Cops' Kids

C2

"Quit chewing your lips," Benjamin scowls at his younger brother. Ross is so absorbed in his social studies textbook he's oblivious to his brothers command. From his plank position on the floor, Tyson reaches his left hand out and slaps Ross's ankle. The boys all know better than to make a sound when hit but the mile high jump from the contact has Warren shooting Tyson one of his famous looks: take it easy on your brothers. Tyson, ever the macho one of the group, simply rolls his eyes. "Stop chewing your lips," Benjamin repeats himself. Ross licks his peeling lips and firmly closes his mouth. Without a word, he goes back to his studies.

"Can you shut up!" Benjamin groans in frustration at Colin, who is murmuring under his breath. Colin looks at Benjamin with his wide green eyes even wider than normal before his mouth, too, closes shut tight. Benjamin is in one of his moods and only Tyson is brave enough to step on his toes. He might not be the oldest, but Benjamin sure is the meanest. Warren didn't blame him. Benjamin has been with Elmer the longest, and he was the oldest before Elmer married Serena. Now Warren has to take most of the credit for all the shit that goes wrong.

Tyson jumps up from his plank before folding up an area rug and pulling back a floorboard. Inside the little cubicle is where the boys keep a stash of their weaknesses. Warren's is weed, Benjamin's is pills and Tyson his bottle of whisky. Colin doesn't drink or use drugs and they all agreed that Ross is too young at twelve years old to start anything. Sometimes he gets a puff of Warren's weed but nothing more, and only if Elmer beat on him good. Tyson roots through the cramped floor space before tossing Benjamin his bottle of Xanax. It's a silent command: chill out. Benjamin glares at him but pops back two pills.

"Grab me a joint," Warren says, opening the bedroom window. While Elmer is at work so he isn't afraid to smoke now, the smell stays for a while. Warren usually climbs out onto the roof to smoke or sits on the window ledge. Tyson hands Warren the joint, taking a second to stare at his good ole bottle before closing the secret compartment. No whisky today, he has a weight lifting competition coming up tomorrow. If he drinks a sip chances are he'll drink the whole damn bottle. If Elmer was his real father, he'd believe addiction is genetic.

"What are you always muttering about?" Benjamin asks Colin crankily, still ornery with the pills not kicking in. Before leaving for work, Elmer had reamed him out for his shaggy, unkempt hair and slapped Jeremiah, their youngest brother, around for playing "the floor is lava". To get Jeremiah's mind off the startling abuse, their mother had taken him and Isaiah to the park for the afternoon, leaving the oldest five boys at home.

"I'm praying," Colin replies in his calm, quiet voice, holding up his dark purple rosary. The stutter he usually has is gone because Elmer is the one who drags it out of him.

"God answer your prayers?" Benjamin asks testily, burrowing into his stack of pillows at the head of his bed.

"Nope," Tyson answers easily, stepping up for his scared, uncomfortable little brother. Colin's face was red in embarrassment. "You're still kicking around."

"Screw off," Benjamin scowls darkly. It's a staring match between the preppy dressed Benjamin and the sporty dressed Tyson. Colin goes back to his prayer, silent this time.

"Both of you, cut it out!" Warren steps between the two. Benjamin squints at his oldest step brother before tilting his head back, waiting for the pills to kick in. Tyson rolls his eyes with a huff before wiping his sweaty face and neck with the hem of his woman beater. Ross subconsciously continues chewing his lips and Colin's lips move in prayer, sometimes audibly. Warren sits on the windowsill, the joint between his lips and smoke trailing on the breeze. His legs swing lazily against the plastic siding of the five bedroom, three bath renovated farm house planted in the middle of the city. Warren casually watches his brothers, ever the observant protector of the group, unlike Tyson, who's brazenness gets him into more trouble. Benjamin is scrolling on his phone, randomly blowing his burgundy fuck boy hair out of his eyes. Ross is sitting at the desk, his finger following along to what he is reading. Studying is his escape, the break in his mind. Warren understands it all too well, he'd tried that route to no avail. He thinks maybe Colin knows something about peace with the way his back relaxes against the wall, eyes closed, lips moving, his face a picture of serenity. Warren only sees him look like that when those purple beads are in his hands. Tyson is the antsy one, always has to be moving and today fares the same. He's done with the planks, has moved on to mountain climbers. Warren scans the room again before looking out at the street below. Elmer has them on lockdown so this is how they'll have to spend the day.