Page 4 of Invisible String
“What the hell? Didn’t I tell you to fill it into the work truck? We have a customer delivery.”
Has this dude lost his mind?
I raise a brow. “Nah, you said to dump it like we always do.”
Dillon steps closer. If he thinks I’m going to let him punk me, he has another thing coming. He steps into my space. I’ve had countless individuals invade my personal space, inflicting harm on me. I’ve suffered abuse more times than I can remember. I’m no longer the young, defenseless boy I used to be.
“Back the fuck off.”
He laughs. “You’re not as ignorant as I thought. You said more words than you ever had. I guess your mom taught you how to talk?—”
My fist jabs him in the jaw, knocking him back into a bed of wildflowers. “Never speak of my mom.” I toss my leather work gloves at him and walk off.
“You’re fired,” Dillon shouts.
Mierda
I gathered that much. He’s lucky I didn’t send him to the hospital with broken ribs for speaking of the one woman who gave me life.
After drivinginto my apartment complex, I walk up the stairs and find the door wide open. Mike’s packing a couple of things, and he doesn’t have much. He lifts his head from the bin, and he drops clothes in.
“Where are you heading?”
“Shit. Sorry, man. I was about to call you. My grades slipped, and Mom and Dad said they wouldn’t pay for my school if I didn’t get myself together. If I drop out, they’ll kick me out of the house, and I have to pay for my car payment. So, my only choice is to move back.” He sucks in a breath. “I hate to leave you hanging.” He adds textbooks to the bin. “I spent last month’s rent money on beer and liquor.”
I run my fingers through my hair. It’s not like shit is going well for me, either. We’ve lived together for five months. He’s had numerous amounts of parties and women.
“I punched Dillon,” I blurt, needing to let it out.
He stops what he’s doing to peer at me. “Oh, shit. Finally. That dude is a prick. I’m assuming you lost your job.”
“Yeah, I was sick of him. There’s only so much affliction I could take.” Slumping on the torn-up sofa, I lean back to rest my head.
“Although you lost your job, it wasn’t okay for him to treat you that way.”
I shrug it off. There are a lot of assholes in this world, especially the ones I’ve encountered throughout my life.
“I know you need my half of the rent, man, for this month and next, but my mom didn’t give me any money since I’m heading back. I can ask her.”
I won’t take handouts from anyone. His parents are kind, but they see me as a bad influence. Honestly, I don’t blame them. I would sneak out of the house and return hours later. I moved in with Mike’s parents when I was sixteen. It had been a while since I had gotten along with anyone since Drake and Sol. Mike wasthe first person since them that I got along with in a long time. It lasted for six months until it was time for me to move homes. His parents decided they didn’t want to foster anymore.
“Don’t sweat it. I’ll find a cheaper place. I need to find a job first, stat.”
“Look, if they evict you, you can stay at my parents’ cabin. You just have to be out by the end of summer because they rent it out. My parents planned a family trip to Cabo and Europe, so they won’t use it this summer.” He unhooks the key from his key chain and hands it to me.
Mike’s a good guy. He’s tried to get me to open up to him about my childhood, but I won’t. There’s only one person who knows about my life. He tries not to make a pity face at me, but I see it. He frowns, then his lips go in a straight line.
“Getting out of town sounds like a good idea.”
“We’ll have to meet up for drinks,” Mike suggests.
Standing, I help him load the bins into his pickup. “It was fun hanging with you, Mikey.”
He laughs. “Always good times. Take care of yourself.”
When he drives off, I head back inside to my dump apartment. All I have in the room is a mattress and plastic bins where I put my clothes. Starved, I pour some water into a cup of ramen and pop it into the microwave.
Three minutes later, the microwave dings, and my phone rings. “Hello.”
