Like Dragonflies, page 18
“I’m gonna tell you somethin’ that’ll follow you through life,” she says, her voice husky and gravelly from years of nicotine abuse. “The universe is a conniving, vengeful bitch who acts like you stole her man. All you can do is give her both fingers and make your own way. Eventually, she’ll go fuck with someone else.”
“I love you, Aunt D,” I blurt out, feeling every bit the little, motherless boy from my past. Small. Scared. Unsure of everything.
And like those old times, she reaches up and ruffles my hair. “I love you too. I’m real proud of how you got your shit together.”
“It’s gonna stay together too,” I assure her. “I found something beautiful and worth being good for.”
“Don’t let that bitch of a universe take that away from you,” she says.
“Never,” I vow with a growl.
“I need to get back out there. Mona likes to flirt and then gets backed up.”
We head out of her office, back toward the bar, but are cut off when Mona nearly knocks us over as she flies down the hallway.
“D, Sheriff Beauchamp’s here. He’s lookin’ for Mars.” Mona’s eyes dart to me, worry flickering in them.
“Did he say what he wanted?” Aunt Darcy demands.
“Said he’s in trouble again with the law,” she says with a frown.
Aunt Darcy’s hard glare slams into mine. She must see my fear because she points out the back door. “Go on,” she tells me. “There’s some money in a shoebox at the top of my closet. Take what you need and call me when you can. Get out of here until I can figure out what the hell is going on.” Then, to Mona, she says, “Go stall for me, girl.”
Mona bounces out of sight and Aunt Darcy gives me a quick hug. “If Ellie Knowles is behind this, she and I are gonna have some words. Might get ugly, so you go on and get out of here.”
I slip out the back without another word. Knowing the sheriff is looking for me, I stick to back roads as I drive. It hits me this could be the last time I drive through Duncan. I can’t help but stare at the old skating rink as I pass. The streetlights in the parking lot cast a yellow glow on the wall I tagged last year. I smirk because despite getting into some trouble for it, I know Mr. Benson likes the giant roller skate I painted on the side. They never covered it up. It definitely spruced up that shithole.
It doesn’t take long to get to Aunt Darcy’s. I pack my shit, my wallet heavier with some borrowed cash from Aunt Darcy, and make sure Haddock’s fed. I’m about to leave when someone knocks on the door.
Fuck.
I freeze wondering how Sheriff Beauchamp got here so fast.
“I know you’re in there, boy.”
Dad.
My blood runs cold, but not from fear. Deep, dark hatred for my father blooms inside of me. I consider sneaking out so I don’t have to deal with him. But that would be the easy way out. Nothing about my life is easy, and I’m beginning to embrace it rather than ignore it.
I think about the way Sage so fearlessly went up against my father—our father. Tapping into her braveness and quiet strength, I grit my teeth and sling open the door.
Dad’s muscular frame fills the doorway. He narrows his eyes in a skeptical way when he notices my bag. “Goin’ somewhere?”
“Out.” Not a lie. I’m going out. Indefinitely.
“Ricky’s out lookin’ for you,” Dad sneers. “What the fuck did you do? You back on meth?”
I let out a snort of disgust. “No, I’m not on meth. I’m staying out of trouble. Whatever he thinks I did, he’s wrong.”
“I don’t believe you,” he bites out.
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t care anymore, Dad.”
“You’re an ungrateful little shit. Always have been.”
Emotion burns at my throat but I refuse to be the poor, unwanted boy my father knows me as. I’m a man. I’m a man who knows what he wants and will do what he has to in order to get it. “Goodbye, Dad.”
A car pulls up and I tense up. The headlights are blinding, but I can tell it’s not a squad car at least. Once the car shuts off and someone steps out, bile creeps up my throat.
Eleanor.
I hate that of all people in this world to be my fucking nemesis, it’s my girlfriend’s—my sister’s—mother. Sage loves her mom so I have to tread lightly, because I don’t ever want to hurt her in the crossfire.
“Ellie,” Dad growls. “I told you I’d deal with this shit.”
