A Boy Among Wolves

Chapter 19

Theo-

I jolt awake when I hear a door down the hall slam shut.

I pull my phone out and see it's only 8:21. I've been asleep for 50 ish minutes...maybe. Crying always makes me sleepy.

I also see a couple of texts from Brenden.

Brenden-hey man. Danny's at my place. He's really broken up, BUT I wanted to let you know he was safe. I hope you know I'm still your friend so I hope you'll talk to me.

Brenden- I wanna help where I can.

I roll my eyes. Brenden was the one that interacted with me the least. So why would he care about me?

I have texts from a couple of people. Jackson and Mandy want to know if I'm ok. I ignore them. Danny begging me to talk to him. I ignore him.

I have a missed call and a voicemail from a number I don't know; with everything happening today, what harm could it do to listen.

I hold the phone up to my ear as the recording starts.

"Hi, Teddy....," says the female voice. I bolt up cause that's my Mom. I'd know her voice anywhere. I realize the message is playing, so I back it up.

Mom's voice starts up again, "Hi, Teddy.....It's Mom. Uncle Mason called me and told me about your fight with him and Bryce. He begged me to call you so I could tell you my side of things." She pauses, and I hear her clear her throat. "The truth is, baby...I can't see you right now. I want to...but I can't. I've been clean for a few months now....but it's hard," she's crying now, and I'm crying again. "If I see you, it'll be that much harder to say goodbye, and that means I could relapse."

She pauses again, and I think to myself, "then let me live with you."

"And I know what you're thinking. Why can't you live with me, but honey, that can't happen. Not yet ...not now. I've been clean half a year, and before that, I was clean a week...a month....a day. You probably don't remember what I was like when you were little, but baby...I can't do that to you. I can't do that to me," she says and starts sobbing.

"Fuck," she says after 15 seconds of crying. "God damn, this is hard. Your Uncle cares about you, and he was right to keep me a secret. I'm a mess, and I'll just bring you down. This isn't what you wanted to hear, but you needed to hear it. This is my cell phone. If you're anything like me, you don't answer numbers you don't know, but now you know. You can text me anytime. I don't get great service at work, but I want to talk to you....maybe someday I'll be better for you to see me."

I wipe my face clear of tears again and listen to her sigh out. I can hear a police siren in the background. "Teddy bear, I love you. I love you with all my heart. I'm just a bad mother....and I need you to know that both of those things are true."

She's silent for a few more seconds before she hangs up.

I listen to it three times, crying the whole time.

She does want me. She just doesn't want me there. She can't take care of me.

"God damn it," I groan out. "They were all right."

Uncle Mason was trying to protect me, but it hurt that he was hiding something like this.

Danny was right to defend him. My phone buzzes, and it's the devil himself.

Danny-I'm sorry I got so mad tonight...Please talk to me. I love you, T.

"Fucccccck," I say as I read the text over and over.

I can't fix my Uncle Mason problem right now. I don't want to deal with it.

I can't fix my Bryce problem right now without Danny....so my hands are tied. I need to go to him. I think I was too hard on him tonight. I was mad about Uncle Mason, and he got in the way. Like Dad did when Mom was using. Like she did with he got mad at me.

"Fuck it," I say with a sigh. I pull on my jacket and open the window. I've never climbed out the window before, so I'm probably making more noise than I should. I cut myself slack cause I have one arm in a cast.

When I drop to the ground a second later, I listen to the window I'm next to. The extra bathroom isn't used that much, but it could be with all of them downstairs avoiding me. No light means the coast is clear. I realize I don't have my phone on me, but it's too much work to climb back up right now.

A branch snapping in the woods gets my attention for a second, but it's a windy night. It could be anything, plus Brenden only lives a couple of streets away, a 10-minute walk at the most. I'll be fine.

I head down the street to Brenden's house. Maybe Bryce'll be there, and I can kill two birds with one stone.

As I'm walking, I can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched...or followed, but when I turn back, I don't see anything. I'm probably jumpy cause it's getting dark, and I'm alone.

"It's fine," I whisper to myself. "I'm fine. It's fine. This. Is. Fine." I say to myself and the world, so it doesn't throw anything at me. Fine is what I can handle.

When I finally get to his street, I calm down a bit. It's well lit, and I know it. I've been here before. His truck's in the driveway. As I walk up to the house, I see them talking on the front porch, but they aren't alone.

I can see Jessica and Brenden talking about something on the steps and Danny and...Megan and she's rubbing his arms, and he's smiling.

So he's not that broken up about it anymore. Good to know, and he's going after his best friend's girlfriend. What a piece of work.

Danny looks like he's about to say something when he turns in my direction. He takes a second to see me in the street lights, but when he does, he pushes Megan away from him.

"Theo," he shouts and hops the railing. The other three watch him walk my way.

I turn to run away, but he calls out again. "Theo, baby. What are you doing here?"

I turn back, "stop. Don't call me that. I came to say I was sorry, but you're rubbing up against Bryce's girlfriend."

"What?" He says in a shocked voice. "No. It's not ...."

"Save it. I'm sorry for what I said....but I'm not sorry I broke up with you," I say, interrupting his train of thought.

I can tell from here that he's probably getting mad again, but his voice confirms it. "Theo..... stop"

The wind kicks up again, and all four of them make a weird face. Danny's shaking again, but Jessica speaks, "Theo. Come over here. We can talk....and I'll drive you home." I shake my head.

Brenden speaks next quietly and calmly like I'm about to explode, "Theo. Come talk over here. It'll be ok."

I shake my head again, "no. I'm going home. Don't follow me."

I turn and run. I hear them all yelling for me to come back. Even Megan's yelling for me to come back. What a bitch.

I run around the corner, and I'm surprised that none of them are following me. Danny's a fast runner most days, but maybe his anger is getting the best of him.

I come to a stop about two streets away. I'm wearing my converse shoes, so running isn't my friend right now, and I start to catch my breath. I turn back and see.....the giant bear monster that's been moving around the town. It's right on the corner where I just was.

"Oh fuck," I whisper to myself, and then I hear the howls off In the distance. The creature turns in my direction, but it lumbers off away from Brenden's house.

I don't stay to watch it. I just start running again and hope I don't get eaten.

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