Page 11 of Fu*kboys in Flannel

“I just need some time to breathe. I’m sure you already know what happened with—” I drop off mid-sentence because I don’t really want to talk about the Slade brother’s saga, that’s been my own personal nightmare for as long as I can remember.

She moves into the room and flops down on my bed. Her long brown hair is in French braids, and she has on one of Uncle Rhett’s Hollow Hill Construction hoodies. She’s swimming in it so the shorts I’m sure she’s wearing under it aren’t visible. I think she does that on purpose to irk my uncle because he’s always growling at her to put some clothes on. I think because I’ve always felt a bit like an outsider in the Bishop household, it allowed me to notice things about everyone who lives here that they probably don’t pick up on. Uncle Rhett lets Haley run wild. He absolutely knows that she sneaks out and runs around with guys on the mountain, but he doesn’t say a word. Harlow let a guy drive her home one time from a Ravens party and Uncle Rhett ripped him out the window of his vehicle and scared him within an inch of his life. He’s not as strict with Emerson, but he doesn’t really have to be, because Grey does that for him. If she breathes the wrong way, he’s all over her and I kind of wish I was going to hang around long enough to watch her bring him to his knees. My cousin Grey is hailed King of Hollow Hill because he’s just a touch more ruthless than the other four Ravens. But I’ve seen him have a knock down drag out fight with Emerson before, watched him throw a wrench through the windshield of one of his old trucks he likes to restore because she said she was going to a party that he told her she couldn’t go to. It must’ve been a half an hour later that I watched as he roughly put a helmet on her head, purposely trying to tussle her long blonde locks before letting her climb on the back of his matte black Ducati. She’s soft and sweet, but when it comes to Grey, she doesn’t give him an inch. The two of them are like fire mixing with gasoline, and I’m never sure which one is going to come out on top.

I look up and see Harlow pouting at me, her pink lips pursed and her gray eyes big and sad. “Are you coming back?”

“I don’t know, Lowy.” I grimace because I do know that once I step foot off this mountain, I forfeit the protection of the Ravens and whatever would happen to me if I tried to come back will be worse than anything a stranger could do to me.

“Can’t you just pick one of them? If it doesn’t work out, date the one you didn’t pick first.” She shrugs her shoulders as if that’s a legitimate option. “They’re both so goddamn mean, I don’t know why you even like them. They’re practically the same person, anyway.” But they’re not. They’re so different and sometimes I think I’m the only one who can see that. Harlow isn’t like the rest of us, afflicted by the anti-charm the Ravens possess. Actually, come to think of it, they don’t really hassle her like they do the rest of us girls.

I do some weird combination of a deep breath and a shaky laugh before I say, “I’m not sure, either. I guess we don’t really get to pick who we like.” I try to switch things up on her when I say, “Haven’t you ever felt that way? What about that boy Uncle Rhett beat up for driving you home? It’s not like you could choose him over your family. I can’t choose between the Slade brothers because there is no choice to make.” I think I’m finally making sense to her, but I glance up to see her wrinkling her nose like she’s tasted something bitter.

“I just let him drive me home to get under Dad’s skin,” she says shrugging, and I don’t even comment because that seems to be the common theme for the Bishop women to do things just to raise the men’s blood pressure. Before I can change the subject, she does when she says, “It’s going to be weird here without you.” Harlow leans forward without getting off my bed and gives me a side hug before tucking her hands back inside the sweatshirt and laying back on my pillows.

“You’ll have Emerson and Haley,” I say, zipping my bag up. I don’t even know what I should bring to start my new life, but I have a sinking feeling that it won’t really matter. It’s going to be hard no matter how much time I’ve had to prepare.

“Haley hates me and Emerson’s only reason for living is to irritate Grey so…” she trails off, picking up one of the decorative pillows off my bed and clutching it to her chest. “Maybe I’ll snag Dad’s card and send Emerson long stem roses or something, so I can watch Grey have a tantrum.” Her smile is as evil as her voice is sweet when she adds, “The card will say ‘I had so much fun fucking you on Grey’s truck’.”

“Maybe don’t do that. He’ll slaughter every man in Hollow Hill looking for a guy who doesn’t exist,” I say, but she does get a chuckle out of me picturing Grey trying to strangle a delivery person with the stems of the roses. When I sober my thoughts, I tell Harlow, “Haley doesn’t hate you, she’s just—” I pause, looking out into the hallway to make sure no one is eavesdropping on our conversation. “I think she’s jealous of how your dad treats you.”

I hadn’t expected what I said to strike a nerve with her, but she seems to go rigid for a moment before she asks, “What do you mean? He’s way nicer to her. He lets her get away with everything. I’m the one who’s always getting busted for trying to do anything he doesn’t know about. I swear that man has eyes in the back of his head.” I can’t help but laugh, despite my dismal mood. He really does have eyes everywhere on this mountain.

“She’s never said this to me, but maybe she feels like he doesn’t care about her as much as he cares for you,” I tell her before I drop down on my hands and knees to grab my shoes from under my bed. “I mean, he has to know that she uses the basement to sneak out in the middle of the night, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t know who she was sneaking out to meet.”

