Chapter Eight

 

Shock didn’t even begin to describe how I felt. I had so many questions, but the haunted look on X’s face told me not to ask him any, so I didn’t. I simply nodded. I didn’t want to go with him to his parents’ house, geez. It screamed bad idea, but I had no other choice. The time to leave came faster than X or I wanted it to. X was there extra early so he could pack my stuff for me. I told him he didn’t have to, but he just shot me an annoyed look and continued to do so anyway.

X bought good food while I was at the hospital. He said that there was no point in me eating crappy hospital food when he had a car. Now that we were leaving, he showed no signs of slowing down in the take-care-of-Aly department. The doctor gave me specific instructions for my injuries and X took notes on his phone. X helped me get into his super fancy car because my body was still really weak.

“I forgot how rich you were,” I said as he gently pushed me inside his Porsche.

“Yep, benefits of being a pro boxer with four national titles, I guess.” He laughed.

“X?” I said as he turned his keys in the ignition. “I don’t have a lot of money. I don’t have anything to offer you. I…”

“Shhh, Aly, this is weird. I get it. We just sort of met again, but the way I see it, you have no one and I have nothing better to do, so just let me help you. I expect nothing from you. You’d do the same for me. You know you would, okay?”

“Okay.” I tried to relax, knowing he was right. The car was quiet for a few minutes and then my stomach growled, loudly. It was the worst possible timing and my cheeks turned bright red.

“We’ll get food on the way.” X laughed.

I looked out the window as we drove down the highway. I was glad X had grabbed me comfy clothes to wear for the drive. I had on a red long-sleeve t-shirt with white capris and sneakers. It was perfect for a long car ride. I realized I had no idea how long the drive would be or where we were going.

“Hey, um, X?”

“Yeah,” he said as he stared straight ahead, gripping the wheel like his life depended on it. X had been tense since the second we left the hospital.

“Two things. One, where are we going? The city, I mean.”

He looked cold and unsure when he turned to me. “Gold River. It’s in northern California. The second thing?”

I lifted my hand, and he watched me carefully as I touched his knuckles, which were white from gripping the wheel so hard.

“Try and relax. I don’t understand what you are going through, and you don’t have to talk to about it, but I don’t want to be the cause of your pain.”

There was a long pause, then he turned back towards the road. “You aren’t hurting me, Aly.”

I stayed quiet for an hour and a half as we made our way down the highway. We stopped for food around the two-hour mark, and I ate it so fast that X busted out laughing and told me to remind him to feed me more. I was slightly embarrassed, but it was kind of funny. I love food. What can I say?

I tried to stay awake after that. I really did, but eventually sleep took over and I realized I was done fighting it.

 

I was relieved when Aly finally fell asleep. I think we both needed a break from each other. She needed a break from reality and all of my brooding. Plus, I needed time on the open road to think and call my parents.

We were over halfway there, and they still had no idea I was coming. Other than the checks I sent them and the occasional text letting them know I was alive or that I’d won a big match, I hadn’t seen or talked to them since the day I left. I drove for ten minutes in silence. I wanted to keep driving, but I had to call them while she was still asleep. I pulled over to the side of the road and double checked to make sure Aly was out cold. She was.

She was adorable and peaceful when she slept. Her neck was all the way back in the seat leaning against the seat, and her mouth dropped open slightly. I moved the hair out of her mouth and used the momentary peace she brought me to get out of the car and call my dad. He’d understand better than Mom would. The whole situation was bringing back flashbacks of the day I had to call my dad in the alley after beating the shit out of Ryan. I tried to clear my head, but the memories wouldn’t stop. Just one phone call; you can do it. It took every ounce of strength I had to hit the contact “Father” button on my phone. One, two, three rings went by before a very confused-sounding man answered the phone.

“Axel?” Dad asked in complete shock. I’d only ever texted them.

“Dad,” I said, in just as much shock as him. I turned back to Aly sleeping with her mouth open. I needed a reminder of why I was doing this. “I need your help.”

