Page 35 of Losing a Piece of Me

His words, his heat, and his strong arms shield me from everything. I drift off into a peaceful sleep.

I wake suddenly with loud yelling going on in the other room. It’s Striker and his dad.

“I told you to drop that whore!” Ken yells.

“Don’t you fucking call her that!” Striker yells back, followed by a loud crashing sound.

“You think you’re big enough to take me? Huh?” I hear someone get hit, and the ensuing groan confirms that it was Striker.

I rush to the door and put my ear against it.

“I’m glad to see that you’re finally sticking up for yourself.” Another hit, another cry. “And all it took was to call your girlfriend what she really is.” Hit, cry. “A fucking whore just like her mother.”

I was expecting to hear another cry, but instead there is a loud crashing sound and then everything is quiet. I hear Striker’s loud breathing. Did he knock him out?

I don’t stick around to find out. I crawl out the window and head back home before someone there notices I’m gone.

On the walk home, I think about what I just witnessed.

Striker is eighteen but I’m not. He has nowhere else to go, but he’s putting up with beatings for me. How can I let him go on like this? I need to do something. But what? I can’t stop the fights, it seems like I only cause more.

I don’t know why his dad hates me so much. I’ve never done anything to him. But he knows something I don’t. He has to. Why else would he say the things he said to me the other night? My dad doesn’t run this town and my family doesn’t think they can take whatever they want either.

What is Ken’s problem? He used to be a normal guy, a little bit of an asshole but he worked hard and supported his family. Everything was fine until his wife left, but with an attitude like that, I don’t blame her. The only thing I blame her for is leaving Striker. How could she do that to her own son? She had to know what would happen if she left him with his father.

I don’t understand any of this. This is about Striker and me. Why does everyone feel the need to control us? We’re not doing anything wrong.

I can’t wait until I’m eighteen so Striker can save me as much as I save him.

Chapter 10

Six months later…

I jump in my truck after stopping by the diner for a cup of coffee, and head to our work site.

My crew steps out, arms loaded down with tools, just as I pull in the driveway.

“What’s going on? Did you finish already?” I ask them.

“Yeah, just finished with the last coat of paint. Go check it out, it looks nice,” Jordan says as he tosses supplies into the back of the trailer.

The house was an extensive remodeling project, and the kitchen was the last room that we did. I step through the front door and make my way to the kitchen in the back, scanning my eyes over all the work that has already been done.

It looks even better than I hoped. The cabinets match perfectly with the tile, floor, and paint color. The countertops are a dark granite and they reflect the overhead lights as if they were shined just minutes ago.

I slowly walk back through the house and take it all in. My first job is completed.

When I turn out the lights and lock the door, I find the guys standing around the truck and trailer, waiting for my approval.

“Good job, guys. I’m going to go drop off the key and pick up our final payment. I’ll meet with you this evening to celebrate.”

The guys nod and pat me on the back as they walk off to their vehicles.

Jordan walks up to me and hands me a piece of paper. “This morning, I got a call. Someone in the city is wanting an estimate on expanding their store.”

I look at the paper. “How’d they get your number?” Mine is the only one listed on the business cards.

“I have no idea. She said it was passed along from a friend of a friend. She went on and on and finally I just told her I would have you call today to set up an appointment for the estimate.”

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