“He would lose his mind if he knew who she’s been hooking up with,” Harlow says quickly and then covers her mouth with one of her sweatshirt covered hands. “Forget I said that, I don’t need Haley beating the shit out of me in the middle of the night.” She huffs. “All I’ll say is that if it were me doing what she’s doing, Dad would burn this entire mountain to the ground, starting with that man’s house.”

I grab my coat and put it on, zipping it all the way up, when I say, “And that’s why she acts out. Because he cares enough about you to watch what you’re doing.”

Harlow ignores what I said, and I guess that’s an indicator that she’s finished talking about it. She gets up off the bed and heads toward the door. She looks back to say, “I’ll distract Dad while you sneak out. Grey left a little while ago, so you should be good.” She gives me a sad smile. “I’ll miss you.”

“I promise I’ll text when I get settled. I have no idea where I’m even going. I just know I can’t stay here. Not with the way things are going. Everyone is going to get hurt if I do,” I tell her, and I’m surprised at how sad my voice sounds. I’ll really miss her, and Emerson, too. I know I should probably find her and say goodbye, but I don’t have the time. The way Grey watches her like a hawk, it’s too risky.

“I know you’re doing what you think is best.” She peeks down the hallway and then turns back to smirk at me when she says loudly, “Tess, do you know where Grey went? I have a date and I don’t want him showing up with a shotgun again.” I realize then that it’s for her father’s benefit.

I don’t even have a chance to tell her thank you for being my decoy, because I hear Uncle Rhett bellow from down in the living room of the cabin. This place is grotesquely big, but with the vaulted ceiling, every noise seems to carry. “Harlow Marie, get in here now!” She blows me a kiss and practically skips down the hallway to go mentally scar her father.

“Yes, Daddy?” she calls to him in a singsong voice, and all I can do is shake my head. This house is so dysfunctional on so many levels. I don’t know why he’s so protective of Harlow and not of Haley, but it’s not my issue to figure out.

I throw my bag on my shoulder and give my room one more glance before I flick off the light and close the door gently behind me. I tiptoe down the hallway and head for the staircase that will allow me to slip out the kitchen door, hopefully without Uncle Rhett hearing me.

I turn the knob all the way and pull the door shut, so that it doesn’t make any noise when I let it click back into place. I see headlights down by the oversized garage where Grey and Uncle Rhett keep their bikes and quads, and I begin walking briskly toward the truck. I’m hoping when we take off that my uncle just thinks it’s Grey or one of the other Ravens messing around and doesn’t come out to investigate. I’m not in the clear until I’m out of Hollow Hill and out of Remington’s truck. I know there’s a chance he could change his mind about giving me a ride, but praying that he doesn’t is my only option at this point.

I swing open the passenger door with a fake smile plastered on my face. I need to keep Remington as at ease as I possibly can. “Thank you so much—” I practically suck the words back into my mouth when I see that it isn’t Remington in the driver’s seat, but rather a very irritated looking Grey.

I shift on my feet and my arm jerks as my brain short circuits, but I catch it at the last moment when Grey barks out, “Slam that door and I’ll close it repeatedly on your pretty little head. Get the fuck in the truck and don’t make me ask again.”

I glare at my cousin because if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Ravens, Grey’s mean ass specifically, it’s that showing any sign of weakness will make them pounce. “Why are you here?”

He’s sitting there looking straight ahead out the windshield, his large hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that I’m certain he’s pretending that he’s wringing my neck instead. “I’m here on this fine night to escort you off the mountain. You wanted a ride, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get.”

“I changed my mind, thanks. I don’t want to be wrapped in a tarp and dragged up to Violent Peak because you’re in a baby back bitch mood,” I snap out the words and slam the door before he can retort. I drop the bag I packed and take off running toward the garage, where I can hopefully lock him out. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I curse when I realize the door is locked, and he’s already out of the truck and stalking up toward me. “Let me go!” I scream before he even grabs me.

“I warned your dumb ass to leave the Ravens alone and you wouldn’t fucking listen,” Grey’s voice is seething as he wraps an arm around me, putting me in a headlock. I’m not short, but his height is forcing me to stand on my tiptoes as he drags me toward the truck. “The three of you are going to have to sort your fucking shit out before it causes real problems.”

“You wouldn’t know a real problem if it bit you on the dick. Everyone in Hollow Hill bows down to their king,” I gasp out the words, my nails coming up to claw at his arm. He doesn’t flinch or seem to feel anything, probably because he has on a thick sweatshirt under the gray and black flannel shirt he’s wearing.

“As they should,” he barks out the words and gives me a huff as he opens the passenger door of Remington’s truck. “I have nothing but problems and they’re all caused by you and your fucking friends,” he snaps, and I laugh at him despite my predicament. He hates to be laughed at, and I know it’ll rile him up enough to hopefully give me a chance to get away.

If that doesn’t work, my next words surely will. “My friends? You mean your sisters?” It has the desired effect because he spins me around to face him and grabs me by the throat. He knows I’m insinuating that Emerson is just as much his sister as Harlow and Haley are, and he hates nothing more than when people say that.

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