Blackburn Residence, 1989
I can hear them screaming at each other, and it’s kind of scary. I’ve never known Hoyt to raise his voice before, but he’s really pissed off tonight. After Millie chased Red away, I came running over here to see if she had come back home, ‘cause I was gonna take her back to my tree house if she did.
I sneak over to the window and look inside. For once in her life, Doreen looks scared of Hoyt, and I can see why. His face is bright red and he’s got her backed into a corner.
I should probably leave and get some help, but I wanna see what’s gonna happen, so I reach my slender fingers under the window sill and bring it up just enough that I can hear what’s going on inside.
“How long have you been doing this? Don’t fucking lie to me!” he screams at her.
I jump.
He’s definitely a different person when he’s angry, and I’m glad Red isn’t here to see it, ‘cause she doesn’t need to be scared of her dad, too—she’s got enough people to be afraid of.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Doreen screams back at him.
“You fucking bitch—I’ll fucking kill you, I swear to God,” he seethes, taking another step toward her.
I bite my lip and slide the window back down. If he wants to get rid of Doreen, I’m gonna help him. I don’t like the way she treats Red and how she’s always hitting her and sending her to Jake’s house. She knows what he does to her, ‘cause Red told her once and she told her to shut her mouth about it.
I can feel myself getting angry so I’m gonna put it to good use. I creep around the side of the house, making sure I’m hidden in the shadows until I get to the back door, and turn the handle upward instead of down. They don’t know it, but I’ve been sneaking into their house whenever I can to get Red. I always bring her back before the sun comes up, but I just like being around her and I know how to make her smile when she’s crying.
She’s someone who likes having me around, and I’ve never had that before. She’s my best friend, and I’m not gonna let anyone hurt her ever again.
I quietly walk into the kitchen and close the door behind me. Hoyt’s yelling has calmed down some, and it’s Doreen’s turn now. She’s screaming at him like she has a right to be mad. Like she’s the one who’s been getting beaten, touched by her uncle, and having a bunch of bad words thrown at her.
My eyes glance around the kitchen counter and I smile when I see a meat hammer sitting on a cutting board next to a big slab of beef. It looks like Hoyt interrupted her in the middle of making dinner, but she doesn’t need to worry about finishing anymore.
I walk over and grab it, then make my way to the living room, where they’re having their fight. I gasp and move back a little when Hoyt suddenly walks down the hall, and I’m worried he’s seen me, but when he doesn’t turn around, I know he hasn’t.
I crouch down behind the door frame and wait until he comes back a few moments later. He’s a blur of anger and dark clothes, his boots heavy on the wooden floor as he disappears back into the living room. I think I saw him holding a box, but I’m not too sure ‘cause he moved so fast.
“I’m going to collect my child,” he says to Doreen quietly. “You can have this fucking house and everything in it, but you’re never seeing Gracie again.”
Panic goes through me like a shock wave. If he takes Gracie and leaves, that means I’ll never see her again, either, and that’s not fair! I didn’t do anything to her for him to take my best friend away!
With a grunt of pure rage, I run out from the kitchen, into the living room, and straight to Doreen. She loses her footing and falls back down on the couch ‘cause she wasn’t expecting anyone else to be in the house.
I raise the hammer over my head and bring it down onto her skull as hard as I can. She lets out a scream, but I hit her again and again until she’s gurgling and her eyes start to fix on the wall behind me.
“Jori!”
Hoyt grabs me by the shoulders and pulls me off her, wrestling the hammer out of my hand. It’s hard to breathe when I’m this angry, but if Doreen is gone, Red can stay here.
“I’m not done,” I shout, trying to wriggle out of his grip, but he’s a heck of a lot stronger than I am.
“What did you do?” he yells, turning me to face him and shaking me by the shoulders. “What the fuck did you do?”
“You were gonna leave. You were gonna take Red with you, and I was never gonna see her again, and she’s the only person who cares about me,” I shoot back, hot tears rolling down my cheeks. “You can’t take my best friend away!”
Hoyt pulls me toward him and puts an arm around me, the hammer resting against my back. He’s breathing really fast right now, but I think it’s ‘cause now, he’s scared of me.
I wipe away the tears angrily and look up at him. I don’t care if Doreen dies; I don’t care if he hates me for the rest of my life, but Red is staying with me.
He takes a deep breath and lets it out in a long rush.
“Okay. Okay; take this box and get out of here. I’ll take care of this,” he says, nodding at Doreen behind me. She’s not making any more sounds, so I think she’s gone to sleep now, but when she wakes up, she’ll know better than to mess with Red again. She’ll know I’m not scared of her, and I’ll beat her up worse next time if she tries it.
Hoyt shoves the box into my hands, puts a hand on top of my head, and looks into my eyes for a moment.
“Go home, Jori. Make sure you take good care of my baby for me, okay?” he says, a tear rolling down his face. “Everything you’ll need for a while is in there, and I don’t want you to ever tell Gracie what happened here tonight, understand?”
I nod, even though I don’t.
“Leave your shirt here; I’ll get rid of it,” he says, holding out his hand. I place the box on the table for a second to pull my shirt off and hand it to him, and when he takes it, a sad smile crosses his face.
“Gracie’s lucky to have a friend like you.”
I square my shoulders back proudly and take one last look at Doreen’s sleeping body. Her bones are sticking out of the half of her face I can see, and I think I can see some of her teeth on the floor. I tilt my head to the side for a second or two, and stare just a little bit longer. If Hoyt hadn’t stopped me, I bet I could have made her look like that half beaten meat on the counter.
I almost forget he’s standing behind me until he gives me a gentle nudge and I grab the box and run out the front door.
I’m not sure what Hoyt’s gonna do, but I’m sure I’ll find out tomorrow when I come check on Red. As my shoes slap the pavement and I run back home as quickly as I can, I know things will be okay. He won’t get into too much trouble though, ‘cause he didn’t do anything wrong.
It was me.