Eleanor shakes her head as she approaches. She looks out of place in Duncan in her cream-colored pantsuit and perfectly done up hair. Her heels make a clacking sound as she climbs the steps of the porch and curls her lip up in distaste.
“I don’t think you understand the importance that this shit remains quiet,” she hisses to Dad. Then, her venomous glare is on me. “How dare you try and ruin my daughter’s life.”
I gape at her in horror. “Ruin it? I don’t want to ruin her life. I just want to love her.”
Dad curses and shakes his head. “If that kid is mine…” he trails off and glowers at Eleanor.
“She’s yours,” she bites back icily. “I’m not a whore. I only slept with you and when I realized you didn’t love me back, I did what I had to do to give our daughter a good life.”
Dad takes a deep breath and exhales heavily. “If that girl is mine, then that makes what you’re doing with her fucked up, boy. Understand? Sleeping with your sister is stuff even us Duncan dirtbags don’t get ourselves mixed up with. It ain’t right.”
I can’t deal with this shit.
The darkness seems to cloud around me in a dizzying fog. I can’t escape it. This town suffocates me.
I need Sage.
She’s my breath of fresh air. My light leading the way out of this dark haze.
“I’ve gotta go,” I grumble at both of them as I push past Dad, shutting the door behind me. “It’s been a blast.”
“Don’t start with your smart mouth, boy,” Dad snaps, grabbing my arm.
“You may as well do my daughter a favor and turn yourself in,” Eleanor says, her words practically spitting at her feet on the porch.
I jerk my arm out of Dad’s grip and turn to glower at Eleanor. “Turn myself in for what?” I seethe.
“Everyone knows you and my nephew run around together. Nicky was brought in earlier for dealing. They seized Ed’s trailer and now they’re looking for you.” She flashes me a predatory grin. “You’re going down for your part.”
“Ellie,” Dad warns, fire burning in that one word. “What have you done?”
She clacks her way up to him and pokes my dad in the chest. “Doing what I have to do to protect our daughter from your degenerate son!”
Dad grabs her shoulders and physically pushes her away from him. “Enough and don’t fucking touch me.”
Her hands fly to her hips and she lets out a scornful laugh. “You choose now to defend him? From me? Newsflash, Nathan, he’s the problem here. He was the problem back then too. And back then, I was willing to put up with you having that baby and your grief because I loved you. I would have waited. In fact, I did. But when I got pregnant and realized you were never going to love me like you loved Sunny, I bailed. Now, my moment of weakness over you has come back to haunt me. I’m not letting a McKinney ruin my daughter’s reputation like one ruined mine.”
Dad sneers at her. “Go back home to your rich life and your rich husband and your rich friends. Everyone knew you were gonna leave the moment you had your chance. Yeah, I fucked you for a time there because I was fuckin’ lonely. But we were never gonna be anything, Ellie. You were never more than a piece of ass to me.”
She slaps him hard across the face. “You’re trash. Your son is too. He’ll go back to jail where he belongs and my daughter can move the hell on.”
She and Dad start bickering again, but I’m over it. I push past them on a trek to The Beast. They both call out to me. Before I climb into my truck, I turn to them.
“Dad, I’m sorry you never had anymore love in your heart left to give after Mom died. Not sure she deserved it,” I say, pointing to Eleanor. “But I did. And your daughter sure as hell does. You’re off the hook, though, man. I’m out of here.” He crosses his arms over his chest, the porch light behind him shadowing his features of his face from me. “And Eleanor? I love Sage and Sage loves me. No matter how much meddling you do, you’ll never be able to change that. Even if God struck me down right here where I stand, or if you found some way to send me away to prison for good, Sage and I will still love each other. You can’t erase it with a little bit of bullying or a handful of cash. A love like ours doesn’t go away. Back then, you couldn’t turn off Dad’s love for my mom. How the hell do you think you’re going to make his son stop loving his daughter? You’re not. We’ve eliminated you from our equation.”
With those parting words, I fire up The Beast and get the hell out of Dodge.