I could almost see Dad sitting up straighter on the other end of the phone.

“What’s wrong, Axel?”

I could hear the worry in his voice. The last time he heard those words, it wasn’t good. I’m not sure this time was any better.

“Dad,” I sighed. I felt fifteen again, fifteen and alone. Despite all the lengths I’d gone to separate myself from the broken seventeen-year-old boy I used to be, whenever I talked to my parents, the feelings came rushing right back.

“I have this… friend and she’s in trouble. I have to help her. We need a place to stay.”

“Axel, despite everything, you know you always have a home here, boy.” My dad continued gently, “Do you know what you are getting yourself into here, though? I just… you know.”

He didn’t have to say it. The situation with Sarah almost killed me. It put me in juvie and destroyed my relationship with my parents. Did I want to walk into another situation with another vulnerable girl? Yes. Because Aly wasn’t vulnerable; she needed help. It wasn’t the same. I would feel worse leaving her than whatever would come of me helping her.

“She doesn’t need me, Dad. We just need a place. I know what I am doing. I promise.” Do I, though?

“You’re a man now, Axel, and my son. I accept your decisions, despite how I feel about them sometimes.” I knew he was referring my years fucking, drinking, fighting, and smoking. “I suspect you will fill me on the details when you arrive.”

“Yes, as soon as we get there.”

“I will let your mother know. She’s going to be beyond happy to see you.”

“Okay. You do that.”

“I need to give you a warning, Axel, and I need you to listen real good here, boy. You can come here, but, and it’s a big but.” He sighed. “Ryan Oakland is in town. He still lives here. You need to be sure you can control yourself. It won’t help you, it won’t help us, and it definitely won’t help your lady friend if you lose it.”

RYAN FUCKING OAKLAND. My blood boiled. How was he out already?

“I’ll manage,” I spat out.

“Axel, “Dad warned, “I want here you here more than you know, but are you sure you can handle this? Really freakin’ sure, boy?”

“I have to handle it. I don’t know what else to do with her. I was going to help her get a place, but this nurse is under the impression she needs some parental influence or some shit like that. Her parents suck, so mine will have to do. Plus, I need your advice on something. Your help.”

“You don’t think your parents suck?” he asked. He meant for it to sound like a joke, but I could tell there was a deeper meaning behind his words.

“Are we going to have this talk now?” I snapped back.

Dad sighed deeply. “When do you arrive?”

“About two hours.”

“Oh, way to give me notice.”

“Yeah, I was delaying this call.”

“See you then, Axel.”

“Warn Mum,” I said quickly.

“Oh, I will.”

With that, the phone clicked shut, and I looked over to see if Aly was still sleeping. Yep, still out. I laughed to myself. I let all the emotions simmer inside me as I rode down the street to my version of hell. When we were an hour away, I heard rustling beside me and saw Aly stretching.

“Sleeping Beauty wakes,” I joked.

She shot up. “What … where are we? She rubbed her eyes as she tried to remember the details of her day.

“On the road to my parents. An hour out.”

She nodded, and we sat there in silence until we saw the “Welcome to our City” sign popped up in our peripherals. I was white-knuckling the wheel, trying to contain my anger, my hurt, and my fear—all the emotions this place stirred up in me. Everything bad inside of me, everything dark, came from this place.

“X?” I heard Aly’s voice say quietly as we approached my parents’ street. I grunted in response.

“Are you okay? We don’t have to do this. I can go somewhere else. I’ll figure it out. We can turn around and go.”

I ignored her. There was nothing to say. That wasn’t an option. I knew it wasn’t. She knew it wasn’t. She was just a good person who hated to see me hurting. Finally, we approached the driveway, and I pulled in quietly. We both sat there unmoving once the car was parked. She was waiting for my direction, and I was frozen. Scared shitless. I stared straight ahead, and then I just lost it.

