I sat down next to her and looked around the room. My cousins were standing in their regular clicks. Christian was by herself, while Josh, Cammie, Callie, Cassie and my sister Addy were all together. Jake and Jax were approaching my sister and I noticed that they were doing it so she wouldn’t notice them coming. Before I could realize what was about to happen, I watched a cupcake full of icing smashing into my sister’s face. I stood up immediately. “Those little fuckers.”
Bells followed behind me as I started hustling toward them. “Noah, hold up. They’re just playin’ around.”
Jake wasn’t as close as his brother Jax. I was able to grab him by the shirt and pulled him back towards me. “You think you’re funny?”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a white haired lady coming at me. She grabbed my hand and removed it from my younger cousin. “I’ll take care of them, Noah. You go back over there and sit down.”
“Gram, they need to apologize to Christian.” When I pointed to my sister I noticed she was steady wiping the icing off of her face.
Red and blue icing had already smeared all over her light yellow dress. “It’s ruined. They ruined my favorite dress. Assholes!” The look on her face let me know that she wasn’t going to be satisfied with any kind of punishment our sweet grandmother could make. They needed to learn a lesson and I was going to teach it to them.
I looked right at my sister. “You want me to take care of them, sis?”
She wiped her dress with a napkin, making the stain worse. “Kick their ass, Noah. Brake their damn legs if you want. I hate them so much.”
I kissed my sister on the top of her head. “I got this.”
I grabbed Bells and pulled her out on the front porch of my grandmother’s house. “What now?”
“Your little prick brothers are about to get their asses beat.”
“Seriously, Noah, that ain’t goin’ to stop them. You can’t have a repeat of last time. You promised me.” She may have been right, but I wasn’t about to deal with her arguing with me. I was sick of them bullying my sister. Of all the people in our family, she was the least to deserve their antics.
“They need to learn a lesson. You’re either goin’ to help me, or keep quiet about it. Before you decide you need to know that I can’t promise this will be easy for you to watch.”
She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. “Noah, you can’t just stand there and tell me you’re goin’ to hurt my brothers and expect me to be cool with it. They may be little dickheads, but I’m their sister. We’re supposed to be settin’ a good example.”
“So you’re in?” I taunted her. “Come on, Bells. I need ya.”
A smile formed in the corner of her lips on one side. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
I chuckled as I explained the plan to her while we drove a golf cart to my place. I needed something from the kitchen drawer and I didn’t want to have to hunt for it at my grandmother’s house.
Bells reconsidered being a part of my plan several times. Finally I had to stop to calm her down. “Jesus, Bells. You were a lot more fun when we were kids. Stop actin’ like a mom. It ain’t like we’re hurtin’ anybody.”
“I know. I still have a bad feelin’ about it, though.”
I look at her the same way I always did. She knew me too well to be able to bullshit her. “Would you chill out? It’s fine.”
Armed with what we needed, we pulled back up at my grandmother’s house and went inside to find everyone lined up for dessert. Very carefully, while Bells went over and distracted them, I pulled out the super-glue and spread it across two forks. I grabbed two more and held them in one hand, while holding the spokes of the other two. One at time I handed them to the boys, who’d forgotten to grab one.
My aunt stood up and started giving a speech to my parents. The best part about it was that everyone stood still while she spoke, giving the glue ample time to dry.
It took a couple seconds after that for them to sit down and notice that the forks had adhered to the skin on their hands. One before the other, they began to yell about their dilemma. I leaned down in between them, catching their attention temporarily. “That’s what you get for fuckin’ with my sister, you little shits.”
“Who you calling little?” Jax asked.
Okay, so they were my size, but I was still stronger.
Bells grabbed me by the arm and walked me out of the room, while her mother walked over to attend to her sons.
Once outside, we burst into laughter.
A couple things happened a few moments later.
A car pulled up, and out walked Bella’s asshole boyfriend.
My father and uncle Ty came flying out of the front door pissed, with my cousins coming out behind them. Jake had a paper towel in hands that was soaked with blood, while Jax still had the plastic fork attached to his skin.
My father came up and shoved me against the siding on the house. “I would think that after all of the work put into this party for me and your mother, that you would at least have the decency to set a good example for your younger cousins. You need to go home and cool off.”
I could hear a commotion approaching the door near where we stood. My mother appeared, as well as my aunts and my grandmother.
Jake came at me, bloody hands and all. “YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I’VE GOT PRACTICE NEXT WEEK!”
I could tell he was pissed, except it didn’t make me want to care. I’d done something that they’d probably done themselves. So what if his hands were bleeding? They deserved it.
I shoved my cousin away. “Get the fuck off of me.”
Then all hell broke loose.
He came back at me swinging and I took him down easily, but before I could throw one punch I was being grabbed by two different people and pulled off of my cousin.
“Boy, what is wrong with you?” My father had this look on his face that I recognized right away. “I said cool it.”
I held up my hands. “He deserved it. That’s all I’m sayin’.”
Out of the corner of my eyes I could see my mother covering her face. For the most part our family get-togethers didn’t involve fist fights, however trips to the Emergency Room were common. We’d all rolled around in the dirt before, so it wasn’t like it was a big shocker.
