by Box Set
Kota fumbled with the button at the collar of his shirt. “Well, it’s something we’ve got to figure out. Come on in. I’ll look at your throat.”
My hand fluttered to my throat, touching delicately the dip at the base. “It’s not a problem,” I whispered, forcing a smile. The last thing I wanted was this sort of complication. It was my responsibility to act as a barrier between my parents and anyone I met. If I was going to keep any friends at all, I had to stop them from discovering my problems at home.
How was I going to keep this peace, this separation of my friends and my family?
Gabriel
I trembled as I followed Kota through his house. Nathan closed the door behind us and fell in behind me. I could only catch a glance, but there were a ton of family photos on the walls, decorations in displays, rugs spread across the floor, and knickknacks on tables through the foyer. Compared to my own empty house, it felt almost cluttered, but I loved it. It felt so full and lived in. The living room had a blue carpet that was similar to the one in Kota’s room. There was a beige sofa with plump embroidered pillows. A wide screen TV sat inside an entertainment center. There were a couple of plants sitting on top of side tables and a bookshelf along one wall filled with novels.
“Where’s your mom?” I asked in my cracking voice, trying to pull the conversation away from me.
“She’s at work.” He looked at the sofa as if considering it. “We should head up to my room. But keep an ear out. Victor and Gabriel should be here in a minute.”
I looked at Nathan, wanting to ask who Gabriel was, but he wasn’t looking at me and instead headed off after Kota past the dining room, toward the start of the stairs.
I slowly followed them, trying to come up with something to tell them that wasn’t the truth, or to make it lighter than what was going on. Only, my mind went blank. I’d already been not fully honest about other things. Did I really want to make some of my first friends here hate me because I lied to them? How would I ever explain my mom?
At the top of the stairs in his room, Kota started to drag his computer chair across the floor. He opened a side drawer at his desk, picking up a flash light. He positioned the chair in the middle of the room and then pointed at it. “Sit.”
The command and power in his voice caused a knee-jerk reaction. I sank into the chair, unsure of what else I could do.
Kota stood in front of me, with Nathan beside him. They bent over me. Kota held the flashlight toward my face, flicking the light on. “Open up,” he said.
I swallowed, opening at his request. Kota squinted through his glasses as he looked into my throat. He studied my mouth. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do. My heart was pounding.
“What’s wrong with her?” Nathan asked next to him. He was trying to glance around Kota’s head to look inside my throat, too.
“It’s... burned,” he said. He flicked the light off. With his free hand he tugged at my chin, making me look at his eyes. “What happened yesterday when you got home?”
I moved my lips as the power in his voice lured me to, but I couldn’t find the words. I was unable to lie to him. Was it his devouring green eyes, or the way his concern for me was apparent on his face?
Kota frowned. He knelt in front of me, wrapping his warm fingers around mine. “Sang, I’m going to assume if you’re not telling me, it’s something bad. I’m going to ask you some questions. Just nod if I’m right. Did you get into trouble yesterday with your parents?”
I sighed, nodding.
“Was it because you left with us?”
I shook my head. Nope.
Nathan sat on Kota’s bed. I felt him looking at me, but I couldn’t make myself face him.
Kota grasped my hand a little tighter. “Did they have you drink something?”
I bit my lip, closed my eyes and nodded. I swallowed hard. This was it, I thought. They would send me home now and I’d never see them again. Who wants to deal with a girl with crazy parents?
“What was it?” Kota asked softly. When I didn’t respond, he squeezed my hand again. “Sang? Tell me. What was it?”
I peeled my lips apart to whisper. “Lemon juice... and vinegar.”
“Fucking shit,” Nathan bellowed. “What the hell did they do that for?” His eyes were so cold. He turned to Kota. “We have to do something. They can’t do that.”
“I know,” Kota started. His eyes were fixed on me and his face was as serious as Nathan’s. “Has this happened before?”
I shook my head.
“Why did they do it this time?”
