The Academy - Friends vs. Family (39 page)

“Tell him to let us sleep,” Nathan complained. “He can talk to you
tomorrow.”

“Tell Nathan to butt out,” Victor said. “But he’s right. Go to
sleep.”

My lips tightened. “Okay.”

“‘Night,” he said, and hung up.

I dropped the phone onto the bed, exasperated and every single
nerve ending electrified. “Next time, I’ll make you answer. Can we sleep now?”

Nathan laughed. He tucked his arms around me, pulling me back
against the bed with him, yanking the covers over our heads. “Whatever you
say.”

At first, Nathan slept with space between us. With his bed being
bigger than even the new one I had, it was much easier to have some room.

I woke up around two in the morning with his back pressed up
against my side. I shivered, my body chilled as his house was cold and the air
conditioner was still on full blast. In my sleepy state, I pressed my back into
his. It just seemed so natural. His body was warm and I’d slept closer to the
others before so I didn’t think it would bother him.

He turned over, mumbled something and his arm fell over me. His
hands gripped me by the waist and dragged me until my back was pressing into
his stomach. His cheek pressed against my shoulder. I felt the slightest
movements of his lips at the curve of my neck as he breathed and he settled
down, falling back asleep.

I stared at the clock on the bedside table. Nathan was hugging me
to himself. My hips and butt felt parts of his body that I was sure friends
were probably not supposed to think of. My heart thundered against my chest,
rattling me and I couldn’t get myself to calm down to sleep.

Only I didn’t want to move. Part of me didn’t want to wake him.
Part of me loved that he had sought me out in the night, hugging me to him.
Victor probably wouldn’t like this. Neither would North. Would they understand?
I pushed the thoughts back. What did I know about friendships, relationships,
dating or anything like that? All I had was what they told me was okay.

I willed my heart to slow down. The best I could do was to doze. I
did that for hours, occasionally startling awake as his hand adjusted on my
waist or slid to lightly clutch at my stomach. His strong fingers spread across
my belly, sending different waves of tingles and shivers through my core. It
took tensing every muscle to not shake so much.

The night lasted forever.

I was halfway into finally dozing again when his hand relaxed
against my stomach, slipping toward my ribs as he pulled himself up to look
over my shoulder. “Sang?” he grumbled, thick with sleep.

I yawned, sitting up. I’d been up all night. Utter defeat. Why did
I ever think I could sleep next to him?

“It’s about five,” he said in a whisper.

“I should go,” I said, my voice sounded small.

“Do you want me to go with you? I can help you get to your
window.”

I shook my head, pushing my body to the side of his bed. His bed
was high off the ground, enough that my feet were still hovering inches above
the floor. I jumped off of his bed and wobbled where I stood, still half asleep
and wishing I could crawl right back into his bed. I wanted to skip school and
sleep all day there. “The back door should still be unlocked.” I fished my
phone out from the bed, putting it back into the bra top.

“Sang?”

“Yeah?” I turned toward his voice.

He was on his knees, coming toward me. The muscles in his body
shifted as he knee-walked across the bed, his arms outstretched toward me.

I opened my own arms to him. His encircled me, holding me around
the waist as he hugged me to his muscular body. My arms wrapped around his
neck. I liked hugs.

My fingers traced behind his ear. He stiffened against me and drew
away. His eyes locked with mine.

Did I do something wrong? “Nathan?”

His mouth twisted, his lips parting to say something but closed
again. I had the sense to understand there was something more he wanted to tell
me or ask me, but he had changed his mind.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “Don’t worry about me.”

He smirked, shaking his head. “Says the girl that can’t sleep in
her own bed.”

I scoffed but he crossed the room to the window. He yanked the
cord to open the blinds and opened the window. The air had chilled during the
night. September was promising cooler days ahead.

I lifted myself through and hit the ground on the other side. I
turned around and Nathan leaned out the window, his chest and stomach muscles
making weird shadows against the odd glow of the moon.

