Of course, I hoped it wouldn’t.
I grab a washcloth from the hall closet and wet it with warm water in the bathroom sink, then I go back to my bedroom, my stomach in knots. Hunter is still sitting on the edge of my bed in the dark. I feel terrible for being so mad at him now.
I curl up one of my legs and sit on it, leaning forward and silently cleaning his head wound with the washcloth. I am more than a little alarmed when I pull it away and there’s a bloodstain.
“Hunter… I think maybe you need to go to the hospital.”
“I don’t need to go to the hospital,” he says, surlier than I’ve heard him before.
“You might need stitches. I’m afraid to turn the light on. I don’t know if my mom’s asleep or not, and if she sees the light on, she’ll definitely come in.”
“I’m fine,” he says, gently pushing my hand away, but still not looking at me. “I just—you were mad at me and I needed to explain why I didn’t show up tonight. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. Dennis was in one of his fucking moods and he and my mom started fighting. He put hands on her so I stepped in and… the situation escalated.”
“Where’s your mom? Is she safe?”
Hunter nods, his jaw locking. “Yeah. Seems they bonded over the sheer terror they both felt when he smashed my head against the sink so hard I lost consciousness. Not enough terror to call an ambulance, apparently, but…”
I can’t even breathe. I have no idea what to say. I’m physically ill imagining the scene he just described, but the terror of knowing his mom didn’t even call for help…
Because she didn’t want her trashbag husband to get in trouble?
She would protect him even at the cost of Hunter’s life? Because if he was unconscious, she couldn’t have possibly known he was okay.
Oh my God.
Tears spring to my eyes again tonight, but this time, they’re so much worse. I’m not just sad for Hunter, I’m not just angry at his mom—I’m frightened for him. She isn’t protecting him, and Hunter is too stubborn to back down. This is only the second time I know of that his stepfather got physical with him, but if it escalated this badly this fast?
I’m just so glad he’s here now. I’m still afraid he might not be okay and that he really needs to see a doctor and make sure he doesn’t need stitches or have a concussion or anything, but right now I just need to hug him, so I do. I wrap my arms around him and hold on tight, but I quickly loosen my grip when he hisses as if in pain.
“I’m sorry,” I say quickly, starting to pull back.
“No,” he says, placing a hand on my back to keep me there. “Stay put. I’ll be fine. I’m just a little sore. It was a bad fight.”
“It’s not a fight when you don’t stand a chance,” I snap, but it’s not him I’m mad at. “You’re 14 and he’s a grown man. That’s not a fight, Hunter, it’s abuse. He should be in jail.”
He doesn’t say anything to that, just keeps his arm around me while I hug him a little more gently this time.
I let go after a minute, then I wrap the cold compress in a thin cloth and hand it to him to put on his eye. We don’t say anything for a few more minutes, we just sit together in a companionable silence.
The gnawing in my gut won’t go away. I want to tell him he can’t go back home tonight. I want to tell him we need to wake up my mom. I want to tell him I know I promised I wouldn’t say anything, but I can’t keep that promise anymore.
What if tonight had gone just a step further? What if his stepdad had smashed his head against a sink and caused more than unconsciousness? I could never forgive myself for holding my silence if something happened to Hunter. It’s not his job to cover for the people who aren’t protecting him—it’s their job to do better.
I don’t know where his head’s at, though. I guess I need to find out.
“Did she kick him out?” I ask softly.
Hunter doesn’t say a word for the space of a few heartbeats. His jaw locks and he stares straight ahead. Even in the dark, I can see the storm in his gaze. The betrayal and heartache stirring there, and I have my answer. Tears spring to my eyes before he says a word.
“We’ve fought about him before. Especially last time, when he gave me the black eye. I know she didn’t make him leave after that, but I thought… She told me she was afraid to leave him. He’s kinda crazy and she was afraid of what he might do. Plus, I know she’s afraid to be alone to begin with, but I told her I could protect her. I wouldn’t let him hurt her.”