I glanced at Nathan to divert my eyes somewhere besides Kota’s face but Nathan was making me tremble just as badly. “Silas called,” I whispered. “A boy’s never called before. Please don’t tell him. He’ll feel bad. It’s not his fault.”
Nathan grunted. “Start at the top. Are you telling me I can’t come for you if you’re at your house? I can’t call you? How bad are we talking?”
The sound of a car driving up and a short car honk cut through. Ugh, more people, I thought. Victor and Gabriel. This was way too complicated. I wanted to go home and hide, only I wasn’t brave enough to move. Now Gabriel, a complete stranger, was going to learn about this, too. I shook with humiliation.
I hesitated and Kota stared at me a moment but then he got up. “Your voice will come back. You just need to rest your throat. Hang on a second.” He crossed the room and ran down the stairs. I heard him answering the door below.
The moment he was gone, Nathan turned to me. “Why don’t you just say it? Do your parents beat you?”
I waved my hands in the air across my body. “It’s not quite like that. They don’t hit me or anything.”
“But they don’t like you hanging out with anyone? What happens if I show up?”
“Don’t. Please.”
His mouth turned into a frown. “Would they flip out if they found out you were with me today?”
I nodded.
“Hey,” he said, he leaned toward me until his face was close to mine. “Don’t worry. I won’t say anything to them. What about the other girl? You have a sister, right? Did she get this, too?”
I shook my head. I slid out of the office chair and onto my knees to sit on the floor, sitting delicately on my heels. “She didn’t have to drink...” I said, but my voice fell then. I swallowed.
Nathan moved off of the bed and then sat next to me. He was about to say something when thudding on the stairs sounded again. I heard someone shut the door downstairs and the flick of the lock and then three heads appeared as they got to the top of the stairs. Victor was first. He was wearing dark designer jeans this time; his shirt was white, buttoned up to his collarbone. His face looked a little strained, but when he saw me, he relaxed a little. He pushed his wavy hair back away from his eyes. Kota followed behind him. A moment later, another guy popped up from the stairs, looking as if he’d jumped the last couple of steps.
When I first heard the name, I thought it would be a girl. Gabriel was about Victor’s height, though a little slimmer in the hips. His hair hung long around his chin, but was brushed back away from his face. Two locks of hair, one tucked behind each ear, were colored a light shade of blond. The rest of his hair was a rich brown. His eyes were crystal-like, bright blue, excited and wild. He had a couple of rings on each of his hands and stud earrings in each ear, his right had three more rings going up along the top. He wore jeans and a neon green tank shirt which showed off lean, but defined biceps.
“Oy,” Gabriel said, his voice surprising me as it was deeper than Victor’s. “So you’re the troublemaker.”
Heat radiated at my cheeks. Was that what they were saying about me?
Victor gave him a chop on his head. “Don’t pick on her.”
Gabriel ducked away from Victor's hand and then moved to sit next to me. “Hey, I was only teasing,” he said. “I didn’t mean anything by it.” He turned to me. “Don’t listen to me, okay?” His face was so bright and happy. He had a
n angular chin, a slight nose and shaped eyebrows. His crystal blue eyes were dazzling like sunlight in pool water.
Kota tucked his chair back toward his desk and then sat across from us. Victor plopped down on Kota’s bed, hands tucked behind his head, and looking up at the ceiling.
“We need to be more careful around her parents,” Nathan said.
Kota nodded. “I think that’s why we need to talk about it.” He looked at me. “Tell us what we need to do.”
I blinked at him, not sure what to say. What was this? They seemed to freely accept that my parents were difficult, and now they were willing to learn how to handle this? This seemed impossible. Anyone normal would have told me to go home and wouldn’t want to get in the middle of it. I flitted looks from Kota’s green caring eyes, to Nathan’s serious expression, to Gabriel’s curiosity... I even caught Victor turning his head, looking at me, and the fire in his eyes was a little subdued but working, as if thinking.
