by Dale, Tracy
He looked quickly away and continued down the steps, as if intent on ignoring her.
She followed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he said.
Instinctively Liv knew she had to act like what just happened, hadn't. "I'm walking my dog." Her throat was so tight, it made her voice sound different. She did her best to act like nothing had happened.
They walked together silently. Not saying anything was excruciating for Liv. She wanted to help him. He needed help, but how could she give it to him? He had to be in pain. He couldn't stand up straight, and his face had blood trickling down it. "There's a park over there," she said, finally.
"So?"
"So, I want to sit down, and since you don't have anything better to do, you might as well join me."
"Why should I?"
"Because I give you a ride every day." She felt bad using it against him, but it was the best card she held and she was going to play it.
He followed her to the park. Liv stopped at the nearest bench and pretended to busy herself with the leash while he struggled to sit down without being obvious about his pain. She wrapped Darcy's leash around the bench leg and tried to look casual. Liv waited as long as she could before she looked at him and said, "Oh, don't move. Hold on."
"What?" Connor looked around.
Liv pulled out two of the sanitary wipes she always brought when she walked Darcy. "You have something on your face. Hold on." She leaned forward.
Connor jerked back. "What are you doing?"
Liv pretended to be impatient. "You look like a mess. Sit still."
He started to push away, but whether it was pain or resignation that stopped him, she couldn't say. He finally sat stiffly, his gaze locked on her while she gently cleaned his face.
"It really doesn't look too bad," she whispered as she dabbed at the corner of his lip.
"He keeps his hand open when he hits my face," he bit out, and looked as if he'd surprised even himself by saying it.
Liv continued to gently wipe at his face. "Less damage?" she said, without meeting his gaze.
"Yeah."
"Not your stomach though."
"That gets the fists."
Liv clenched her teeth. She knew he would bolt if she started to cry. "First class asshole then."
Connor's brows rose. Reluctant amusement softened his features. "That's the first time I've ever heard you cuss."
"I save it for deserving moments."
"He's my stepdad. Not my real dad."
"Where's your mom?"
"Hiding in her room, usually. She acts like it doesn't happen."
Liv briefly closed her eyes, caught herself, muttered, "Got something in my eye." She didn't want him to see her sorrow. "Where's your dad?"
"Stationed in Germany."
"Does he know?"
Connor shrugged then grimaced. He wasn't working so hard to hide the pain from her now. "We don't talk much. Keith, my stepdad, started hitting me a year ago. I've talked to my dad once in that time."
Liv gently wiped his face again before folding the blood-stained wipes into a perfect square. "Dinner will be ready soon."
"Yeah, okay." He sounded like he didn't care in the least.
"Mom wanted me to invite you to dinner sometime," she improvised. "Are you busy right now?"
"I--"
"We'll tell her you were playing football or something. Your face really doesn't look that bad."
"I know," Connor said quietly. "Yeah, sure. Thanks, Liv."
They slowly made their way to her house. Before they entered, she said, "You like sports, right?"
"Is the sky blue?"
Liv smiled then laughed, relieved to have his sarcasm reappear. "Good. My dad loves sports like the Pope loves the bible. If we mention football, he'll be all over telling you about the best plays he's ever seen."
Connor's smile was slight because of his split lip, but eagerness already lit his eyes. "Think he'll put on a game?"
Liv laughed. "Oh man, two in one house." She opened the door. "Come on in."
* * *
CHAPTER TWO
Siblings, But So Not
Liv's mom had a certain deadpan quality to her that only shifted when she was amused. She wasn't amused when she saw Connor's battered face. Her expression however, was entirely even. "Well hello there, Connor. Been hit by a bus lately?"
Liv forced a bright laugh. "Nice, Mom. He had a football accident."
Dad poked his head out of the kitchen, pieces of tender chicken caught in his teeth "Did I hear football?" He grinned, as if amused with himself.
"Dad, this is my friend, Connor."
