Stan pulled me into the cold house, or maybe I was just cold. I hadn’t taken my medicine in a while, but I had a couple of my heart regulation pills in my pockets. I looked up nervously at Stan, whose eyes were a dark, cold color. He flipped a light on.
“Dad. I have someone I want you to meet…” He whispered.
There was a man lying on the couch, he sat up slowly with a blunt in his lips. He had a handsome face like Stan’s, and brown hair that fell down his shoulders. He looked me up and down with hungry, beady eyes, and I gripped Stan’s shoulder, immediately feeling like a piece of meat.
“Well,” His dad said. He had a country accent and a playful voice. “Dakota, you done real good. I see you got a sweet piece of chocolate for once. A bit skinny but…Not bad.”
The man got up and walked over to us, hitting me with a wave of beer and weed. I held my breath.
“The name’s Billy Sweet, and honey, I’m real sweet.” He winked at me and offered his hand, which I slowly shook. He made me feel gross. Stan was looking down at the floor.
“What makes you wanna be with a sorry punk like Dakota?” Billy Sweet belched before walking in the kitchen to retrieve another beer. I looked confused at Stan.
“Dad, nobody calls me Dakota but you,” Stan pointed out. “And I’d like to think I’m more of a man than you’d ever be.”
Billy Sweet laughed. “Your name would’ve been Dakota Sweet if your bitch of a mother hadn’t taken you from me. You ain’t a man. Hell, sometimes I even thought you were gay. You always wanting to be with that little rascal Wyatt instead of hanging around your Dear Old Dad. But now I see you just wanted to keep this sweet piece of chocolate ass away from me, huh?”
“Shut the fuck up! I never stayed around because you’re a fucking cunt. And Mom had every right to take me away from your bitch ass. I was trying to be nice and introduce you to the girl I love and you wanna start shit, of course. Stop talking about Kat like that, I'll slit your goddamn throat, bastard.” Stan pushed him to the floor. I felt dizzy, scared and I knew I needed to get out of this house and take my medicine.
“Stan…Can we go…I need…I need to go.” I whispered. He looked down at his father, looking as if he wanted to kill him. I grabbed his fist and slowly it relaxed into my hand. “You can stay with me tonight.”
Stan looked at me, and all his anger seemed to melt away. “Okay, princess.”
He opened the door and helped me down the steps, then he opened the car door.
“You cold baby?” He asked, noticing my shivering. I shook my head but he put his jacket over my shoulders and kissed my cheek anyways.
As we were pulling out of the driveway, I noticed Billy Sweet laughing at us through the front window of the house, and I could understand why Stan could be so heartless at times.
