Page 9 of The Addict

I pulled out the phone and dialed the number to my house. My mom wasn’t allowed to carry her own cell phone.

I ran a hand through my hair as it rang. I never knew what it was about the ringing of a phone that unnerved me. Maybe it was the fact that I never knew who was going to be on the other end when it stopped.

“Hello?”

Relief. “Mom.”

“Noah?” She sounded groggy. I felt bad for waking her.

“Yeah.” I murmured.

“My god, I was so worried!” Her voice cracked, “Dear, I swear you will be the end of me. Where in the heck are you?”

I kept it short and sweet, “Out,” I answered.

She huffed. “Well, please get home soon. It’s dangerous outside at this time of night, you know that.”

“Mom, I’m nineteen,” I reminded.

“I know, I know, but it’s really late...”

I smiled. “I just called to tell you that I’m on my way.”

A sigh. “Oh, good.”

She was silent for a moment before asking. “Are you...okay?”

My eyes narrowed, a brief image of the encounter with Thorne played like a movie across my mind. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”

I knew that she understood my question. David could be abusive at times, especially when Damian and I weren’t there to stick up for her. I couldn’t fathom why she hadn’t left the loser yet, but whenever I asked she would simply shrug and state that love could do strange things to people.

I remembered my answer to her after she spoke those words. “If turning into a monster in front of my wife and children is the definition of love, then I want no part in it.”

And it was the truth. Because of my fear that I would become like David, I hadn’t had a steady relationship with a girl since I was in elementary school. Which was an absolutely ridiculous concept. An elementary school “relationship” probably consisted of hand holding and lunch sharing, not an actual representation of a real relationship with another adult. I vaguely recalled exchanging bracelets and holding a girl’s hand as we walked from lunch to class. But even that didn’t really count, because we were only little children.

Innocent and unaware of the world’s cruelty.

And the evil that lurked beneath the surface.

“Of course, I am, sweetheart. Of course,” my mother murmured into the phone quietly.

I continued walking, but the weed was making my mind uneasy. I couldn’t shake it.

“Is Damian there?”

Typically, either of us made sure to be at the house when David was home from work. I hated leaving my mother alone because that’s when David would drink the most and act the worst. Truthfully, he was a fucking slob with no morals. I had considered fighting him on multiple occasions, and if I had the physical strength to go against him, I would. Unfortunately, David was about a foot taller than me and twice my weight, so challenging him wouldn’t end well. But if it meant protecting my mom, I would place myself in harm’s way in a heartbeat.

Silence returned from the receiver.

I swallowed nervously. “I’ll be there soon.”

“I love you, Noah.” She barely whispered it.

“I love you too.”

I clicked the phone shut and placed it back into my pocket, quickening my walking pace so that I could get home faster. I was feeling the exhaustion from the events of the evening. A fear that something bad would happen to my mother if I wasn’t there continued to tug at me. I did not trust David alone with my mom. He always took advantage of her kindness when no one was there to stop him, and if he didn’t get what he wanted, he would take it by force. He was cruel and cold, and his wrath was unforgiving.

Too many times did I come home to see my mother being thrown across the room, fresh purple splotches covering her cheeks and arms, my father so drunk that he wouldn’t even remember beating her when he woke up. And then my mom would treat the situation like nothing, smiling at him in the morning and cooking him breakfast all the while knowing that he could have killed her the night before. She never complained, never cried in front of us, never raised her voice. Never stopped him. In reality, what could she do? She was married to one of the most powerful monsters in this city, and he oversaw all law enforcement in the vicinity. She couldn’t seek help, couldn’t run. She wasn’t ever going to escape him, not until he died.