“I’m not sure where to start,” I whispered. Did Victor and Gabriel know? Did Kota tell them?
The guys looked at each other. Gabriel and Nathan had that same knack of being able to read the others. There was the slight incline of the head from each of them before they turned back to me. “What would we have to do if we wanted to come over?” Kota asked. “Let’s start with that.”
As soon as the words were spoken, a thudding sound started to reverberate from the quiet of the neighborhood. A basketball was being bounced outside in the street.
Looks were exchanged between all of us. Nathan jumped up and rushed to the window seat, leaning against the frame to look outside. “It’s Derrick.”
Everyone else got up at once. Kota and I stood on either side of Nathan and looked down into the street. Victor and Gabriel moved to the other window to look out.
A guy about our age was walking up the street. His hair was black with a bowl cut. He was tan and wore jean shorts with no shoes, his removed shirt draped over his shoulder. He bounced a basketball with his hands as he walked down the street.
“Where is he going?” Nathan wondered out loud.
We watched in silence together as the boy walked to my house and started to head up the drive.
My eyes widened. What was he doing?
Kota caught my hand that was fluttering at my throat, enclosing it with both of his hands. “Did you meet him? Is he going to ask for you?”
I shook my head, watching as the boy disappeared into the open garage attached to the house toward the side door. “I’ve never seen him before.”
He let go of my hand. I think we were all holding our breath, waiting for whatever was going to happen.
After what felt like eons, the boy reappeared. Marie trailed behind him, slow, hesitant.
They started playing basketball.
I blinked. My sister was playing with the boy down the road. What was she doing?
“Looks okay to me,” Nathan said. He turned to me. “Maybe we should go over.”
“Wait a minute,” I said, taking a hold of his shirt sleeve to stop him before he could leave. He looked at me and then back out at the house.
It only took a few minutes. They were trading off the basketball in what looked like a game of HORSE or PIG. The ball was tossed at the goal. Marie started to run for it but stopped dead. They turned their heads toward the garage. My sister ducked her head and ran for the garage. The boy collected his basketball and started his way back down the drive.
“What happened?” Nathan turned to me. “Was it your mom?”
I nodded. “She called to them at the door.” I watched as the boy made his way back up the road. “You should go home. She has chores to do,” I recited the line my mother always used. While we didn’t live close to other kids, a few neighbors had grandkids that visited and would ask to play if they saw us in the yard. My mother always sent them away.
“Do you have chores?” Gabriel asked.
I shook my head. Marie and I did split chores, but the house was usually pretty spotless. We were never outside our rooms so most of the house was never touched. Depending on my mom’s mood now, Marie might be told to get on her knees in the kitchen for hours or something else. I shuddered, worried for her, too. I wondered what she was thinking to run outside like that. There was a possibility Marie thought Mom had been dead asleep. She was wrong. “I don’t know what will happen to her.”
Victor made a fist and then flopped back onto the bed. “I don’t like this.”
Kota and Nathan moved away from the window seat, but I remained, watching to see the boy disappear around the bend in the street. “It’s her way of keeping control,” I said softly. My face was radiating heat and I felt a tear in my eye and I blinked it back. I thought I had gotten used to the way my parents handled things. Keeping it in the dark was how I handled it.
Gabriel moved to sit on the bed near Victor’s legs. He patted the floor below him with his hand, looking up at me. “Come here. Your hair is bugging me. Kota, do you have a brush?”
Kota leapt up and disappeared into his bathroom for a moment. He found a blue hair brush and tossed it over to Gabriel.
Gabriel caught it with one hand and curled his fingers at me. “Come on,” he said.
I felt awkward, but did what I was told, moving to sit at his feet, leaning a little against the bed. I pulled the hair clip away, letting my hair fall in a wet clump against my neck.
“And what do you call this look? Wet shag?” His fingers fell over my hair, lightly tugging at the knots.
