32. Bellamy

THIRTY-TWO

bellamy

That evening, Hendrix and I crept through the dark alleyways running between the trailers until we came to Nikki's.

I dropped my backpack to the gravel, then rifled through it for the two glass bottles of gasoline and the tattered cloths.

Hendrix snatched one from my hand, immediately cramming the rag into the neck. "I'm doing this because I hate Nikki and I like burning shit, not because I like Drew."

"Whatever, man."

Was what we were about to do shit? Absolutely, just like half the crap we did. But Nikki had pulled a knife on Drew, and like hell was she getting away with that.

Hendrix took a lighter from his pocket. "Why are you doing it, Bell?"

Because I liked Drew. "Because we have a reputation to uphold, asswipe."

Hendrix struck the flint, the flicker of the flame catching the cock of his brow. "She must suck a good dick."

Sometimes I hated him.

We lit the bombs, hurling them across the trailer park before we took off running. We made it over one chain-link fence before the flash of fire lit up the night sky.

Hendrix cackled as we booked it toward Wolf's, quickly scaling the ladder that always rested against the side of his house, then rolling ourselves onto the roof.

"Burn, baby, burn." Wolf laughed from his lawn chair, taking a puff from the joint permanently attached to his lips.

I collapsed into one of the other tattered chairs while Hendrix rummaged through the mini-fridge. "Aw, man. All you have is Natty Lite. That stuff tastes like piss." He slammed the fridge door and sank to the seat beside me, cracking one open anyway.

We sat there for a moment, basking in the glow of Nikki's burning car. I could hear her screaming at the top of her lungs from here.

"It's gonna explode," Wolf said with a wicked grin. "Any minute."

Hendrix leaned back in his chair, inhaling a deep breath. "Nothing like the smell of a car bomb to make you feel alive."

And there was no doubt—never had been—we were a little screwed up.

The red and yellow flames reached over the trailers' tops, sending a spiral of gray smoke up against the dark sky.

I didn't do this for my reputation. I did it because I was pissed. Few things in life enraged me: my shithouse dad, someone screwing with my family, and evidently, now, someone messing with my girl.

Wolf sat up. His narrowed gaze stared out over the trailer park. "Oh, shit. Here she comes."

About that time, I noticed a shadow moving down the dirt path.

"Bellamy!" Nikki shouted. "I know that was you!"

She stormed up to Wolf's trailer and stopped, hands on her hips as she stared up at his roof. "I'm going to send your ass to jail. Just like she did."

Hendrix cackled, then hurled his half-full beer can over the roof, right at her. "Shut up, Pepperoni Nips. We've been sitting here, drinking. All night."

"Bullshit!"

Wolf sighed. "You got any video footage to prove it?"

A loud boom echoed through the night, the glow of fire flashing like a mini bomb.

Nikki spun around, hands on her head. "I cannot believe you, assholes!"

"Maybe it was that kid, Dickey," I said. "You know, the one whose dick you sucked to start rumors about Drew."

I glanced over the edge of the roof, and God, I wished there was more lighting because I'd love to see the look on Nikki's face right now.

"Which, by the way, thanks for all that. Had you not tried to set her up, I would have missed out on the best blow jobs I've ever had. The girl has no gag reflex."

"You are so…" An angry growl bounced off the trailers.

The electric-blue glow of a phone screen shined through the dark. This girl was really about to call the cops? Oh, no. That's not how shit worked in Dayton, and she knew it.

"Do you really wanna go down that road, Nikki?" I said, and she froze, glancing up at me.

"Snitches get stitches," Hendrix said, shooting a sinister smile at me.

"Come on, Nikki," Wolf said. "I'm sure whoever did it only meant it in fun." He bit back a laugh.

"Kinda like I'm sure you only pulled a knife on Drew for good fun, huh?"

Moments of silence passed, the soft crackle of the fire the only noise.

"You're such a loser," Nikki said, dropping her phone to her side before storming back to her trailer, ranting.

The guys barked out laughs. Hendrix grabbed another beer from the fridge then sank down beside me, glaring. "Reputation, my asshole, Bell."

"Like I said," Wolf flicked his roach over the side of the house. "One doomed motherfucker."

And maybe I was.

I left Wolf's in time to get home before mom had to leave for work.

As soon as I cut the engine, I could hear dad shouting. Shit breaking.

Arlo was on the front porch, ears plugged and crying.

Anger built like a ticking time bomb as I jogged up the wooden steps. I went to kneel beside him, but something loud banged inside, and the scream that came from my mom made my blood run cold.

"Stay right here, Arlo," I said, already on my way through the door.

From the entrance, I could see Mom on all fours, crying and begging him to stop.

Before I could get to her, Dad took a chair to the back of her head, and she crumpled to the floor.

That rage that had always stayed below the surface, bubbling and heating, waiting to explode, erupted with the force of a millennia-old, dormant volcano. With utter destruction and fury...

The flashing lights from the ambulance bounced around the destroyed living room.

Me: Can you come get Arlo from my house? Please. Like right now?

I'd sent that to Drew because Nora's family wasn't at home, and I had no one else I could trust with him. And I trusted her. I fucking trusted her...

"Son, put down the phone." Jacobs's boot tapped the broken glass strewn across the floor.

Under normal circumstances, I would have sent the next text while glaring at that prick, but nothing about the situation that brought the cops to my house was normal.

A text from Drew popped up on my screen: Yeah. Is everything okay?

And I set the phone beside me on the couch.

One of the other officers brought Arlo back into the room and placed him beside me.

He sniffled, wiping at his tears with his sleeve before he latched onto me. "You can't take him to jail. No one else will take care of me." The pitiful sob that followed practically yanked my heart clean out of my chest.

"It's fine, buddy. They just need to ask me some questions."

The other officer glanced at me, and I could see it all over his face. His hands were tied, and he didn't want to arrest me, but they had a protocol. Domestic violence case—no conscious witnesses. I was going to jail.

He pulled Jacobs to the side and exchanged a few words while Arlo cried on my shoulder. He'd seen shit no kid should have to see.

"Is Momma gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. She'll be fine, buddy. They just have to make her feel better for a few days."