by E. L. Todd
“No.”
“Do you think he would have?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure. And now I’ll never know.”
I hated this. I hated the fact that this kid felt he was a nuisance to everyone. He didn’t have a home to feel safe in, and he didn’t have any resources to make a better life for himself. He couldn’t even get food. What would’ve happened if we’d never met? What would Clay do? “You’ll spend Christmas with me?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll leave in the morning.”
“Clay,” I pressed. “I’m inviting you to spend Christmas with me.”
“I don’t want to ruin your holiday. I already crashed your Christmas Eve.”
“You wouldn’t be ruining anything. You would be making it better.”
He didn’t meet my gaze, not believing me.
“I’ve got an extra bedroom, a PlayStation, and plenty of food. Plus, I could use the company.”
“It sounds like you have company.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “But she wants you to stay too.”
“I doubt it,” he said darkly.
“Really, she does. She cares about you as much as I do.”
“Yeah?” He finally looked at me with hesitation in his eyes.
“Yeah.”
“Well…if it’s okay, I’ll stay.”
“It’s more than okay, kid.” I grabbed his shoulder and gave him a gentle squeeze. “This is your home whenever you need one.”
***
When I went to bed, Taylor was still awake.
“Is he okay?” She sat upright in bed, wearing one of my t-shirts.
I stripped down and got under the sheets beside her. “Yeah, he’s fine. He’s spending Christmas with us.”
“Did his father hurt him?” she demanded. “Because I’ll march over there and beat the shit out of that motherfucker myself if he did.”
Whoa.
Mama bear.
Damn, she had a mouth.
“No, he didn’t hurt him. Clay said he left before things escalated. Who knows what would have happened if he’d stayed.”
Her eyes narrowed, her anger coming out like an explosion. “A child shouldn’t have to run away from his home because he’s scared. He shouldn’t have to sleep on a fucking park bench. It’s absolutely unacceptable.”
“I know.” I wouldn’t argue about any of that.
“Volt, you need to—”
“I know.” I knew what she was going to say, and I didn’t need to hear it.
She stared at me, watching every expression on my face.
“But it can wait until after the holidays.”
“It can’t wait a day longer. It needs to be taken care of now.”
“Look, Clay is going to be pissed at me. He doesn’t want to go to a group home—”
“It doesn’t matter what he wants—”
“Listen to me.” I kept my voice calm so the argument wouldn’t escalate higher. “Let him have a good holiday with us. Let him relax. Let him take the SATs after the New Year. And then, I’ll take care of it.”
She stared at me coldly, not satisfied with that plan.
“If I do it now, he won’t take the SATs. He’ll be so pissed off at me, he won’t take the exam just to spite me. I know him.”
Her nostrils stopped flaring.
“When he’s done, I’ll handle it. I’ll sit him down and tell him what’s going to happen. He’ll hate me forever, but I agree with you. It’s not safe for him. Apparently, his dad has forgotten the little conversation we had.”
Her anger disappeared altogether. “Thank you.”
“I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it for him.”
She rubbed my arm gently, her affection coming back. “I know that will be hard for you.”
“It will.” But I couldn’t handle Clay living there anymore. He clearly wasn’t safe, and I didn’t want him to sleep on a park bench either. That kid deserved a better life. “He’ll hate me.”
“He will,” she whispered. “But one day, he’ll thank you for it.”
I wasn’t so sure about that.
She kissed me on the cheek. “You’re a good man, Volt. I’m so lucky to have you.”
My heart melted at the affection in her words. I loved being blanketed with her love. It was the nicest feeling in the world. “I’m the lucky one, baby.”
***
“Merry Christmas, baby,” Mom said over the phone. “I’m so excited to see you today.”
“Merry Christmas,” I said. “I’m excited to see you too.”
“I got Taylor the cutest gold earrings. They’ll look fabulous on her.”
We were exchanging gifts? “She’ll love them.”
“I’m making your favorite pie so please come hungry.”
“About that…there’s something we need to talk about.”
“Oh? Everything alright?”
“I was wondering if I could bring an extra person. I’m sorry it’s last minute, but it just worked out that way.”
“Oh, sure. Is it a friend from work?”
“Uh, not quite.”
“Well, there’s always room for one more.”
“It’s actually one of my students that I tutor. He doesn’t have anywhere to go for Christmas, and I don’t want him to be alone.”
“Oh…a child?”
“He’s not really a child. He’s in high school.”
“Is he…one of those kids?”
I rolled my eyes at her ignorance. “No. He’s a great kid. He’s being tutored for the SATs.”
“But why doesn’t he have anywhere to go for Christmas?”
“He comes from a broken home. His dad is a drunk, and there’s no one else in the picture.”
“Oh…and you think it’s best if he comes over here?”
I knew my mom wasn’t a bad person. She just wanted to make the holiday perfect for everyone. That was her specialty, making roasted ham with chestnuts, having a glorious fire burning in the hearth while we opened gifts in carefully wrapped presents. “Mom, it’s okay if you’d prefer if he didn’t come.”
