There's an Invisible Man Sleeping in My Bed

Chapter 18

            Greenfield Park was only really known as “the park.” Being the only park near their high school, Thalia couldn’t really blame her fellow students for their lack of imaginations. Especially not when she called it that as well.

            It was the same as it always was. One corner of the park was covered in a mix of pine and elm trees, putting one of the three wooden picnic tables in the shade. One of the other tables flanked the play structure, the monkey bars, slide, and swings all seeing as much use by stoned high schoolers as by elementary students. The last one sat chained to the lone maple in the park, a huge tree whose leaves were softly rustling in the gentle breeze. It was that table that they walked towards.

            “This is stupid,” Ruth said, folding her arms over her chest.

            “No one asked you to come,” William retorted, eyes on the five boys sitting on the table and leaning against the tree ahead. Cody, Adam, and Kyle, Will’s usual companions on visits to the park, doing the same.

            “I had to come when I saw Thalia with her first aid kit. If I leave her here alone, who knows what kind of nonsense you’ll get her pulled into.”

            Thalia shushed her friend as they got within earshot of the boys by the table. The faces of the four she could see were unfamiliar, making it obvious that they went to the other high school. She couldn’t imagine why they’d felt the need to come all the way across town to call out her cousin, but she was aware that most of what Will got himself involved with left her confused.

            William eyed the strangers, his gaze lingering longest on the black-haired boy with the bruise on one cheek, as they stopped a few feet away from the table. “What’s this about, Dietrich? I thought we had an understanding.”

            “Understandings can be changed,” he replied, pushing himself off the tree, his eyes flickering briefly to his back-up.

            “You know that ours has been good for both of us. I don’t see why you’d want to go and change things now.”

            “You’re not the only strong fighter in town.”

            As if that had been his cue, the boy who’d been sitting with his back to them turned to face them, the two boys that sat between their groups moving so his view was clear. Thalia couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips. The dark blue eyes, just as cold and flat as she remembered them, and the curly blond hair that seemed to epitomize evil in her mind, were the same features that had haunted her nightmares for nearly a year. It was only when she’d heard he’d been sent to Juvie that she’d been able to relax and stop looking over her shoulder for him.

            She didn’t know if he heard the gasp or just sensed her fear, but his gaze fell on her. For a second he stared at her, face disinterested. Then recognition flooded his features and he smiled at her. Thalia took a step back, her hand going white-knuckled around the handle to her first aid kit.

            “I remember you. You’re Wilma’s cousin. How is the runt? I’d love to catch up with him.”

            Thalia glanced at Will, and felt what little colour was still in her face leave. His fists were tightly clenched, she could see how tense his jaw was and the way his eyes had hardened as they took in Brant. As badly as he frightened her, she knew it was infinitely worse for Will. Brant had only hit her once. For her cousin, it’d been a weekly occurrence, and that without counting the taunting he’d been forced to endure day in and day out before the incident.

            She edged closer to Will, preparing herself to grab him in case he tried to rush in suddenly. Brant noticed her movement, raising both eyebrows, still wearing his twisted smile. “Oh. So you’ve found yourself someone stronger, huh? Not that that’d be hard. I mean, other girls are stronger than Wilma. But that’s okay. I have business with your boyfriend as well. And after I’m finished here, we can both go visit little William.”

            Cody, Adam, and Kyle were now staring at Will, worry and fear evident on their features. Thalia shared their worry but hers eclipsed theirs. They only knew that Brant had used two of the four words guaranteed to light Will’s fuse. She knew that Brant was the one responsible for the old nickname that Will still hated, and that he’d spent two years mercilessly tormenting her cousin.

            Brant turned his attention to Will, giving him a once-over. “So I’ve heard that since I’ve been gone, you’ve come along and taken the title of strongest. I’m impressed that some unknown like you was able to take over like this. But, that doesn’t really matter. I’m here to take the title back. So what do you say, Liam? Ready to fight?”

            Seeing the way her cousin’s shoulders tensed up, Thalia grabbed his hand. When he looked at her, she shook her head. “Don’t do it, Will. It’s not worth it.”

            “Will? Will?” Brant said, taking a step forward and staring hard at the other boy. His eyes widened and a moment later, so did his grin. “It is you. I’d never have believed it was you, Wilma! Why, you’ve actually grown.”

            William turned his eyes back to face Brant. “My name is Liam,” he said, his voice tight with barely contained emotions. “Only two people in the world are allowed to call me Will. And no one gets to call me Wilma. I suggest you remember that.”

            “Ooh, talking tough now. Quite a change from your usual tears. Seriously, what did you eat to turn yourself into an actual guy?”

            “Shut up.”

            Brant laughed, holding his arms wide. “Make me.”

            It seemed to Thalia like she only blinked once when suddenly everyone was standing, fists clenched and eyes on the other group. She opened her mouth to try and stop Will again, but Ruth’s hands gently pulled her back. “There’s nothing you can do right now. They were always going to fight. We need to stay out of the way unless they need help.”

            Thalia shook her head and looked back towards the boys just in time to watch them all surge towards each other. She wanted to shout and try to pull them apart, just like she had back then, but she was no longer taller than her cousin’s attackers.

 Cody, Kyle, and Adam were each fighting one person, while Will was defending himself against both Dietrich and Brant. Two heartbeats later and even Thalia could tell her cousin was turning the fight against the other two, the karate he’d been taking ever since the incident clearly outclassing the simple brawling the other two engaged in.

They obviously noticed it too, because a moment later, Brant broke away and ran towards her, a dark smile on his face.