Tame

by India Marshall

  Maybe he's just polite to adults.

  At the same time Cameron answered, Dad snapped. "No he isn't!"

  I cringed at his tone. He was being over protective, but I didn't want his protection. Why he needed to get involved with our lives again I had no idea. The past month had been quite eventful, and I wasn't sure I liked it. I had made some new friends, been asked out by Tanner and Riley, which was all lovely, but my Dad coming back into the picture seemed like a bad omen.

  Before I hated my Dad, before he left our family, I remembered, was a happy-ish time. All though my Dad had the same attitude he had now, he was less scary. He didn't seem a bad person. He built me shelves and bought me toys when I was younger- though I recognised now a pained look on his face when he parted with cash. My home life was fairly normal, my parents were deeply in love, or so I believed, and the four of us made a perfectly regular, normal, family. With the exception of my weirdness, but every family has a black sheep.

  "So is he coming to see Lucia too?" Hannah inquired.

  "No, he can leave when we get there." Dad told her. This seemed to make Hannah almost disappointed, her now swelling tummy sinking as she sighed heavily. I wondered how when I saw her last, I hadn't noticed her bump.

  I heard Cameron mutter, "Gee, thanks." under his breath and smothered a laugh. If my Dad, and now Hannah too, were making a bad impression on Cameron so he didn't like them- it was better for me.

  The car swerved and Rolo happily fell onto either my lap or Cameron's when we did. He was constantly trying to reach over me to get to the window and stick his head out. But my stubborn Father wouldn't open the windows, letting us swelter and die- but at least Cameron and I were drying off. My Dad wasn't kidding about sitting on blankets either, meaning Cameron wiggled his ass every few minutes trying to get comfy. The car turned again, a sharp corner, sending both Rolo and me onto Cameron's lap. I looked up from his lap and he smirked at me.

  "Having fun down there?" He chuckled.

  "Don't be an ass." I hissed. I propped myself with my hand to sit up, and ended up pushing down on the most unfortunate place.

  Cameron's eyes went wide, and his hands flew to his crotch. I had the worst luck when it came to dealing with guys. I was just waiting for the time I hurt Riley or Tanner's balls next.

  "I. Am. So. Sorry!" I hal whispered, half shrieked. If that was even possible- I didn't want my Dad to hear, but he caught my eye in the rearview mirror.

  "What's going on back there?" He demanded. Hannah once again turned in her seat to observe the scene- nosy cow.

  "I j-just fell on Cameron." I stuttered, now trying not to laugh at Cameron's balled fists and annoyed expression.

  "Slow down, honey." Hannah simpered to Dad. He instantly slowed down, and Hannah beamed at Cameron. He showed no sign of response, so she huffed and faced the front again.

  We e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y reached our house, Dad screeching to a stop right outside the door. I trembled as I realised Hannah was coming in too. This could not end well. Everyone climbed out of the shiny car, Cameron leaving behind a dark smudge on the cream carpet behind Dad's seat.

  "Goodbye." Dad said firmly to Cameron, giving him the hint. Cameron took it and waved at me, leaving. I felt a tiny bit of me crack as he left- I didn't want to be left alone with Hannah and Dad.

  "Bye, Farrah Poppy Chambers." Cameron threw me wink as he called goodbye to me, using my full name to piss me off.

  "Later, Cammie." I retorted. He cringed, his shoulders rolling backwards as he did so. Feeling satisfied, I grinned to myself. I felt a hand grab my arm, looking to see my Dad dragging me to the front door.

  "Are you sure he's not your boyfriend?" Dad persisted.

  "He's not. We just t-tease each other." I gulped.

  "Good." Dad nodded to himself more than to me, ringing the doorbell. When there was no reply, he turned to me.

  "Do you have a key?"

  "Yes."

  "Then could you open the door, sweetie?" Dad turned on the kindness, knowing he would have to face my other parent any minute.

  I let us in, and the smell of waffles still floated in the air. Dad's nose wrinkled, and Hannah looked around our living room, clearly not impressed. I heard a thumping from upstairs, and then Troy appeared in the doorway.

  "Hey Farrah, Mom's out at..." Troy trailed off. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

  "Your kids are so rude." Hannah sighed.