“FUCKKKK!” I yelled, slamming my fists on the wheel over and over. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

Aly looked scared for a moment, but it took her barely a second to put her hands on my arms and gently ease them down. I noticed the soon-to-be scar on her arm and was somehow able to stop yelling.

“Please tell me why are you hurting so much. Please,” she begged. Her eyes were pleading for honesty. I reached for the handle, but she stopped me. “Tell me before we go inside. Maybe I can help.”

“You can’t. Besides, I’m sure it will all unfold in time, and all your ridiculous curiosities will be fulfilled.”

I got out and slammed the door behind me. I heard her call my name, but I ignored her. I was an ass, but I was hurting so fucking bad and didn’t want to be here. She eventually got out and stayed in place, unsure of what to do. I felt the same way.

I texted Dad we were out front, and within a minute, my tiny little mother and giant of a father were walking down the porch. My dad looked stern and was clearly assessing me and my mom looked nervous as could be. Aly was standing next to me at this point, and there was awkward silence before Aly decided to jump in and break the awkward silence between us. She took a step towards my parents and extended her hand politely.

   “Hello, I’m Aly Abernathy. I know this must be an inconvenience to you and I just wanted to tell you I’m truly grateful to you both for letting me stay here for a bit until, well, I know what I’m going to do. I’ll be out of your hair soon,” she said with a charming smile.

I enjoyed seeing the look of shock on my parents’ faces as I leaned back against my car casually with my arms crossed. All they’d heard about me since I left was what a drug-filled man-whore I was.

A guy who rules the ring. Who has power.

Now I showed up at their door years later with a girl who seemed like she should be the poster child for a volunteer organization. They looked downright stunned. It took them a few seconds to gather themselves and make their appropriate introductions. I stayed quiet. This was going to be a long trip. A trip I told Dad I was ready for and in that moment, I realized I wasn’t so sure.

 

X’s parents were nothing like I thought. They were normal, exceedingly so. I don’t know what I was expecting. X was so intense, angry, and mysterious, I never suspected he would have two average folks for parents.

Meeting them was awkward. It couldn’t have been clearer that X and his family hadn’t spoken in years. His parents were trying to be polite to me, but they seemed more surprised by me than anything else. They also seemed enthralled with their son. They waited for him to say something, do something, or give any indication he didn’t completely hate being there. It never came. He stood back and observed everyone. I stood in the middle trying to act confident and make conversation, but I was really just confused. Why did he hate them so much? They seemed so nice.

Another thing that was weird was them always calling him Axel. I had just learned his name and hearing it spoken constantly was a little unusual at first. It was as if they were referring to somebody else, someone I hadn’t met yet. Eventually, his mom invited us all inside. X and his dad were in the midst of making intense eye contact, so I decided to grab our luggage out of the car. X’s parents were already inside by the time I rounded the corner with our heavy bags in tow. The bags were so heavy I was limping along trying to get them to the house. X hadn’t moved from his spot by the car, but when he saw me limping, he jumped up and grabbed both of the bags.

“What the hell are you doing? You’re healing!” he snapped, whipping the bags out of my hand.

“I was just trying to be helpful. Don’t yell at me, X,” I said quietly.

He nodded, but I could tell he felt bad. He gestured for me to come inside and I followed. Both of his parents were standing by the stairs. His dad was straight-stanced, neutral, unreadable, like X, and his mom seemed extremely anxious. She kept fidgeting and looking at X and then looking away. It was so clear she loved him dearly but didn’t know how to talk to him. That made me sad. X barely looked at his mom. X’s dad, on the other hand, seemed to be able to read the room without saying a single word. Just by body language alone, I could tell X respected his father. While I was busy evaluating everyone, and inspecting the white and burgundy home, I heard X’s mom’s voice break the silence that had once again ensued.

“I made sandwiches if anyone is hungry,” she said hurriedly. “Axel, I made your favorite… or what was your favorite? Aly, Hun, I didn’t know what you like, so just let me know if you don’t like cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches. It’s a little weird, but it’s a favorite around here,” she said with a small smile.

