Part 27 (1/2)
Sledge yanked free and turned on Corey, his face furious. ”He's spewing s.h.i.+t 'bout my family and you're defending him?”
”He doesn't deserve to be attacked,” Corey said.
Sledge turned back to Tyler. ”Well, if what you say is true, then it's 'bout time your p.r.i.c.k of an uncle got what he deserved.”
Tyler jumped up and went for Sledge. Sledge knocked Tyler onto the bed, then raised another fist. Corey pushed himself in between them. ”Leave him alone!”
Sledge shoved Corey into Tyler. ”Some f.u.c.kin' friend you are! All that bulls.h.i.+t 'bout loving me, then this f.a.ggot turns up and you instantly side with him. Well, if you care more 'bout him then stay here, cos I don't ever wanna see you again!” He took off out of the room.
Corey went to follow, but stopped in the doorway, Tyler's sobbing catching his attention. He stood for a moment, not sure who to go to, then turned back to Tyler, knowing Sledge was wrong about who he cared more for. But he couldn't leave Tyler like this, not when the guy had helped him, got bashed for him, and was now crying so hard it was making Corey want to protect him.
Corey sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around Tyler, whispering, ”I'll look after you.” Tyler leaned into him, making him melt. He lay down, pulling Tyler along with him, knowing he wasn't leaving anytime soon, no matter how much he wanted to run after Sledge.
23.
Ash Ash was sitting next to his brother in the doctor's waiting room, while Juliet was on Dante's other side, quiet as a mouse, probably still shocked from having seen Dante stark raving mad as well as naked. Dante had calmed down about five minutes after Beth had left, to the point that Ash was able to get him dressed and to the doctors without much trouble.
”When were you diagnosed as bipolar?” Ash asked, making Dante jump in his seat. They hadn't spoken much since leaving the house. Ash wondered whether Dante was embarra.s.sed, because his brother was doing everything to avoid looking at him.
”When I wuz thirteen. I had a major meltdown, so Dad took me to the doctor's.” Dante started fidgeting with the hem on his hoodie. Ash watched Dante's hands shake, feeling bad he hadn't known, but then again, after their mother had been killed they'd gone to live with different people: Ash with their cousin, Dante with their father, while their grandparents had taken in the twins. Chaz had torn their family apart in more ways than one.
”What caused the meltdown?” Ash said.
”Lavinia.”
”As in Tiana's best friend?”
”Yeah, I thought I loved her, but like every female she left me.”
”She wuz sixteen, you were thirteen, it wuz gonna happen. It wuz amazing you even got her in the first place.”
Dante shrugged, still picking at his hoodie. ”I didn't see it that way.”
”Still, that wuz ten years ago. How come you didn't tell me you were bipolar? It's not exactly a surprise with the old man being it.”
”I didn't want cha thinking I wuz a nut-job.”
”I wouldn't think that.”
”Well, it's how you treat Dad.”
Ash exhaled. ”I don't mean too, plus he's so f.u.c.kin' agro.”
Dante made a derisive sound. ”And we're not?”
”Father's more so.”
”I hate it when you call him that. Why can't you just say Dad?”
”That t.i.tle is earned.”
Dante let go off his hoodie and looked up, annoyance creasing his brow. ”He really tried to make things up to you, but you never forgive s.h.i.+t.”
”That's easy for you to say, cos he didn't used to beat the c.r.a.p out of you.”
”He never hurt you after he got treatment and that wuz over ten years ago.”
”Which is why I'm polite to him.”
”More like cold.”
”You call it whatever you like, but as far as I'm concerned Hunter's my dad.”
”No, he's not, he's just a cousin.”
”He's way more than a cousin; he treated me more like a son than Father ever did.”
”Stop calling him Father!”
The waiting room went quiet, making Ash feel uncomfortable. ”Look, I understand you're close to...” Father, ”him, and I'm sorry I can't connect in the same way, but it's just how things are.”
”But it hurts him.”
”Oh, boo-f.u.c.kin'-hoo. What he did to me wuz child abuse, he's lucky I even look at him.”
”And you beating the c.r.a.p outta Sledge wuzn't abuse?”
Ash raised a finger. ”I wuz an innocent kid when Father beat me up, Sledge wuz a fully grown s.h.i.+thead who got returned what he dealt to my mate. Big difference.”
”What Sledge did wuz wrong, but what you did made things worse. He barely talks to you now, like you barely talk to Dad. Do ya like him looking at you the same way you used to look at Dad?”
Ash clenched his hands. No, he b.l.o.o.d.y hated seeing fear in Sledge's eyes, but it still wasn't the same, Sledge wasn't an innocent kid. ”You keep your f.u.c.kin' opinions to yourself, cos you're lucky I'm even speaking to you after what you did, let alone breathing the same air.”
Dante's face twitched. He lowered his gaze and started pulling at the loose threads again, mumbling he was sorry in Croatian.
Ash loosened his hands, then looked over as the doctor called out Dante's name. Ash got to his feet, along with Dante and Juliet.
”Stay here, Juliet,” Ash said, following Dante into the doctor's room.
The doctor closed the door as Ash settled into the seat next to Dante. ”How can I help you?”
”My brother lost his medication, he needs more,” Ash answered.
”I didn't lose it, someone stole it,” Dante said.
The doctor sat down behind the desk and focused on the computer screen. ”Sorry, I'm not his regular doctor, so give me a second or two to check what he's on. Oh, okay, here it is, looks like he's due for a visit next week anyway, so I'll do a check-up first, then the prescription. Dante, can you please hop up onto the bed.”