“Guess you didn’t need to go through the window,” he said. “Though
it’s kind of fun, I guess. I do it to you so much.” He grinned. “I’ll see you
in a little bit.”

“In a couple of hours.”

He nodded. “Get going before you’re caught. Be careful.”

C
ornered

I ran home with my bare feet sliding against the dew in the grass.
A fog had rolled in sometime in the night. The hovering density in the air left
my skin electrified as it had the night before. Again it was tempting to stay
outside. Monday was here, though, and the guys needed me. I’d see them at
school. That thought alone drove me on. I’d get dressed, grab my things and
dart right back to Nathan’s. No, I should wait and give him time to get
dressed. How long would it take him?

I padded across the long driveway up to the door in the garage. My
father’s car wasn’t there. I wondered how much longer he would be away. I
wondered if he was in Mexico again. I’d have to find some crackers to leave for
my mother.

In my hurry, I twisted the handle, stepping inside.

“Who is it?” My mother called from the kitchen.

My heart froze in my chest as my hand slipped from the door
handle. It swung out of reach and crashed against the wall on the other side.
The slim chance I’d had of possibly tiptoeing up the backstairs and
disappearing as if nothing had happened vanished.

My mother waddled into the family room from the kitchen. She was
awake, and that was good, right? I wouldn’t have to call Dr. Green. She was
sweating. Her eyes bugged out. “What are you doing out there?” she demanded.

“I... uh... thought I heard something,” I said. I let the lies
flow from my mouth, too terrified to be concerned with what. “I heard meowing
outside my window. I went to check.”

“Did you find a cat?”

Was she going to believe me? “I couldn’t see one,” I said. “I
checked the bushes. Is that why you’re up? Did you hear me out there? I’m
sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Her pale face twisted, her dull eyes glancing toward the wall.
“Where’s your father?”

“He’s not here,” I said. Did she really not know? “He said there
was another business trip.”

Her mouth tightened, the creases at her lips deepening. The hair
around her face was pulled back. The pony tail was freshly done but the hair
was matted together as if she didn’t bother to brush it. When was the last time
she brushed it? Was it an effort so she ignored it?

“Were you hungry?” I offered in a quiet voice, unsure of her
expression. “I’ve got time before I have to get ready for school. I could
scramble some eggs and make some toast.”

She swayed on her feet, enough to scare me that she might fall
over. “I think I want...” Her head tilted, her eyes widened, staring at my
body. It confused me. Was she looking at me now? Did she finally focus on me?
Maybe being nicer and trying harder was working.

I thought that until I felt the slight vibration of the phone
against my chest. I glanced down, the face of the phone glowed, giving away its
location against my heart. Nathan was calling.

“What is that?” My mother’s voice strained with confusion and a
rumbling anger bubbling to the surface.

“Nothing,” I said, covering my chest to hide the glow. “Just a...”
I couldn’t think of a lie. I couldn’t think at all. Was Nathan watching? What
happened? Why would he call? “Something for school,” I said.

Her hands balled into fists. Her eyes narrowed at my chest. “Show
it to me.”

My body quaked. There was no way to hide it. Nathan’s call went to
voicemail. Either he’d seen what was happening or he was checking in for me to
make sure I got in safe. Would he try again in a few minutes?

My fingers trembled as I couldn’t think of a reason not to show
her, and even if I denied the request, it wouldn’t matter. She might punish me
and then what? Dr. Green said to do whatever she said as long as it wasn’t being
tied up in the shower or something equally dangerous. The phone wasn’t
dangerous.

I untucked the phone from my chest, presenting it to her.

Her eyes narrowed on the iPhone in the pink case. “The school
doesn’t give cell phones. Where did you get that?”

“I meant,” I said, trying something else, “I found it at school. I
didn’t have time to turn it in to the front office, so I was hanging on to it
until Monday when I got the chance.”