  "This one won't be." Dad smiled at her, placing a hand on her stomach. I felt puke crawl up my throat.

  "How did you get in?" Troy demanded. He eyed the key in my hand and glared at me. "She's not welcome here." He pointed at Hannah. "Neither are you."

  "It used to be my house." Dad scoffed.

  "It's Mom's legally." I spoke up, becoming braver as my brother was there.

  "Hmph. Where is your Mother?" Dad ignored me completely, knowing I was right.

  "Out at a friend's." Troy sniffed. "Not that it's any of your business."

  "Typical woman, leaving her kids alone at home."

  "We're seventeen and eighteen!" I burst out.

  "Not that you'd know." Troy snarled. He came into the room properly, flopping onto the couch. I copied him, but Troy grabbed the house phone, dialling Mom's number. He spat down the landline that Dad was here, and I heard her frantic worrying from her end.

  She arrived several minutes later, bustling through the door with groceries in her hands. She dropped them, however, when she saw Hannah. She tucked her messy hair behind her ears, obviously feeling small next to Hannah with her all-round-barbie-ness. Mom was worth ten of Hannah. A hundred- a thousand.

  "Hello Henry, Hannah." Mom greeted them.

  "I might wait in the car." Hannah said to Dad, brushing off Mom as if she hadn't said anything.

  "Okay babe." Dad replied, kissing her cheek before she skipped off to the car. I felt disgusted- they did it purposely because Mom was there.

  "Um," Mom swallowed. "What can I do for you, Henry?"

  "I want to talk about that stupid stunt the kids pulled." Dad huffed, sitting in the armchair like he owned the place.

  "Stunt? You mean when they ran away?" Mom gulped. She looked at us worriedly. "Yes, well..."

  "Bit late, don't you think?" Troy interrupted.

  "Excuse me?" Dad raised his eyebrows.

  "This 'stunt' was pulled over a week ago. And you're asking about it now?" Troy snorted. "Such good parenting skills."

  "Don't argue with me, boy." Dad growled.

  "Well it's true."

  "Troy." Mom warned, a new tone of authority in her voice. "Let's just leave it, shall we? Look, I know what the kids did was wrong, but they didn't want to stay with you."

  "I have rights!" Dad exploded.

  "You haven't cared about them for the last four years." Troy reminded him.

  "Troy!" Both of my parents snapped. I slipped my hand into my brother's, feeling something bad coming. Well, worse.

  "Nothing bad will happen, Farrah." Dad frowned. Damn, I was speaking out loud again. "We're just having an adult conversation, but your brother isn't mature enough to handle it."

  "Oh yes, an eighteen year old, a legal adult, isn't mature." Troy rolled his eyes.

  "Troy!"

  His hand squeezed mine because I was shaking.

  "It's okay, I got this." He whispered.

  "Yeah, I can see that." I rolled my eyes sarcastically as our parents argued.

  "Don't be annoying." Troy flared. "I was trying to be nice."

  "I'm sorry, I get stupid when these kind of things happen."

  "Yeah, sure, only when these things happen." I saw a smirk tugging on my brother's lips.

  "Troy!" I pushed him slightly. My parents bickering got louder and I tuned in to what they were saying.

  "I never left them home alone!" Mom was crying.

  "Just then while you were at a 'friends'. New boyfriend, Lucia?" Dad snarled.

  "No it is not! And why would it be your business any
way? You have Hannah!" Mom cries shrilly.

  "You are such a jealous woman, always were." Dad rolled his eyes.

  "At least my children don't run away from me!" Mom replied, kind of childishly, but rightly so.

  "They didn't run! Well, Farrah didn't. I blame Troy, he's a bad influence. I told you years ago we should've sent him to military school!" Dad shouted.

  "I did run." I squeaked. "I wasn't influenced by Troy- I agreed with him is all."

  "What?" Dad cupped his ear. "What did you say, sweetie?"

  "Stop with all the 'sweetie' stuff, we know you don't give a damn." Troy butted in.

  "This is the attitude I get when I come to see you!" Dad leapt up from the armchair, and Mom and Troy jumped up too. I felt left out, and it appeared Milly, who had just strutted in, did too, because she jumped onto the back of the couch to seem tall- so I stood, trying not to cry at my wreck of a family.