Another shove from my father slammed me back into the side of the house. “You need to not only apologize to your mother, but also to everyone here.”
“Fat chance. I ain’t apologizin’ for shit they do all the time. Don’t sit there and claim you and uncle Ty didn’t do the same shit. Do you even want to know why I did it?” I pointed toward Jake. “That little fucker was messin’ with –.”
He didn’t let me finish. “You know what Noah, it doesn’t even matter. Here lately you’ve been on my last damn nerve, boy. Get your shit straight, son. You hear me?”
“Dad, I’m tryin’ to tell you that I was protectin’ –.”
“Shut your mouth, Noah! There ain’t no reason to do somethin’ as stupid as you did. You know how important sports are to that kid’s future. He’s on a scholarship, for Christ sakes. This wasn’t the time or place, and you know it. Go home and settle down. Let your mother enjoy the rest of the night without drama for once. By mornin’ it will all be calm again and we can enjoy their visit.”
I shoved away from him and started walking. “This is why I can’t do this shit anymore,” I grumbled under my breath.
I felt him pull on the back of my shirt. “What did you say, son?”
And there we were.
Staring each other down like things always ended.
This time I was determined that I wasn’t backing down.
“I said I ain’t dealing with this SHIT anymore.”
I think the shock of me standing up to him caught him off guard. For a moment he stood there contemplating what to do or say to me. After looking around I discovered that the whole family was outside, watching us. I spotted Bells in the crowd and noticed her douche-bag boyfriend
with his arm around her. I think it was at that moment when I just snapped.
I was tired of being pushed around by my dad, and expected to live my life a certain way. No matter what I did was never good enough for him. I wanted more out of life and this was my opportunity to let him and everyone else know it. “Speechless? Is that what you are, Dad?” I backed up more so he couldn’t hit me. “You heard me right. I’m sick of this place. I’m tired of you bossin’ me around and tellin’ me all that I do wrong. You want the god damn truth about it, well I’m tired of you. If I had a choice, I’d get the fuck out of here and never come back.” In my defense the last comment wasn’t true. There’s nothing more important to me than my family, and that sentence had guaranteed that I’d never have their support again. Before my father could even say anything, I knew that to be true.
His cock-eyed look let me know that he was officially flabbergasted. He held up his hand and pointed toward the main gate of the ranch. “Pack your shit and get out then. You think you’re so much better without this family then go on. There ain’t no other place for you out there, Noah. You’ll come home cryin’ sooner or later.”
I walked past him, keeping my eyes on his the whole time. “Yeah, well see about that.”
“We certainly will.”
My mother came rushing to my side while I was climbing on the golf cart to head back to my place and pack my bags. “Noah, please don’t do anything stupid. Your dad is just mad, that’s all. He doesn’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to leave. This is your home. Just go home and sleep it off.”
“That’s just it, Mom. I don’t think I can be here any longer. Before all of this happened I was plannin’ on tellin’ him that. I ain’t happy here.”
She pulled on my arm when I started to move forward. I hit the brake and finally looked into her tear-filled eyes. I had to clench my jaw to hold in my emotions. My heart was beating like crazy after having words with my dad, but this was something entirely different. She was pulling at my heartstrings and there was nothing I could do about it.
Acting like a hard-ass came easy, but breaking my mother’s heart was something I couldn’t handle. I’d promised myself a long time ago that I’d never let it happen again. One look into those blue eyes of hers and I knew it was too late. “Mom, please don’t cry. I didn’t mean to ruin your party.”
“I don’t care about that,” she cried. “Where will you go?”
I reached out and grabbed her hand, holding it with mine and caressing the skin with my thumb. “I’ll find a place to call home. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a grown man. I’ll be fine.”
She cried harder, so much that I had to look away from her. I couldn’t stand seeing her so upset and being the culprit for making it happen. “This is your home,” she repeated.
I opened my mouth to speak and saw him coming toward us. Quickly, I glanced over at my mother and lifted her hand to my lips. After kissing it, I still held it while I spoke. “I’ll call you as soon as I get settled. I promise.”
“Noah, don’t –.”
“Let him go, Savanna. Just let him go. He’ll be back when he realizes how good he has it. You’ll see.”
I pulled away from them, leaving my mother to cry against my dad’s chest. It was difficult to stay collected when my adrenaline was heightened. Still, I kept my focus and knew that after I was packed and off the ranch I could stop and have a drink to calm down.
The worst part was over with. My dad knew the truth and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
Noah
I’d no sooner got back to my house and found a duffle bag when I heard someone coming in the back kitchen door. I didn’t stop gathering my things even when I heard the person approaching. “Noah, what the hell just happened?”
I turned to see my cousin standing in the doorway. “You know what was going on.”
“You knew this would happen, didn’t you? You knew that your dad would go off and you’d have a reason to speak your mind?”
“Not exactly.” I probably should have known, but I hadn’t considered it to be an option.
“Don’t give me that. You forget who you’re talkin’ to.”
