Page 18 of Unholy

Ash

His words ring in my head. Ruined and tarnished for life. Maybe he’s right. Maybe that’s what I am. I messed up. I shouldn’t have gone there. I shouldn’t have touched him.

I made it home before everyone else and changed my clothes before Ben came over. Now we sit on the porch swing, and I wonder if his private parts are like Tristan’s. His was more than a handful.

“What’s wrong?” Ben asks when I zone out thinking about Tristan’s words to me.

“Nothing. I didn’t sleep well last night,” I lie to him just as Tristan walks up onto the porch.

“Hey, Sis. How’s your day?” he asks, his tone as smug as ever.

“She isn’t your sis. Stop calling her that.”

“She basically is. The wedding is coming up, and we are going together,” Tristan reminds us. I forgot about that. His mom had asked for us to walk down the aisle together, and I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

“Leave her alone.”

“Holding hands and things,” he taunts, his unspoken innuendo clear as day. My cheeks heat again, and I can feel it.

“You’re not touching her.”

“How do you want me to walk her down the aisle then?” he asks Ben. Ben shoves off the swing and stands in Tristan’s face which probably isn’t the best of ideas because that’s what Tristan wants.

“If I had my way, you wouldn’t be doing anything with her,” he snaps. Tristan’s eyes move to meet mine and then back to Ben’s.

“Come on, bible boy. She’s my sister,” he tells him, angering Ben even more. I can see his hands clench, and I decide to step into the middle of them. I stand pushing Ben back a step, not that I was worried about him. Ben isn’t a small guy, but compared to Tristan, he doesn’t stand a chance.

“Just stop. Both of you. Ben, you’ve known this for a while now,” I remind him. He nods his head.

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it. Maybe I should stay,” he adds.

“No. You’re not doing that. You’ve been planning on attending this camp for a long time now,” I tell him.

“Oh yeah, Ben. We wouldn’t want you to miss camp. All the thrilling things I’m sure you’ll be doing there,” Tristan adds. I almost laugh, but I cover it with a cough instead.

“Let’s just stop. We’re all adults here.”

“You’re right, Sis. I can’t wait to see you in a dress,” Tristan says before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. Ben growls low in his throat, but Tristan doesn’t care. He enjoys his smoke like he never said anything.

“Ben, you need to go. You’re going to be late,” I tell him. Reluctantly he nods and leans in, pressing a kiss to my cheek. I smile back at him when he turns and walks away, climbing into his car. I watch as he pulls out and takes off down the street.

“Do you get some thrill out of making him mad?”

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Does he hit you like your dad does?” he asks me. His words hurt. They sting, and I shake my head. “Then no. I don’t get a fucking thrill out of it, but what I do know is one day, I’m going to make your dad feel the same pain you feel,” he informs me before walking down the steps.

“You can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“He’s going to be your dad,” I tell him. Tristan stiffens before turning and walking the short distance back to me.

“No. He’ll never be my dad. I don’t need one, never have, and never will. If he so much as lays a hand on me, I’ll gut him.”

“Tristan, this is the real world. You can’t just kill him.” He cocks his head to look at me, and in his eyes, I can see all the darkness that consumes his soul. He would do it. He would kill him, and he wouldn’t have any remorse for doing it.

---