  Tears got you no where.

  "You haven't cared for the last four years!" I yelled at my father.

  "I-of course I cared!" Dad spat, not looking me in the eye. "But this is the reason I left."

  In a matter of seconds, Dad had a bloody lip, Troy- a bloody fist. When Dad had bellowed out what he said, Troy punched him square in the jaw. Dad looked gobsmacked.

  "Filthy lying cheater!" Troy barked.

  "Troy! Go to your room!" Mom gasped.

  "So what? He can hurt you again? Make you feel bad?" Troy raged. "He didn't leave because of my attitude, he already beat me for that! He left because he cheated on you!"

  That was the last straw. I couldn't help but let the tears fall. Mom reached out to me, but I ran from the room. Troy followed, but he stomped up the stairs, whereas I rushed out through the front door, into the street. I bumped into something hard and human-like, falling to my butt as I did so.

  Cameron.

  He had been standing outside the door the whole time, listening.

  "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I seethed, standing up.

  "Farrah, don't cry. Let me-"

  "You heard all of that, didn't you?" I demanded. "Huh?"

  "I did, but-"

  "No freakin' buts! That was my family's private business that you have just listened to! And now you're going to tell the world like the the stupid jerk that you are!" I screamed, pounding his chest.

  "Farrah, listen to me!" Cameron cried, grabbing me by either shoulder, shaking me.

  "I didn't even know. I didn't even know he beat Troy." My voice quivered, and Cameron let go, looking shocked. I thought back to the brusies that randomly appeared on my brother's arms, the once cut lip, the excuses.

  I had thought he was just being a boy, playing and messing around.

  Boy, I was wrong.

  "Farrah." Cameron said softly. "I already knew."

  "You- wait, what?" I frowned, my eyebrows knitting together.

  "I already knew about your Dad cheating on your Mom, Troy told me years ago." Cameron admitted.

  "But you still stayed to listen." I mumbled. "What a great guy you are."

  "I didn't mean to-"

  "Mean to what? Snoop?" I pushed him away from me, but because he was standing so sturdy while I was a shaking mess, I tumbled forwards, instead. Cameron caught me in his arms, his green eyes looking down at me apologetically.

  "I don't want to fight with you." He told me. "We're friends, remember?"

  "All friends fight." I retorted, struggling out of his arms.

  "I wanted to be a good friend and be there for you."

  "You...earlier, you told my Dad that you thought he lived with us." I reminded him.

  "I thought maybe things were okay again. You seemed okay around him. I thought they got back together- that's why I thought he lived with you. When Troy told me your Dad was with his partner, I thought he meant your Mom, not the blonde woman." Cameron sighed.

  How more wrong could he be?

  "Good observation skills." I commented sarcastically.

  "You're hard to read, Farrah. You're so dramatic, and strange, but funny and cool, sort of, and I just wanna get to know you. Remember, we are friends." Cameron gabbled.

  "Yeah, well, in case you had forgotten, I just had a family blow up, and found out my brother was beaten by my father. I need to go." I told him, pushing past and nearly tripping again.

  "I could come too, we had a fun day today-"

  "No." I said stoutly, feeling tears brim again.

  "Oh, right. Okay. Well, um, call me later?" Cameron asked. I walked away from him, emotions hurtling through my body. I didn't even have his number- what good friends we were.

  I stumbled, fell, and waddled down the street, dialling Hayley's number- I needed a friend I could count on just then. She picked up after five rings.

  "Jesus Farrah! My Mom is gonna kill me! I'm still at the recital! What is it?" Hayley cried.

  "Oh. Nothing. Bye." I replied flatly. I ended the call, whimpering as a stone stabbed my foot. I didn't want to call Riley, and no way would I go back to see Cameron.

  That's how I found myself walking to Jason's house, even though I had an Auntie closer to me, in both affection and distance. But somehow, Jason seemed a better option, and I had no idea why.

  Chapter 19

  I stumbled along the street, carefully dodging dog shit and various little pebbles- I swore they were out to get me, trying to trip me up at every turn. I compared my Dad to the pebbles- evil.

