by E. L. Todd
“What?”
“You’re…weird.”
“I’m not weird,” I argued.
“When have you ever cared about us fighting?”
I shrugged. “Everyone says we do it a lot.”
“So?”
“I just…if you’re getting sick of me…I can change.”
Her eyes softened. “Slade, you’re perfect the way you are.”
I snorted. “That’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear.”
“You are,” she said firmly. “I wouldn’t change anything about you.”
“Nothing?” I asked incredulously. “Really?”
“Okay…maybe a few things.” She rested her hand on mine. “But they’re minor things.”
My fingers moved against hers.
“What brought this on?”
I stared at the ceiling, my body starting to cool off. “It’s weird that Skye and Cayson are…might never get back together.”
She sighed in sadness. “I know. It’s crazy.” She eyed me for a moment. “What did Cayson say when he went to Skye’s apartment? I would ask Skye for the details, but I’m afraid she might hang herself.”
Trinity and I never talked about them. Cayson never asked me to keep his situation with Skye a secret, but I felt like I should keep my mouth shut. It seemed to be a conflict of interest. “I don’t know…”
“Yes, you do,” she snapped.
“I…I don’t want to talk about it.”
She growled. “What’s the point of sleeping with you if I don’t get anything out of it?”
I said nothing and stared at the ceiling.
Trinity was quiet for a long time. “I hope they get back together…somehow.”
“I do too,” I whispered.
She stared at the side of my face. “But I thought you hated Skye for what she did?”
“I do,” I said immediately. “But I assumed Cayson would forgive her eventually…and they would work it out. You know, because they’re soul mates and stuff.”
She kept staring at me. “If I did that to you, would you forgive me?” she asked.
I didn’t look at her. “Would you judge me if I said yes?”
She squeezed my hand. “Slade…”
“Well, think about it. If it’s the love of your life, and the only options you have are breaking up or staying together, wouldn’t you do everything you could to make it work?”
She rubbed her fingers over my knuckles. “It’s more complicated than that. Skye really hurt Cayson. They haven’t been together for half a year. That’s a long time to be apart. They’re different people now.”
“Yeah…I guess.”
“Our group isn’t going to change,” she said gently. “Is that what you’re scared of?”
“No.”
“Then what?” she pressed.
“It’s just…if they couldn’t work it out and they are meant for each other, what about us?”
“You and me?” She turned on her side and propped her head on her elbow.
“Yeah.”
“You know what I think?”
I turned on my side and stared at her. “What?”
“I think we’re stronger—than any relationship I’ve ever known.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
She thought for a moment. “It doesn’t matter how much we fight. It doesn’t matter how many obstacles are in our way. It doesn’t matter how impossible it seems. No matter what happens, we stick together. You drive me crazy and make me want to rip your head off sometimes, but at the end of the day, I want to be with you. I had my chance to be with Mr. Perfect. He was sensitive, thoughtful, and wonderful—”
I growled at the mention of Reid.
“But I don’t want that. I want chaos, craziness, passion, emotion, and real love. I want a best friend when beauty fades. I want someone who will tell me off. I want something worth fighting for, every day. Since we’re so unconventional, we don’t play by any rules. In the end, we’re indestructible.”
Her words made me feel better. I guess I was stressing out over nothing. I looked to Cayson and Skye for an example, but perhaps they should have been looking to us instead. “I think you’re right.”
“I’m always right,” she said with attitude.
“I wouldn’t say that…”
She snuggled close to me. “We should probably get dressed before your parents come home.”
“I hate the old people.”
She chuckled. “They aren’t even old.”
“They’re older than me.”
“We’ll get our own place soon.”
“I’ve been waiting for that asshole to give me a raise. He still has me cleaning shit. Do I look like a janitor?”
She tried not to laugh. “You really want me to answer that?”
I growled at her. “At least I have a job.”
“My internship is starting soon. So get over it.”
“What’s taking so long?” I snapped.
“They didn’t have any openings so they had to push it back for a year.”
“And you couldn’t work somewhere else?” I demanded.
“I wanted to enjoy my time off before I went into the workforce. Plus, I don’t have any experience. Who would hire me?”
“A janitor.”
She smacked my arm. “I can do better than that.”
“You could model. Or do porn.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You want me to do porn?”
“With me,” I said quickly. “It’d be fun.” I wiggled my eyebrows at her.
“Gross…”
“Come on, let me film you. You’ll like it.”
“I’m good,” she snapped.
“Come on, everyone is hesitant at first, but after you do it the first time, you’ll be over it.”
She glared at me. “Thanks for making it clear you’ve filmed girls before.”
Whoops. “I didn’t hide that very well, did I?”
“No.” She was pissed.
“If it’s any consolation, I threw everything away when we got together.”
“Oh, I feel loads better now,” she said sarcastically.
