Him
Fuck it's bright. Forcing open my eyes, I reluctantly get out of bed and push the curtains open. I open my window and look out at the beach. It's empty, peaceful, the water is calm and quietly splashes. I jump in the shower, wash my face and put on a clean black top and dark green cargo shorts. I quickly run my fingers through my hair and head downstairs. Wheezie's at the table having cereal, with a girl. I think the girl I met last night. In the light, I can actually see her properly, she has long wavy dark hair, sharp features, olive skin and green eyes. My eyes linger on her before cutting to my little sister. "Good morning." Wheezie smiles. I smile back at her. "Morning. Where's Dad?" I ask taking apple juice out the fridge, only to find it's almost empty. "He had a meeting somewhere I think. Rose is upstairs." She replies cheerily. I nod grabbing a cup and pouring myself the last of the juice. Wheeze finishes her breakfast and runs upstairs to get ready for school. The other girl finishes her cereal and goes to wash it.
"So you're still here. You living here now?" I ask sitting at the kitchen island. I can almost feel her roll her eyes. "God no. With the idea of you as a housemate?" She sneers. I scoff and shake my head smiling. "I'll be gone in 20 don't worry." She adds and heads upstairs. Good, I say to myself. Just as I pick up my car keys, I hear a motor revving outside. I make my way out the door and see Barry waiting for me, leaning on his bike. "Country club! Where's the rest of my money pretty boy?" He shouts. I rush over to him and ask him to keep it down. "Hey, bro, my little sister is inside can this wait like 10 minutes? I swear I have your money." I nervously laugh. Just as Barry is about to reply, I hear a female voice shout excitedly, "Bear!!" The girl from earlier runs past me and jumps into Barry's arms. Bear? Barry is beaming. He puts her down and holds her shoulders. "Sis is that you? Goddamn, how are you here right now? You've grown so much!" Barry says, grinning ear to ear. It's the first time I've seen him show any other emotion other than anger, and happy- but the kind of happy you only feel from getting high. The girl hugs him again, "It has been over a decade Bear. You should call mum every now and again, she worries you know.' She looks to me. "You know each other?" She looks at Barry and nods to me. "Uh yeah he's um, we're friends." I say, unsure whether to reveal he's a dealer or not. They do seem to be siblings who haven't spoken in a long time, I wouldn't want to ruin the vibe so fast. For Barry. Barry looks at her and squints his eyes at me. "You two know each other?" He asks, glancing from her to me. I shake my head and so does she. "Not really." She says, easing Barry's expression. "Sis we need to catch up. Where are you staying right now?" Barry asks her. "In my kitchen." I mutter under my breath. Barry cocks a brow at me. "You're coming to stay with me, a'ight? Country club, come by later to sort that shit out." He says more like an order, and gets on his motorbike. The girl asks him to wait and she bolts back inside the house and grabs her things I assume. Just as she's about to walk past me, she says to me "Apple juice is all yours again." She walks over to Barry and they converse quickly, then she sits at the front and Barry behind. She rides off on the bike and I stand there, slightly confused. Barry had a sister all along? It seemed like he had no family. My thoughts are interrupted by a shouting Wheezie. I walk over to my car and unlock it, Wheezie falls into her seat and I reverse out of the parking.
"I'll walk home. Thanks for the ride." She says and closes my door. Just as I'm about to drive home, my phone rings. I answer. "Son. I need to talk to you. Come home as soon as you can." Dad hangs up before I can get a word in. Weird. I pull a u-turn and drive home, like I was going to anyway. I lazily park and join my dad on the balcony upstairs. He's drinking, so I pour myself a glass of whiskey too. "I'm here. What's the emergency?" I ask and take a sip. He looks at me. "Look, you party all the time. You drink more than you should. You're irresponsible with your money. I blame myself for a lot of that. I know you kids have had a lot go on in the last few months with your mother and other things. But, you need a job Rafe. You're 20 and have nothing stable in your life apart from me." He takes a gulp of his drink and pours himself some more. "I have a job, sorta." I say. Dad scoffs and stares at me with a hard gaze. I stiffen. "You have a job? Do you really think slinging coke at parties is a job?" He calmly spits. Now my expression hardens."You need to get it together Rafe. You think I don't know about you stealing from me? My watches? My fucking money? You... you know how many more problems I have now since the tarmac? I have to clean up after you, always!" He stands up and yells at me, leaning over at me. I rub my jaw in anger. He continues belittling me and grabs my face. That's enough. I rush to my feet and back him against the wall. "You don't scare me dad. Friar fucking Cameron, suddenly you're all high and mighty, yeah? Give me a break. I've always been on your side, you know what I did was for you. I saved you." I yell, my forearm pressing against his chest. I push off of him and lean against the balcony to catch my breath. "You saved me? Rafe, you fucked us!" He yells back, rubbing his neck. I look up at him through lowered eyes. "I'll take care of it." I walk away from him and get back in my car. I punch my wheel over and over and hold my head in my hands. I know I messed up. He's mad about that day. I did it for a good reason. At least, that's what I tell myself. That's what I need to tell myself. My knuckles are streaming with blood. I just want one thing right now. I need a fix.