  I was concentrating so hard on the pesky little stones, I got lost on the way to see Jason.

  "Ugh!" I groaned, realising I had missed the turning into his street. I wandered my way around the area, looking at each house, squinting in the windows to see if I could see a boy with black hair and green eyes. Knowing this was hopeless, I sighed and walked back to my house, or the way I thought was my house.

  I was in a park.

  Setting off again to find Jason's house, I felt tears brimming again. I couldn't believe my Dad had beaten Troy, nor could I believe my brother didn't tell me. Yes, Troy and I weren't the best brother and sister in the world- was there even such thing? But we were close, and I would never have been able to keep that to myself.

  Maybe that's why he didn't tell me.

  Silent tears leaked from my eyes, feeling awful about my poor brother. Determined to find someone to share my depression with, I wiped my eyes fiercely and marched up and down the streets, insistent on finding Jason Evans' house.

  I turned a corner and saw a familiar line of houses. I grinned, and the sun sparkled against the windows of the houses, giving the impression they were flashing smiles back at me. I fled to the end of the road, and saw Jason's house, with his couch pressed up against the window, the welcome mat on the floor outside the front door. I stepped into his front yard, walking up the path to ring the doorbell.

  "Hello, sweetie!" Helen embraced me, her warm and perfume-smelling body overwhelming my current state. A few tears splilt, and Helen saw this. She held me at arm's length, peering at my face. "Oh no Farrah, what's wrong?"

  "I-is Jason here?" I sniffed.

  "Yes, yes, he's in his room." Helen told me, ushering me inside. "One moment."

  She ran to the bottom of the stairs, bellowing up them to Jason to get his ass downstairs.

  "Why?" I heard him groan.

  "Farrah is here and is crying!" Helen yelled. I tried not to laugh at her way of getting her son to see his friend. When I tried to cry and laugh at the same time I sounded like a pig trying to immitate a chicken. Scary.

  "Farrah?" Jason called, stomping down to see me. Expecting him to be stamping his feet, I was surprised to see he was just running. He was quite a heavy guy- I reminded myself it was the muscle on him. I saw a bandage around his fingers. I was about to ask, but he cut in.

  "Jesus, what's wrong? Did you get hit by a bus?" He asked, making me snort. Why, of everything, did he have to say that?

  "Jason." His mom scolded. "Stop being an idiot. She's crying! Look, I'll make some brow
nies."

  "Thanks, Mom." Jason said to her. He turned back to me, leading me into the living room. "So, what's really up?"

  "What do you mean, r-really up?" I sniffled.

  "Well you weren't hit by a bus so..."

  "My Dad." I sighed.

  "Your...Dad?" Jason puzzled. "I've never seen him around. What happened to him?"

  "I don't care what happens to him." I spat harshly. I sat on the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. "It's what he's done."

  "What's he done?" Jason asked me, curiosity written all over his face.

  "Well...ugh, where do I start?" I thought out loud.

  "I don't know whether to answer that or not." Jason replied awkwardly. I giggled- Jason wasn't very good in these situations. I wondered why I came to see him in the first place. Then it hit me.

  "First I need to ask something." I told him.

  "Ask away."

  "It might be a little...personal." I mumbled.

  "Just ask, Chambers." Jason pushed.

  "Do you...have contact with your Dad?" I asked, not looking him in the eye.

  "Nah, he's a dick." Jason said simply, as if he were talking about a disliked rugby player, or someone he didn't like from school. "Cleared off when Brody was two."

  "Oh. I'm sorry." I whispered.

  "Nah, it's okay." Jason shrugged. "So what is it?"

  "Well, my DadcheatedonmyMomandnowhe'scomebacktoseeusafterfouryearsand..." I trailed off, mainly for breath. Jason's head was bobbing, trying to keep up with what I was saying.

  I expected Jason to make a remark, say something, anything. But he was silent, his green eyes telling me to carry on.

  "I found out he beat Troy." I collapsed, my arms withering to my side, my legs flopping onto the carpet. My head drooped, and to my utter surprise- Jason's arms were suddenly around me, hugging me.

  Hugging me.

  Jason was hugging me?

  "It's not okay." Jason said into my hair.