“Oh thank you. I eat anything. Literally. That sounds delicious.”

Everyone laughed at that, and we all walked into the kitchen. I immediately honed in on the sandwiches that were sitting on the table. They were cut in fours. My mouth started to water and I waited for someone to make the first move. No one did and I wasn’t willing to wait around for their silent battle to end. I immediately grabbed three pieces. X and his mom raised an eyebrow at me. X’s mom threw X a look, and he turned to her casually.

“I’m feeding her, I swear. She’s always hungry. Well, she has been lately.”

He meant to say I’d been starving ever since I spent five days in a storage closet being tased and knifed without food. It was true, though, ever since then, I’d been a non-stop eating machine.

“Well,” his mom smiled,“ eat as much as you like while you’re here, Aly.”

“We should get settled and all that,” X butted in.

“Of course,” his mom said. Both parents looked at each other.

“Boy, you can arrange the sleeping situation,” his father said eventually. “The couch is available, and we have extra blankets if needed.”

With that, X grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room.

“He calls you ‘boy,” I said blankly.

X reached down to grab our bags.

“Yeah, he does.” X trudged up the stairs and I ran to keep up with him.

“Are you sure I can’t help you?”

“No, Aly. You are healing. Your body is still in rough shape. Do you understand that?”

I nodded. “I was wondering why you always called me ‘girl’ when we first met. You still do sometimes, now I get it. Your dad calls you ‘boy.’ It’s a thing.”

He shot me a look.

He took me into a small bedroom to the left of the stairs. It was the only room upstairs, other than an open sunroom. X set our bags on the bed. I looked around and realized this was X’s old room. There was new furniture, but some of the same boxing posters and things were still up on the wall.

“This is your old room?” I said, looking around in amazement.

“Yeah,” he responded with a clenched jaw.

“Where are you going to sleep? “I only saw one bed and my anxiety was starting to spike.

“On the couch downstairs,” he said with an amused smile.

I relaxed. “No! I’ll sleep on the couch. This is your house. I will not let you sleep on the couch.”

X threw his head back, clearly lacking the patience to deal with me on top of whatever was else bothering him. “You are healing. Good God, woman! What can I do to get that into that pretty little head of yours? Other than when you jump out of your sleep lately, your reaction time is still delayed, some wounds are still healing, and I suspect at times you still get slight vertigo based on the way you walk, so you are taking the room. End of discussion.”

I huffed, but it was more out of guilt. “Are you sure this is okay? Me being here? It’s causing tension in your family.”

“Aly,” X said, finally softening up. “Don’t you worry about the tension. Besides, this is long overdue.”

“But what if Dad or Brandon finds me here? What if…”

“Shh,” X said gently.

He walked up to me; he was so close that I was sure he could hear my heart pounding in my chest. He grabbed my shoulders and squeezed them.

“They won’t find you here. We didn’t go to Seattle because they may try and track you there. But these people are cowards, not career criminals. You’ll be safe here. We are in the middle of nowhere.”

“Okay, I just don’t want anything to happen to you guys,” I whispered.

“Nothing will, Aly,” X said softly.

“Thank you, X. Thank you so much.”

X pulled away and nodded. “Get unpacked. I’m going to leave a few of my things in here, but it won’t be anything crazy. The room will be yours.”

“Leave whatever you want. It’s your room. I don’t have many things anyway.”

“When you are unpacked, come downstairs. I’m sure my mom will be preparing some actual dinner. She’s a great cook. Don’t forget to drink water. You still have to make sure you are well hydrated.”

“Okay, Dad.”

X flashed me an amused grin. “Don’t call me Dad. It confuses things.”

My jaw dropped, and with a slight chuckle, X walked out.

What was going on? I had to make a plan to get my life sorted out. I couldn’t stay here. I needed a life. My own life. That was the whole point of me leaving in the first place.