Sullivan Family: BOOK 2

XIV

"It's eleven at night, man." Hollis yawns. He hangs his head on the table and rubs at his eyes. "I'm tired. I just wanna sleep."

"Shut up." Odin hisses, his fingers clenched into fists. "You beg to stay up late every Saturday night!"

"Why did no one tell us the faculty changed? Why did no one mention Mr. Finn?" Ivan asks, his face sallow and his voice hollow. He sits at the head of the dining room table, fingers interlaced as they rest on top of the table.

"Only Huxley knew." Manny cries in exasperation. "Ask her!"

"You guys were supposed to be walking her to class!" Odin thunders, slamming his fist on the table. Because we are in our designated seats, I am sitting next to him. I flinch from the abrupt movement. Manny finds my hand under the table and slips his fingers through mine, offering me a tight-lipped smile.

"What has Mr. Finn said to you, Huxley?" Ivan asks, his voice cold and detached. Manny squeezes my fingers in a reassuring gesture. Emmett stares at me with hooded eyes. Levi and Ian lean back in their chairs, faking nonchalance.

"He, uh, he took pictures of me." I stutter out, jumping when Odin slams his fists onto the table.

"WHAT?!" He roars, standing up.

"What the fuck?" Ian gasps. He shakes his head, tears brimming in his eyes. "Fuck. I told you guys, it's that fucking curse!"

"Stop. She didn't specify what kind of pictures." Ivan says, his voice polite, although fear flares in his wounded brown eyes. He motions for Odin to sit back down. Hollis and Lukas stare at me, horrified looks on their faces. That's when I realize where their minds went when I said Mr. Finn took pictures. Ivan turns to me, running his shaky fingers through his hair. "What kind of pictures did he take, Huxley?"

"When I ran into Nana's basement door. He took pictures of my black eyes. Him and Mrs. Grace are convinced you, or Odin, are physically abusing me." I answer honestly, my voice shaky. I make a mental note to ask Ian about the curse he is so worried about.

"Thank goodness." Ian breathes out. He rubs at his wet eyes before his fingers drum restlessly on the table.

"'Cause Odin has." Hollis bites out bitterly.

"Shut up." Ian snarls, his face morphing into an ugly sneer. "You don't know what the fuck abuse is."

"Hell I don't!" Hollis exclaims, jumping up from his seat. His cup clatters on the table and his chair wobbles, ultimately staying on its legs.

"Language, both of you, please." Ivan intervenes. Ian scoffs, but acquiesces. Ivan has to stare Hollis down until he sits back in his seat.

"If he sees marks on me again, he's going to contact social services." I continue, unable to look at anyone. Manny is my lifeline through our interconnected hands.

"I thought that was Mrs. Grace?" Ivan questions. He wipes at his face and exhales deeply.

"It's both of them." I reply meekly, staring at the lip of the table. There are scratches etched into the wood from using it for so long. It's the only table we've had in the dining room, but most of the chairs have been replaced over the years after being broken from the boys wrestling and fighting.

"Why didn't you mention him then?" Odin snaps. His foot hooks around my chair and pulls me closer to him. My arm holding Manny's jerks painfully before our hands release.

"I–."

"Not good enough!" Odin snarls. I lean away from him, my eyes wide in fear.

"Let her speak." Ivan mediates, staring at Odin with unreadable eyes.