Playing Patience

“Megan dressed me. It’s no big deal. I blend in better this way.”

“The hell you do! I suggest you not let her dress you again. Those guys out there were practically waiting to rape you.”

“First of all, there were no “guys.” There was a guy, as in one, and he was actually kind of nice. Secondly, I can wear whatever the hell I want.”

“Of course he was being nice. He was too busy enjoying the fucking show to be a dick.”

“What show?”

“That show!” I pointed to her cleavage.

She sighed and sucked her teeth.

“Every girl in there is showing cleavage. I stick out more when I don’t. I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, okay?”

“I’m not worried, but I’m taking you home.” I swiped my bangs out of my eyes and bit my lip ring in aggravation.

“I’m here with Megan. I have to ride home with her.” She glared at me with glazed-over eyes.

“Have you stopped to look at your friend lately? She’s drunk as fuck. Chet’s taking her home and I’ll take you.”

“Why are you suddenly talking to me? You ignored me for the last few days.”

“I didn’t ignore you and I’m talking to you because you’re about to do something stupid. Stick close to the stage and then I’ll take you home after the show. Just listen to me. I know the kind of guys that hang out around places like this, snowflake, and trust me when I say you’re way out of your league.” I turned and started to walk out.

“You mean guys like you?” she asked from behind me. “Do you think you’re out of my league, Zeke?” Her voice sounded sleepy and slurred.

I turned back to her. She was using the bathroom wall to hold herself up and the sadness in her eyes angered me.

“No, you’re out of mine.” I turned, left the bathroom, and didn’t look back.

Twelve

Patience

Zeke ended up being right about the jerk at the club. No sooner than I got back to the bar with Megan, he was trying to get me to go outside with him and give him a blow job. Sick bastard. I spent the rest of the show next to the stage, but not because Zeke told me to. I did it because I couldn’t peel Megan’s drunken ass away from Chet for five minutes.

Once the show was done, the guys packed up the stuff and we all walked out to the cars. Like Zeke had said she would, Megan literally fell into Chet’s car so I told her goodnight and went to stand next to Zeke’s car. I wasn’t happy about Megan getting too drunk to drive. I was planning on staying at her house since my sister was staying at her friend’s house for the night.

Now I was going to have to go home, and I could only hope I wouldn’t be bothered tonight. Chances were, since Sydney wasn’t home, my dad would come to my room tonight. Just thinking about it made my stomach turn.

When Zeke came over to his car, he said nothing to me as he pulled open the driver’s side door and jumped in. Once he cranked up his loud engine, I pulled open the car door and got in too. He sat and talked to Finn a minute about something I didn’t understand. It was almost as if they were talking in code. They were talking about selling the loud and getting the green. I assumed they were talking about music and making money playing. I never did understand the different kind of slang that bounced around.

Once we were on the way out of Mount Pleasant, he leaned down and turned on the radio. I watched the mile markers on the interstate as we passed them and counted down the time I had before I was back home in hell. I didn’t want to go home. I’d go anywhere. I didn’t care where it was if it meant staying away from home tonight. My dad would come to my room. He’d smell the alcohol on my breath, see the makeup on my face, and I wasn’t afraid to admit to myself that I was scared of him. He was changing. It was never innocent, what he was doing to me, but ever since I got arrested, he’d been vicious about it.

“You look deep in thought. What’s on your mind?” Zeke asked from across the car.

I couldn’t tell him what I was thinking, even though I wanted to. I knew in the back of my head I could trust Zeke. I knew I could tell him my secrets. He thought I was a privileged rich girl and while I did come from a rich family, my life had been just as hard as the people in his world. I wanted to tell him that. For some reason it meant a lot to me that he know I was never more myself than when I was with him. I needed him to know that Patience, the soccer playing governor’s daughter, was just an act, but the girl I was when I was just hanging out with him… that was the real me.