Frosted Tips

The Brand

So now I was running for my life. I knew that when my mom found out, I was dead. If they knew what I was going to do, they'd have the SWAT teams everywhere, and Lucas would be to blame for telling.
I couldn't take it anymore and that was the whole truth. My life was getting worse. Everyone fired against me, and now even the night had turned against me.

I snuck through the back door of the small donut shop, in the middle of nowhere, on fifth street. The blinds were going to stay closed until six a.m. , so I decided to grab my pillow and blanket from the bag and grab a nap in the long booth me and Rick always sat at.
About an hour later, I heard the kitchen door swung open. I felt a poke at my chest and opened my eyes to see Tuck, pointing the end of his shotgun at my face.
"Tuck, it's only me."
"Lizzie, god dammit. What're you doin' here girl? Finally decide to get out?"
I nodded.
"Get your ass downstairs. You can sleep with Rico. He's here tonight."
I quickly shook my head and shrugged.
"Tuck, no. I don't want Rico to know I'm-"
"What's all the racket about?" Rico came prodding in through the kitchen wearing the marvel sweatpants I got him for Christmas.
"Liz? My god, the hell you doin' here?"
He ran to me and grabbed me up after dropping the baseball bat he had carried for defense on poor Tuck's bad foot. Tuck clocked him over the head with a moan.
"Tuck, for Christ's Sakes I'm sorry!" He made the cutest hurt face I'd ever seen.
"She finally did it, Rico." Tuck smiled halfway, grabbing my bag and carrying it downstairs. I stood up.
"You're running away? You were just going to leave me without saying goodbye?" Rico pulled me into a tight hug. "Rico, I have to..."
"Then I'm joining you."
"Rico," I grabbed his hand and stopped him halfway down the stairs, and he turned around the same time Tuck did.
"Rico, no. I won't let you get yourself into this with me. This is my fight."
"I'm going." He stood with his arms crossed, and a firm gaze on my eyes.
"Tuck, you're his uncle. Tell him he has to stay!" I was almost yelling at this point.
"The boy's eighteen. He can make his own decisions." Tuck limped away with my bag and carried it to Rico's room.
Rico came closer and cupped my cheeks.
"You're my best friend, Lizzie. You're not leaving me here. I'll make sure of that."
I looked up into his eyes and gave in to a nod, and with the approval, he threw me over his shoulder and carried me to his room. I laughed, and with every step I could feel Tuck's old, wise eyes watching us.

We made it to Rico's bedroom and he plopped me down on the mattress. He fixed the pillows and scooted me up to the top of the bed, covering me up.
"Nice and warm?" His eyes traced me, and I nodded. He smiled that sweet, innocent half smile, the same as Tuck's.
"My lady gets the bed. I'll take the sofa," he grabbed a pillow and thin blanket from the closet, laying down on the sofa. I turned my back to him after slipping my sweatshirt off and laying in my tanktop, and reached for the lamp on the nightstand beside me. I could feel him gazing my way any second, and something told me to stop.

"Rico, get in the bed with me." I felt him look over.
"Lizzie, the sofa is fine. I promise."
"But the bed is better and it's cold in here. You may freeze."
He got up.
"I can grab the other blanket from Tuck's room." He opened the door and started out, slowly.
"Rico stop making this awkward and get in the damn bed with me."
I leaned up on my elbow to see Tuck sipping his coffee from the mug that Rico and I had made him years ago, in his old recliner. I saw a smirk cross his face as Rico looked up at him, leaning forwards with his hand against the top of the door frame.
"Well I'd say you better get your ass in that bed, son," he said casually as he took another sip. Rico smiled, and I could feel it radiating off.
He closed the door and turned off the light, climbing in beside me. He had taken his shirt off, and I didn't realize what puberty had done for him.
He lifted the blanket up and scooted in while I turned the light off. He was facing my back, but I turned over when I felt the first tear drop. He pulled me close and rubbed my back as I poured myself into his chest.
"Lizzie, what's this?" A ghastly look crossed his face as his palm rolled over an incredibly painful spot on my lower back. I winced gently as he touched it. "N-no, Rico. S-stop.." I rolled backwards, further away from him. He flung himself on top of me and turned the lamp on, sitting up and pulling me up. "Lizzie, what the hell did they do to you?!" He gently lifted my tanktop. He grabbed my hand and a scream escaped from his lips. My eyes widened as I attempted to shut him up by covering his mouth. "Tuck, Tuck!" He kept screaming for his uncle, I begged him to stop.
Tuck ran in, scared to death. "What is it?!" He limped to us, and took a look at my back to moan loudly for his wife.
Rico sounded as if he was crying. "They branded her, Tuck," his fingers gently traced the outline of the word on my back. Tuck screamed for Mrs. Mae, his wife. She ran in with a huge metal first aid kit and laid me down on my stomach. Rico reached into his nightstand drawer and pulled out a joint, lighting it up.
"So you don't feel anything." He stuck it in my hand and looked at Tuck.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Tuck..."
Tuck pulled out his cigar and lit it with Rico's lighter.
"What the hell do you think I was doing when I was eighteen, boy?" Tuck laughed.
Two hours later, the joint had worn off and I could feel everything Mrs. Mae was doing. She had worked as a military doctor, so she got rough a few times, but it was sufficient. I was finally able to sit up.
"Thank you, Mae," I hugged her and Tuck together, smiling soft at Rico. Tuck made sure we had enough pain pills and drugs, then left to go back to his coffee and recliner.
Rico and I laid in silence for nearly an hour. "Are we going to avoid talking about the word 'burn' being branded onto you?" He laid down beside me, after helping me get comfortable.
"I couldn't stop it, Rico. They tied me up, and..." My voice trailed off. Rico rubbed my stomach very pristinely.
"Did your mom-?"
"Yes. She did.." I nodded. Rico pulled me in as gently, and as close as he could, and planted a kiss on my shoulder.
"I should've protected you. I should've been there, Lizzie, to stop them from-"
"Rico, hush." I scooted into him as he wrapped his arms around me. As my eyes closed, I got a feeling I hadn't felt in a long, long time.

I was safe.