Dad wiped his hands on a towel before coming out of the kitchen. "Nice to meet you." He clasped Connor's hand in a strong grip. "So, you like football?"
"Love it."
Dad's blue eyes brightened. "Oh yeah? Did you see when Cunningham evaded Bruce Smith to launch to Fred Barnett at midfield? From the damn--"
"Cal," Mom interrupted, a warning tone in her voice.
"From the darned end zone," Dad continued seamlessly. "And Barnett ran it in for the ninety-five yard score?"
"Oh, man, that play was poetry."
"A concerto," Dad agreed. "Mozart would have been jealous."
Liv giggled.
Mom didn't quite hide her smile. "Connor?"
"Yes, Mrs. Jones?"
"Are you staying for dinner?"
"Uh--"
"I invited him," Liv said.
Mom looked pleased. "Why don't you boys go into the den until dinner?"
"Great. Great," Dad said, clasping his hand on Connor's shoulder. "Let's go watch a game."
Liv followed her mom into the kitchen. "You don't mind, do you, Mom?"
"Of course not. How did he have that football accident?"
Liv hated to lie, so she didn't. "I'll tell you all about it later. Let me get them some refreshments though."
"Refreshments?" Mom sounded amused.
"I'm practicing being a good host."
"Hostess," Mom corrected.
"Whatever." Liv grabbed some soda and poured two glasses. She was muttering when she walked into the den, annoyed that a tiny bit of the sugary liquid had spilled over the rim and dripped down her hand.
"Here you go, Dad." He grunted. She handed the other to Connor and subtly slipped him two Tylenol as she did so. She felt smug with her maneuver. Strategic. Like a secret agent. Maybe less cool, but still efficient.
Connor took the pills, and swallowed them with a long guzzle of soda. He promptly ignored her in favor of the game.
Liv made a face. Were all men like this? She went back to the kitchen and set enough forks, knives and plates for everyone. She spooned out rice and vegetables while her mom got the chicken.
"Dinner!" Mom called when the last plate was loaded.
The television instantly snapped off. Maybe a bomb couldn't separate Dad from a sports telecast, but food could. Connor was no less eager. Liv didn't know how meals went in his household, but from the ravenous expression in his eyes, she was guessing he didn't get this kind of spread very often.
Connor sat next to her at the circular table. She could see he was startled when Dad took his hand, and she his other before Dad said a thankful prayer for their food. The moment was touching somehow. Maybe it was his uncertain glance at her before he lowered his head and obediently said "Amen" when Dad finished.
He plowed through the meal. It was the very first time Liv could remember not having leftovers. When Mom brought out some homemade cookies, baked the day before, Connor actually groaned. "Those are homemade?"
"From scratch," Liv said, and got up to pour him a glass of milk.
Connor ate three in rapid succession, and then drained his cup.
"Like 'em?" Liv said.
"Best cookies I've ever had."
Mom smiled. "Liv made them."
Connor's eyes speared to hers. New respect glimmered there. "Wow, Liv. How often do you bake
cookies?"
Liv loved the praise. "At least once a week."
"Yeah? Think you could bring some to school with you?"
Dad chuckled. "Connor, you and I are on the same page."
Connor's smile turned lopsided. It was clear he was unused to the easy camaraderie.
Dad seemed oblivious. "Want to finish watching that game?"
"Can I bring the cookies?"
"Absolutely."
Connor and Dad returned to the den, and Liv and Mom cleaned up. Theirs was a traditional household. Occasionally Liv would protest, citing women's suffrage, emancipation and equality. Mom always smiled indulgently. "Their efforts were not wasted on me, Liv. I appreciate that I have had the option to choose. And I choose to cook and clean for my husband."
"Okay, fine, Mom. If that's what you like to do, fine. To each their own, right? But, I didn't choose to cook and clean for him."
"What you are doing has no relation to women's rights, and everything to do with chores. Your chores. You help me cook. You help me clean. Who knows, maybe one day you'll actually thank me for the skills you've learned while doing them."