Eleanor can try to use her power, influence, and money to get what she wants, but it’ll never be enough. Sage and I can’t be bought or bullied. In our world, that shit doesn’t mean a thing.
Everything seems to be falling apart around me.
But the only whole, unbroken piece is Sage.
I don’t need the rest as long as I have her.
Sage
After Dad left my room, I threw myself deep into the painting on my canvas. Hours have passed. I know it but I don’t care. My only concern right now is finishing what’s on this canvas.
I’m going to paint my own happy ending because nobody is going to hand it to me.
I blink my eyes and stare at the finished product. Two dragonflies hover above an angry black, orange, and red world. It’s a world that will always threaten and mock them because they don’t understand their beauty. It’s a world they choose to leave behind on purpose. There are other places—happier places—in the distance. Worlds that are painted blue and green.
That’s where those two dragonflies are headed.
I smile at the painting and get lost in the vivid hues as tears threaten to fall from my eyes.
Mars and I will be happy.
We will fly away from the chaos. I don’t know how, but that doesn’t matter as long as he’s by my side.
I plunge my paintbrush into a glass of water to clean it and exhale as I watch the colors clinging to the bristles melt away in the water, sending ribbons of blue and green to the surface. My hands are stained with paint but I don’t mind. I never mind.
Paint on my hands means I’m letting my emotions speak through colors.
I’m so invested in the painting, I jump when my phone rings. I’m wearing an old pair of jeans so I wipe my colorful hands on my thighs and hurry over to my bed to pick it up.
I see Mars’s name and my heart leaps into my mouth, fighting for space with my tongue. I accept the call and press the phone to my ear, using my shoulder to hold it in place.
“Mars, hey,” I say softly, a smile tugging at my lips.
“I need to talk to you.” I don’t like how urgent his voice sounds. It sends chills racing along my forearms, making all the fine hairs stand at attention. I sit on the bed and press my ear to the phone hard. I don’t want to miss a word.
“What’s up?” I ask, my mouth dry from shallow breathing.
“I had to leave Duncan. I’m laying low outside of town.” I bounce my knuckle on my lip and my foot bounces along.
“Where are you?” I whisper. I suddenly feel like I’m getting ready to hear classified information.
“I’m in Maple Grove. I rented a tiny little motel room.” His voice hangs and his words hesitate for a few beats. “I don’t know if I’ll go back to Duncan, Sage. The sheriff is looking for me over something I had nothing to do with and…” His words stop again but I know there is more he needs to say.
“What is it?” My voice presses and I know he can hear the urgent curiosity.
“Your mom set me up. She told Sheriff Beauchamp some lie about me being involved with her nephew, Nicky. Now he’s on my ass. I didn’t do anything though so I’m not worried. It was just time to get the fuck out of Duncan.”
Hearing my mother set Mars up to get in trouble with the law makes me furious. Flames lick at my ears and I know they burn bright red.
“What? Oh my God, Mars…I’m sorry she’s such a bitch.”
“I left after her and my dad got into it. I knew they wouldn’t follow me since they were busy fighting.” Things fall silent between us. I wet my lips with my tongue and tug on a loose tendril of hair hanging down.
“I’m coming,” I blurt after a while. “Give me the address, I’m coming.” My heart pounds against my chest.
“Are you sure? I don’t want you facing Eleanor’s wrath.”
“I don’t care about her wrath. What can she do if I’m not here?” I ask. “I’m not going to be happy unless I can be with you.” I’m already on my feet, walking to my closet. I pull out a black duffle bag. I used to lug it back and forth to ballet when I was younger. Now, it’s the perfect size to throw a bunch of clothes in so I can be with Mars.
“Sage, you have school. You have everything going for you. I’m just going to fuck it all up.” I hate how torn he sounds. I push out a heavy breath and drop my bag on the bed.
“I don’t have anything without having you first. You’re home for me. I don’t know how but everything will work out. We need to do what makes us happy first though. Everything else will fall into place.” I think of Dad’s words and they fill me with peace.
