by E B Brooks
Standing, she studied her new bed. With the headboard against the wall, she couldn’t even tell it came from the scratched and dinged section of the store. It looked good sitting in her room. Hopefully, the rest of her purchases looked just as nice.
Needing a drink, she headed to the kitchen and decided to order pizza while she was at it, as a thank-you to the guys for their help.
She was leaning up against the refrigerator when she heard, “Fuck, Ryder, don’t make it rip any worse than it already has.”
“I’m sorry, Cody, but it’s fuckin’ heavy as hell, and we aren’t all built like you,” Ryder groaned back.
Snickering, she opened her door to find Cody and Ryder with part of her extra-large couch halfway up the steps.
Sweat poured off Ryder’s gorgeous face. “Damn, Silk, did you have to pick the biggest and heaviest couch there?”
Feeling bad that they were doing all the heavy lifting, Maddy stepped out into the hall. “Let me get around you, and I’ll grab the middle to help you two.”
She squeezed between the wall and Ryder, got to the middle, and helped lift the couch over the railing. Her bad shoulder protested, but she gritted her teeth through the discomfort. She was the one who picked out this couch, she could damn well help carry it.
Once it cleared the railing, then came the fun obstacle of getting it through the door.
A few tries later, they got it into her apartment, and they all fell onto the couch.
“Shit, that wasn’t easy, and this is the smaller half,” Maddy groaned. “I’m sorry, guys, I didn’t think about getting it into the room when I fell in love with it.” Thinking about how hard it was to get this smaller half into her apartment, her body deflated. “I don’t think the other half will fit through the door.”
“It will. We just have to open your neighbor’s door, go in there, then shoot right across.” It was obvious Cody had been thinking about this already.
Maddy started laughing.
He frowned at her. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, you’ve never met my neighbor,” Maddy said through her laughter. “He’s an interesting guy. You’ll see when you meet him.”
They took a five minute break before they all headed down to get the second half of the couch.
When they reached the point where they needed the neighbor to open his door, Maddy told Cody, “You have to be one who knocks. No one else can do it.”
Cody glanced at Ryder who just shrugged.
Maddy covered her mouth to hold in her laughter as the guy opened his door. Holy shit, he was wearing the same clown shirt as the other day.
Maddy waited for it.
The guy looked up, and his stoned eyes grew huge. “Holy shit, you’re Cody Anderson,” he squealed.
“Hi, we’re trying to get this couch through your neighbor’s door…”
Her neighbor spotted Maddy standing behind Cody. “Ohh, I swear, dude, I haven’t knocked on her door again.” His hands lifted in the I-give-up position. “Not since your brother promised me tickets to your next fight.”
Cody slowly turned and looked at Maddy, and she lost it, her laughter breaking free. The look on Cody’s face was priceless.
Once she could talk, she explained how her neighbor had thought Greg still lived there and kept pounding on her door, looking for his friend, until Skylar promised him the tickets if he’d stop doing it.
Cody opened his mouth, but she held up her hand to stop him, mouthing, I know they’re free.
Rolling his eyes, he turned back to her neighbor. “You’re doing a good job. I’ll make sure you get those tickets, but that’s not why I’m here.”
He explained again about the couch, and the drugged-out guy finally got it and let them in. This was the long part of the sectional, and it took some coordination to get it over the railing and into his room. After what felt like twenty different attempts, they finally maneuvered it around the corner and into his apartment.
Maddy almost gagged when she stepped inside. The place was a pigsty, with people just laying around. Some wore clothes while others didn’t; one guy, who was totally naked, sat in a red chair, staring at her while he scratched his balls.
After a second, he got up. “You guys need any help?”
Cody and she both yelled, “No!” at the same time
More politely, Maddy added, “The hard part’s already over.”
“Okay,” the naked guy said and fell back into the red chair.
Then one of the girls saw Ryder, and her face lit up. “Ryder, you never called me. When are we going to hook up again? You were so fantastic,” she moaned.
“Sorry, sweetheart, I’ve been busy, but I promise to call you soon.” Ryder peered at me and mouthed, Sorry.
Maddy rolled her eye upward. What did he have to be sorry for? Just because he took care of her last night didn’t mean they were dating, even if she wished like hell they were.
They finally got the couch into her apartment and collapsed on top of it. Ryder sprawled on the end next to the mural, Cody laid on the opposite end, and she sat in the middle.
Man, she was going to be sore tomorrow.
“Who the hell was that?” Cody demanded, still trying to catch his breath. “And what the hell was my brother thinking.”
“That was my neighbor, and I don’t think Skylar was thinking.” She laughed.
Cody shook his head. “Tickets? I’ll kill him when I see him next.”
“Don’t, Cody, he was only trying to help me. I ordered some pizza, and it should be here soon. I wasn’t sure what you guys liked, so I order the norm. Hope I got something you like.”
“I’ll eat anything right now.” Ryder sat up, then leaned toward her. “That includes you, Silk.”
He started nibbling on her face, making smacking noise, and she broke out in more laughter.
When the doorbell buzzed a few minutes later, Cody started to stand, but Maddy waved him off.