She snatched the phone from my hands. She tapped at it,
illuminating the surface.

A text message caused the phone to buzz in her hands. The message
popped up on the screen in front of her face. She scanned the words. “Sang,”
she read, her voice bursting with anger, and something else... satisfaction?
“Hurry back when you can. I’ve got some of those coffees you like.” Her head
tilted toward me, her eyes. “Who is Nathan?”

My hand fluttered up to my lip, pushing to my teeth. My tongue
felt glued to the top of my mouth. What do I do? What should I do? Should I run
away? If I ran back to Nathan’s, could he help?

My mother pointed the end of the phone at me. “Where did you get
this? Did you steal it? Or was it from the money you stole?”

I blinked at her, confused by this new information. “What money?”

“You know what money.”

My eyes flashed at her. “I don’t have money.”

She scoffed. “Are you telling me this boy bought you this phone?
Is that what you’re saying? What kind of things did you have to do to get him
to buy you one?”

I started to shake my head, but I didn’t have an answer for the
question it left open. Either someone got it for me or I stole something to get
it. What answer was the best?

“I can’t believe this,” she said. “I tried. I did my best. Here
you are. Sneaking into the house. Smelling like a boy. A cell phone. Lying. The
tramp of the neighborhood. I knew it when we moved here that it was a mistake.
I don’t know what to do with you,” she spat at me. Her fingers clutched at the
phone. She swung her arm, pointing the end of it toward the kitchen. “Start
walking.”

My eyes opened wide. I smelled like a boy? I couldn’t tell but
perhaps I carried Nathan’s cypress scent with me. This was the worst thing
she’d ever caught me at and there was nothing I could say to reverse it. What
now? Rice? Should I not kneel like Kota said? Should I wait until she had me
kneel and then escape? If I don’t answer the phone, they’d come for me when
they discovered me on my knees.

I walked through the kitchen as she directed. Instead of looking
for a stool or grabbing the rice, she continued to point toward the direction
of her bedroom. I shuffled forward awkwardly, my eyes on the phone. I almost
wanted to take it from her to call for help but I also wanted to avoid the
worst possible outcome. If I fought her on this, she could call the police on me.
I should wait and trust that if the boys did discover I was in trouble, they
would know the best way to get me out.

I stood just inside her bedroom door. My mother pushed me aside.
Her touch at my arm had me cowering, afraid. How different her touches were
from Nathan’s or Victor’s.

She marched to the closet doors, opening the one to the left. She
stopped, her head reeling back. Something caught her off-guard. She stared into
the space for several minutes. The door blocked my view. Was that her closet or
his? I couldn’t remember. I was pretty sure it was his. Was it messy?

Her face littered with pink splotches. Her eyes and nostrils
flared. She spun on me. “You lied about your father. He’s not on a business
trip.”

I stepped back, my mouth parted in surprise. “What... what do you
mean? Of course he is. He left a note on my door.”

She pushed the door away to open it fully. I remained back, afraid
of what it held.

My mother lunged for me, grabbing me by the cloth of the top and
yanking it until it tore at my shoulder. I cried out, mostly out of surprise.
My voice choked short. I stumbled next to her, looking in.

The closet was bare. The only things that remained were two
plastic hangers, one with an old, worn brown suit coat, the elbows thinned
enough that it needed patching. The shelf above the rack was empty, the floor
clean, neatly vacuumed.

Her hand continued to grasp at my shirt. “Where did he go?”

I shook my head, tears cutting through my eyes. “I... I don’t
know,” I squeaked out.

She pointed with the phone again toward the empty closet. “Get in
there.”

The blood drained from my face. Was this going to be dangerous?
Should I refuse? I hesitated. They didn’t have a camera in the closet, did
they? They wouldn’t see me if she tried to chain me to something.

