Betrayed (13 page)

The three walked onto the porch. Justin turned to Trick and said, “Why don’t you stay with the bikes. Too many of us might look intimidating.”

“Sure,” Trick said as he turned to walk back to the driveway.

Before Justin could knock on the door, he and Trig heard yelling coming from inside the house. Justin and Trig looked at one another, and then Justin reached out and banged on the door. The shouting stopped and a man yelled, “Who the fuck is it?”

Justin looked at Trig then yelled, “Why don’t you come and see who the fuck it is!”

They heard heavy footsteps then the door flew open. A large man stood in the doorway. Justin could see Jacob Jr.’s resemblance in his old man.

“Yeah, what do you want,” Jacob Sr. said looking at the two men standing on his porch. He looked past them and saw Trick standing next to the three Harley’s in his driveway.

“Your kid has been beating on my nephew, and I want it to stop,” Justin said to the burly man. Behind the man, a woman approached. She was thin with stringy dark brown hair. He could see old bruises on her face. Jacob Sr. noticed Justin looking past his shoulder.

He turned to the woman and said, “Get the fuck back in the kitchen. I can handle this.”

The woman turned around and walked back into the room she had just come from. When the man spun back around, Justin smelled whiskey on his breath.

“Listen,” Jacob Sr. said, “I don’t know what the hell you think is going on, but my boy is not a bully.”

“I hate to break it to you Mr. Reynolds, but I saw your kid bust my nephew’s nose.”

Reynolds squinted at the two men and said, “I think you’re lying.”

“Why the hell would I lie about it?” Justin’s temper bristled. “You think I don’t have better things to do than to stand on your porch and listen to your bullshit?”

“I don’t know what you do!” Reynolds yelled in a drunken rage. “Get the fuck off my property!”

“I will…when you tell your kid to stop wailing on mine,” Justin yelled as Trig tried to pull him away.

Justin shrugged off Trig and said, “If your boy doesn’t stop messing with Aaron, I’ll be taking my frustrations out on your face, jackass!”

“Get off my property, or I’ll call the cops,” Jacob Senior announced as he walked onto the porch.

“Go right ahead, and then I can tell them how I witnessed your kid and his cronies using my nephew as a punching bag.”

“Come on,” Trig remarked. “The guy’s drunk, and you two are having a pissing match. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Justin knew he was right, but it would feel good to flatten the idiot’s face. Instead, he turned around and walked towards Trick and the bikes.

“And don’t come back!” Mr. Reynolds yelled.

Justin gave him the finger, and the three mounted their bikes and roared down the highway.

*****

When Aaron arrived home, he went straight to his room. Ginger was fixing dinner in the kitchen when he flew through the house. She yelled to him but he kept going. It was difficult for Ginger to see the boy in such a reclusive state. He was sad, of course, after his mother’s death, but he slowly came around and was his old self again, laughing and playing sports. However, the last two months since he started high school changed him.

Ginger understood peer pressure – and bullies were a real threat to children, especially in high school. The problem was, Aaron wouldn’t talk about it. This was sometimes typical of children and teens who are bullied. They somehow believe it’s their fault, that they are falling short in some way and deserve the hatred bestowed on them by outside forces. They may feel ashamed, and friends might abandon them for fear of becoming the object of the bullying…at least that is what Ginger read on the internet.

Although she herself was never bullied, she knew it could have a devastating effect on a teen. With everything Aaron had been through, Ginger didn’t want him to suffer anymore. But how could she get him to open up? It was like beating your head against a wall.

Ginger continued fixing dinner, hoping Justin would come home from work soon. Before she had time to finish her thought he walked through the door.

“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here,” the dark haired beauty exclaimed as she walked over to give him a hug and kiss.

“Is Aaron here?” Justin asked.

“Yes,” Ginger answered as she pulled away from Justin and walked over to stir a pot of beans simmering on the stove. “He ran to his room, and I haven’t seen him since.”

“So you don’t know what happened?” Justin asked as he sat down at the kitchen table.

“No…what happened?” Ginger asked as she sat down across from him.

Justin told Ginger about the afternoon’s activities. How he, Trig, and Trick witnessed the bullying and then confronted the father who was too drunk to care.

“The kid learned it from his old man. I saw his wife, and she’s been beaten too.”

“How horrible.” Her heart went out to the woman. Ginger hated seeing or hearing of anyone being abused. Now they knew for sure Aaron was a target. But how could they stop it?

“We need to let the school officials know what’s going on,” Ginger stated as she stood up to check on the evening’s meal.

“Yeah, but we’ll have to wait until the morning now,” Justin answered.

“No! I don’t want you to get involved!” Aaron emerged from his room and had been listening to their conversation.

“Aaron, we’re trying to help. How long has this been going on?” Justin asked as he rose from his chair.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Aaron, come here and sit down. I need to look at your nose and make sure it’s not broken,” Justin replied.

Aaron sat down and said, “It’s not broke. He didn’t hit me that hard.”

Justin looked at Aaron’s nose anyway. “He hit it hard enough to make it bleed.”

Justin sat down next to Aaron. “Just tell me how long this has been going on…please.”

Aaron looked at the floor and said, “Since the start of school.” He sighed, and then continued. “At first it was just a bunch of talking crap and I wasn’t the only one he bullied. They’d say stuff, hit us on the back of the head, or push us. I figured Jacob would get bored, but he didn’t. He kept getting worse. Now he’s on social media saying stuff about Mom, how she was a cunt and deserved to die.”

Ginger could see the fire growing in Justin’s eyes.

“Surely your friends came to your defense,” Ginger said.

