Under the Bridge (9 page)

Dad’s jaw muscles worked as he clenched his teeth. “Go to your room.”

“He’s my brother.”

“I said go to your room.”

“Or what? You’ll hit me? I saw his face, Dad. Nice job.”

Dad took a deep breath, his chest expanding. He put his elbows on the table, his fists under his chin. His knuckles were white. “You’re taking this too far, son.”

There was a warning in his eyes that I’d never seen until recently, but I couldn’t stop myself from going on. “No, Dad,
you
took it too far.”

Silence. Absolute silence.

Then he spoke. “You’re right. But this isn’t just about me. It’s a struggle for your mother and me just like it’s a struggle for you. And for Indy. I love him and care about him, but he needs to learn.”

For some reason, I didn’t accept what he said. Even though I knew it was true, I knew my dad’s kind of love wasn’t right for my brother. I looked at him, then stood up from the table. “That doesn’t really matter right now, Dad.”

He looked at me. “Where is he?”

I set my napkin on the table. “Baked out of his head trying to forget you,” I said, then went to my room.

Mom came to my room an hour later. I could tell she’d been crying, and the stress lines on her face were tight. She leaned against the doorjamb. “Are you all right?”

“No. Are you?”

She sat on the end of my bed. “No. But I know everything will be all right.”

I blinked, looking into her eyes. “You and Dad have no idea, do you?”

“About what?”

“About life. About Indy.” I shook my head, frustrated.
“You guys think that sitting at a table every night eating dinner makes us some kind of all-American family. Yeah, you aren’t divorced. Dad isn’t a drunk. He doesn’t beat you. You don’t shoot meth. Great. But that doesn’t change anything. Indy is in trouble, Mom, and Dad just doesn’t get it.”

She studied me for a moment. “Your father is holding things together the best way he knows.”

“And you agree?” I said, shaking my head again.

A moment passed. “Yes, I do. And that may be hard for you to take. But Indy needs a strong hand. He’s out of control.” She smoothed the bedspread. “His school, the drugs, his attitude, everything, Tate.”

I looked away. “I know, but I just don’t get how kicking him out makes things better.”

“He’s not kicked out.”

I looked at her. “Mom, Dad hit him.”

“I know. And if he ever does again, he’ll be alone.”

I blinked. “You’d really leave him?”

She nodded. “You are my children.”

I shrugged. “Why is he such a dick?”

She pursed her lips, thinking, and then she stood. “You’ll understand when you’re older, Tate. But we’re doing everything we can,” she said, leaning over and kissing the top of my head. “Tell your brother to come home. And tell him that I love him.”

I hate deadlines. But as I skated to school the next morning, I had a deadline. Three days. If I didn’t get Indy back home and back to school within three days, nothing would ever be the same again. He’d be expelled, the courts would come in, and Indy would never come home. Things would be too bad
.

As I stuffed my board in my locker, a voice came from behind me.

“Tell me why I wouldn’t understand.”

I turned, and Kimberly Lawson stood there. I looked her up and down. “What?”

“You said that I wouldn’t understand why beating somebody up and stealing could be good. Tell me why.”

I grabbed my books. “Why should I?”

“Because I want to know.”

“Keep on wanting to know, then.” I walked down the hall.

She fell in beside me. “That’s not fair. You brought it up.”

“And you blew me off.”

“I want you to tell me.”

I stopped, facing her. “You want to know why I beat that guy up and took his money?”

She shook her head. “No. I want to know why you don’t think I’d understand the reason you did it.”

She had a few faint freckles on her nose. I shrugged. “You really want to know?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, fine. Because you’re a rich-girl superstar who does everything the world tells her to do without thinking about it. Bad is bad and good is good, and good means following all the rules no matter what. You don’t understand anything else.”

Her face cracked, and she looked to her feet. “You don’t even know me.”

“The only thing I need to know is how you looked at me yesterday.” I hesitated, feeling a tiny bit guilty, but not that guilty. “So don’t stand there and act like you’re all high-and-mighty, because you don’t know jack about why I do what I do.”

She took a breath. “Okay, then. Tell me why there would ever be a good reason to beat up a guy and take his money.”

I looked at the clock at the end of the hall. Two minutes until class. “He broke a little kid’s board because he thinks his shit doesn’t stink, so I made him pay for a new one. I even gave him his change. There. Happy?” Then I walked into class.

Sid and Piper sat on the concrete wall Under the Bridge smoking cigarettes after school, their boards on the ground beneath their feet. I hopped up next to Piper. “Seen Indy?”

Sid spit. “Are you ever not looking for Indy?”

“Bad stuff, guys. Indy’s out of the house.”

Piper nodded. “We know.”

I looked across the park. “Three days suspended. Dad broke Indy’s board and whacked him.”

Sid grunted. “I might be the world’s most pessimistic person, but I never figured your old man would do that.”

I shrugged. “Things are messed up.”

Piper frowned. “So, what do we do about it? Last two times I saw him, he was smashed.”