Without knowing what to do, and from years of habit, I obeyed.
Shaking on my feet, I stepped inside the empty space of the walk-in closet,
noting the staleness of the air. My father had moved out his things a long time
ago.

The truth of what that meant evaded my mind as my mother glared in
at me.

“Take off those clothes,” she ordered.

A shiver chased down my spine. “What?”

“Take your clothes off,” she commanded. “If you refuse to obey me,
I’ll tear them off.”

I stared at the ground. My mother had never ordered me to strip
before. I didn’t want her to tear the clothes, so I removed the shorts, holding
them out between my fingers and unsure what to do with them. I trembled as I
stood in just the bra top and in my underwear.

“All of it,” she commanded, grasping the shorts and pulling them
from me.

I swallowed against the dryness in my throat. Her eyes shot darts
at me while I removed the top and slipped the underwear down my legs. She
collected these, too.

“Now,” she said, “you’re going to sit in there. You won’t be going
to school today.”

Was that it? Was she going to keep me here in the closet until
school was over? I stood with my legs close together, and my arms over my chest
to mask my body. My shivers rattled through me, like a tornado repeating itself
through my spine. “How long do I have to stay in here for?” I asked.

“Until your father gets back,” she snarled at me. “If I let him. I
might finally send the police after him. Let them deal with him, and you.”

Before I could ask her what she meant, she slammed the closet
door. There was a click. The light above me blinked out.

I lowered myself to my knees, my breath stumbling from my lips.
Nathan would try again in moments. He might even let Kota know I wasn’t
responding. They would turn on the cameras. I wasn’t anywhere to be found.
Would they come? If they couldn’t locate me, would they even try to attempt it?
How could I stop them? She’d call the police on them.

I listened as my mother trailed around in her bedroom. The
television was on. Her being awake and on the warpath meant they couldn’t sneak
in, brown bottle or not.

I fell onto my side on the floor, pulling my knees up to my chest
and wrapping my arms around my legs. I breathed in the scent of Nathan on my
skin just for some connection to them. Without Kota’s command, or Mr.
Blackbourne directing, without the others there, I felt lost. What do I do now?

If I walked out, she’d call the police on me. And she made sure I
couldn’t just run off because she’d taken my clothes. Why would she do this to
me? Was it because she believed I stole her money? I didn’t know she had any at
all. Did she believe the lies she told my dad?

I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t hurt. I was alone. That was it.
Where was my father? Why were all of his things gone?

Not even a fucking goodbye.
That was what Nathan had
said when he showed me the note. Did he know about my father taking everything
with him? Why didn’t he tell me?

Time passed. I wasn’t sure how long. From above my head, footsteps
squeaked. I recognized Marie’s sounds. She was rushing to get into the shower,
brushing her teeth at the sink.

My mother’s footsteps moved around the room and then changed
direction to the hallway. Creaking sounded on the stairwell. Should I try to
escape? Should I dart out, check to see if the cell phone was there? No. The
others wouldn’t want me to do something so risky. If I tried for the cell phone
and she found me, she could make good on her promise to call the police. I may
not get a call in to the guys before that happened.

For lack of anything to do, I reached for the worn brown coat
hovering over me. I covered myself with it. It smelled faintly of staleness and
dust. Forgotten. A leftover, unwanted coat was all that was left of my father,
and it covered my nakedness demanded upon me by my own mother. My fingers
traced over the weave of the fibers, finding the buttons, one missing at the
breast. Maybe he was never there for me, like Nathan’s father, but I never
thought he would disappear. I may have never seen him, but he was always there
at night, looking over everything I didn’t think about. Now that his things
were gone, I felt we were forgotten and discarded like his coat.

I didn’t know how to feel about it. Should I be angry? Why wasn’t
I more upset? Was it because deep inside I didn’t really believe it? Did I
think there might be another explanation?

My mother’s footsteps returned, along with the voice of Marie. I
sat up, clutching the coat around my shoulders and holding my breath to listen.