Page 87 of Broken By the Bad Boy

“You shouldn’t have, but the damage is done now. I’ll talk to Mrs. Beckham.” I shake my head fast. Olivia could get into more trouble. Mom takes a step back and frowns at me. I fist my shirt. “You know there’s nothing I can do if Olivia denies your statement? Are you sure she will talk?”

“I don’t know.”

Mom squeezes my shoulders and takes her leave. The room is quiet, and my thoughts threaten to suffocate me. I connect my phone to the speaker and put the volume on the highest. It doesn’t help.

Seconds later, I am on my way to Olivia’s house. I don’t have a plan, so I sit in the car, thinking up scenarios with her and how they end. My car overlooks the side of her room. If her window were open, I would see into her room. If I remember correctly, it’s almost the same size as mine.

I sit up when her windows fly open. A male figure stands in front of it, looking into the street. I slide down my seat, hoping Ben doesn’t notice my car. He walks away from the window, and I do the stupidest thing by dialing his number. It rings uninterruptedly, and his voicemail comes up.

He’s ignoring me.

For my sanity, I stop trying after the fifth ring. I don’t know why I expected the response to change after each call. Minutes, maybe hours later, I put the car in drive. I’ll come back later when there’s no Ben.

Forty-Two

BEN

The play is today.I’m not sure I need to be there since the female lead is suspended. Kim or someone else I don’t remember is the backup, but it’s useless. She doesn’t recall her lines.

I will not embarrass myself in front of the whole school.

Who needs the play anyway? I only joined drama club to tease Gracie but ended up being more than her Romeo. I kick my tires until my foot throbs in pain. I don’t want to think about that girl.

I don my helmet and start for Olivia’s house. She’s back home but confined to bedrest. The devil spawn her mom is fucking isn’t home and won’t be back for about a week or possibly two. I hope his parachute fails on his skydiving trip. It will be fun to hear his screams as he falls to his death. He’ll experience the fear and the pain he put her through. Some adults are something else.

In front of Olivia’s house, I kill the engine. Olivia is not coming for the play, and I am missing my first class by coming here instead of being at school. School is not as fun without Gracie.

I knock twice before the door opens. Mrs. Beckham steps out without letting me in. It is the first time I’m seeing her at home since Olivia returned from the hospital. She doesn’t deserve to be a mother.

“What do you want?”

Mrs. Beckham’s blond locks are the same as Olivia’s, her face an older version of her daughter. If she were my age, I would push past her. The idea grows more appealing as I stare down at her with hateful eyes. But this is not my house. If I want to see my friend, I must tolerate her mother.

Hate sits in my eyes. Shame on this woman. “I’m here to see Liv.”

Leaning on the wall, she crosses her arms. Her eyes do a slow sweep of my body. “You must be joking. After your girlfriend tore her face, you want to see her. For what? You’re not welcomed.”

There are so many things wrong with her reply. I take an involuntary step back, like her words have the power to hurt me. Maybe they do. Gracie’s words hurt me. Even if I try, I can never forget them.

“The next time I see you here, I’ll have you arrested.”

Soundless laughter escapes me. The hate and the long-buried anger rush to the surface. Her lips curl in distaste, and my fists clench and unclench as words I would never have said to her on a regular day spill out of my lips.

“You’re the one who should be arrested, Mrs. Beckham. You don’t know the first thing about being a mother. Every mother is a woman, but not all women are mothers, and you are one of those wicked women. You don’t deserve the title of mother.” My chest heaves. We stare at each other in surprise and shock. “If you had spent more time with your daughter, maybe she wouldn’t have gone around bullying people. Olivia used to bully Gracie.”

“That’s enough reason to attack her?”

“More than enough! But she didn’t attack her.” I don’t want to spend time defending Gracie, but I won’t be silent if she’s being falsely accused. Olivia had it coming. I inhale shakily and try to explain. “At first, Liv bullied people because it was the only way she would get your attention.”

Mrs. Beckham laughs like I made my reply up. I don’t know why people never believe me.

Mom didn’t believe me back then. Mrs. Beckham’s laughter and indifference unearth strange emotions. Memories from the past crash over me. All those nights I have tried to forget become clearer. My chest tightens, and I remember. I remember her. Her smell. The feel of her hand on my crotch right before taking my penis into her mouth. A stinging wave of dizziness hits me.

Not now, please. Go away.

It doesn’t go away. I am that little boy again with nowhere to hide after she’s done desecrating me.

Mrs. Beckham is no longer laughing. She straightens up to talk, but I don’t allow her a chance to do so. I open my mouth, and hate, rage, and disappointment flow out of it in the form of words.

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