push you,” Ash said.

  Calvin put his back to the railing and moved his left foot down one step.

  “Goodbye, Calvin,” I said.

  I moved toward him and he opened his mouth to scream.

  But before I could get to him, someone else pushed him.

  He was off the steps for a second and then he slammed down on them.

  Over and over and over… all the way down.

  I turned my head, ready to throw Ash or Hil down the stairs next.

  But it wasn’t Them who did it.

  “Fucking asshole…”

  Paula looked at me, tears in her eyes.

  * * *

  “Holy shit, lady,” Hil said.

  “Paula,” I said. “When did you get here?”

  “Right after he did,” she said. “I thought the worst when I came up the main stairs. I heard the slamming and the fighting. I walked into your mother’s room and she was crying saying you took Calvin out into the hallway. What he did to my daughter…”

  I hurried to run down the stairs in case Calvin was up and moving again.

  But he wasn’t.

  He was a crumpled mess on the last step, hugging himself, groaning in pain.

  I stared down at him.

  He gasped for a breath.

  “Are you going to die?” I asked him.

  He shook his head.

  “Good,” I said. I crouched down and grabbed his face. “Next time… when I push you… I’ll make sure you go head first and snap your neck.”

  Calvin shut his eyes.

  I let him go and stood up.

  Next to me Paula stood shaking.

  “I hate him,” she said to me. “I hated him from the second I met him. I knew he was no good. I just never thought this. That he said what he said to my daughter. To my Mara.”

  Paula growled and kicked her right foot at Calvin.

  She kicked him over and over.

  Until I finally gently touched her arm.

  “Come on,” I said. “Let’s let him rot in pain for a little bit.”

  Ash and Hil followed us toward the kitchen.

  “What now?” Ash asked.

  “We have to call the police,” Paula said. “And then an ambulance. The piece of trash is going to get medical attention and then…”

  “And then he’s going to jail,” I said. “And then whoever he owes money to is going to come after him. And that’s it.”

  “If any questions are asked, I’ll take the fall,” Hil said. “With him being roughed up.”

  “Look at Uly’s face,” Ash said. “Nobody is going to question a thing.”

  “This is too much,” Paula said. “I pushed him. I could have killed him.”

  She covered her mouth.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” I said. “Trust me, I know how to handle this. Paula, you call the police. No ambulance though. Let the police handle it. We know the truth about Calvin. There’s nothing to hide. He’s abusive and violent. He attacked me with a knife and I fought back. You saw him ready to come after me again and you pushed him down the stairs.”

  “Are they going to
arrest me?” Paula asked. “Oh… god… what…”

  “Paula, I’ll take care of this. Trust me. Just call the police.”

  I walked from the kitchen and grabbed my phone.

  I sent a text to Mara.

  I love you. Everything will be okay.

  She texted me back right away.

  I love you so much Uly. Come back to me please.

  I blew a kiss to my phone screen like some pathetic fool in love.

  I didn’t reply to Mara.

  There was a phone call I had to make.

  I had to become a rich douchebag real quick.

  And call my lawyer.

  Chapter 22

  Mara fell asleep on the couch next to the fireplace with a book on her chest. She was under a blanket… and under that blanket were no other pieces of clothing.

  I had grabbed a quick shower and ran my hand through my wet hair as I stared down at her.

  She was beautiful.

  In a way that I could never find the words to tell her.

  Or write about.

  Or sing about.

  Or do anything about.

  I reached down and touched her cheek.

  Mara gasped and jumped up, sending her book to the floor.

  She held the blanket to her chest and sat up, leaving her back exposed.

  I gritted my teeth, wanting to waste more time with her in my bed.

  “Uly,” she said.

  “It’s just me, doll,” I said.

  She was still so jumpy.

  All the time too.

  Ever since she confessed what had happened with Calvin, every little surprise and sound made her jump, gasp, get scared. Like she was having a panic attack.

  She looked around the room, breathing heavy.

  I climbed over the back of the couch and sat next to her.

  “You’re scared, Mara,” I said.

  “I’m okay. You just startled me. That’s all. I dozed off. Stupid advanced calculus will do that to anyone.”

  I touched her cheek and shook my head. “No, it’s not that, doll. It’s everything. You know I’ve got your back.”

  “Don’t you mean my ass?” she teased.

  “I love your ass,” I said. “But this whole thing has been crazy. You’re still worried. I know you’re afraid to admit that to me.”

  “Uly…”

  “You’ve been here how many nights now?”

  “I don’t see you complaining,” she said.

  “Never,” I said. I leaned toward her. “But come on… let’s talk about this thing.”

  “What thing?”

  “He’s never going to come back,” I said. “Caly is vicious. You met her.”

  “I know,” Mara said. “She kind of scared me a little.”

  “That’s her job.”

  “Uly, it’s just a lot at once… I mean…”

  The bedroom door opened.

  Mara gasped and looked ready to burst into tears.

  I stood up and watched Ash and Hil walk into the room like it was theirs.

  I wanted to punch both of Them.

  “What the fuck?” I called out.

  “Just wanted to say hey,” Ash said.

  Of course Belle slipped into the room too.

  Mara stood up and I made sure the blanket was wrapped tight around her body.

  “Oh, damn,” Belle said. “Did we interrupt?”

  “We can give him a minute, right?” Ash asked.

  “Tell me there’s nothing under that blanket,” Hil said. “I swear… just say it… I just need to know it…”

  “There’s nothing under the blanket,” Mara called out.

  Hil touched his chest and dropped to one knee. “Okay, that’s good. Let’s get married, Mara. Right now. You, me, and the blanket. No, better yet… let’s commit a crime. So the cops show up and tell you to put your hands up. Because then the blanket will fall…”

  I gritted my teeth as Mara giggled.