“Yeah, at first, but then Jacob and his friends would turn on them too and they got scared,” Justin said. “It kept escalating.”

“Why didn’t you tell us or at least tell the teachers?” Justin asked.

“You don’t tattle. It doesn’t matter how bad it gets, you just don’t,” Aaron said as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Please don’t go to the school tomorrow; you’ll only make things worse for me.”

“How can things get any worse, Aaron?” Justin was exasperated. “There’s no way this can continue.”

“Just give me a few days and let me work it out, okay? Please!” Aaron pleaded with his uncle.

Justin looked at the floor then up at Aaron. “Alright, I’ll give you two days. But if you come home with bruises I’m heading to the school whether you like it or not. This kid’s abuse is not going to continue. You hear me?”

“Yes,” Aaron answered weakly.

“Okay,” Justin replied as he stood and ruffled Aaron’s hair. “I love you, kid. I just want to keep you safe and happy.”

“I know, but let me handle it,” Aaron said as he stood up.

“Two days,” Justin said raising two fingers. “Now go get washed up for dinner.”

*****

That night Ginger and Justin lay in bed looking at the ceiling after making love. They were both lost in their thoughts yet thinking of the same thing: how to protect Aaron from a bully who had no structure in his own life.

On the one hand, Ginger felt sorry for Jacob living in such tumultuous conditions. No wonder he lashed out. She was sure he was on the receiving end of his father’s wrath along with his mother. But there was no way of knowing for sure. She could call Children’s Services, but without witnessing any suspicious bruising on the child, she doubted they could do much. She hated waiting the two days Justin gave Aaron. Ginger was afraid he would come home in much worse condition than before, or God forbid, sent to the hospital. She shivered from the thought.

Justin felt her tremble and held her closer. He worried as well. He knew he caved to the boy, but he also understood Aaron wanting to settle things on his own if he could. So he was giving him a period in which to do it in. He just hoped he hadn’t opened a can of worms. Unfortunately, Justin would never guess the events yet to unfold.

The next day both Ginger and Justin worried about Aaron. Ginger was off from work that day and decided to spend it at the auto shop helping Lily with the books and cooking lunch for the club. Cleaning up after lunch, Lily and Ginger talked about the previous day’s events regarding Aaron.

“How do you think he’s going to resolve this thing with the Reynolds boy?” Lily asked as she wiped down the counter in the clubhouse kitchen.

“I have no idea, Lily,” Ginger said as she put dishes away. “I hope he’ll go to his teacher, but I doubt it. All we can do is trust him, and if nothing is resolved in two days Justin and I will go see the principal.”

“I hate this is happening to him and especially the social media crap,” Lily replied as she sat down. “Sometimes I think if I’d never gone out with Connor or accepted his wedding proposal Amy would be alive and Aaron would still have his mother.” Lily looked at the floor defeated.

Ginger walked over and sat down. “You can’t blame yourself, Lily. None of what happened is your fault. Connor made those choices, not you.”

“I know,” Lily replied. “But sometimes I can’t help but think how ignorant I was not to see the signs.”

“Justin didn’t see the signs and neither did any of the club members, and they knew Connor for a long time.”

“Do you think Connor seeing Big Red strangle Justin and Amy’s mother might have changed something in him?” Lily asked.

“I’m no psychiatrist, but it might have. Seeing something so traumatic as a child and then keeping the secret hidden out of fear…well, it could definitely cause some serious PTSD. Eventually it might cause insensitivity to others. Oh, Lily, I don’t know, but please don’t beat yourself up anymore.”

“I’m trying,” Lily said weakly. “Just when I think I’ve got it licked something grabs and tosses me back in. It’s like Connor still has a hold on me.”

“But he doesn’t…he’s gone. Only you can say,
enough!
and start living your life again.”

Lily knew Ginger was right, but knowing was one thing. Actually leaving the past behind when it reared its ugly head from time to time was difficult. Lily had to do it though, break those chains if she was to ever have a happy and satisfying life. Right now, she was going to concentrate on helping Aaron get his happy back, and maybe that would help her as well.

*****

The boy walked towards the babbling brook. He’d been brought here by the prospect of receiving something good. He hadn’t had much to look forward to the last few years. Days were bleak, and the older he became the darker things seemed to get. But today he was enticed to the peaceful setting in the forest.

On the weekends, the area filled with hikers, but during the week, the trails were vacant. The boy walked to the edge of the babbling brook taking in the hypnotic sounds of the water rushing over the stones in the creek. He could see tiny fish swimming along, darting in and out under the rocks. He wasn’t used to the tranquility of the forest. It held a peacefulness he hadn’t known for a long time. He breathed in deeply, allowing the fresh air to invigorate his tired mind and body. The boy thought he should come here more often to clear his mind. Perhaps this place would provide the calm center he needed to get through this part of his life. He squatted down and cupped fresh water from the babbling brook into his hand.

He bent over to take a drink just as something hard slammed into the back of his head. He felt an explosion blow through his skull, and the world went white for a few seconds. He tumbled over onto his back, his body lying next to the stream.

His first thought was
what the hell.
At first, there was no pain, and then it spread quickly from the back of his head around to his face. It felt like his skull was crushed. He tried to talk, to say something, but nothing emerged except unfamiliar noises. He attempted to move, to sit up, to move his legs…anything. Nothing happened. He could only watch as his killer stood above him lifting the rock and bringing it crashing down on his face.

He heard the bones in his cheek crush. How strange it sounded, and then the pain sprouted up and blossomed across the left side of his face. He saw the rock come crashing down again, this time pulverizing his left eye. The pain was melding together now. He couldn’t tell one pain from the other…it was just one giant pain pounding within his head.