She breathed a sigh of relief.
“But where he goes, I go. We’ll stay at my place and watch old movies and drink hot cocoa. It’ll be fun.”
“What?” she shrieked. “But you have to come over. I have to see my baby on Christmas.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. But I need to be with Clay.”
“Then of course he can come.”
“Mom, I don’t want to step on your toes. Really, it’s fine.”
“Nonsense. You better be over here in an hour or I’m going to hunt you down and drag you over here. Got it?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“I want Clay to feel welcomed.”
“He will, baby. I promise.”
“Then we’ll be there.”
“Oh, thank god. You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Sorry about that. Not a good way to start Christmas.”
“I’ll see you soon, baby. Love you.”
She really needed to drop the “I love yous” every chance she got. “Love you too.” I hung up and walked back into the living room. Taylor and Clay were watching TV, still wearing their pajamas. Clay borrowed my stuff so I could wash his filthy clothes. “Everything is set.”
“Really?” Clay asked. “They don’t care that I’m coming?”
“Nope,” I answered.
“Are you parents nice?” he asked.
“Look at me. They must be awesome if they raised a guy like me.”
Clay rolled his eyes. “They’re freaks, aren’t they?” He left the couch and walked toward the bathroom. “I’m going to shower.”
“Alright.” As soon as I heard the door shut, I turned to Taylor. “We’ve got fifteen minutes. Let’s have some Christmas sex in the bedroom.”
“What?” she asked incredulously. “With Clay in the house?”
/>
“He’s in the shower.”
“That’s still weird.”
“What? He knows what sex is.”
“But he’s a minor. It’s unacceptable.”
“Oh, come on.” I leaned over her on the couch and pulled one leg around my hip. “You want me to take you right here?”
She pressed her hands against my chest. “Don’t be nasty.”
“But I want to be nasty.” I brushed my lips past hers. “I want Clay to feel welcome here, but I’m not giving up my sex life for him. So, let’s have a quickie.”
The playfulness jumped into her eyes. “How quick are we talking?”
“Consider it a race. I’ll see how quickly I can make you come.”
***
Clay fell silent when we reached the front door. His hands were deep in his pockets and he looked uncomfortable. He scanned the area around us, looking for an escape route.
I placed my arm around his shoulder. “They’re gonna love you.”
“You think?” he asked.
“Definitely. My mom is always excited when people come over. She lives for it.”
“She won’t think I’m…” He looked down at his old clothes and his jacket with holes everywhere. “I’m a bum?”
“No. My parents will love you.” I patted him on the back before we walked inside.
When my parents heard the front door open, they rushed to the entryway. “Merry Christmas!”
“Merry Christmas,” Taylor and I said together when we saw them round the corner.
They didn’t blink an eye over Clay’s appearance. In fact, they went to him first. “Merry Christmas, Clay. We’re so excited to have you here. We have cookies, pie, and gifts. My name is Sherry.” Instead of extending her hand to shake his, she pulled him in for a hug.
Clay stood still, frozen in shock. “Thank you…”
When Mom pulled away, Dad hugged him next. “Hope you’re hungry. We have way too much food and not enough bellies.”
“Thank you for having me over,” Clay said politely. He never exercised manners around me, but he used them now. He wanted to be a good guest, and I knew he was doing that for me.
“Of course,” Dad said. “A happy house is always full of people.”
My parents hugged and kissed me next, suffocating me like they hadn’t seen me in years. My cheek had Mom’s lipstick smeared on it, and Dad almost crushed my ribs when he squeezed me.
When they moved to Taylor, they were a lot gentler. They gave her soft embraces and treated her like she was a fragile piece of china.
Why didn’t I get that kind of greeting?
***
We had dinner together at the table, and Clay sat beside me. He watched every little thing I did, copying the way I held my knife and fork. He tried to cut his meat the way I did and mimic me so he wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb.
Mom sat across from him and pretended not to notice him struggle with the utensils. “So, you’re taking the SATs soon?”
“After the new year,” Clay said. “Volt has been helping me every day after school.”
“That’s nice of him,” Mom said. “Volt is a pretty smart guy. He learned from the best.” She nodded at my father.
“He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever met.” Clay looked down at his food as he ate.
I smiled to myself, treasuring the rare compliment.
“He’s pretty nice,” Mom said. “And he got that from me.”
“I think Clay is going to do really well on the exam. We just finished algebra the other day, and he nailed it.” I sipped my cider and ignored the bottle of wine Mom placed beside my glass. I didn’t drink around Clay because of his experience with alcohol. I never wanted him to feel uncomfortable around me.
“Wow,” Dad said. “That’s the most difficult part of the test.”
“I think he’s going to get a great score and get into a good school,” I said. “We’re hoping for something local, maybe a state school.”
“Well, a letter of recommendation from the principal at Bristol Academy would probably help.” Dad winked at Clay.
“Thanks,” Clay said quietly.
It meant a lot to me that my parents were working so hard to make Clay feel welcomed. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for them to let a young stranger into their house on the most special day of the year, but they did it for me.
