Then Aunt Sarah moved away to another state. Kip didn’t know too much about it, but heard his mom saying something about a new boyfriend. Then later, Kip heard something about the new boyfriend beating up Aunt Sarah and Zak all the time. Then talks switched from the new boyfriend to Zak and how bad he had gotten. How he had been getting into trouble all the time, doing drugs, not going to class.
The next thing he knew, Zak was back. Living with them. A dream come true… if it was seven years ago. Now, Kip was too scared to even talk with the guy. If it was up to Kip, they would play super heroes and super villains right now in his room. He didn’t care how old they were.
Kip pulled on a pair of jeans and a Captain America t-shirt. Just as he slipped his arms into the straps of his backpack, there was a knock at his door.
“Kip? Kip, honey?”
Kip checked the mirror one more time, removed the bloody Kleenex bits, tossed them into the plastic wastebasket next to the mirror, making a mental note to empty the trash later—it was overflowing with pus-encrusted tissue. He licked his fingertip and rubbed the dry blood off his face, whimpering at the euphoric sensation. He threw the door open and climbed down the pull-out stairs.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Honey, I’m running late this morning. Your breakfast and lunch money are on the counter, but you’re going to have to ride with your cousin to school, okay?”
Kip’s face burned. “Aw, Mom. I bet he doesn’t want me riding with him. Did you ask him?”
“He doesn’t have a choice in the matter. It’ll be fine. Why wouldn’t he want you riding with him? That’s ridiculous.”
Because I’m the Toad. Because he’s only been here for a week and he’s already popular, and I’m a goddamn leper.
Kip just shrugged.
“You were so excited when you heard Zak was coming to stay with us. What’s the matter now?”
Kip looked over his shoulder to make sure Zak was nowhere around. “Well… he’s not the same as before. He barely even talks to me. I feel weird around him now.”
“He’s just getting adjusted. How would you feel if I sent you away to live with Aunt Sarah? Give it some time, I’m sure the two of you will be just like old times soon.” She smiled, cupped the back of his head. “The pills are working. I can tell.”
Kip made a sound like pffft. “Yeah right. It’s worse than ever.”
“Well… the doctor said it would get worse before it got better, right? So maybe that’s what’s happening.”
Kip wiped at the blood on his face again, rubbed it on his jeans.
His mom checked the wall clock, arched her eyebrows. “Okay, honey. See you at dinner tonight. Have a great day.” She kissed him on the forehead and then was out the door, backing down the driveway in the next minute, and then gone.
Kip trudged toward the kitchen. His breakfast was a couple of Pop-Tarts and a glass of orange juice. He didn’t know why his mother felt she needed to pour his juice for him every morning, but he never said anything. If it made her feel important, that was fine with him. He was getting sick of Pop-Tarts, though.
Sitting at the table, he took a long gulp of juice, then bit into his cinnamon and brown sugar Pop-Tart. He licked the crumbs away, tasted the bitterness of the boil on his lip, but had grown used to that flavor. Kind of liked it. A pleasure shiver ran up his spine as his taste buds massaged the zit like thousands of stubby fingers.
Then Zak walked in. He sort of hesitated when he saw Kip at the table, then put on an obviously fake smile and nodded. “Got any more of those?”
“Yeah, sure. In the cupboard next to the microwave.” When Kip spoke, crumbs blew from his mouth and scattered across the table.
“Thanks, man.” Zak grabbed the box, seemed to hesitate again, then finally sat at the table with Kip. The silver Pop-Tart wrapper seemed louder than usual as Zak tore into it.
Kip cleared his throat, wanted to say something, but drank orange juice instead. He only ever felt this awkward around girls, but for some reason, Zak was making him uncomfortable.
“So… how’ve you been, Kip? It’s been a long time, right?” Zak’s breath smelled like cigarette smoke.
“Yeah. I was still in elementary school the last time I saw you. And I’ve been good I guess.”
“Cool.”
More silence. Kip wanted to run away.
“Look, man. I hope you don’t mind me coming to stay with you guys. It wasn’t my idea or anything. I kind of fucked up back home, and Mom didn’t think there was any other way. She said if I stayed there, I’d keep fucking up. And she’s right.”
“No, I don’t mind. Not at all. How did you… f-fuck up? Back home I mean.”
“Remember when we were kids and we didn’t have anything to worry about except comic books and video games?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“God I miss those days. I’d give anything to be that age again.” Zak absently chewed the pastry and stared at the wall. “You know we moved to California because my mom met some guy, right?”
Kip nodded.
“Ernie… and he’s a fucking dick. Gets off on hitting my mom and me. It’s because of him. All this shit is because of him.”
Kip didn’t know what to say so he just bit into the second Pop-Tart.
“I come home from school one day, right? Mom’s still at work. This motherfucker is there waiting on me. Drinking liquor and smoking weed. And he sat me down and made me do it with him. Said if I didn’t, he’d kick my ass.”
“Really? God… that sounds awful.”
Zak shrugged. “Anyway, I kind of liked it. I didn’t tell Mom about it, thought she’d get mad at me instead of him. Then I started sneaking into their room when they weren’t there, drinking, smoking, taking pills. It got bad. School didn’t matter anymore to me. It’s weird. I don’t remember some parts, and there’s things my mom says I did and said to her that I don’t remember at all.” Zak laughed, finished off his food. “And here I am. Mom says you and Aunt Jenny are good for me. And you know what? She’s probably right. I don’t want to do those things anymore, man. I want… fuck. Nevermind.”
“No. What do you want?”
Zak reached over and punched Kip in the shoulder. Kip could tell his cousin was trying to be playful, but it still hurt a little. He did his best not to grimace.
“I want to be more like you. I want to be like I was when I was a kid, you know? I hate who I am now. I don’t wanna be like that fucking douchebag back home.”
He wants to be like me? Really?
As much as Kip wanted to keep talking with Zak, the clock told him that they needed to be out of the door soon if they were going to make it to class on time.
“Think we need to get going,” Kip said through a mouthful of half-chewed pastry.
“Yeah. Okay. About that.” Zak rubbed the back of his head, pinched one eye shut, and hissed. “Any chance I could get out of taking you to school today?”
Kip chewed as fast as he could, swallowed. “Are you serious? After everything you just said, you’re still going to skip class?”
“No, no, no. I’m not skipping. It’s just… there’s this girl. I’m supposed to pick her up today, and… well… kinda wanna be alone with her, know what I mean?”
“Oh. Yeah… yeah, I get it.” Kip did his best not to look like a dork, but knew he was failing miserably. “Think you can at least get me close by? Even if I start walking right now, I’d still be late.”
“Yeah. Yeah I can do that.”
“Thanks. And you’re going to class, right?”
“Yes, mother. I’m going to class. But this girl… she’s killer, man. You know who Jade—”
“Jade? Jade Brewster?”
No way. He’s been here for a week, and he’s already with the hottest girl in school?