After a few more minutes of convincing, Mars gives me the address to the motel he’s staying at and I type it into my phone. “I’ll be there as soon as I’m done grabbing things,” I tell him.
“If I’m being honest, Sage…I need to see you. Sometimes I feel like everything is dark until your smile lights up my world.”
“I’m coming. I love you.”
“I love you too. Stay safe.” I end the call then begin to frantically pack comfy clothes. I don’t know much about Maple Grove, other than it’s pretty quiet. From what I’ve heard, it’s less glamorous than Ashton Hills but way more developed than Duncan. Maple Grove is somewhere in the middle.
It’s perfect for me and Mars because we’re somewhere in the middle too. I’m not quite Ashton Hills and he’s not quite Duncan.
We’re Mars and Sage.
We’re somewhere in the middle, hovering above it all like dragonflies.
I throw one thing after another in my bag until it’s full and bulging. The zipper barely pulls over the crap I have crammed in there.
I’m going to need another bag.
I fill my big purse with toiletries and a bunch of other girl stuff I know Mars won’t have on hand. My palms are tingling thinking about finally leaving Ashton Hills behind. Leaving behind my hometown also means leaving behind my mother. She lives and breathes this place, and she won’t pry herself away from it long enough to really look for me.
I don’t know what I’ll do about school, but I’ll figure it out. It’s thinking about Dad that really makes me sad. I pause in my rushed packing and think of his big smile and kind brown eyes.
I’ll reach out to him once Mars and I figure out what we’re going to do.
Once I have my big purse and my duffle bag packed, I load them onto my shoulders then look at the semi-empty corner where my easel is. I’ve stuffed my bag full of most of my paints and brushes. I wish I had time to take my paintings. I feel a pang of sadness in my chest as I think of leaving them behind.
I don’t know how much time I have before Mom comes home though. I don’t have time to mourn my art. Hopefully, Dad will make sure it’s safe.
“Hey, kiddo, why is Mom leaving me messages telling me to make sure you don’t leave the house?” Dad rounds the corner and leans against the doorframe while his eyes are fixed on his phone’s screen. When he lifts his chocolate eyes and sees me standing with bags anchored to my shoulders, he frowns.
“Sage, where are you going?” Worry furrows his brows. He walks into my room and slips his phone in his pocket. His eyes never leave mine as he waits for my answer.
My mouth is dry and I don’t know exactly what to tell him.
Do I tell him I’m running off to be with my brother?
Do I tell him I just can’t handle Mom anymore?
Do I make up some ridiculous lie in hopes he believes it?
I chew on my bottom lip and Dad frowns at me harder. I let my bags fall to the floor then I wrap my arms around my middle. I look Dad in the eye and say, “I’m going to be with Mars.” I try to swallow down my nerves but they cling to the sides of my throat.
“As in you’re running away to be with a boy? Sage, I know your mother doesn’t like him, but don’t you think this is going a little far?” His gaze drops to my bags then he looks into my eyes and I see sadness swimming in his. It smashes my heart into pieces.
“Dad, Mars isn’t just a boy. I love him. He gets me. He loves me for who I am and I don’t have to pretend. Mom doesn’t understand how important that is.” Dad sits on my bed and it protests under his bulk. I try to explain to him what is happening. I try to explain what kind of person his wife is. “She’s trying whatever she can to rip us apart. She went to Duncan just to set him up and get him in trouble with the sheriff. He can’t go back to Duncan, and Mom would have his head the second he set foot in Ashton Hills.”
“What has gotten into Eleanor?” Dad says more to himself than to me. His stare is far off, like he’s trying to figure out when Mom morphed into such a bitch. “Why would she go through so much just to get Mars in trouble?” I sit beside him on the bed and look at him incredulously.
“I told you she wants to keep us apart.”
“I get that. What I’m asking is why. I feel like you’re keeping the missing piece of the puzzle away from me. How can I understand if I don’t know everything?” His voice is stern but I can tell he just hates being kept in the dark.
