Page 1 of Savage
ChapterOne
CALVIN
We needed out.There was only so much you could do with twenty dollars in the bank, a landlord breathing down your neck, and three mouths to feed. A sigh dripped heavily from my lips as the world’s weight sat upon my shoulders. What the fuck should we do?More like what could we do?At the rate we were going, my friends and I would be homeless again, and in Arizona’s heat, that was a no-go.
“There he goes overthinking again,” Dar said.
I glanced at one of my best friends, my chosen family.
“One of us has to. If I left our survival up to you, we’d all be dead right now.”
Dar rolled his bright blue-gray eyes. “If you give someone else a chance, you might be wrong.”
I didn’t even bother to argue with him for the hundredth time. I pushed off the milkcrate we used as a chair and dusted off my pants. “I’m heading off to work. Try not to burn the place down.”
“One time, and you won’t let the shit go,” Dar growled.
I loved my best friend; we’d been through some of the toughest shit and came out still standing. Still, fuck, he was a whole lot to deal with. I didn’t have the strength most days to keep him in check, and on others, it took everything in me to bring Dar to listen to me.
“It only takes one time,” I muttered. I placed my paper plate in the trash and moved to the futon on the floor. Sayge was sound asleep, his platinum blond hair all over the place. Even passed out, he was gorgeous and sweet-looking. I tucked some of his hair behind his ear and placed a kiss on his cheek. Even living on the harsh streets, Sayge remained a delicate flower. Whereas Dar and I had become jaded and untrusting of those around us. There was only so much a person could take before nothing remained of them. However, that didn’t apply to sweet Sayge.
Sayge’s lashes fluttered open, showcasing cobalt blue eyes.
“Joining me in bed?” Sayge’s voice was light as a feather, pulling at my over-exhausted mind.
I shook my head. I didn’t have the time, especially if we were going to make rent this month.
“Headed off to work. Stay out of trouble.”
Sayge’s pink lips turned up in an award-winning smile. “I’m always good.”
My shoulders eased as I laughed. “Yeah, I know.”
Sayge looked innocent but had a side that was nothing but trouble. I planted another kiss on his cheek before leaving the apartment. The moment the door closed, the tension between my shoulder blades was back. Sweat beaded on the back of my neck, as my hair clung to my skin, but I ignored it.
I slipped past the usual stair hangouts and headed to the bus stop. I had twenty minutes to get there. The sun beat against my flesh as the dry heat attempted to suck all the moisture out of my body.
Fuck, I wanted to be home with the guys, watching Sayge dance or Dar joke around. Still, we hadn’t been able to do any of those things lately. If I wasn’t working, then it was Dar or Sayge. No job was ever secure, but we took whatever was thrown our way, trying to make enough to survive.
Somedays remembering the nights we laughed and had stars in our eyes was the only reason I stood up and moved. One day we’d return to it, but for now, we just had to keep our heads down and our hands busy.
I was at the bus stop before I knew it and just on time as the city bus pulled up. I showed my bus pass. It was one we all shared, so when one was gone, the others either walked where they needed to go or didn’t go.
Eyes closed, I listened to the steady stream of conversations around me. A group of teenagers was three rows away, a mother whispering to her child, and an older man snoring in front of me. It was all normal background noise. I could lose myself in the everyday sounds of life and forget about the despair that was my life.
* * *
I plopped down on the floor the moment I walked into the studio apartment. My clothes clung to me, and I wanted nothing more than to wash the grime and dust off my skin. However, life had other plans for me. Instead of showering and climbing onto the futon for much-needed sleep, I had to contemplate our futures. I chewed the inside of my lip as I went over the day in my head again.
What the hell are we going to do?
“What happened? You look like someone took a shit in your shoes,” Dar said. He was sprawled out on the futon with no shirt or pants, down to his boxers. It was a hundred and three outside, and the apartment was no better.
“I got fired,” I grumbled out.
“Fuck.” Dar sat up. “What the fuck did they say?”
His dark brows were drawn in, and his lips turned down in a frown. He was pissed off, and I needed to be careful with my words. Dar had been known to fly off the handle, and I didn’t have the mental spoons to talk him off the ledge.