Opening the door, she found that, instead of the pizza guy, Jace stood there holding a six-pack of beer in one hand and six pizzas in the other. Way more than the three she’d ordered.
“I met the pizza guy downstairs. I guess great minds think alike? Can I come in, Maddy?” Jace’s beautiful chocolate-colored eyes were bloodshot.
He looked exhausted, and she wondered if he’d slept at all.
She’d had all day to think about what happened last night with Jace. She wasn’t as mad about him going in the bathroom with that guy as she was upset that he told her he’d look out for her then didn’t follow through.
At her silence, he let out a breath and lowered his eyes. “I’ll understand if it’s too early, and you don’t want me here, but I’m begging you for the chance to talk.”
She stepped aside, smiling tiredly at him. He was so cute it was hard to stay mad at him.
He looked uncertain. “Are you sure you’re okay with me being here?”
She touched his arm. “It’s fine, Jace. We do need to talk.”
As Jace walked into the living room, Ryder sat up. “Give me a beer and a box of pizza.”
Jace handed Ryder both, then did the same for Cody.
Maddy picked a spot on the floor with her back against the couch, and Jace sat between her and Ryder, with Cody on her other side.
Jace set the extra pizzas beside himself on the floor and opened the top one for us.
Soon, the room smelled like an Italian restaurant had opened up in her living room.
“Why the hell didn’t you show up five minutes ago?” Ryder demanded around a bite of pizza. “We could have used you. We had to get this monster couch into the stinky neighbor’s apartment then into here.”
Jace almost choked on a bite of pizza. “You met her neighbor?”
Cody nodded, then changed the subject. “Have you heard from my brother?”
Jace rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know where Skylar is. He hasn’t contacted me. I was hoping he got ahold of one of you.”
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It had been over twenty-four hours since anyone had seen Skylar, and she couldn’t help but worry that he was hurt somewhere.
Maddy let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry about Skylar; I feel like this is all my fault. Do you think we should go look for him?” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Or should we call your father’s old partner?”
“I told you before, little one, you have nothing to be sorry for. You did nothing wrong. He’s acting like a baby. When he’s done acting out, he’ll come back, just like he always does.” Cody took another bite of his pizza.
Unconvinced, she blew some hair out of her face. “If I wasn’t around, then he wouldn’t have a reason to be acting like that.”
Jace scooted closer to her. “Trust me, Maddy, he would have found another reason to act out. Something’s going on with him. This has been in the works for a while.”
Understanding what Jace said, she still couldn’t stop thinking this was her fault, but she’d have to trust that they knew Skylar better than she did.
“Jace, can you please get me a Dr. Pepper? I’m too tired to get up.” Resting her head on the couch, Maddy gave him a cute pout of her lips.
He smiled and dropped his half-eaten pizza into the open box before popping to his feet to get her soda.
He returned and handed it to her before sitting back down beside her. “Rough day?” Jace’s asked softly.
She shook her head, cradling the cold can of soda. “It wasn’t too bad. The sectional was a bitch, but other than that, Cody and Ryder did most of the work.”
“Sorry I wasn’t able to take you today; I figured, since Cody got all our furniture, he would be a good replacement.”
“He was great, other than this morning when he gave me a disgusting drink. But it really helped with my hangover.” When she glanced over to Cody, whose whole body shook with laughter, she smacked his arm.
“What? It was funny.” He mimicked the way she looked when she stuck her tongue out.
“No, it wasn’t funny! It was disgusting, and I will get you back for it.” She pointed to Cody then turned and looked back at Jace. “Other than that, he saved me a ton of money when he told me about the clearance items.” Maddy took a bite of her pizza. It was delicious; she needed to remember this place for later. “So, what happened at your dad’s site?”
“One of the foremen called in sick, and Dad had to go there. At another location across town, they’re having problems with protesters. Someone broke in during the night and spray painted most of our lumber. When we tried to bring some new pieces in, they wouldn’t let the truck through.”
She swallowed her bite. “What are they protesting?”
Turning toward her, he put his elbow on the couch and ran his hand through his hair. “Most of our workers are ex-cons. We don’t have any problems with them, they’re hard workers, but there are a lot of people who don’t want them, or the building we’re renovating, in their neighborhood.”
“What’s the building going to be once you’re done?” She took a drink of her Dr. Pepper.
“It will be a home for runaway kids whose parents kicked them out because they’re gay.”
If she hadn’t already known Jace was a good person, that just proved it. She couldn’t believe how close-minded some people were.
“Silk, did you seriously paint this?” Ryder interrupted their conversation. “I’d love to see more of your other drawings or painting.”
He hadn’t taken his eyes off her mural since he finished eating and laid back down.
She chuckled. “What, Player? You think I paid someone to come in and start it? Of course I painted that. I don’t know why you’re having such a hard time believing it. And no, I don’t have any other paintings. They all got destroyed.”
Ryder rolled over to look at her. “Who would ruin your art?”
“People in the group home. You can’t keep anything.” Shaking her head, she remembered how the other kids once destroyed every piece of clothing she owned.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to your parents?” Ryder asked.
