Entry #516355, added on 06-20-07 @ 6:19 pm EDT
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To say that dinner that night was awkward would have been a vast understatement. Wren sits to my right, Eric across from me, my mother at the head of the table. I can see her discomfort at having Wren beside me. She hadn't been pleased with me when I asked her to allow Wren to eat with us.
I don't have much of an appetite tonight. I slide my food back and forth on my plate, rearranging it again and again. I'm not the only one.
Looking at Eric, I can see his anger at not being consulted in what he would classify as a monumental desicion. But right now, I could care less because Wren's presence makes me fell safe, untouchable.
"So...Wren..." Eric begins, and I already know that he's trying to start something that he hopes Wren will get caught in. "Where are you going to college?"
Wren doesn't show any signs that this question bothers him. "I'm not."
I knew as much. So did Eric, I can tell.
"Why not?" Eric asks with an almost cheery casualness. He's trying to get Wren in trouble with my mom, trying to turn her against him.
"I can't afford it," Wren answers. He, too, has barely touched his food. He seems to be tracing the alphabet in his mashed potatoes.
My heart breaks as I hear this. This is the reason Wren won't continue his education?
"What do you mean? What about scholarships?" I demand, turing in my seat to face him. "Or grants and loans?"
"Nah," he answers, looking at me with surprise in his eyes. Obviously, no one has ever cared enough to mention this before. "It's not worth the debt."
"Can't your aunt help you?" My mother, who has been silent until now, asks. I send her a sideway glance at her and see her with her thumb and middle finger on each temple. When she sees me staring at her with concern, she drops her hand.
I shake the image out of my head and turn back to Wren in time to hear his say, "I would never ask her to do that."
When he says this, I gain a whole new level of respect for him. His eyes meet mine and I almost curse myself for reaching out to push the hair out of his eye. When my fingertips brush the skin of his forehead , I jerk it back and turn to my mother.
"Wren and I will take the dishes," I say to her and stand to clear the dishes before she can object.
Wren follows me into the kitchen as I drop the plates in a sink of pre-run dishwater with a soft plop and bury my face in my hands. I hear another swish of the water as Wren drops the silverware in, too, and asks, "Is he always like that?"
"Always," I groan, lifting my head.
Wren looks at me then tiptoes to the doorway where he listens. I can hear murmuring so I join him. Standing next to him, I can hear my mother and Eric's conversation clearly.
"Something is obviously going on between them. Don't be blind," Eric says.
I hear a chair scrape the floor. "My daughter is not stupid. If she trusts Wren, perhaps we should, too." She sounds tired and I feel guilty for draining her energy.
"He's a criminal!" Eric hisses. "I heard he impregnated a girl back in his old school. Do you want that to be Beth someday?"
I shoot a questioning look at Wren, who shakes his head and mouths, "Not true." I take his word for it, nod and listen again.
"Do you really believe that, Eric?" she sighs.
"Don't you?" He really sounds angry. What is he getting so upset about? It's not like he cares about me one bit.
"I think you should go," I whisper to Wren.
"You sure?"
No, I wanted say. If it were up to me, you would be my permanent body guard. But Wren was more than that.
"Yes," I say. "I shouldn't deny my mother the pleasure of lecturing me any longer."
Wren smiles. "Ok."
We walk back into the dining room where Eric and my mother immediately cut off their conversation. I stop by the table and shove my hands in my pockets. "I'm going to walk Wren home."
My mothers lips tighten. She's leaning on her palms against the egde of the table, looking pale. "Mr. Stoner, you're a big boy. You don't need my daughter to escort you home, do you?"
I gape at my mother. She's staring intently at the carpet.
"No, ma'am," Wren answers politely. "I'll walk alone," he whispers to me, then heads for the front door.
"I'll walk you to the door," I offer, desperate to stay by his side.
My mother does her best to shoot me a hard look, but I ignore it and continue.
"I'll see you at school tomorrow," Wren says, opening the door slowly, then turning to face me as he stands on the front step. "Sebastian brought your car back, by the way."
"Ok," I squeak.
"You'll be okay, right?" He asks, narrowing his eyes at me.
I nod eagerly. "I'll be fine."
At this, he spins around and shuffles away quickly. I watch his cross the street before stepping back and shutting the door.
The second it hits the frame, an arm goes around my neck and pulls me back sharply. I stumble back, wrapping my hands around the arm, trying to pull it away. As I try desperately to suck in air, I see the sky on the other side of our creme drapes growing dark while I am being dragged into the living room. Suddenly the arm releases me and I fall forward on the ground, turning myself around as quick as I can scramble.
"I don't want to kill you, Beth," Eric says to me. "I need you alive."
I grasp my neck as I rasp, "Otherwise you wouldn't get your money? How much are they paying you?" This seems to be the only conclusion I could have come to in my head.
"That's not important!" He barks, taking a handful of my hair and yanking me to my feet, bringing me close to his face. "Just give in,"
I let my knee go, intending to jam it into his crotch and cursing myself when I miss and hit his hard thigh instead. This only manages to feed his fury, and the thunder is deafening as he shoves me against a wall.
I spin around to face him in time to see Wren throw open the door, that I hadn't had time to lock, and stride toward us. Eric does not have time to register that someone has walked in before Wren grabs his shoulders and forces him around. I can almost hear Eric's gasp of surprise as Wren's fist connects with his jaw. This doesn't do much damage, but Wren's next blow to Eric's stomach gives him the leverage he needs to shove Eric into the glass coffee table, where he hits his head.
Without pausing to thank Wren, I rush to the dining room, calling for my mom. I see her lying on the kitchen floor through the doorway.
"Mom!" I shriek, running to her side. "Are you ok?"
Her eyes are half open, but I can tell she's unconsious.
"Wren!" I call out, panic sweeping through me.
He's standing at the doorway, reaching for the phone that's mounted on the wall before I can tell him to. He mumbles into the phone, while I feel for my mother's pulse.
"What happened to you?" I mumble to myself when I've found her steady heartbeat. "I'm not waiting for an ambulance, I tell Wren, who's still on the phone.
"Beth, they can help her when they get here. We should wait." He mumbles again into the phone, then hangs up. "The ambulance is on their way."
"She can't wait for an ambulance!" I cry. Tears are spilling down my cheeks.
Wren squats on the floor next to me and my mother. He puts a hand on either side of my face. "She has a pulse. She's breathing. She'll be okay until they get here." His eyes shift back and forth between mine. "I know you're upset, but rain is not going to help this situation."
I impulsively look out the kitchen window where rain is pouring down around the house. I lookd back at Wren's calm stare and take a deep breath. "You're right," I say.
The doorbell rings and I dash to open the door for the peramedics. I stand by the open door as they work on my mother. I don't want to see what they do to her. And I'm not sure I want to know what horrible thing Eric, the man who claimed to love her, did to her. My mind on Eric, I glance behind me, into the living room. Eric still lies on the carpet, blood running from a generous cut in his head.
I stop a peramedic as he's heading out the door and point to Eric's body. The paremedic glances at me with concern, then rushes to help Eric. I can just hear him saying to another paramedic later, What the hell happened in that house? |
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