“Doing what?” I frown, cocking my head to the side.
“Thinking about your nerdy anime costume party.”
“It’s not a costume party. It’s way more than—”
She cuts me off with a wave of her hand. “I’ve heard enough. Are you taking me or not?”
“It’s a deal. But you also have to play nice at the wedding.”
“I’ll try.”
It’ll have to be good enough.
Her phone rings, so I close the door behind me and head back to my room. As soon as I enter and take in the clean space, I can’t help but grin.
Alis cleaned my room.
I swear I can still smell his scent lingering in the air.
Flopping down onto the bed, I pull out my phone, trying like hell to avoid the pictures folder. But, like an idiot, I peek anyway.
Messy, wet white-blond hair hanging over his forehead. Straight nose. Dark lashes fanned over his cheeks. Pouty as fuck lips puckered on the tip of my dick.
My dick is hard and straining in my pants.
Fuck. I’m going to owe Wonderland a Coke.
Alister
Hide.
But then who will protect Momma?
If I pee my pants again, though, I’ll be in so much trouble. Trouble for me always means trouble for Momma. I’m a big boy now. I can protect her.
I crawl out from under my ratty Star Wars blanket and walk over to the door that’s cracked open. His shouting is loud. Yelling at Momma for stealing his medicine again. She always cries and calls him a liar when he says it.
He doesn’t visit often, but when he does, it’s always bad. Worse than when the other men come into the house. They usually just do yucky stuff in her room with her. I always cover my ears when I hear those gross sounds. But at least then, Momma seems sorta happy. When he visits, all they do is fight.
I peek down the hallway to where the light from the living room shines brightly. The smell of Momma’s cigarettes is strong. She always smokes lots when she’s upset.
Slowly, I creep down the hall toward the sound of their voices. Momma’s in her chair, a yucky cloud of smoke around her while he walks back and forth, accusing her of lying and stealing.
“Are you trying to get me killed?” he bellows at her. “You’re an insane, selfish bitch, Tammy!”
“Go back to your whores, Colin.” Momma shows him her middle finger even though it’s bad. “That’s where you’d rather be than here taking care of your son!”
“That’s fucking rich coming from you,” he growls. “Have you seen this shithole? It’s filthy, goddammit. And you want to call me the neglectful parent?”
Momma doesn’t clean that much, but I try to be a good boy and do it. My room is the easiest to keep clean because Momma doesn’t put her beer bottles or old used-up cigarettes or food wrappers in there. Plus, I’m scared of the mice. If I keep my room clean, they stay in the kitchen mostly and try to get into the cereal boxes or food left on the counters.
“I trusted you to keep my shit safe,” he snaps, making me jump higher than any time I see a mouse. “And you took it all. Why? So you and your worthless boyfriends could get fucked up?”
“Leave.” Momma stubs out her cigarette on the arm of the chair and then flicks it at him. “No one wants you here. Especially not your son.”
I don’t like it when she calls the bad man my daddy. He’s not like the daddies on television or in the books we have to read at school. My friend Felix, who’s not in my first-grade class, but rides the bus with me, has a nice daddy. His daddy is a police officer. I wish my daddy were a good guy who caught the bad ones.
“Find me the money,” Colin barks out. “I don’t care if you have to fuck everyone in this trailer park to get it. By Thursday, I better have that money or—”
“Or you’ll what?” Momma yells back. “Hit me? Whoopty-fucking-doo!”
He backhands her, sending her flying out of the chair and onto the floor. I run toward him without thinking, my small fists curled up. He grunts in surprise when I start wailing on his back. I’m only six and small for my age, but I’m angry at him for hurting my momma again.
Like he’s a Jedi, he flings me off of him. Then, he turns his mean stare on me. I don’t like his eyes. They’re dark brown like mine. But I’m not mean like him. I wish I had Momma’s green eyes.
Colin squats in front of me, grabbing my chin in his grip. I whimper because it hurts. He’s so big and strong, he could probably break my bones just by squeezing. That thought makes me shiver.
“Why do you always defend that bitch?” he demands, tilting his head to the side. “It’s because you’re a sissy momma’s boy, huh? Maybe I should take you with me. Make a man out of you.”