“I don’t mind.” She picked at her nails. “I was dropped off two days after I was born. Don’t know why, but nobody adopted me.” Cody wrapped his arm around her, giving her the comfort she needed to continue. “I was in the orphanage until I turned twelve. Then, I was moved to the group home, where I stayed until I turned eighteen.”
“Those places are horrible; I’ve heard horror stories about them,” Ryder said. “Cody, do you remember Frank from high school?”
Cody nodded.
“He lived in a group home for two years.” Ryder’s expression turned troubled. “He told me stories that would make your toes curl. I always thought he embellished them.” His eyes shifted back to Maddy. “How the hell did you come out of there so normal?”
She snorted. “Depends on your definition of normal. I didn’t come out without issues. Cody saw the result of one of my problems today, and Skylar and Jace saw another one during orientation at the water slides.” Her hand lifted to her bad shoulder which throbbed from hauling the furniture around.
Ryder’s eyebrows rose, and he sat up. “What happened at the slide?”
She blew out a breath, not sure she wanted to tell the guys how bad it was for her at the home. She wanted to leave her past in the past, but maybe she needed to talk about it. And these guys seemed to have had a hard life, too.
But where did she start?
“What happened in that damn place?” Ryder pleaded. “I know something bad happened to you. I saw your scars. We can’t help you if you don’t tell us.”
Maddy flinched at that revelation. Not even Mike had noticed her scars, and she’d known him longer than she’d known Jace, Skylar, Ryder, and Cody.
“Back off, Ryder. She’ll tell us when she’s ready. And who’s to say she even wants help from us?” Jace sighed.
“She had a panic attack today when the salesclerk came up behind her,” Cody chimed in. “She froze and started shaking. She was trapped in her head. It scared the shit out of me. You can talk to us, little one. None of our childhoods were great.”
She leaned forward, playing with the rug. “I don’t mind talking about it, I just don’t know where to start. So, I guess I’ll start at the beginning.
“I was dropped off at a place called Little Tikes. It’s an orphanage for infants through to the age of twelve. There were three ladies who worked there, and they weren’t too bad. They mostly ignored me, though sometimes they’d throw me in a dark room that didn’t have any windows or light. When they let me out, one of the kids would be gone, adopted by a new family. To this day, I still freak out if I’m in a windowless room.”
The guys murmured swear words under their breath, and Cody’s hand rubbed her back, but that wasn’t even the worst of it.
“Shit, they didn’t want you to get adopted. I wonder why?” Jace’s dark eyebrows drew together.
She had no idea, so she just shrugged.
After another round of swearing, she continued. “Once I turned twelve, I was shipped off to Wings of Refuge group home. The two places are about a mile apart from each other. From what I heard, I was one of a handful that stayed at Little Tikes for the whole time. Most kids got adopted or fostered out. I don’t know why I wasn’t so lucky.” Clearing her throat. “At the group home, you grow up quickly, learn to defend yourself. Most of the kids in there have been adopted and returned or went to juvenile detention and needed a place to go when they were let out.”
She looked over at Ryder. “Your friend was probably telling you the truth. Our area was worse because it was about three miles away was the state’s largest juvie center. They didn’t want them on the streets, so if no one wanted them, they came to Wings of Refuge.”
“So, basically, the scrum of the earth. Why the hell would they put you in the same home?” Cody asked through clenched teeth.
She laughed bitterly. “It’s not like I had a choice. I can’t t
ell you why my parents picked that area, but I always assumed it’s where they came from. It was once a big town, but died out when the coal mines shut down.”
She’d never thought about it much. Maybe she was born in another state, and they just picked Martinsville for her to grow up in? It didn’t matter.
“Go on with your story,” Ryder said, getting more comfortable.
“The girls there were vicious. The main girl, Nikki, made my life a living hell for a year. Then a boy named Ryan saved me. He made the girls back off, and he was the one who taught me to defend myself.”
Here came the hard part. She hadn’t talked about Ryan with anyone since she found out about his death.
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Maddy
As if Cody knew she needed some comfort to get through the next bit, he picked her up and settled her on his lap.
Letting out a big sigh, she continued her story.
She told them how she was so mad when Ryan woke her up that first morning at five am to go exercise, about how he had to carry her home from school that day, and about how he kept at it every day before school until, over time, it became easier. She explained how Ryan mostly grew up on the streets. With everything he’d been through, he should have been gruff and mean, but he wasn’t; he was caring, the sweetest of guys unless someone pissed him off. Then, he’d beat the tar out of them.
“We spent most nights curled up in one of our beds dreaming about what we would do when we got out. Ryan was a year older, so he’d leave the home before me. We made plans that, when he got out, he’d find a steady job and get us a place to live. When I got out, I could move in with him and go to college.”
She clenched her hands into fists and let out a shuttering breath. “As you can guess, none of that happened. Six weeks after he left, he was shot by a gang.” She pounded her leg with her fist. “They never found his killer, and I don’t even think they tried. At the time, I didn’t take the news of his death very well.” She rubbed the scar on her wrist.