Chapter 2

“Shut up, you fuckin’ cry baby! Go to your room!” Dad stumbled forward to deliver a backhand to Rhys, but he ducked and ran upstairs. Christ, my presence here is doing more harm than good. It’s time to go.

“Okay, Russell.You win. I’ll leave, after I get my things.” I didn’t know where I would end up, but I didn’t want any harm to come to Rhys

I brushed past the man I no longer thought of as my father, and stopped at the bottom of the staircase. “You hurt a hairon Rhys’s head, and you’ll be sorry, hear me? I promise you that.” I continued up to my room, my father’s invectives fading as I moved farther away.

With a sigh, I walked to the small closet beside my unmade bed. Rhys sat on the rumpled blanket, and watched as I packed the few articles of clothing I owned. After emptying all the drawers of the old dresser, I threw everything into an old duffle bag I’d bought years ago in a used store. The school books I placed into my ratty army backpack, which I sat next to my laptop bag. I left the room briefly to get toiletries, a towel, and washrag from the bathroom down the hall. The last thing I packed was my graduation gown and hat.

“Where will you go, Ross?” Rhys was trying to be brave, but I could hear the tremor in his voice.

“I’ll figure something out. Don’t you worry about me. You need to keep your wits about you in this house.” It hurt my heart to leave him behind, but Rhys was a strong kid. He was the only person I’d told I was gay and what that meant while I was still in high school. His acceptance of me was unconditional.

I had never lived anywhere but home before, but I had enough saved up over the years from summer jobs and tutoring to make a down payment on a studio apartment, if I could find one. The internship would pay enough to keep me afloat, and set something aside for Rhys. I was used to being frugal. I finished packing and sat beside my baby brother. I placed an arm around him, hugging him close to me. He put his head on my shoulder, and I laid mine on top of his.

“You have your cell phone, right?” I’d bought it for him as a birthday present last month through AT&T under my account.

“Yeah,” he said, with a sniffle.

“Good. You know how to reach me. My phone is always on me. I’ll be working at EnerGen International downtown, starting Monday. As soon as I have a place to stay, I’ll let you know. School’s out, so you can come over to visit or sleepover, whenever you want. Sound good?”

“I’d love that.” I kissed his hair, then reluctantly stood.

“I’m sorry you had to witness all that, downstairs. Dad—Russellis—”

The truth was that I didn’t know how to tell my brother that our dad was an insecure man, unable to face the world without the bottle, and who took perverse pleasure in taking out his failures in life on others. Rhys probably knew that anyway. He was a smart kid.

“I love you. You know that, right? I’m not abandoning you. I would neverdo that.”

“I know, Ross,” Rhys said, and wiped his eyes. “Do what you have to do. You’ve been my protector for years. It’s time you have a life of your own. This will be a good thing, in the long run. I can take care of myself. You taught me well. Dad is out of the house most of the day anyway, and when he drinks, I hide out in my room. Plus, he mostly hangs out in the basement when he’s here. Same old, same old.” The resignation in his voice was painful to hear. It was one of the side effects of being part of a dysfunctional family.

“My graduation ceremony is tomorrow, three o’clock in the afternoon in the main auditorium at the college. If you can make it, fine. Don’t worry if you can’t.” As much as I would love to see him there, I didn’t want to put him in harm’s way anymore than I already had.

“You should go, Ross,” Rhys said as he stood. He’d grown in the last few months and was the same height as Dad now, though lankier. He needed new clothes. I’d take him shopping as soon as I had a paycheck from EnerGen, since Dad tended to drink away any the money if I didn’t keep some of it hidden for the household expenses. And now I wouldn’t be there to keep an eye on things. I kept telling myself that Rhys would be fine. He hadto be.