Cheating The Deck [boyxboy]

Cheating The Deck {13}

                                                                                ***Ace's POV***

                Everyone had a breaking point.

                I reached mine when I was 16 years old, sick of being under the control of my father. Sick of my aunt smacking me around when my father wasn't there to stop her. Sick of my cousin hitting me when he lost his temper. I was sick of trying to be a golden son to a father who would never let me reach that goal.

                By the time I hit my breaking point, I was overflowing with years and years of pent up anger. I began to talk back to teachers and deal back blows to my cousin.

                I didn't bow to anyone. Not anymore.

                It always threw me off when people did nice things. There was no reason to do a nice thing for someone who would never repay the favor. No reason to show kindness to someone you didn't even like.

                And yet Jack had given me the CD. He knew what I was about, but he did something nice anyways. He was a fool, and fools never lasted long in this world.

                I looked at the CD, opening it and looking at the date scribbled on the back. I couldn't understand Jack.

                Shutting the CD case, I set it down and got up. I left my bedroom and paused as I heard voices faintly drifting out of Ike's room.

                I crept over, pressing my ear to his door and listening. Ike never let people into his room.

                "...just saying that it's getting out of control." Jer's voice.

                "I don't know what you want me to do about it. I'm not Alexis." Ike.

                "We can't let this keep going. He's getting dangerous." Jer sounded angry now. "Man, I grew up with parents so hopped up on drugs that they couldn't think for themselves, but I was safer in that house than this one. He's going to start getting more physical about shit. Strike him, he'll only hit back twice as hard."

                "What do you want me to do about it, Jericho? You, me, and Christian, we got a few normal years before things went south. Not Ace. He never had a chance. He was born a goddamn tragedy."

                I clenched my fists. I wasn't some tragedy. I'd gotten myself out of that shitty situation and dragged every shred of my dignity with me.

                "Well if we don't do something, he's going to die a goddamn tragedy too. He'll just be another dead kid you skim over in the obituaries," Jer said.

                "All of us run that risk. We die, and who mourns us?" Ike said.

                "You still have a family. Besides, we mourn each other. You better mourn me when I'm dead, you piece of shit. I'm not afraid to haunt you," Jer threatened.

                "I'll see how you mourn Ace, first. At the rate he's spiraling down, it won't be long before he joins his dignity in death," Ike said.

                I stormed away from his door and down the stairs. I left the house, yanking the door shut as I went.

                I wouldn't be dead anytime soon. I was going to survive this life no matter what I came up against. I always had.