  It was half serious and half pity for Hil and how stupid he was.

  “Stand up, Hil,” Belle said.

  “What the hell do you want?” I asked. “We were sitting here talking.”

  “Talking,” Ash said with air quotes.

  “We actually were,” Mara said. “We were done with…”

  She couldn’t finish the sentence without blushing.

  “Got any news?” Ash asked.

  “Nothing you don’t know,” I said. “Everything is working out the way it’s supposed to. Why does it matter to you?”

  “Just does,” Ash said.

  “Jas is better,” Hil said. “Heard she’s clean and happy.”

  “Back in BFH?” I asked.

  “No,” Hil said. “She’s long gone. Another private place.”

  “Poor Aaron,” I said with a grin.

  “How are you doing, Mara?” Belle asked.

  “I’m fine,” Mara said. “Really fine. Figuring out the balance.”

  “Fuck the balance,” Belle said. “You need a night off to hang with me.”

  “With us,” Hil said.

  “Not with you,” Mara said to Hil.

  “We can leave Hil behind,” Ash said.

  “Double date,” Belle said.

  “That’s fucking lame,” I said.

  “Why?” Mara asked.

  “If I get a date with you, doll, it’s just you and me,” I said. “I don’t need anyone else hogging the air.”

  “I agree,” Ash said.

  “You just said you were going to leave Hil behind,” Mara said.

  “Yeah,” Ash said. “Doesn’t mean I want to hang out with you two.”

  Mara stuck her middle finger out of the blanket.

  “Quick,” Hil said. “Use both hands to do that.”

  “Hil, fuck off,” I said.

  “I just want to see the blanket fall,” he yelled out.

  “Get out of here,” Belle said to Hil. She snapped her fingers. “Go. Right now. Out.”

  “Whatever,” Hil said.

  He waved his hands and left the bedroom.

  “What a douchebag,” Belle said with a laugh.

  “But it’s so quiet when he leaves,” Mara said.

  “I bet he’d shut up if you dropped that towel,” Ash said to Mara.

  “You’re out too,” I said to Ash. And Belle. “Everyone out. Now.”

  “Damn, bro,” Ash said.

  “Let them do their thing,” Belle said.

  There was a knock at the door and Lake poked her head in.

  “Hey there, Belle,” Lake said.

  “Miss Whitaker,” Belle said with a smile.

  “Damn, can’t get rid of you, huh?” Ash said to her.

  “Ashby, I will fail your ass,” Lake said.

  “I’m not even in your class,” Ash said.

  “What do you want, Lake?” I asked.

  “Calypso is here looking for you,” she said. “She’s about five seconds away from walking in here.”

  “Send her in,” I said.

  “Maybe have Mara put a shirt on,” Lake said.

  She disappeared from the door.

  Mara gasped and hurried away toward the bathroom.

  “Have fun, Uly,” Ash said.

  “Yeah, thanks,” I said. “This is fucking great.”

  The door opened for a third time and in walked Caly.

  In a dress to die for with an attitude to match.

  Her eyes were on me and she acted like Ash and Belle were invisible.

  “We need the room,” she said.

  “They were leaving,” I said.

  “Who the hell was that?” Hil’s voice yelled from the hallway. “I’m in love with that woman. I want to-”

  Caly shut the door and locked it.

  “Mara is getting dressed,” I said, nodding to bathroom.

  “Good for her,” Caly said.

  Mara came out of the bathroom a few seconds later.

  Wearing shorts and a hoodie.

&
nbsp; My guess was nothing else under it.

  Fuck, I was starting to sound like Hil…

  * * *

  “Mara,” Caly said.

  “Hey,” Mara said.

  “What’s going on here?”

  “Just some updates,” Caly said. “I like this stuff in person.”

  “Is my mother okay?” Mara asked.

  She was getting jumpy again.

  I reached for her hand and squeezed it tight.

  “Let’s go over everything,” Caly said.

  “I just want this to end,” Mara said. “It’s been a long time. At least for me. From when he pushed Amanda… and then my mother getting arrested…”

  “It’s okay, doll,” I said.

  That had been the worst part of it.

  I tried to promise Paula and Mara it was going to be okay.

  My call to Caly saved Paula but when the police showed up, Paula lost it. She was a mess. Crying her eyes out, holding her hands out, telling the police what she had done. The initial reaction was… well, that Paula pushed Calvin down the stairs to kill him. For no good reason other than just to do it.

  It became a fucking mess for a little bit as Calvin was taken away by ambulance and Paula was taken away in handcuffs.

  Caly stepped in to fix that part though.

  But she was facing charges for what she had done.

  That played into Mara too.

  “Uly, your mother decided to cooperate finally,” Caly said.

  I shut my eyes and sighed. “Shit…”

  “Finally,” Mara said.

  “She’s looking at her own legal troubles for this too,” Caly said. “I can’t say I blame her for wanting to just walk away.”

  “Walk away, that’s funny,” I said.

  “Damn,” Caly said. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “I know,” I said.

  My mother rented a place on the beach. A few miles from the beach house. That’s where she wanted to let her leg heal and wait to see what was going to happen next.

  “Here’s the deal,” Caly said. “Everyone has a case. The best thing that could have happened was that Calvin survived. He’s so scared of the people he owes money to, he’s squawking like a bird.”

  “Meaning what?” Mara asked.

  “Meaning he’s telling us everything,” Caly said. “What he did to your mother, Uly. A full confession. In detail. Including how he stole her pills. How he confused her into thinking she needed more. Hate to say it, but he stuck up for her. To the point where I think I can get a judge to see the truth and not do anything to your mother. She was abused, hurt, confused, suffering in silence because of Calvin. And his threats were real and he backed them up.”