“Hey.” I pulled her close to me then placed warm kisses on her neck. “Baby, come on. Don’t get mad.”
“Too late.”
“But I love you.” I kissed her ear gently. “How many girls have I said that to?”
She wouldn’t look at me.
“How many?” I pressed.
“One…”
“That’s right. Just you.” I left her side then pulled my clothes on. “You want to go eat?”
“Can I order what I want this time?” she demanded.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes.”
“You aren’t going to force me to eat when I’m not hungry.”
“Just order what you think you can actually eat.” I knew this was headed to another fight.
“God, I hate you sometimes.”
“Don’t say that to me.” My voice was serious. She and I said a lot of mean and hateful things in the course of our relationship, but that struck a cord. It made me uneasy. Hate was such a strong word. When I imagined her saying it to me and meaning it, the pain hit me hard.
Trinity stared into my eyes and knew I meant what I said. “Okay.”
I walked out and she followed behind me.
***
Working at the shop was boring. I stood by and watched the artists work on masterpieces. Meanwhile, I did grunt work. I cleaned equipment, answered the phone, and ran the register. I was basically my dad’s personal assistant.
It totally sucked.
When lunchtime came around, Dad closed the register. “Hungry?”
“Does it matter?” I snapped. “Don’t you want me to clean the floor with a toothbrush while you’re gone?”
He smirked and didn’t match my hostility. “Well, I’m going out for lunch. Want to come or not?”
I was starving, and my dad usually paid f
or my food. “Fine. Whatever.”
We left and headed to a Thai restaurant. Dad ordered the moment we sat down, and I did the same. When the food came, Dad picked up his chopsticks and used them like a pro.
I glared at him while I ate, unable to hide the resentment I felt.
“Having a bad attitude isn’t going to get you anywhere.” He didn’t look at me as he kept eating.
I was about to blow my gasket. “Well, this is stupid. I told you I want to ink for a living, not clean up after people.”
Dad remained calm and acted like we were talking about something boring. “And you will.”
“When?” I pressed.
“After you learn the basics.”
“I don’t think cleaning the windows qualifies as basics,” I snapped.
He shook his head and kept eating. “The more you act like a brat, the longer I’m going to make you wait.”
I clenched my jaw because I was so mad. My head was about to explode. “What the hell is your problem? This isn’t what I signed up for.”
He ate his noodles then looked at me. “What did you expect? To come in and start running the joint?”
“Yes,” I said honestly. “What about running the second shop in Times Square? Were you just lying?”
“No.” His eyes were glued to his food.
“Then what the fuck?”
He glared at me. “We’re in a restaurant. Watch the language.”
“Then don’t piss me off.”
He put his chopsticks down and gave me a look of disappointment. “You want something, you need to work for it. I’m not going to let you run a shop when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing. And I don’t want an entitled asshole delegating my workers. Every one of my boys worked to get the positions they have. I didn’t just give them to anyone. You’re no different.”
“But I’m your son.”
“When people come into a seat of power without working to get there, they become cruel and lack empathy. You need to learn humility before you start running the show.”
Seat of power? “I’m not trying to be the Emperor of New York,” I said sarcastically.
“When you start taking this seriously, then I’ll teach you something new.”
“Take it seriously?” I asked incredulously. “I come to work every day, don’t I?”
“And you’re nothing but a pain in the ass.”
I growled, feeling frustrated.
“I had to start from the bottom, and you’re going to do the same thing, Slade. Stop fighting it.”
“This is so stupid,” I mumbled. I stuffed my mouth without looking at him.
“You’re just postponing it.”
“Do you hate me or something?” I snapped.
He didn’t look at me. “When you start acting mature, I’ll have a serious conversation with you.” He ate calmly like he was bored.
“Fuck this.” I threw my napkin on the table. “I quit.”
Dad picked up a pot sticker and ate it in a single bite. He shrugged like he didn’t care.
“Uncle Sean is making Skye the CEO of his company. He isn’t making her scrub toilets and wait on people. That’s what real parents do, not this bullshit.” I walked out and didn’t look back.
Dad didn’t come after me.
***
I walked into my mom’s office without knocking.
She sat at her mahogany desk in her high-backed chair. Her degree was on the wall, and her office faced the skyline of the city. A plant was in the corner and two chairs faced her desk. She looked up at me, a hint of annoyance in her eyes.
I shut the door and sat across from her.
“Don’t ever barge into my office like that again.”
“Why?” I asked. “I’m your son.”
She glared at me. “If you do it again, I’ll have security throw you out.”
Mom was always a hard-ass, but when she was at work, she was particularly controlling. “Sorry.”
She went back to her document. “What do you want?”
“I want you to talk to Dad.” She was the only one who could get him to do anything. My dad was aggressive and authoritative. You couldn’t get him to do anything even if you bribed him. My mom was the only one who could boss him around and make him do things without question.
