Collide: A Riverbend Novel (7 page)

HAVOCK

Garrett and I walked out
into the hall while the doctor talked with Reese. I leaned my back
against the wall and drummed my fingers on the wall. I needed a
cigarette. Reese had scared the shit out of me, and I needed to
calm my nerves.

I looked at Garrett who was
cutting his eyes at me. And I couldn't mistake the look of war in
his eyes. That same look he would get when we were kids and we
happened to walk in the kitchen at the same time and there was only
one cookie left. It was on. He wanted Reese. I wanted her more. We
both already knew that when I punched him in the lip last night
when I caught him coming out of Reese's room. He returned the
punch, but I'd sport that damn black eye any day. The satisfaction
I felt when my fist busted his lip felt too good.

And I was sure she wanted
me too. Why else would she have drawn a picture of me? I found my
face sketched perfectly, lip ring and all when I was packing her
bag for the hospital. At first it scared me a little. I wasn't sure
if I wanted a girl to feel something for me. I had traveling to do.
I had goals after high school that I fear would change if I got
involved with someone and we'd have to figure out how to reach both
our goals. I was selfish.

We both turned when mom and
dad walked up. Mom scanned both our faces and sighed.

"Look, I don't know what's
going on between you two, but cool it. Alright?"

I grinned evilly and
Garrett did too.

The doctor stepped out and
smiled. "She can go home. There's no need to keep her. But I wrote
her a refill on insulin. The lab looked at what you brought from
home, and it was the wrong prescription. What pharmacy do you
use?"

"Griffin's," mom said in
shock. "They could have killed her!!"

Dad put a calming hand on
her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"Mistakes happen, but I'd
be just as upset as you. Just make sure that you double check what
you're leaving the pharmacy with before you leave."

Mom nodded as tears fell
down her face.

"Can we go home please?"
Reese asked as she came out of the room carrying her
bag.

"What's wrong?" She asked
mom tiredly.

She walked over to her and
wiped her tears.

"Don't cry," she said
softly.

Mom looked at dad and
Garrett. "Take her home." She looked at me. "You're driving me to
the pharmacy."

"I don't really think
that's a good idea." Mom glared at me. "Okay, okay!" I got my keys
out of my pocket.

As we walked out to the
truck mom said, "No smoking."

"Yes ma'am," I mumbled as
we got into my truck.

"Why didn't you have dad
drive you?" I asked as I drove.

She laughed. "He wouldn't
have brought me."

I pulled up to the pharmacy
and noticed them flipping the sign to closed. They closed early on
Saturdays, but I knew that little sign wasn't stopping her. Mom got
out of the truck before I could cut the engine off.
Alrighty then
. I knew I
should probably go with her.

I got out and followed her.
She banged her fist against the glass door so hard I could hear the
bells on the door inside.

The pharmacist opened the
door and managed to smile. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Satterly. Can I
help you?"

Mom reared back her purse
the size of a boulder and probably as heavy as one too and knocked
him upside his head. "You almost killed her you moron!!" That
caused a few cars to slow down as they passed the drug
store.

The pharmacist rubbed his
head. "What are you talking about?!"

Mom's hands shook as she
pulled the paper for a refill out of her purse. She slammed it
against his chest. "You gave her the wrong insulin!"

He took the prescription in
his hands. "I'm so sorry."

I knew he truly was and so
did mom. It was a mistake. A bad one. But by the look on his face I
knew he wouldn't make it again.

"I'll go fill this. Why
don't you two come inside where it's warm?" He held the door as we
stepped inside.

I sat next to mom in the
waiting area. She wiped her eyes as more tears fell. "It's my
responsibility to keep her safe. I can't believe this
happened."

Mom needed Garrett or dad
here to comfort her. I was never good at sympathy. I was the suck
it up and move on type of guy. There was no doubt she had scared
the hell out of me, but she was fine. Everyone needed to calm
down.

I stood and walked outside,
reached in my truck and got out my cigarettes. Just as I lit one I
heard a horn honk. I nodded at Ruth Ann in her lime green Camaro.
She winked and sped up. She was the slut of Riverbend. If it had a
dick she'd sleep with it. I wasn't that desperate. If I wanted sex,
I could get it. That was never a problem for me.

Mom walked out. "Put that
thing out!" she said grabbing the cigarette from me and stomping on
it. She pulled hand sanitizer out of her purse and rubbed it into
her skin.

