Page 35 of Make Me Scream
“Morning, Abel,” Bill says from where he stands on the stoop. We all draw back in surprise—well, me and Ma. Abel doesn’t look surprised at all. He simply strides right past Bill.
“Hey. Ready for this shit?” His clothes are so baggy, the way they hang off his body would be comical if it didn’t suit his personality so well. Ma and I stand in the doorway, watching the interaction.
“Are you?” Bill asks as he finds his place beside Abel. There are two cars parked out front—a black Suburban and an old blue Honda. Abel and Bill make their way to the Suburban. Abel completely ignores Lucy, where she’s parked along the curb, her fingers tapping impatiently on her car door. Bill makes his way over to her and bends over into the window. They exchange words for a minute or two—I can’t be sure. My eyes don’t leave Abel’s once he’s seated in the passenger seat.
He crosses his arms over his narrow chest and bows his head, letting his hair fall in front of his crooked face, obscuring my view. But that’s okay. I simply watch the rest of him—the way his deep breaths make his hair swing back and forth and how the sun highlights the yellow streaks in his normally silver hair.
He’s as ugly as he is beautiful.
I startle at the sound of Bill’s door slamming closed. He starts the vehicle up, and with a few silent words spoken to Abel, he backs out of the drive and follows Lucy to whatever the fuck hole she crawled out of.
The deafening silence we’re left in feels as if it’s puncturing my ear drums. The wind is whipping around, a cold bitterness filling the air, which feels apt.
It’s not until Ma shivers that I’m pulled from my stupor. “Come on.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and guide her inside. Her melancholy is heavy. I feel its weight pressing down on her as I lead her to the couch. “Let’s watch a movie.”
“I should probably check on the turkey,” she says as she tries to stand. I gently push her back down, a small smile on my face.
“I’ve got it. Why don’t you find something, and I’ll bring us some snacks.”
“A movie day?” she says, a small smile on her lips, even with the sheen in her eyes. It shatters my fucking heart seeing this sadness in her—knowing it’s because she’s going to lose another kid.
She didn’t lose me, but she lost a part of me, and now, she’s losing a part of Abel, and there’s nothing I can do about it. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to be the piece of shit kid I was and make her life a living hell like I did.
She deserves so much better than that.
“Yeah, Ma, a movie day.” I lean down and press a kiss to her forehead. “Any specific snacks you want?”
“No, but save the skittles, ‘kay?” I roll my eyes, and she reaches up and smacks my arm. “They’re for Abel, brat.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. No skittles. Got it.”
“And don’t forget to check on the turkey while you’re in there!” she calls, and I may mumble and mutter under my breath, but I grab snacks and check on the fucking turkey because my mom is a goddamn saint and she saved my life and she deserves the world, not the constant pain she keeps getting dealt.
CHAPTER 14
ABEL
“Well,I guess that could be worse,” I mutter as Bill pulls up in front of Lucy’s shitty apartment building. It’s old and rundown with some cracked windows and broken lights, but it’s only fifteen minutes across town—which is better than I was expecting.
“What is?”
“I thought I would have to switch schools again, is all,” I say as I watch my birth mother get out of her car and glance over at us. I look away.
“Nope. You get to graduate from Ardent High, kid.” Bill taps his fingers on the wheel, clearly waiting for me to make the first move, like I want any of this.
“Lucky me,” I deadpan and push open the door. Lucy’s fake, bright smile makes my stomach churn as I slowly make my way toward her, the toes of my shoes scraping the concrete with every step.
“Hey, baby. It’s good to see you!” she chimes, reaching toward me. The sight of her extended arms has my eyes shooting wide. I back up, avoiding her touch readily. Her arms fall, and her face drops, wounded. My lips curl in disgust as deep wrinkles form around her mouth.
“Well, let’s head inside, then,” she says with feigned cheerfulness and makes her way to the entrance, huge purse dangling from her elbow. The door is propped open with a rock, so we walk right inside the building. I roll my eyes becauseof course.We take the rickety stairs up two flights and down a long hall to number 232. Lucy pulls out her vast array of keys—who the fuck even needs that many keys?—and unlocks the door.
The first thing that hits me is the overwhelming scent of cigarette smoke. It’s pungent, and it clings to the yellow walls it coats, but surprisingly enough, I can see the floors and the place looks clean enough, if not a little cluttered.
“Well, come on in,” she says, pushing the door open and ushering Bill and I through before following and shutting it behind us. The resoundingsnickof the latch makes goosebumps rise along my arms and up my nape, and I can’t fight the shiver that wracks me.
“Cold?” Lucy asks from directly behind me. I jump and whirl around, shaking my head.
“Nope.”