Liv rolled her eyes every time Mom said this. But now, after Connor's clear enjoyment of her baking efforts she could almost, almost understand why her mom liked cooking for her dad. And she could almost appreciate her mom for teaching her so much about baking in the first place.
"So," Mom said as she was rinsing the dishes for Liv to stack in the washer. "How did he get hurt?"
Liv tensed. "It's--" She stopped and looked anxiously through the arched opening from the kitchen to the living room, a view that carried straight through to the den.
"It wasn't a football accident," Mom said more quietly.
Liv shook her head.
Mom blinked rapidly before she said, "I have to call child protective services."
"No. Please Mom, I don't think he has anywhere else to go. His dad is stationed in Germany and his mom is a total deadbeat. If there was somewhere else for him, I'm sure he'd be there."
"I can't stand by and do nothing."
Liv felt shame as she recalled that was exactly what she'd done when his stepfather attacked him. "I know. But let me find out what I can about his situation first. It's almost the end of the school year then we only have a year left before he's an adult and can go out on his own."
Mom stared at the water pouring from the faucet. "I don't like it."
"Just, wait a couple days, Mom. Please. He would never have confided in me, but I saw what happened, and he opened up to me. The thought of betraying his trust makes me feel ill."
Mom sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked intensely at Liv. "I'll talk with your father about this. Then we'll decide as a family what to do. Okay?"
Liv knew she wouldn't budge on it. "Okay."
"Why don't you go join them? I'll finish up in here."
Liv went to the den. She dropped onto the sofa next to Connor, who actually noticed. He wasn't exactly like her father.
"These cookies really are amazing, Liv. Seriously. You need to bring some to school with you." He took a big bite out of one of the few remaining and said over the sweet crumbs, "Maybe you should eat them, too. Stop you from blowing away in the wind."
Liv gave him a baleful stare. "It's amazing how incredibly not funny you are. You'd think it would take effort, but...no. It's natural for you. Huh."
Connor's lips twitched as he turned back to the game. They sat companionably side-by-side, with only the occasional elbow jab to break the stillness.
When the game was over, Connor reluctantly got up and said he had to go, as though the words were torn from him. Dad said goodbye from his chair while Liv and Mom escorted him to the door.
"Connor?" Mom said. "Are you busy this weekend?"
He glanced at Liv then back to Mom. "Um, no. Not really."
"Why don't you come over tomorrow for breakfast? We'll be having a barbeque in the afternoon as well. We'd be happy for the company."
Connor didn't hesitate. "Yeah, that sounds great. What time is breakfast?"
"Nine."
"I'll be here. Thanks, Mrs. Jones."
"Sure. Be careful walking home."
Liv said goodbye then closed the door after him. She hated that he had to go home. Back to a place that offered him cruelties no one should suffer.
Dad came up behind them and wrapped his arms around Mom. "So," his deep voice rumbled. "Gonna tell me what's going on?"
Mom looked pointedly at Liv. Together they went to the kitchen table and sat down. "When I was walking Darcy--" She stopped, surprised at how difficult it was to speak of the situation. How much harder must it be for Connor? "I saw, through his window... His stepfather hit him in the face then started punching him in the stomach, over and over again, until he fell."
Dad's jaw worked as he clenched his teeth.
"He's such a good kid, despite it," Mom said, her eyes bright with unshed tears.
"He probably had a good upbringing before his stepdad," Liv reasoned and felt a flare of anger. Why wouldn't his mom do anything? "If you call the police about what happened, I'm afraid of what they'll do to Connor."
"At the very least, they will let his stepfather know they're watching him," Dad said.
"I just don't want him to know that we instigated it." Liv felt sick. "He was ashamed, Dad. I could see it when he looked at me. His face was bloody and swollen and he was ashamed."
"Nevertheless," Dad said, "the last thing that boy needs is another person ignoring what's being done to him."