“Whatever, Isabella. Don’t you have a boyfriend to tend to?”
She shoved me down while my back was turned. When I got to my footing she was standing behind me with her hands on her hips. “Noah Mitchell, are we usin’ full names tonight, because I can play that game too.”
Nobody except my mother called me by my full name. It wasn’t that I hated it. I just didn’t particularly like it being used. “Screw you.”
“Screw you! What is wrong with you? Did you even consider that I’m not goin’ to be able to move in now? My dad’s never goin’ to be alright with it.”
“Bells, I don’t give a shit about where you live. Hell, I don’t even have a place to live. Just go back to the party and leave me alone. I’m not in the mood for your opinions.” I stood up and tried to get past her, but she refused to budge.
“Dude, this is like that time when I called your girlfriend a whore and you didn’t talk to me for three months?”
I scrunched up my face. “No. It ain’t like that. We ain’t kids anymore.”
“Well you’re actin’ just like one.” I could almost see her blood boiling.
“Like I said before, you can leave. Where’s lover boy?” I hated him so much that mentioning his name pissed me off. “You better go run after him before he tries gettin’ into someone’s pants at the party. Hell, he’s probably already fucked one of our cousins already.”
Her hand made contact with my cheek, and while I put my hand up to coax away the sting, she kneed me right in the balls. I sank down holding myself while pain ripped through me. “What the hell is wrong with you, Noah?”
“He’s no good for you, and you know it.”
“You’ve got no room to judge. Your life is pretty fucked up right now.”
I sat up and reached for my cousin. The pain in her eyes let me know that my words were hurting her. Immediately I felt horrible. Of all the people in the world that I’d hurt were the two that were most dear to me. “Damn it. Bells, I’m sorry.”
“Save it.” She put her hand up. “We need to put our heads together to figure out where we’re goin’ to go.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. You think I’m goin’ to let you go without me? I want out too. There’s got to be a place out there for us.”
I put my hands on her shoulders and looked right at her. “Bells, you ain’t goin’ with me. Stay here and watch the house. I’ll call you when I settle in somewhere.”
“You’re just goin’ to leave me? After everything we’ve been through? You’d leave me?”
“It ain’t like that and you know it.” I kissed the top of her head and backed away, grabbing my bag off of the bed. “This is somethin’ that I need to do on my own.”
“I just don’t understand where this is comin’ from. You don’t have to leave to figure things out. You’ve got your own house. Your mom and grandparents aren’t goin’ to let you just ride off into the sunset, Noah. You’ve got other choices.”
I turned and looked right at her. “Bells, you heard my dad. He wants me out, and I’m happy to oblige. I’ve lived under his rules for too damn long. In fact, if anyone is to blame for all of this, it’s him. I’m tired of his shit.”
She sat down on the couch and crossed her arms. As soon as I sat down beside her we heard someone coming in through the kitchen. When I saw her boyfriend standing there I lost it. “Get the fuck out of my house.”
Not only did he not turn around and leave, but he began to walk towards me. “I came for my girl. She don’t need to be around you when you’re acting like a tool.”
I cocked my brow and turned to look at my cousin. Why she was with such a loser was beyond me.
I got up in his face, looking down to his shorter level. “What did you just say?”
“You heard
me.” He didn’t stand down.
I shoved him, giving him little time to get his footing. He tumbled back onto the kitchen floor. As he started to get up, I could hear Bells coming up from behind me. “Noah don’t!”
As soon as I turned to apologize, grab my bag and leave, I felt something hard smashing into the side of my face, just below my eye. I closed it and took the full blow before turning back to look at him. With his arm cocked back prepared for another punch, I caught him off guard, and shoved him with my head. We landed back down on the floor and I took advantage of the situation by ramming my fist directly into his jaw repeatedly. “You’re nothin’ but a lying cheater. You don’t deserve her. You never have and you never will.”
Bells was on my back in an instant. “Get off of him, Noah. You’ll kill him!”
I kept pounding my fist into his face, getting the release I needed from all of the drama that had conspired earlier. The harder I punched him the more I felt better about what I was doing.
My cousin screaming finally got my attention enough to stop. Her boyfriend’s head turned to the side as he fell unconscious. While turning to stand, I felt her smacking me in the chest. Tears ran down her face. “I hate you, Noah. How could you?”
“How could I?” I shook my head and grabbed the bag. “You’re just like the rest of them. If defendin’ the people I care about is wrong, then I don’t fuckin’ belong here. It was a fuckin’ prank, get over it already.”
Before walking out the door I looked back to see her trying to wake him. I was so pissed over it that I refused to say goodbye.
She’d made her choice, just like the rest of my family. I’d never be able to do anything right in their eyes and I was done trying to change that.
The brisk evening air filled the inside of my truck as I approached the main highway out of town. I had the music blaring for several reasons, but mostly to block out the sound of my cell phone constantly ringing.
The past couple of days had taken a toll on me and I was ready to walk away from it all. Between my breakup with Perry, the problems with my dad, and now the drama with Bells, I knew that I had to get as far away from Kentucky as I could get.
Noah Page 5