She sighed. “Slade, I’m staying out of it.” She already knew what I was talking about.
“No,” I snapped. “I’ve been working there for months and all I do is clean up after people. I haven’t learned anything about inking. I haven’t even gotten to practice, and Dad barely lets me touch the register. It’s bullshit.”
“Don’t curse in my office,” she hissed. “Someone might hear you.”
I did as she asked because arguing would take longer. “Talk to him.”
“No.” She flipped the page and kept making notes.
“I’m your son. You’re supposed to advocate for me.”
She directed her piercing gaze on me. “It’s his shop and his decision. I can’t make him do anything.”
“Don’t give me that—”
She silently threatened me.
“Crap.”
“Slade, you’re on your own.”
I growled then gripped my skull. “I went to college for this. Now you aren’t upholding your end of the bargain.”
“That right there.” She pointed at me and her eyes burned. “You’re so ungrateful. Your father and I saved our money so you could go to a prestigious school. You know how many people would kill to have that opportunity?”
I rolled my eyes.
She hit a button on her desk and the shades to her windows started to close.
Oh shit.
When they were closed, she marched to me then slapped me across the face. I was knocked to the ground because she hit me so hard.
Damn, she was mad.
“If and when you start appreciating everything your father and I do for you, things will change. But until you grow the hell up and start acting like an adult, you will be treated like a child. Now get out of my office.” She sat behind her desk again then reopened the windows.
I sat up and rubbed my red cheek. Then I walked out.
***
“Damn, she hit you hard.” Trinity tried not to laugh while she stared at my cheek. “It’s really red…” She sat across from me in the booth in Mega Shake.
“My mom has an arm on her.” Every time I touched my cheek, it hurt. I tried leaving it alone and putting ice on it every now and then.
Trinity smirked but tried to hide it.
“You think this is funny?” I snapped.
“No,” she lied. She opened a magazine and started to flip through it. But she was still smiling.
“You’re supposed to comfort me.”
“Why?” She kept looking at the magazine.
“Because my life sucks right now,” I snapped. “Why else?”
She flipped the page and didn’t look at me.
“I hate my parents.” They were such a pain in the ass.
“Hey.” Trinity turned her gaze on me. “Don’t say that again.”
I looked out the window and ignored her. “Well, they hate me.”
“Don’t say that either.”
I sighed. “I thought when college was over, I’d be working in my shop and inking people. It’s been my dream since my dad first took me to his shop when I was little. Now I’m just a janitor, people treat me like garbage, and I get paid crap.”
“Slade,” she said seriously. “It’s called an internship.”
“An internship, my ass.”
“I’m being serious,” she said. “Do you really expect your dad to just hand over the reins immediately? You don’t know anything about running a business.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “You better be joking.”
“I’m not,” she said firmly. “Stop bitching and complaining. Pay your dues and you’ll be rewarded. I think what your dad is doing is smart. He’s alre
ady given you the world and you take it for granted. Maybe if he makes you work for this, you’ll actually appreciate it.”
I couldn’t believe I was listening to this. “You’re my girlfriend. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“Since when?” she demanded. “You point out when I’m being annoying. Now I’m going to point out when you need to grow up and be a man.”
“Be a man?” I asked. “I was a man last night when I made you scream.”
She rolled her eyes. “Forget it.” She closed her magazine and stood up.
“Where are you going?”
“Call me when you stop being a dick.”
“I’m not being a dick.” I stood up to chase after her.
“Bye.” She stormed out the door then headed up the street.
I sat back down and sighed, wondering why everyone was against me.
***
I rang the doorbell then waited for the door to open.
Aunt Scarlet answered it. “Slade?” She gave me a bright smile. “What a nice surprise.”
“Hey.” I wasn’t in a good mood and it was hard to pretend that I was.
She hugged me tightly and held me for a long time. She always acted like she was so thrilled to see me, like I lit up her life once I walked into the room. Sometimes she laughed or said something that reminded me of my dad. But they were really different. “Come inside.” She stepped aside and ushered me through the doorway.
“Thanks,” I said quietly.
She eyed the bag over my shoulder. “Need a place to crash?”
“Do you mind?”
“Nope. You can have one of the spare bedrooms.” She didn’t ask me what was wrong or why I wasn’t staying with my parents. She was a cool aunt. Most people would pester me until I spilled every detail. Instead, she made me feel welcome.
“Thanks.”
“Dinner will be ready soon. Wash up and join us.”
“Okay.” I headed into the spare bedroom then dropped off my stuff. Then I headed to Roland’s room and knocked.
“Yeah?” he called.
I opened the door and saw him sitting at his desk. He was typing on his computer. “What’s up?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
I shrugged. “Just wanted to hang.”
“Cool.” He closed his laptop then came and fist-pounded me. “How’s inking going?”
I didn’t want to talk about it. “It’s alright. Found a job yet?”