Page 8 of Irons

I was being arrested for a laundry list of charges. Auto theft, driving without a license, driving under the influence, and the biggest was a class 2 felony because someone was injured by my actions. I was also charged with a minor consumption but that was the least of my worries. My parents were done with me and said to let the law do its job. They knew Shelby’s parents would probably file a lawsuit and they were pissed.

I was sitting in a wheelchair as I was being handcuffed and Wrenly was sobbing in the corner. I couldn’t even look at her, and I think that was the worst I ever felt in my life. Shelby was going to be okay, but she had a lot of internal bleeding and crushed bones. I didn’t think I could ever forgive myself for hurting either of those girls.

Since my grandparents sided with my parents they were also no help, but Clint hired me an attorney that I met with before I was even arrested.

To this day, I’ll never forget the way Wrenly looked at me and the sound of her cries. I cared more about that than anything that would happen to me. I was better off in jail, that way I couldn’t hurt her or anyone else again. What I did wasn’tjust dumb, it could have killed people. I didn’t deserve to walk free as long as I destroyed Shelby’s life.

After that day, I fell into the deepest pit of depression. I didn’t feel sorry for myself, I felt sorry for Bobby, Clint, and Shelby. I hated that I hurt Wrenly, and I didn’t have many feelings toward my parents. They stopped caring about me the day Bobby disappeared.

I also never treated Wrenly the way she deserved. I could never get her to understand why I couldn’t spend more time with her. She hung out with the most popular and smartest kids in our school. She had a bright future where I had no future at all.

The first time I hurt her was when I promised to take her to a dance when we got to high school, but I was trying to grow up too fast and got involved with an older girl. I stood Wrenly up and took the other girl instead. I tried to tell her that we weren’t the same kind of people, and she should go with someone else. She refused and said she would be waiting for me to walk over to her house and escort her.

She didn’t get it. My friends were the fuck ups, and hers were the shining stars. Going to a dance with me would have just ruined her reputation. Hell, she was a virgin, and I already fucked two older girls before I was even fifteen.

Clint visited me as much as he could at the juvenile detention center. I went on trial where I was found guilty and had to serve two years. Shelby’s parents sued mine and my parents lost our house. My dad ended up losing his job because he missed so much work and my parents divorced.

Dad became an alcoholic, and my mom married the detective on my brother’s case. At least that’s what I was told since they never visited me one time, never wrote one letter, anddidn’t even acknowledge my existence after they emancipated me while I was in custody. From what I understand, they no longer wanted to be responsible for my behavior. When I was finally released at sixteen, I was sent to a group home while in custody of the state, and never went back to see Wrenly. That detention center and the group home provided more stability than I ever knew, and I was able to receive intensive therapy and realized my true abilities. I was smart, like really smart, and finished high school a year early. I left Oklahoma for Nebraska where I was given a job on a farm, and I worked there until I was eighteen and joined the Army.

Homecoming

Wrenly

Heather squealed as she practically attacked me at the airport. My dad stood behind her patiently waiting for his turn. Heather was my stepmother, and I absolutely adored her. They were married when I was seventeen and then my little brother was born a year later.

I looked at my dad and laughed as Heather wouldn’t let go. My dad looked too young to have an almost thirty year old daughter, and as my eardrums were being destroyed by Heather’s squeals, I studied his features. It had been two years since I last saw my dad and stepmom.

My parents met in college. They were both freshman and Tony dated my mom's friend, Heather. Tony’s twin, Robert, was dating my mom’s other friend, Paula. Robert and Paula were Travis’s parents.

My dad said he was in love with my mother, and thought they had a strong relationship. That was until my mom went home for a visit over Easter break their senior year, and was in a freak ATV accident. The quad rolled over on top of her and she fractured a few vertebrae. That was when she found out she was pregnant and didn’t tell my dad. She left school and wentto Montana where she had me. I was lucky to have survived the accident, and mom made some very bad decisions. Not telling my dad about me was cruel to him and me both. She suffered through a lot of back and neck pain during her pregnancy from what her parents said. After I was born she became opioid dependent and that’s what sent her out of control with drugs. It always amazed me how she was able to suffer through her pregnancy without any pain medication, but as soon as I was born she started taking them. That was what led to her opioid addiction.