Victor toed at Gabriel’s back to poke at him. “Leave her alone.”
“Hey, I’m fixing it.” He smoothed out my hair at the tips, starting with combing out the ends. “I’m going to detangle it, but we’re going to wash it out and then dry it.”
I shot a pleading look at Kota, feeling awkward. It was as if I was being told I didn’t know how to handle my own body, like being told I was smelly and needed some deodorant. Kota didn’t seem fazed by it.
“It’s my fault,” Nathan said. “I pushed her into the pool.”
They all looked at him. I did, too. I hadn’t expected him to talk about it. My blush continued on my face, now waiting to see if Kota or Victor appeared angry that I went swimming with Nathan instead of coming over. Why I felt that way, I wasn’t sure.
Only they didn’t look angry. They looked surprised. “What happened?” Kota asked.
Gabriel brushed out my hair while Nathan explained about how he found me in the tree and how he’d pushed me into the pool, all the way up until we were standing at Kota’s door. He complimented my swimming. Again the warm, tender sensation washed over me. I appreciated how normal they were. We were talking and hanging around together. For the moment I was so glad they were forgetting about my problems. I tried not to look as excited as I was. I knew that Kota sitting on the floor a couple of feet away wasn’t feeling his heart thudding or even thinking about the situation in the way I was. Touching, talking, laughing... So this is what happens when people got together?
I was envious of the years they must have spent together to be so comfortable with one another. Would I ever be so cozy with them? Would there ever be a day when I wasn’t really conscious about the moment?
Gabriel patted my now smoothed strands of hair. Soft curls fell around my shoulders, still wet but now brushed. “Your color is amazing,” he said. “How is it so many different colors?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. “It’s like a dirty blonde or something.”
“Or something is right,” he said. “There’s a little red in there. Various shades of blonde. It’s crazy.” He urged me up by nudging me in the shoulder. “Let’s go wash it. I want to blow dry it and see how it looks.”
I again looked at Kota, who only smiled a little sympathetically at me. Nathan was smirking. I think he was enjoying this. I was feeling silly, but I stood up. Gabriel stood, grabbing my arm and pushing me toward Kota’s bathroom.
He shut the bathroom door and we
stood alone in the enclosed space. I felt my breath catch, not expecting this. Flashes of my imagination went through my head of things my mom would tell me about when boys got you alone. If being in Kota’s room together with all of them wasn’t bad enough, here I was in a locked room with one who wanted to play with my hair.
Gabriel went to Kota’s shower and found a bottle of shampoo and conditioner. “These aren’t ideal for you but it’s what we have right now.” He made a gesture to the sink and then patted me on the hip. “Let’s get to work.”
My cheeks radiated and I moved forward to face the sink.
Gabriel stood next to me and twisted the knobs, testing the temperature with his fingers. “Tell me when you think it’s okay.”
I reached in, waiting for the water to warm. When it did, I nodded to him.
“Get in there,” he said.
I could hear voices from the other side of the door. I had a feeling it was about me, and I strained to hear over the sound of the rushing water.
When I ducked my head under the faucet, I couldn’t hear the voices. Just Gabriel.
“You’re going to our school, aren’t you?” he asked, his fingers combing through my hair again, rubbing along my scalp behind my ears and really working his fingers along the base of my head. The massaging motion relaxed me. He was good at this.
“Yes,” I croaked, not sure what to say. I was feeling even shyer now that he’d seen such an intimate side of me and learned the awkwardness of my family. He just met me and he knew the worst things so far.
“We’ll be in the same grade,” he said. “Going to sign up for art class?”
I laughed. “I can’t draw.”
“Neither can I,” he said. He moved behind me, I felt his hip meeting mine. Touching was impossible to get used to. I resisted the urge to leap away from him, though it was difficult. “I hear you just show up and play with paint. There’s not much to it.”
There was the fragrance of soap filling my nose and his fingers lathered up my hair with shampoo. “So you want an easy grade?” I asked.