“When did you see him?”

Sid hopped from the ledge. “Five minutes ago. He split. Said he didn’t want to see you.”

Piper hitched his thumb back to the skate park. “He’s talking to Angie and her friend.”

“Will?”

He nodded. “Uh-huh. Guy freaks me out. Never talks.”

I shrugged. “Probably a raver like Angie.”

Piper grunted. “She gives bad girls a good name, man. Nothing but trouble.”

Sid shook his head. “She’s got to be an alien.”

Piper rolled his eyes. “Of course. That explains it.”

Sid, his voice deadpan and serious, shrugged. “One of the genetically deficient alien species.”

Piper laughed. “I forgot Earth was colonized by aliens.”

Sid spit. “Whatever, man. I know, though.”

Piper flicked his cigarette into the street, watching the butt smoke on the pavement. A car passed and crushed it. He glanced at me. “Indy told me he’s not going back after the suspension.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Sid grunted. “Dude, did you see him carve the halls? That was so cool.”

Piper took a swig of Gatorade, ignoring Sid. He knew Sid pushed my buttons sometimes. “Your dad really kicked him out, huh?”

I nodded. “Yeah, but he can come back now. My mom busted his nuts about it.”

Sid smirked. “I would like to see the day
anybody
busts your dad’s nuts.”

“My mom is tough when she’s pissed.”

Piper shook his head. “Remember that time in fifth grade when he got mad at us for ruining your mom’s roses? I pissed my bed every night for three months afterward.”

I laughed, remembering. We’d pretended the roses were baseballs and whacked them with bats. “Yeah, but he was also the one who made us the mini-pipe three years ago. Spent, like, four days on the thing.”

Sid almost smiled. “I learned more cusswords from him while he was building that than anybody else in the whole world. I owe him.”

Piper nodded. “Once you get used to the scarier-than-shit thing, he’s pretty cool.”

I looked over my shoulder at the skate park, spotting Indy, then hopped down. “Be right back, huh?”

Sid whistled under his breath. I turned. “What, Sid?”

“Watch yourself, Tate.”

“With what?”

Sid leaned back, hitching his thumb toward them. “I heard Will doesn’t like you too much. I also heard he’s setting up shop selling dope. He has a line from Texas. A big one.”

A squirrel clawed at my belly. “So he is dealing?”

Sid nodded. “He caught up with Mike Thorburne over the weekend. Word is Will gave him a choice. Sell for him or end up in the hospital. Mike’s his bitch now.”

Piper looked across the park. “Why don’t we head on over with you, Tate? Might be better that way.”

I shook my head. “I don’t have a problem with the guy. It’ll be fine.”

Piper saluted me as I turned and skated through the park. It wasn’t too busy, with it being Tuesday. I ignored Angie and Will as I walked toward them, looking at Indy. “We’ve got to talk.”

Indy studied my face for a moment. “Not in the mood, bro.”

I glowered at him. “Get in the mood, then. You can’t leave me hanging.”

He craned his neck back, staring at the underside of the freeway for a few seconds, then focused back on me, smiling. “Still not in the mood.”

“Come on, Indy.”

Will looked at me. “He said he didn’t want to talk.”

I turned to Will. “I don’t even know you. Back off.”

He smiled, his eyes dark and sharp. “Or what?”

I tensed. “Listen, Will, I’ve got no problem with you. Leave it alone.”

He stepped closer to me. “We’ve got business that’s none of your business, so turn your ass around and walk away.”

I looked at Indy. “So, you’re dealing now? Is that it? Is that how you got the money for the board?”

Will moved between Indy and me, cocking his head at me. “I said leave.”

I shoved him hard, sick of his mouth and his attitude. He flew back, almost falling as he grabbed the walkway handrail. I braced him, ready for what I knew would be a hell of a fight. It didn’t come, though. He stood there studying me, no expression on his face except that wicked smirk and those eyes
dead steady on me. His voice came soft and menacing. “You just made a big mistake.”

For the first time in a long, long time, I realized I was facing a guy I
didn’t
want to fight. There was something in those eyes that sent a chill down my spine, but I knew one thing. I wasn’t leaving my brother because Will told me to. I had no choice. “Bring it, asshole.”

Indy stepped forward, grabbing my arm. “Come on. I’ll talk, Tate. Will, just leave it alone.”

My eyes were locked on Will’s, and after a moment, Indy pulled me away. He stared at the ground as we walked away. “Dude, what’s the deal with you?”

I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. “What’s my deal? What’s your deal? Why are you hanging with him? He’s trouble, man. Not even fun trouble. Just scum.”

He swallowed hard, shaking his head and looking away. “What do you want, Tate?”

“Why are you doing this? You’re burning some major bridges here.”

His face fell, and he shrugged. “Things change, and besides, I didn’t do it. Dad did.”

“Dad said you could come home.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m fine.”

“You’re fine high all the time and staying with a guy named Porkchop in a shitty trailer? That’s fine?”

“I said I’m fine.”