Page 27 of Drag Me Up

Mr. Mendleton? MR. MENDLETON?!

My world implodes as the memories of what I know of that time assault me. News articles on the headline pages of the search engines that I clicked away from. Changing the channel every time the national news tried to talk about anything dealing with the trial. I was disgusted by it and embarrassed that it happened in my hometown. I was even more disgusted at the fact that I went to school with the piece of shit that owned the house. I looked up to Streaker when I was a teenager and yet he provided the environment where this could happen to someone.

It wasn’t some random girl. It was Eric.MyEric was drugged and raped and dragged through the repeated abuse that the legal system puts victims through. And now the world knows it was him.

“I have to go to him,” I say as I jump up from the table, spilling my coffee onto the floor. But my mom grabs my hand to pull me into a hug. I’m shaking from the anger and guilt and shame but the woman who is my world just holds me together.

“His father threw him out five years ago,” she whispers as she holds me tight. “I never knew the reason but as soon as that boy was free, I quit.”

Mom leads me to the sofa and pulls me down next to her. I knew she quit five years ago, but I neverasked why. I only figured she had saved enough for retirement. I never realized she stayed only for Eric.

“I don’t know where he went to or what has happened to him since he left that house, but I know he is alive. He sends me a card every Christmas and birthday, but never includes a return address. I don’t even know where you could even go to look for him.”

“He’ll be alright, Mom,” I tell her, hoping that I didn’t just lie to her face. If anything happens to Eric because of this media fuckup, I will burn them all.

21

MATT

“Mattie, do you know that Spencer boy’s number? He might know where Eric is.”

Pulling Mom into a hug, I thank the universe for bringing him to me before I knew all of this. I know for a fact that if I knew about this before last night, we never would have happened. He would have remained my little boy to protect and not become the man I love.

“I will give Spencer a call,” I promise her while she berates me for a few more minutes about all of the ways I can find her little boy to make sure he is alright. I was planning on telling her how we met, minus the sexy bits, but today is not going to be the day.

While Mom is making some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch, I pull up my security camera feed for my living room. I have a pinhole camera on my TV since it’s the most valuable thing I own, but it also gives a good room view as an extra precaution. Eric is still sleeping on the futon, so I exit the app and send atext to Spencer. I’m still pissed at Eli, but the guys need to be aware.

LMB:

Have you checked the news today?

Spencer:

I try not to get depressed. Y?

LMB:

Does the name Rafe Dennison ring a bell?

My phone starts ringing before I can even continue. I swipe across the screen to answer and head for the front porch.

“I gotta take a phone call, Ma!” I call out before I close the door behind me.

“News better be an obit for that piece of shit,” Spencer growls out as I sit on the swing my mother put on her small porch.

“Parole hearing next month,” I tell him. There’s no reason to beat around the bush on this. It’s obvious Spencer knows about it by his recognition of the name.

“Bastard was sentenced without the possibility of parole. What the fuck?!”

“Something about Eric’s testimony in a trial recently got him the appeal.”

“Fuck!” he shouts as the sound of glass breaking comes across the line.

I just sit and listen to his breathing until he gasps.

“Daddy?”

The voice in the background is vaguely familiar, but one thing is for certain and that is the fear behind it.

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