Page 21 of The Lies We Tell Ourselves

“That fucking little shit needs to pay.” McCormack growled. He’s always had a short temper—anything could set him off. You never knew if the guy was going to Hulk out on you at any moment. If that’s what you think he’s like, I dread to think what you think of yourself.

“What’s the plan, Cap?” Vieck asked, wringing his hands together.

“Shit like that can’t go unpunished,” Stevens added.

“We make him pay. Fuck him over so badly he leaves.”

“Whoop! That’s the spirit, Cap.” Buchanan slaps me on the back. He takes the empty bottle of tequila and hands me an ice-cold bottle of water.

“What’s his name?” Stevens inquiries. “I’ll get my girl to look at his file and find out everything there is to know about him.”

“Sounds good.” My hands shook, and acid churned in my stomach, making me feel like I was going to puke. “Jamie Abernathy.”

“Consider it done.” Stevens nodded at me before sitting back in his chair and kicking his legs out.

I took a swig of water. The icy liquid soothed my sore throat but did nothing to stop the emotion burning the back of my eyes. I tipped my head backward and allowed my eyes to fall closed as the guys talked about their conquests for the night. I chose to ignore them in favor of the chaos in my mind.

There were four days etched into my mind that I could never forget, and they all centered around one blond-haired blue-eyed boy. They had each changed me in some way and molded me into who I was today, for better or worse.

Sweat dripped down my face as I arrived home from my morning run, my soaked top clinging to my skin. The early morning was already a slave to the mid-summer heat. There wasn’t a cloud in the vast expanse of blue that made up the sky.

I sat down on the steps that lead to the front porch, my arms braced on my legs, my head hanging as I sucked in deep breaths. I prayed the gentle breeze would pick up and help cool me down, but it seemed I was out of luck. Mom and Dad were already gone for the day—Mom to the library where she’d work till noon, and Dad to the factory. It was a new job, and he hated it with a passion, but he’d been sacked from his last one. I wasn’t sure why; I just knew he was pissed over it and had started to drink heavily. It made things super uncomfortable at home, so I did everything I could to stay out of his way. That included getting up at six every morning and going for a run before he got up.

The sound of an engine rumbled down the road, growing louder until it came to a sudden stop. The breaks squealed, making me wince at the high-pitched whine. I pulled my top off and used it to mop my face. My head snapped up when a car door slammed, and a large figure walked toward me. It was hard to see who it was through the hazy glare of the sun.

“Dillon,” Mr. Abernathy growled.

I stood up quickly. “Mornin’, Mr. Abernathy. Dad’s not here right now. He’s at work.”

“I know that, kid,” he spat. He towered over me even though I stood on the second step, and at fifteen, I wasn’t small. I was pushing five-eleven and had finally started building some decent muscle with all the football practice I did.

“I’ll let them know you stopped by,” I said and turned to head toward the house. My dog, Buster, whined and scratched at the door.

“No.” Before I knew what was happening, his hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me down the steps. My legs gave way underneath me, and I fell on the grass at Mr. Abernathy’s feet. “Where the fuck is he?”

I pushed myself up and got to my feet. “I don’t know who you’re talking about.” I crossed my arms and stared into his red-rimmed, bloodshot gray eyes. The volatile energy surrounding him made me take a step back.

“Of course, you know!” He growled, taking a step toward me, forcing me to back up again. “You two are practically joined at the hip. Don’t lie to me, Dillon. Where the fuck is my son?” Spit hit me in the face as he sneered down at me.

“I told you, I don’t know.” I didn’t, and it killed me. I’d gone from the biggest high of my life to rock bottom in less than twenty-four hours and now this. My first kiss with Jamie was life altering. Earth shattering. For the first time in forever, something felt right, perfect even. But he had to leave to get home to his Mom as it was his birthday before we could talk about it. I wanted to be his boyfriend, even if we couldn’t be out at school. He stole my heart the moment his lips touched mine.

I got up extra early the following day and walked to his house. It was only fifteen minutes from mine, less if you used the shortcut. But when I got there, everything changed. I knocked on his window like I did most mornings. Usually, he’d slide open the screen and let me in, but that day, nothing. I walked to the back door and knocked again, and nothing.

I’d tried the handle, expecting it to be locked, but the door opened. I slipped in, making my way down to his room, and gently pushed the door open so it wouldn’t squeak. But his bed was empty. My stomach fell through my feet when I noticed his closet and drawers were open, mostly empty with a few clothes hanging out of them. His room looked like it had been ransacked.

I quickly made my way through the house, and every room was the same. It was like someone had ripped open every door and trashed every room. There was a dark stain on the kitchen floor.

I left twenty minutes later, tears streaming down my face, and my heart irrevocably broken. The car had gone. Jamie had gone. He’d left and not told me. Every one of my dreams had been ripped to pieces.

“I told you, sir.” I sucked in a shuddering breath. “I don’t know where he is. I haven’t seen him in five days.”

Mr. Abernathy scoffed in disbelief. “You’re lying to me.” He stepped forward, and I edged up another step, closer to the house. My heart thundered in my chest, thrashing against my rib cage.

“I-I’m not.” I licked my lips, tasting salty sweat as it continued to drip down my face. My fight or flight instinct kicked in, and adrenaline surged through my veins. I needed to get out of here. The scent of alcohol surrounded Mr. Abernathy, and his wife beater was soaked through with sweat as he vibrated with rage in front of me.

Before I could blink, his hand wrapped around my throat, and he pinned me to the front door. His face so close to mine, his nose brushed my cheek as he spat, “Tell me where that little faggot is.” The blood in my veins turned to ice as I froze in his hand. He tilted his head as he regarded me. “You didn’t know?” His voice was laced with suspicion.

I’d never told anyone I was gay, not even Jamie. But he knew, without me ever having to say a word. “N-n-no.”

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