I scrunched my nose. He was as loony as a toon.
“That makes no sense. Do you know what I’ve been through?” I asked.
Shifty studied me closely. “No, I don’t. But you can tell me if you want. I’m a good listener.” He came into the bathroom. I waited for the puke, but nothing came. It was an awful feeling.
“I come from a very messed up family. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve seen,” I said, letting out a sigh.
“Like?” Shifty pressed, taking a seat on the floor by the bathtub. He twisted a lighter through his fingers, listening to me talk.
“Let’s just say a lot of bad things. Things I could be put away for…for a very long time.” I slid my hand across the floor and met up with the cool tiles, enjoying the coolness against my cheek.
“I’m only telling you this because you do drugs. Your life has to be pretty screwed up too, right?” I asked, letting out a hiccup.
Shifty laughed at me.
“Let’s get some air. Sometimes coming down can make you feel crazy,” he said, helping me back up.
I threw my arm around his shoulder and let him carry me.
“Mason is in there with Renee. I almost thought I loved him.” I rested my head against Shifty’s chest as he carried me out to the balcony.
I gasped as the cool air hit my skin. It was chilly for July.
I let go of him as soon as my back hit the soft cushion of the lounge chair. I stared up at the black sky.
“Mason’s not himself right now. Don’t hold it against him,” Shifty assured me, lighting up a cigarette.
I nodded. Maybe he was right. Who was I to judge?
My insides felt like Jell-O. My skin was itchy and I wanted to puke.
“You’re a pretty girl,” he said, watching me from the railing. He took a drag from his cigarette and blew out a huge cloud of smoke.
“Thanks,” I said, accepting his compliment. He moved closer. My eyes were heavy and hardly able to focus anymore. The air was making me sleepy. Shifty crawled up the chair, his body hovering over mine. I tried to keep my eyes open but it was so hard. I wondered what he could possibly want with me. I was half dead.
“It’s a nice night,” he said, pushing my hair away from my eyes. I turned away and rested my head in my palm.
“Kendall,” Shifty said softly, bringing me out of a sleep.
“What?” I grumbled. Shifty shook me awake, pulling my shirt up, he moved my arms and started dragging my pants down my body until they were resting beside me on the chair.
My mind was aware of what was happening. I knew it wasn’t right, but I physically couldn’t do anything about it.
His lips were on my face, grazing my cheek, my neck, and my lips. Every minute or so he’d say my name to gauge how conscious I was.
Feeling neither angry nor frightened, I pressed my knees together. It was all I could do to keep him off me.
“Hey, Kendall,” Renee called from inside the house.
Shifty jumped and started to dress me. “Shh,” he said, shushing me as he did his best to throw my shirt back over my head.
“Oh, hell no!” Renee exclaimed. “Shifty get away from her. What are you doing?”
“Is she out here passed out?” Mason laughed, coming out of the apartment.
I opened my eyes as soon as I heard Mason’s voice. As soon as he saw what was going on, his expression changed. Rage filled his eyes, and he jumped over the patio chairs, grabbing hold of Shifty’s t-shirt.
“I-I wasn’t doing anything,” Shifty stammered.
Mason shoved Shifty toward the edge of the balcony. Renee screamed as Mason nearly shoved Shifty over the balcony, both of them close to falling over.
I did my best to get to my feet, trying to stop Mason from doing something he’d regret later.
“I swear I didn’t do anything. I just took her clothes off,” Shifty said, his hand holding onto Mason’s for dear life.
Mason wasn’t budging.
“You must not value your life too much, trying to take advantage of a girl like that,” he said.
“Mason, stop right now. You’re going to kill him. Put him down before your drop him off my balcony!” Renee screamed. She clutched her chest in a panic to end the standoff.
I pulled at my clothes, pulling it together in a hurry to stop Mason myself. I knew I was the only one who could.
“Do you think I care, Renee?” Mason asked. He released one hand from Shifty’s shirt, sending him farther over the railing. Shifty screamed and begged for his life. He curled his legs around the metal of the railing, holding on for dear life.
“Kendall, did he touch you?” Renee asked me.
Mason was ready to drop Shifty to his death. I could see it in his eyes.
“No. He didn’t do anything to me. Mason just set him back down. God, Mason, we’re all messed up.” I pulled at my hair in frustration.
Renee and I waited. The thought of Shifty’s broken body at the bottom of Renee’s apartment scared me to death. That was the last thing we needed.
Mason grabbed ahold of Shifty’s shirt and pulled him to his feet and away from the railing.
“She just saved your ass,” Mason told him. Mason walked over to me, I slapped him in his head at how stupid he was.
“You had no right to do that. I can take care of myself,” I snapped.
Renee agreed with me and slapped Mason on the other side of his head herself. He was confused by our reactions.
“He was trying to have sex with you. And you’re okay with that?” he scolded.
“It’s not anyone’s fault. Just drop it,” I retorted. “You’re no better than Shifty, Mason. Don’t think I didn’t see you.” Shifty hurried past us—probably to change his underwear after a scare like that.
“You two can sleep here for the night for obvious reasons. But, Mason, you’re a psycho,” she said, giving him one final look.
Mason shook his head and sighed. “I’m the psycho…” he scoffed.
I shrugged my shoulders. “That we are.”
JULY 5
TH
WHEN I THOUGHT BACK on my childhood, I knew it was the furthest thing from having a childhood—I had no favorite toys or tv shows, no trips to the local Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone, and I’d never been to a zoo.
I had no grandparents that kept me on the weekends or even for just a day. I had two uncles. Uncle Ronnie, aka “Snake,” was in his mid-twenties and he’d spent the majority of his youth in jail. Uncle Ronnie was a stunningly handsome man with blond hair and light blue eyes.
Then there was Uncle Piper—yes, that was his name. He was a truck driver with the rage of a rabid bull. He was finally taken down in a violent standoff with the police. Road rage won out in the end for Uncle Piper. He was serving twenty years in prison in South Carolina.
A small part of me liked Uncle Piper. He always gave me attention and talked to me; he seemed interested in knowing about me. It was during his visits that I learned Uncle Piper loved hot rods. His dream was to own every one he drooled over in those car magazines he always bought.
He was tall as an oak tree and strong. I had never seen--nor have I since then--muscles like his. I’ve often compared my awkward movements to those of Uncle Piper. He had green eyes and the darkest set of eyelashes. Uncle Piper was the oldest and he had graying, sandy blond hair.
He had enormous hands that made me feel so tiny in comparison and he always wore black boots—always. I sometimes wished he were my dad. On one of his visits, he told my mother she was the most awful person he’d ever met. I found a sick satisfaction in that—someone had finally told her the truth.
Uncle Ronnie had one son, Benny, born to an Asian woman he’d met in Vegas. She moved in with him and moved out again just as fast. Benny was around my age. I met him once¸ but never saw him again.