Liv knew it was the right thing to do, but why was it so hard? "Okay, we call the police. But can we ask them to keep our identities secret?"
A small smile deepened the creases around Dad's eyes. "I'm sure we can."
* * * *
Everything changed. After spending the entire Saturday at the house, he came again on Sunday as well. It happened like that the next weekend, and the next. It became the norm. Always he showed up first thing in the morning and stayed until after dinner. This last weekend, they'd taken him with them to the movies, to the mall to get Mom the perfume she'd run out of, and to the grocery store to stock up on food. It alternated between being funny to Liv and a little bit awkward, especially at the movies. It seemed like it should be a date, like what all her friends did with guys they went out with. But it was more like a brother sister outing with the parents.
Only she didn't look at him in a sisterly way. His butt was cute, after all, but that's all she would admit to noticing.
Liv had thought Connor seemed a little awkward at the movies as well but he quickly got sucked into the action packed film. When they filed out of their seats after the final credits rolled he said, "Don't you wish you could chop down the bad guys like that chick in the movie? Too bad your arms would snap in two if you tried."
She turned to narrow her eyes at him, and almost retorted that he probably wished he could wipe out the bad guys with his not so buff arms as well, but stopped, afraid it would make him think about his stepdad. They hadn't mentioned what she'd seen. She didn't know if the police had investigated. "Don't you just wish you had long golden locks," she said instead, referring to the hero's superfluous hairdo. "Swirl it about your shoulders. Toss your head like a show pony. You know you're jealous."
"Oh man, how did you know?" Connor said. "I'm gonna get a wig as soon as we leave here."
"You get a wig, I'll get you some hair products," Dad said.
They all laughed. Liv decided a family movie outing with Connor was more fun than awkward.
At school the next Tuesday they were sitting on the half wall when Connor said, "You bring any cookies today?" Every lunch, he asked her.
Liv slapped four large cookies wrapped in plastic-wrap into his hand, and put an "I'm disgusted with myself for doing this" expression on her face.
Connor grinned. "Thanks, Twiglet."
Liv's chest heaved, but she didn't take the bait. After weeks sin
ce she'd seen firsthand what he endured at home, and weeks of his increasing presence in her life, she'd gotten harder to rile. Most of the time.
At school, they carried on as usual. But once the final bell rang, they went straight to her Mom's waiting van and to her house. Mom joked privately that he was eating them out of house and home, but she always said it with a smile. One more person who relished her culinary creations only added to her happiness.
"I'm taking my driving test on Friday," Liv said. She expected a comment from him along the lines of, "About time" or, "Took you long enough". Instead he said, with perfect blandness, "You don't need it. You should take it next year."
Liv gaped. "Are you kidding me? Just a few weeks ago you wouldn't shut up about me getting my license."
Connor flushed subtly. "So?"
It took a minute, but Liv thought she understood. "I won't get a car, at least not right away. Nothing will change in any case." Connor didn't respond, but she thought she saw tension ease from his face.
"My uncle is coming home in a couple months," she said. "He's a Green Beret in the army. Pretty cool, huh?"
Before he could say anything, Chelsea and the rest of their group, Brody, Ana and David, walked over. "So we were thinking we should all go out for an end of the school year celebration," she said.
"Sounds fun," Liv said. "What should we do?"
"Well," Ana said, "I wanted to have a little party at my house--"
"But it would just be us hanging out at a different place," Chelsea interrupted.
"I think it would still be fun," Ana said.
"It would be fun if we played Strip Poker," David said with a grin.
Ana laughed and looked at Connor. She was the prettiest among them, with her dark eyes and great body. A lot of guys liked her but she had a thing for Connor. Liv thought Connor might return the interest, but for whatever reason, he had never made a move.
"I think we should go get pizza and go to a movie," Chelsea said.
"I'm good with whatever." Brody was, as usual easy going.
"Good. Pizza and a movie it is," Chelsea said.
"I don't think I can make it," Connor said. "I've got things I got to do."