We got in the truck. "What
did I tell you about doing that in public?! Ha?! The lip ring and
tattoo is enough to ruin my rep as a social worker! If I can't
control my own kids what will make people think I can help with
others?!"

"Sorry," I
grumbled.

"No you're not. Just take
me home."

She was right. I wasn't.
And I knew I was wrong for that, but it didn't bother me enough to
change. I drove us home.

We walked in the house not
speaking. I had to admit, what she said kind of hurt a little. I
normally didn't mind the truth even if it hurt. But today, knowing
she was already upset, it shook me up a little.

Dad met mom at the door as
she took off her jacket. "She's resting upstairs. She's fine,
honey."

Mom nodded. "I'm going to
start lunch."

Mom walked off and dad
stopped me before I could go upstairs.

"How'd it go at the
pharmacy?"

I smirked. "Before or after
she hit the guy with her purse?"

Dad pinched the bridge of
his nose and sighed. "I'll go talk to her. I'm sure she's
embarrassed."

I nodded. "Good idea. Is it
alright if I go out?"

"Sure. But please stick to
your curfew. Your mother has dealt with enough today."

"Yes, sir."

I put my jacket back on and
walked back out to my truck.

REESE

I looked down at my
painting of the Satterly family and smiled. The art teacher stared
at it over my shoulder. "Very nice. Johanna will love
it."

Art was my favorite class
and the place I hid out. I'd just put up my work when Havock walked
in. "Hey," I said as I covered the paintings I had done. I'd made
one for him and Garret as well. I smiled sadly at him. I had been
having a rough day. Some days I was fine, others, not so
much.

Today was a bad one. I had
been picked on relentlessly until I hid in the art room and the
counselor was calling Mrs. Johanna to voice her concern that I was
still suicidal. Which I wasn't.

"What are you doing in
here?" I asked as I cleaned up my supplies.

He sat on a stool. "Coming
to see why you didn't come to lunch."

I shrugged. "I wasn't
hungry. I ate a granola bar, though."

"Want to walk to English
with me?"

"Let me finish cleaning
up," I said as I wiped down my area.

After I finished, I picked
up my bag and walked out of the art room with Havock. I avoided
looking at the faces of the other kids because they always had
anger in their eyes when they looked at me. "Why do people hate
me?" I asked him quietly.

"Because they think you did
it," he said referring to my mother and dad. Havock wasn't one to
sugar coat things.

"I was seven when mom was
killed," I said as I moved closer to him as a particular girl who
had made my life worse than a living hell walked by.

Havock put his arm around
my shoulders.

I heard someone whisper
murderer as they walked by, and I couldn't take anymore.

"I...I need to go to the
restroom." I moved away from him then hurried into the
bathroom.

I went into a stall and
locked it. I slid down the door and wrapped my arms around my knees
as I buried my face against them and cried. I just wanted my
dad.

I heard the door open and
saw Havock's converse. He knocked on the stall. "Reese?"

I wiped my eyes, stood up
and unlocked the door. "You shouldn't be in here," I said as I
wiped my eyes.

"No, I shouldn't. But that
didn't stop me." He wiped my tears. "Ignore them," he
whispered.

"I'm trying. It's hard." I
smiled weakly at him.

"Ready to go to class?" he
asked taking my hand.

I nodded. "Are we almost to
Christmas break yet?"

"Yup. And our family
pre-Christmas vacation starts this weekend. Mom pitched a fit until
the judge said you could go." We walked out of the
bathroom.

A smile appeared on my
face. "Really?!"

He smiled showing off his
dimple. "Really."

We walked into class and he
followed behind me until I got to my seat. He then went to his
seat.

I hadn't been seated long
when my name was called over the intercom, and I was asked to
report to the counselor's office. I grabbed my bag and left the
room.

I opened the door and
walked in. "You wanted to see me?"

"Mmm hmm. Have a
seat."

I sat down in the chair and
placed my bag on the floor. By the look on her face I did something
wrong. "Am I in trouble?"

I racked my brain as I
tried to think of something I had done wrong. I had gone to the
nurse like I was supposed to. I turned in my homework. I had been
good.

"Just a rumor. Or at least
that's what I hope it is. Please tell me you weren't taking pills
in the bathroom with Havock?"

"No ma'am. I was crying and
he came to get me out. We weren't even in there very long," I said
as I looked her in the eyes. "And why would I take
pills?"