Page 2 of Obsessed

Changing into jeans and a large shapeless black sweater that fell to his knees, Rain pocketed the pepper spray and grabbed his backpack, which was always ready with a few days of clothing and supplies. After another deep breath, he silently opened his bedroom door. He’d have to walk through the living room to get out and as he crept across it, making no noise whatsoever on the carpet, a slithery voice piped up from the couch.

“Look atyou.”

Rain turned, keeping his face neutral. A tall man with round glasses, a dark bushy mustache, and unsettling eyes lounged on the furniture, giving Rain a look that made his skin crawl.

“Babeeee!” Rain’s mom squealed, coming in from the kitchen with two beers even though it was barely ten in the morning. Putting them on the table, she grasped Rain in a hug so tight that he winced. “Bay. Bee. I. Missed. You. So.Much!”

She hopped with each word, bringing Rain along with her, and he knew better than to be a brat. Returning the hug, he pretended to be happy once she pulled away.

“I missed you too.” He’d never win an Academy Award but his acting was good enough, and she smiled far too widely for someone who’d just ended a ten-year relationship.

“Baby, this is Gage.” She gestured at him proudly, as if he were some kind of prize. “He works at the bar on Fifth Street, that’s where we met.”

“So, he’s the one who was trying to get into my room last night?” One hand lingered in his pocket, wrapped tightly around the canister of mace, and Rain used it to ground him, to give him a sense of control.

With an oily smirk, Gage adjusted the collar of his stained polo shirt, and Rain’s ick meter pinned in the red. “I was trying to find the bathroom.”

Ignoring him, Rain turned to his mother. “Where were you? Tristan left and you didn’t even say goodbye.”

“Really?” Rolling her eyes, she picked up her beer, plopping herself in Gage’s lap. “Goodbye Tris!” She toasted the air.

“Goodbye and good riddance!” Gage clinked his bottle against hers and the derision in their laughter made Rain sick.

“I’m going out.” Heading to the door, he grabbed his coat. Thankfully, this winter hadn’t been too cold because he’d be walking around for a while. Even though he’d applied everywhere that he could, he’d do another circuit through town because he needed to make more money. Tristan had paid for the rest of the lease in full, covering the next sixty days, but after that, they were on their own. While his mother didn’t seem to care, it scared the hell out of Rain. They couldn’t afford much between his crappy paycheck and her routine of flaking out on jobs.

“Babeeee…” Speak of the devil, she stood right behind him. Turning, he tried not to sigh. Looking at her was like looking into a mirror. They were both small and lithe with the same long dark hair, sculpted features, and striking gray eyes, and age hadn’t put a dent in her for she looked barely ten years older than Rain, not the twenty she really was. “Can you pick Mommy up some pre-rolls at the dispensary please?”

“You have to give me your card.” He would definitely check her account and figure out where they stood, maybe treat himself to a hot chocolate on her while he warmed up somewhere.

She handed it over and he left without saying goodbye, staying out as long as he could. Disappointed in her bank balance he still grabbed a burger with it, applying to every restaurant and shop within walking distance, some of them for the third time, and when everything started closing, he headed back.

Sneaking in through the kitchen, he dropped her pre-rolls on the counter and crept through the house carefully, flooding with relief when he found only his mother in her half-empty bedroom.

Tristan had sold or thrown away most of his things and what he’d wanted to keep had been moved to a storage unit, so packing had been a regular occurrence. That’s why it took Rain a moment to realize that his mother was folding upherclothes and putting them into one of the boxes that were piled on the floor.

“What are you doing?” His palms started to sweat.

“Rainy!” The pair of jeans she was holding fell to the bed and she put her hands in the air, dancing excitedly. “Guess what, Baby? We don’t have to worry about an apartment because Gage asked us to move in with him!”

Swallowing, Rain held back his nausea.

“What?” he rasped out, his skin clammy.

“We have a new place to live!” She grabbed a few of the boxes, putting them in his hands.

He squinted at her, absently taking them. “How long have you been seeing Gage?”

“A few months…” she shrugged, going back to the jeans.

“Did Tristan know?” Rain’s voice started to wobble and he swallowed again, his hands shaking.

“Come on, Rain, it’sover.” Pulling a suitcase out of the bottom of the closet, she started packing that too.

Taking a deep breath, Rain tried to sound stern. “I’m not going to Gage’s.”

“Rain, Tris is goneand we can’t stay here forever. Do you have a better idea?” She sighed heavily, putting a hand on her brow, and Rain hoped that he hadn’t pushed her too far because if she got upset this would last another hour.

To be honest, she was right. He didn’t have a better idea and they’d had months to come up with a contingency plan.

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