The only ones out of their friend group that got married was Travis’s parents, who also got pregnant in college. They were really close to graduation though, and my dad hadn’t seen Heather again until Tony’s funeral.

Heather finally let go and my dad wrapped his warm and safe arms around me. No matter how tough I was, I was never as safe as I was in my dad’s arms.

We grabbed my bags and left the airport. When we pulled in the driveway, I looked at the house that sat empty next door. Travis still owned it but never came home. My dad maintained it and rented it out, but just paid the taxes and all the bills and sent what was left to Travis. The last my dad knew is that he was in Indiana. Travis didn’t want me in his life, and I’ve respected that by not asking questions.

I shut the car door and took a deep breath as I watched my little brother, and another boy play basketball in Tony’s driveway. It brought back a lot of memories.

Sixteen Years Ago

It was always nighttime when we played basketball in Tony’s driveway. I missed the shot, and Travis threw his head back and laughed.

“One more try.” I lined myself up and made the shot. It was the fall of our eighth grade year. Travis just came home from hanging out with some older kids. I had a sleepover the prior night and just woke up from a nap, but as soon as I saw him arrive at Tony’s I grabbed my basketball and ran outside.

Even in middle school I had a thriving social life. I made friends easily and loved playing sports. I might not have appeared as an athlete, but my small body threw quite the punch. I could run fast, play volleyball, tennis, girls basketball, gymnastics, and softball despite my thin frame. I wasn’t short, but I was thin and didn’t gain weight all that easily.

I wasn’t allowed to date yet, but I somehow got a lot of attention from boys all the time, and some even walked to my house and wanted to hang out. I had a lot of guy friends, which didn’t sit well with my dad or Travis, but it wasn’t all that bad of a thing. I also had a lot of friends. I lived to make friends and made as many as possible wherever I went. Travis was another story. I knew he kissed girls and had girls over when Tony wasn’t home. He was only thirteen and getting into cars with high school kids. He got in trouble at school a lot because he would get into fights. His grades weren’t that great either, but none of it bothered me because I knew the true Travis Irons. I adored Travis, in fact, I could honestly say he was the most important person in my life. Travis was smart and I always knew it. His grades weren’t his fault, it was his parents always pulling him out of school or people neglecting to take him when the bus didn’t stop in front of their houses that was the problem. The poor guy thought he wasn’t smart because he was alwaysconfused and lost in class. That’s what happens to kids with poor attendance.

I had my own issues while growing up. My dad stayed on top of them though, and got the help I needed. My mom didn’t spend her time with good people when I was little, so there was some underlying issues for me, on top of what happened in that diner when I was six.

We were both out of breath and thirsty, but Tony wasn’t home, and my dad said I wasn’t allowed inside Tony’s house when he wasn’t there, so Travis grabbed us some drinks and we sat on the back porch. My dad and Tony were both on duty, but our other neighbor kept an eye on me when my grandmother wasn’t staying with us.

“I can’t believe we’ll be in high school next year.” I said.

“Yeah, five more years and I won’t have to deal with this shit anymore. I’ll join the Army, and my parents won’t even know.”

I hated hearing those things, but it was true. Travis was pretty much raising himself and the only time his parents gave him any attention was when they needed him for a photo shoot or a news interview. I could remember a few years ago his parents got a tip that Bobby was in Portugal. They left the country and didn’t even tell Travis or anyone else. Tony was so pissed, and he didn’t get along with his twin brother all that much anymore. Tony wanted to get custody of Travis, but his parents always put a stop to it. They’d spend time at home for a while, then go back to their search.

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