My phone rang in the middle of the night, waking me. I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes. I reached over and grabbed my phone, answering the call. “Hell—”
She was in tears. “Ash? Are you busy? I—I—”
“Mali? What’s wrong? What happened?”
“Please come over, Ash,” more sobs, “I need to talk to someone and Henry is—” more tears, “—is asleep and I just need someone,”
“Okay, okay, I’ll be over as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Ash,”
The line went dead.
I laid back down on my back and sighed. She’s crazy. I pulled on my hoodie and a pair of Converse and walked up the stairs to the kitchen where I grabbed my mom’s car keys and left a quick note. A friend needs me. Love you lots. Be back as soon as I can. Stay safe. –Jonas
I walked out my front door and got in the car and drove off.
Once I got to Mali’s house I didn’t knock. Instead I just walked in, remembering my last late night visit to Mali’s. I walked up the stairs silently to Mali’s room and opened the door slowly. “Mali…?”
She jumped off of her bed and ran into me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Oh, Ash, it’s so good to see you.”
I set my hands down on her back. “Uh…”
She let go of me. “Here, come sit down.” She jumped onto her bed. I took off my jacket and sat down on the edge of her bed. “Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Okay, so, my aunt is coming and moving here from western Kansas. She’s going to move me and Red and Ted all into a nice house and take care of us until I’m eighteen and Red and Ted are ten. So… then I’ll be twenty three. Anyway, once that happens the twins will be in my care. I’ll have to take care of them until they turned eighteen. But, Ramona, my aunt, said that she’ll send checks to me to help take care of them.”
“Uh…” I didn’t know what to say.
“It’ll all be good. See, Ted and Red will still be able to see mom and dad if they want to—and they will but they won’t be living with us.”
“Red and Ted don’t know, do they? About the…”
“No. They think that Mom and Dad are perfect people who would never harm us. They don’t know that I’ve been taking their beatings for them.”
I nodded. “I’m sorry.”
Mali shrugged it off. “Everyone is.”
“No, I kind of know what you’re going through.”
“Really? ‘Cause I’ve seen how your mom looks at you, like she actually cares. She was worried about you when you were in the hospital, she would never hurt you.”
“Ever wonder where my dad is?”
Mali was silent for too long. “Where is you dad?” she finally asked.
I swallowed hard. “Let’s just say, I’d trade my dad for both your parents.”
Mali laughed. “Uh-huh. You’d rather have two pot head parents whose only priority when they are not high is to beat the shit out of you? Then, when you scream that you’ve had enough they turn to your younger siblings and you beg to take their beating? I’m sure your dad is better.”
I shook my head. “I really want to tell you why your parents are better, but I can’t without putting you in danger.”
“Will you ever explain the knife and the constant moving and why your dad is such a bad guy?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know, maybe.”
Mali closed her eyes and laid her head in my lap. She sighed and her eyes fluttered. “’Sometimes, I sit alone under the stars and think of the galaxies inside my heart, and truly wonder if anyone will ever make sense of all that I am.’” She paused, taking a deep, sleepy breath. “Testy McTesterson said that. Weird first name. Testy. I heard that sometimes, in health class, they call guys’ balls testies.” And with that fun fact, Mali was again asleep on my lap.
“She sleeps like a puppy.” I told Todd, finally over calling him an asshole. “It’s weird.”
“How is Mali Brooks falling asleep on you weird? I mean, you’re living like, every guy at Littleton High’s dream.”
“Seriously? Does every guy here have a crush on her? Isn’t one enough?”
“Are you forgetting about Henry?”
I glared at Todd and he put his hands in the air, like a surrender. “Sorry. But, I mean, Henry was the lucky one who chose Mali and who Mali chose back.”
I sighed. “They’ll be together for awhile, huh,”
“Yep. Until they break up, I’ll be banging and kissing anyone who will let me.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“You’re just jealous.”
“No, I’m not.” I stood up and walked to my locker, hoping I’d beat the first bell rush.
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What's Bothering You, James Asher? (#Wattys2015)
Teen FictionAfter years and years of running, James Asher--Ash--starts to just go through the motions. He doesn't try hard in any of his new school, he doesn't try to make friends, he just tries to keep his mother and himself safe. In his new school in Color...
