Page 4 of Bad to the Bone

“I bet you think you’re real fucking clever don’t you!” He’s drunk. I can smell the bourbon on his breath as he leans against my doorframe and watches me hatefully. Lucky for us both I don’t give a damn.

“I always thought I was mildly intelligent. Yes,” I answer, closing my laptop and putting it into my backpack. “Feel free to root around in here while I’m gone.”

“You think I can’t handle a little scandal like this. You haven’t ruined me. You haven’t ruined anything!”

“Why would I want to ruin you? I just want you to remember that your closet is full of skeletons, and you aren’t the only one with the key.”

“Did you really think something like this would be able to stop me? Do you know who you’re fucking with?”

“A drunk old hypocrite who has been spouting bullshit about family values while he fucks every piece of new pussy that has the misfortune of catching his eye?” I went a bit far there, so I’m not surprised when his hand comes down hard against my cheek.

“Nice to see you’re back to your old habits. I thought partial sobriety was getting a bit boring,” I say, begging for another blow, this one with a closed fist. That would be all the provocation I needed to finally hand him the ass-kicking he so desperately deserves. That would also look really bad in the tabloids.

Unfortunately, he restrains himself and I push past him and jog down the stairs with him in hot pursuit.

“Where are you going?”

“To have dinner at the Macmillian’s house.”

“What the fuck are you doing? We need to put up a united front now, after the little stunt you pulled. You need to be seen out with your family. Get a jacket on, we’ll all go out to dinner,” he orders, swinging his drink as he speaks.

“Sorry, you’ll have to wait for a family photo op. Right now I’m going to go and have dinner with the Macmillians.”

“Are you screwing that girl?”

“I told you, it’s not like that between us. But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about her and her aunt. I don’t know what your issue is with them, and I don’t care. Just leave me alone.”

He squints as if I just turned on all the lights in a dark room.

“What is it with you and her? Who is she to you?”

“Family,” I say.

I watch as all the color drains away from his face, and I get the sinking suspicion that I have hit the nail on the head. I try to keep my face immobile as I contemplate the possibility.

“You need to remember who your real family is, son. You need to remember who it was that loved you and raised you all these years.”

“Mom. And she’s cool with it,” I take my leave, trying to walk calmly down the driveway and pull out slowly.

I don’t have any proof yet, but I’m pretty sure I’ve got him by the short and curlies. I should be happy about that, but as I get closer to Kim’s house I realize that this presents a new challenge. As if we didn’t have enough obstacles to overcome already. Unfortunately, I don’t’ have the luxury of waiting for things to play out. I know Thomas Turner. He is going to find a way to drop a bomb on Kim if I don’t do something to stop him.

I pull into her driveway and turn off the car but I don’t get out. I grip the steering wheel tight and take deep breaths, trying to fight back the guilty feeling in my chest. Kim isn’t ready for this. I give her credit for holding up so well under the pressure of the town’s rumor mill and some of the ignorant things I know kids must say to her because it’s obvious that she is the odd man out at school. But, I also know that she is acutely aware of how alone she is, and that despite the fact that she doesn’t complain, she hates it. Of course she hates it.

“Are you coming in?” Shannon beckons me from the front door.

“Here I come,” I call, trying to sound normal, and failing miserably. Shannon’s mouth turns down into a frown and her forehead wrinkles. She cocks her head to the side as if she just asked a question and is waiting for an answer. My father makes the same face when he is telling off one of his underlings at work.

I grab my bag and slide out of the car.

“What happened?”

“Nothing much, just a fight with my dad,” I whisper as I walk past her.

“Okay. We’ll talk later?”

“You bet,” I wink at her and look around for Kim.

“She’s in her room,” Shannon says with a knowing smile.

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