After dinner, we gathered around the tree to exchange gifts. On the way over, I’d quickly bought a few things for my parents since I’d forgotten to do that sooner. Thankfully, the mall was open on Christmas.
Actually, it was kind of sad.
To my surprise, my parents had more gifts for Clay than anyone else. They stacked the presents beside him, wrapped with the same meticulous perfection as all the other gifts.
Clay stared at them in shock. He didn’t open any of them, like he wasn’t sure if they were really for him.
“Open one,” I said from my seat beside him on the floor.
“Uh, these are all for me?” he asked in surprise.
“Of course,” Mom said. “Go ahead.”
“You didn’t need to do that…” Clay looked down, embarrassed.
“We wanted to, sport,” Dad said. “That’s what Christmas is all about.”
I knew Clay was uncomfortable with all the attention. He accepted it politely up until that point, but now he reached his limit. I stepped in to relieve the tension. “What’s in this one?” I grabbed one present and shook it. Something rattled inside, but I couldn’t tell what it was. “Hmm…” I ripped off the wrapping paper and revealed a Nerf gun. “Wow. This thing is sick.” I flipped over the box to read the back instructions. “Damn, this thing shoots fifty miles an hour.”
“Hey, no cussing,” Clay teased.
“Whoops.” I shrugged. “And it comes with ammo. How sick is that?”
Clay took the box from me. “Wow. That is awesome.”
“Now I have to get one so we can start a war.”
“I’d kick your—”
“Butt,” I finished for him. “And no you wouldn’t.”
“We’ll see about that. We’ll take this to the park tomorrow.”
“You’re going down.”
Clay opened the rest of his gifts once the tension had been dispelled. My parents got him a ton of stuff, from different toys to a new jacket that would keep him warm through the harsh winter. I wasn’t sure how Mom bought all that on short notice, but when it came to Christmas, she was superwoman.
Taylor put on the earrings Mom got for her, and they glinted from the lights on the Christmas tree. “Thank you so much. I love them.”
I whistled. “You look cute in those.”
Taylor blushed and looked away, aware that my parents heard everything I said.
Like I cared.
We continued exchanging gifts until the floor was covered with wrapping paper. Piles of trash were everywhere, and even a huge garbage bag couldn’t contain everything.
“Wow, that was a great Christmas, Mom.” I said that every year, but I meant it every time.
“Thanks.” She beamed with pride, accomplishing the mission she spent all year prepping for.
“That was the best Christmas I’ve ever had,” Clay whispered, looking at all the presents he collected. He was too embarrassed to meet anyone’s gaze. “Thanks for everything.”
“Aww…” Mom’s eyes watered.
Dad smiled, growing fond of Clay just the way I did.
Taylor got teary-eyed too.
Mom moved from her place on the couch and wrapped her arms around Clay, giving him a maternal hug he’d never received before in his life. This time, he returned the hug, letting someone actually hold him.
Now I really dreaded what I was going to do after the holidays were over. I was going to do something Clay trusted me not to do, and it would hurt our relationship. It might break it altogether.
And I might lose him.
Chapter Six
Taylor
The following morning, I woke up before Volt. On his days off, it was impossible to get him out of bed. Sometimes, he would lie there until after ten.
I, on the other hand, got grouchy when I didn’t eat first thing in the morning. I needed something in my stomach, even if it was just a banana, so I went into the kitchen to search his pantry.
Clay was already awake, playing a video game. The tree was still lit up and the fireplace was still going. All of Volt’s clothes looked a million times too baggy on Clay because he was skin and bones.
“Morning, Clay.” I brewed a pot of coffee.
“Morning.” He hit the buttons frantically as he concentrated on his game.
“Hungry?”
“Sure.”
I found a few things inside Volt’s fridge and whipped up pancakes, bacon, and eggs. The sound of the sizzling pans and the smell of the warm food must have woken up Volt because he came down the hallway a moment later. He wore his sweatpants low on his hips and didn’t bother with a shirt.
“Morning, baby.” He wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my neck.
“Morning. But go put on a shirt.”
“Why?”
I lowered my voice. “Clay is in the next room.”
He rolled his eyes. “That kid lives on the streets. He’s not going to care.”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
“What? You don’t like to see me walk around shirtless?”
“That’s not what I said…”
He snatched a piece of bacon and took a bite. “Crispy.”
I finished the pancakes then set the table. “Breakfast is served.”
Clay threw down his controller and practically ran to the table. “Sick.” He rubbed his palms together greedily before he helped himself to the food. He slathered everything in syrup and scarfed it down like someone might take it away from him.
“Hungry?” Volt teased.
“It’s just really good,” Clay said with a mouthful.
“My lady knows how to cook.” Volt rubbed his leg against mine under the table. “What are you playing?”
“Call of Duty,” he said.
“Which one?”
“Black Ops.”
“Cool. That’s a good game.”
Clay was wearing some of the new clothes Volt’s parents got him. After a shower and a change of clothes, he was a handsome kid. If he just gained a few extra pounds, he would look like every other kid, someone with a house and a family.