Page 119 of Take Me On (Pushing the Limits 4)
He doesn’t even shrink from my proximity. Instead he becomes blank stone. “Pack your shit, get out of my house and take your pat
hetic family with you.”
Dizziness wavers my vision and I suck in raindrops as I try to breathe. Months of telling West to contain his anger and I go and lose control of mine at the wrong critical moment. What have I done? “I’m sorry.”
“Too late.”
My uncle steps onto the grass and I cut in front of him. “I’m sorry. Please. I was wrong.”
“Get of my way before I move you myself.”
“Touch my sister and I’ll fucking kill you.” Kaden stalks toward us.
I stay focused on the evil in front of me. The evil that gives a roof over our heads. That puts food in our stomachs. That offers protection from the streets. He’s evil and he’s a bastard, but he’s saving our lives.
There’s a craziness that invades my brain, an insanity worming inside my soul. It distorts colors, sights and sounds. The world becomes gray and cold. Years of fighting, years of confidence, years of any self-worth disintegrate, scatter and drop along with the pouring rain.
One knee goes down and sinks into the freezing mud, then another, and in front of pure madness, I beg, “Throw me out. Just me.”
Because I am nothing.
West
Give her the choice. Stop being an impulsive, controlling jerk and give her the choice. The same choice Dad should have possibly given me countless times. Not a choice between ripping your heart out from the right or the left, but the choice of controlling my own future.
Outside school, I get a few raised brows from people. The rumor mill must have already spit out I broke up with Haley and returned to Worthington.
A Plymouth older than my parents backfires. The brakes screech and the car stops. The side door pops open and Abby barrels out. “Thank God you grew a fucking brain.”
I glance at the Plymouth that shakes out of the way. “Who’s that?”
“Nobody. You’ve got problems.”
“Not worried about Denny right now. I’ve got to talk to Haley.”
“That’s it,” she says. “Her uncle kicked her out last night and her family followed. I saw them packing up a car this morning. Her little sister said they’re leaving for California.”
I slam my hand into the concrete wall. Fuck.
Haley
I fold the blanket John gave me last night and leave it on the pillow in the corner of the gym. My grandfather canceled today’s sessions because of what happened last night and the gym is unusually quiet.
Jax grunts when I nudge him with my toe, and instead of waking up, he rolls over.
“Come on, Jax. John’s going to be back with my parents soon.”
With an even louder grunt, Jax sits up and the blanket falls away. After blinking repeatedly, he shrugs on a shirt. “Where’s Kaden?”
“Taking a shower.” I plop on the matt beside him and think about how many years the two of us have spent in this place together. When we were six, one of us used to hang on a bag while the other pushed it as a swing.
Jax is more than a cousin, more than a brother; he’s a part of me and I’m not sure how I can live life without him. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Fuck!” He slams his hand onto the mat, then rubs his eyes. “Just fuck.”
My uncle did what I asked. He threw me out and me alone. What I didn’t expect was my brother and cousin yanking me to my feet and Jax spitting into his father’s face. I left and they voluntarily left with me. When we arrived at John’s half-drowned and desperate for shelter, he reopened the gym and called my mom.
Mom and John had a long talk and the result is he’s giving us his car and we’re leaving for California—today.
