Page 43 of All the Ugly Things
“I’ll get him up, Dad, if you need to get to work.”
“Mind your own business, Lilliana. This is between Josh and me.”
I snorted and milk spilled out of my bowl and onto the counter. I considered it more of a family problem given how much effort we all went through to keep Josh clean. Me mostly. When he was home, he was still the overprotective brother he always used to be, pretty damn charming on his good, clean days. But now I was the caretaker. The number of times I shooed Dad out for work so he didn’t see Josh in a similar position to this were innumerable.
“Hey, Dad?”
“What?”
Sometimes distractions worked and he’d forget about his son with more problems than the tools needed to deal with them, but only if they were the right ones.
I took my chance anyway.
“I got an acceptance letter in the mail yesterday. From Purdue.”
Not only was it my dad’s alma mater, but I’d also received an academic scholarship. Not a full ride, but pretty damn important.
He ignored me. Apparently, his daughter’s achievement wasn’t the right distraction. I wasn’t surprised, but it still stung like always.
“Josh,” my dad said.
I read that tone as quickly as I’d read my acceptance letter. He was getting pissed. And Dad pissed usually meant Mom spent a few days in her room, or when he was really pissed, a couple days at a spa in Scottsdale, Arizona. My dad, the judge, tough on crime and all-around chauvinistic asshole. I hadn’t seen her yet this morning but that wasn’t usual. Mom usually slept until ten and started drinking by noon, although really, I couldn’t blame her. One misstep and it wasn’t Dad’s Ferragamo shoe in Josh’s stomach it was usually his fists to hers.
I jumped from my spot at the island and filled a glass of water. Before my dad’s shoe could shove Josh any harder or faster, I ran to Josh and dumped it on his face.
“Damn it, Lilliana. That has to be cleaned up now.”
No mention of Purdue. All he cared about was the water on his floor and that Josh was now groaning, rolling over on the tiled floor and swiping iced water from his face. “What the hell’d you do that for?”
I stomped back to the kitchen counter and dumped the rest of my cereal in the sink.
I wasn’t surprised my accomplishments went dismissed. My dad only had room in whatever kind of heart he had for one child, and I was born second.
11
Lilly
“Isuppose I no longer need to ask why you scheduled an emergency appointment.”
I had classes all day but I was skipping them. Nancy and I usually met once a month on Friday afternoons, but if I waited another twenty-four hours for our appointment, I was certain I was going to crawl out of my skin.
I’d called first thing, hobbling around my studio. Too terrified to go out in case Manny was there. Too terrified to sleep or stay inside in case he came home.
I was going on no sleep, a crashing adrenaline rush, and a whole hell of a lot of fear when my quaking hands finally managed to dial her number. Fortunately, possibly because I’dnevercalled for an additional appointment, Nancy got me right in.
“I’m not here about this.” I swiped at the mess of my face. Dried red blood still oozed from the scrapes at my temple. With makeup, a hell of a lot of it, most of my scrapes were covered. The bruises were dark, already turning. Even the most expensive makeup, which I couldn’t afford, couldn’t hide the fact I had gotten my ass kicked.
“Really, because that gash on your face is a pretty damn good reason.”
I liked my therapist. She didn’t sugarcoat anything.
“No. I have bigger issues than some asshole, although I do need to call Ellen after.”
Maybe she could help find me another place to live. Not that I had options to get away too soon.
“You’re sure?” Nancy took her seat and crossed her legs. On Fridays she always wore jeans. I assumed it was some casual code before the weekend, but today she wore something similar. Jeans with some fraying at the ankles done in a designer way, not reused and recycled, like my own. She had on a simple tank top with a fluffy collar, covering her arms with a black cardigan she was always either wearing or had draped over her chair. Her bright red flats were cute, something I would have bought for myself if I had the money.
Sighing, I collapsed into the chair across from her and tucked my feet beneath me, knees to the side.
