"What do you want to do?" Henry and I stand in the dark hallway facing each other. He walks into the kitchen and I follow, keeping my eyes trained on his father.
If I could even call him that.
The boys are at the kitchen table, talking in a hushed voice until they see us. "Hank," Victor mumbles. "You guys can leave," Henry says abruptly. Belch grabs his keys and stands. "Come on, Lori," I start to walk to him, but Henry grabs my arm. "She's staying." His words ring through my ears, his fingers press firmly into my skin. Belch looks confused. "Really, I can drive her," Patrick smirks as Henry mumbles some excuse about how he needed some help with some things and he'd get me home somehow. "Well, we could help and then take her home,"
"Belch you fucking idiot, I said no!"
"Thanks anyway, Belch," I say to the boy, trying to lessen the blow of Henry's hurtful statement. "I appreciate it." He nods and ushers the boys out the side door. Then it's just me and Henry again.
"Do they know?" I mutter, staring straight ahead at where they were. "Not all of it." All of it. I feel my eyes burn, my lips part, releasing a shaky sigh. I reach down and grab his elbow in my hand, before placing my other one over my mouth to avoid sobbing. He tenses up and turns to me. "You don't have to cry." He says as if my crying was making me look weak. "Do I know all of it?" He shakes his head.
"Lorraine, you need to keep your mouth shut about this,"
"What?"
"If anyone finds out, it's my ass, and then yours." He threatens. I feel my blood run cold.
"Henry,"
"I mean it." I see the sincerity from only a while ago is long gone and he's back to putting up his front.
I might only have known Henry for a while, but he's easy to read. He's prideful and full of anger and hate. But there's a small part of him that is hurt and terrified and not being able to do anything about it is an incredibly heavy load on my shoulders.
I hear a knock on the front door that startles me. "Lorraine. That would be your dad." Butch gives me a dangerous look. "Did you call him?" Henry asks in my ear. I shake my head. The door opens revealing my father, clad in paint covered jeans and a faded flannel.
He grins at Butch, shaking his hand. He sees me still holding onto Henry's arm and arches an eyebrow.
"Young love, ain't it Butch?" I feel Henry rip his arm from my grasp. "No it's not!" He declares. Despite my dad laughing it off, Butch gives Henry a look that makes me want to hide the boy away where his father couldn't ever find him. "Is that how we talk to company, boy?" His voice is low and gruff, like a growl. Henry averts his eyes quickly and mumbles, "No sir."
"You've got 'em on a tight leash here." My dad jokes. The officer nods. "That's what I believe in, discipline and consequence." I feel sick to my stomach. "Yeah, that's not all you believe in," I mutter bitterly. Henry grabs my wrist discreetly, crushing it. "Shut the fuck up." He whispers through gritted teeth.
"Well, Lorraine and I will just be going." My dad ushers me out the door and I take one last look at Henry before Butch closes the door.
-
I walk into my room, where Charlie is reading a magazine on her bed. She looks up at me briefly.
I drop my backpack onto the floor and begin to change into my pajamas.
"You sure were gone a while."
"Listen, why don't you keep your damn mouth shut, I've got some personal shit to think about,"
