Page 23 of Chalk Outline
May it be your last…?
But I can’t be a complete jerk because he lets us live here for free, even though Mom misses her shows half the time. Dick never threatens to fire her, letting it slide like the wolf in sheep’s clothing he is. A true saint. That’s why she lets him inside the house, occasionally, for a quick fuck. Sometimes, they even get high together, yet it’s I who he keeps staring at. He constantly tests the limits and sees how much he can take from others.
“Happy birthday.”
Rot in hell.
“Thank you. It means a lot coming from you.” His lust-filled voice makes me clench my jaw in irritation. “Are you here for your mom’s paycheck?”
No, I wasn’t. But we could use the money. “I don’t think she even worked this month.” I blow a cloud of smoke and dump the cigarette into the trash can beside us.
“She did three shows, but consider the rest an advance for next month, my gift to you. I know how hard it is to take care of a sick parent.”
I shouldn’t, but we don’t have a dime. Drugs aren’t cheap, and food isn’t either. I could also buy new clothes and a pair of sneakers that don’t look torn, greasy, or stained.
I glance at the tent to my right, aware that it’s Dick’s office, and with an exasperated sigh, I enter.
A heavy metal song blares at full volume. He usually lets it play all night until morning while the employees party with him.
Dick is as large as I am—tall and fit. I can feel his presence lingering behind me.
I take a step forward and spin to face him as we move closer to the desk in the center. Dick reaches to grab the envelope on top with Mom’s name written across it.
While he smokes his cigarette like a gangster who owns the world, I focus on the golden lighter with an embossed moth in the corner of his desk. It catches my attention for some reason. A sense of déjà vu washes over me, yet I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I grab it, pulling my eyebrows together as I rack my brain for an answer.
I’ve seen it before.
“Pretty, isn’t it?” Dick comments, shifting closer.
As I peer up, his predatory gleam is just an inch away from me.
“I got it as a gift a while back.”
A sharp pain slices through my chest as a cigarette burns a hole in my skin. A scream rips from my throat, but it dies when he presses his hand to my mouth to silence me.
Dick laughs, the cruel sound blends with the screams from the speakers, making my heart thunder like it’s trying to escape, knowing what’s coming next.
“I own this place and everything in it.”
He always waited. Lurked. Planted himself in my life for this very moment. Not because he was generous and kind, but because he always wanted something in return. He wanted me. Now, it’s time to take action.
I sear his cheek with the flame, and he shoves my arm away, but I bring the lighter to his earlobe next.
“Don’t touch me!” I yell, and he growls at the second burn before tackling me. The fall knocks the air from my lungs.
Flat on the floor, Dick knocks the lighter from my grasp and punches me in the face a couple of times. It happens so quickly that I only realize what is going on when he climbs on top of me, pinning my wrists over my head with one hand.
“You like it rough, boy, don’t you?” He bites his lip, and I thrash beneath his tenacious grip. He is much stronger than I gave him credit for.
Pinned down, I try to yank my arms, but he doesn’t budge. He stares at me with wild eyes, running an affectionate hand over my left leg.
I writhe beneath him and spit on his face. It only elicits a sinister laugh from him.
My mind is reeling.
Panic seeps into my system at high speed, and every inhale feels harder than the last.
