In The Sight of These Hills (Dolan Twins)

Of Cold Faucets and Walks Home

Chapter 2: Of Cold Faucets and Walks Home

Grayson grabbed Ethan off the ground instantly as the sharp laughter rang into the afternoon's chilly wind. What the hell was wrong with these people? How would anyone think that was okay to do to anyone?

Ethan's hands were slick with congealed blood and the side of his face was imprinted in gore from his jaw up to his hairline. Gray pulled him to his side, and then behind him. Some students were taking pictures of them. The click of the phone cameras rang in their ears.

Grayson's balled his hands into first, his dull fingernails digging sharp crescent moons into the flesh of his palms. His upper lip twitched slightly, but that was the only indication that he was upset. No, not upset. Pissed.

He could feel in it the beating of his heart and felt his ears begin to warm. Ethan pawed at his face shamefully, his eyes down cased, and he was fighting back tears. He would not start crying like a little bitch. He wouldn't.

Ethan wasn't supposed to cry, he was supposed to fight back, he was supposed to throw punches. Neither Gray nor Ethan ever fought back, though. That wasn't in their nature. 

After all, everything was eventual, everything came to an end. This too would come to an end. That was the same with high school, and that was what they told themselves, and told each other.

But this was now, and Grayson wanted nothing more as to slam his fists into Jake's idiotic face until blood spurred out of his nose. He wanted to get him on the ground. He wanted to make Jake hurt, wanted to kick him in his ribs until they broke. He wanted to make him bleed. He imagined it in his mind's eye at that moment, and he imagined doing it to everyone who laughed: Nate, Alex, and Jack; Jake's little cronies.

And even to the people who weren't really laughing, for that matter; the ones who looked like they were placing masks over their faces because that was what they were taught to do. They were laughing because it was cool, and maybe because they were afraid not to.

"Well, it looks like mother and son had a reunion," snarled Jack, and that spurred more laughter. Nate slammed his hand on his shoulder playfully as though in agreement. Jake looked at Ethan with disgust, and then at Grayson whose body was partially in front of his brother's.

"Freakin' bitches," Jake puffed to the wind.

And maybe it was then that something broke in Grayson. They say a person can only take so much before they snap. Gray felt in his throat, at first. It was like being on the edge of a bridge and not caring if he stepped back onto the road or over the side.

Grayson let his hands go slack at his sides. He blinked a few times at Jake and took a small step forward, opening his mouth. What came next made everybody freeze.

"If you ever touch my brother again, I will kill you."

There was no falter, no pause.

Those words rang in the air as if they were the truest thing ever spoken.

Gray was looking at Jake in way that if looks could kill, he would have been long dead.

Nobody had talked to Jake like that before. Ever. Especially not the twins. The expression on Jake's face was one that had never been seen before at Morrison High; his jaw slack as though his parents had just told him he had been adopted. The look that Jake gave Grayson then was priceless, and Gray wished he had his polaroid with him to take a snapshot for their wall.

Ethan seemed to choke behind him in shock. Before anyone could say anything else, Grayson was pulling his brother along; his large hand on Ethan's lower back protectively. They walked across the soccer field.