Misery Blues

Chapter 13 - Look at her

"Well, why don't you just join the party." I say, sarcastically as I grab the pizza from his hands. I slip the money I owe him into his pocket, because I know his hands are so tightly bound into fists he wouldn't be able to accept it. I place the pizza on the table, already knowing it will probably end up be eaten cold. Alek is watching everything that's happening with wide eyes, full of wonder, excitement. As if he was watching on of those soap opera's I compared his relationship to earlier in the week. I look at Cassadee and the little boy in her hands and shake my head.

"I don't think Lucas should be here right now." I tell her softly as we both look back and forth in between my brother and Roxas. They are both on either sides of the house, but even from a distance the look in their eyes are serious. As if the slightest move from the other could start an all out fist fight - one that could very much end up with someone in the hospital. Cassadee nods and practically drags Alek out the door.

"Call Me." She says, her eyes are wide and I know she means it. She wants to hear the whole explanation. She wants to know why I'm really mad at Denton, what I was about to say before Roxas interrupted. She wanted to know what Roxas meant and what happened to get him so pissed. She literally wants to know everything. I nod my head, knowing it's the only way to get her to leave, if I agree to finally open up.

I close the door behind her and look up at the clock, five. Only an hour until he comes home. Only an hour. I look at the two very handsome boys who are still in a dead lock stare contest. It's funny how I could probably eat that entire pizza and the two of them still wont have moved from those spots. But, I know I can't do that. I need them out of here and soon, so I need to solve their problem.

I step in between their lines of vision, making it so they can't see the other - it snaps them out of it as they lay their eyes on me. Denton shakes his head and looks at me in confusion, but Roxas just stomps forward and into the kitchen.

"I will ask again." He says, stopping in front of my brother. Roxas grips at the collar of my brother's shirt and shakes him. "Was. It. You?"

His words were clipped and I could tell that he was furious. Does Roxas actually think the one who hurt me was Denton? Denton might be some big, bad and tough football player on the field - but otherwise, he is a complete softy. Wouldn't be able to hurt a fly and not regret it fifteen seconds later. There is no way that Denton would be able to hurt me to this extent and still be able to call himself a Blues boy, much less be able to stand barely three feet away from me.

"Was what me!?" Denton yells in Roxas' face. "What are you goin' on about,? God Dammit!"

Roxas turns his head so he is looking at me, his eyes are questioning, but his body is still tense. As if he would be ready at any point in time to fight my brother. His eyes tell me that I hold the key, all I need to say is yes or no. I shake my head.

"It wasn't him, Roxas."

"What wasn't me!?" Denton screams, pulling himself from Roxas's grip.

"You mean to tell me, he doesn't know?" Roxas doesn't sound happy, if anything he sounds even more pissed then he did when he walked in. I shake my head and Roxas throws his hands in the air. "How the hell did you not notice this!?"

"Notice what!?" Denton looks lost, confused and angry at the fact that he has no idea what is going on. He thinks it's something only Roxas and I know and that must anger him even more.

"Take a good look at your sister." Roxas points a finger at me. "Her neck, under her eye, her arms, her wrists." Roxas looks at my legs and I realize that I'm in shorts. The really short kind. Then, I remember a few nights ago. The bruises on my thighs, on the insides of my legs. I see his eyes grow dark as he realizes what these bruises must mean, he looks up and meets my eyes. The anger slips out of them and he actually looks somewhat hopeful, hopeful that they mean something else. I close my eyes tight and look away, unable to stop my lip from trembling. I almost break when I hear Roxas start speaking again, his voice is soft, but it holds much more pain and anger in it then before. "Shit, Denton, look at her legs for christ sake. You're sister is..."