Hood River Rat (Hood River Hoodlums #1) - K Webster Page 0,17
everyone else—Ms. Frazier, Jordy, Cal, and Terrence.
He stares at me long enough to make me fidget, and then he walks into the apartment.
“I’m tired,” Roux says. “When can we go to bed?”
“Won’t be long,” I assure her, hugging her to my side. “What movie are we watching tonight? The Goonies sounds good.”
“Not that one again!” she says, giggling. “We should watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
“Dude,” I playfully grumble. “We’ve watched that one like seventeen times this month alone. Nope. Not happening.” We both know it’s happening. I can recite that damn movie by heart now.
“Maybe Hollis can watch The Goonies with you and Charlotte can watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before with me at our slumber party.”
I freeze at her words. There’s no way in hell I’m sleeping over at Hollis’s house. But would I really let Roux go without me? I take her everywhere. Even to Campfire Chaos. Thank fuck Cal’s mom loves her like a granddaughter and looks after her on Friday nights. It gives me one night of social freedom.
“We’ll see.”
“That wasn’t a no.”
“It wasn’t a yes either, twerp.”
Our playful banter is cut short when Mike and his guys step back into the hallway.
“All’s clear, but leave the windows open until bed,” Mike instructs. “I want an update later. Text me.”
He hugs us both and then the three of them leave. Mike was like the dad we should have had. Instead of the one who left us eight years ago in the back of a squad car and never came back. Too bad Mom couldn’t get her shit together to keep him.
“Ew,” Roux complains. “It stinks.”
“Nah, you stink worse,” I tease. “Grab a shower and we’ll watch the movie.”
As she scampers off, I set to cleaning up the mess Alejandro and Mom left. There are clothes all over the living room floor, which is fucking disgusting. Underwear. A bra. Condom wrapper. I don’t want Roux seeing that shit, so with mounting frustration, I clean it all up. When I find a burnt-up spoon barely kicked under the old ratty sofa, I lose it.
What the fuck?
Heroin?
I’m glad Mike and the guys didn’t see this. He would’ve sure as fuck called CPS. I speed clean the rest of the apartment, including the charred pot, before closing the windows that are blowing in chilly air. By the time I make it to our bedroom, I’m tired as hell. I’m glad I already showered at Ms. Frazier’s.
“The Hunger Games,” I state as I walk into the room, flicking off the lights. “You never cease to surprise me, kid.”
“I figured we needed something different.” She curls up on her twin bed, hugging her pillow to her.
I kick off my shoes and sprawl out on my bed. “You okay, Roux?”
“Yeah. You?”
“I’m good.” I let out a heavy sigh. “I’m gonna get us out of here one day.”
“I know.”
“Don’t ever forget.”
“Never.”
I wake to laughing. Loud and high-pitched. Mom. She’s fucked up from the sound of it. Music blares from the living room. God, I fucking hate her sometimes. Yawning, I roll over and grab my phone.
Four sixteen.
What is wrong with these people?
I should have just gone over to Cal’s. David, Cal’s dad, would have given me hell about my mom and shit, but he would’ve let us stay. Now they’re going to wake up Roux and she’s already struggling in school enough as it is without losing sleep on top of it all. I’m just about to tell them to shut the fuck up when the door flings open. A massive body fills the doorway.
Alejandro.
I tense up, sitting up in the bed.
“Where’s Roux?” he slurs.
I’m on my feet in the next instant. “Get the fuck out of our room.”
“Don’t talk to me like that, shitstain.” He laughs, swaying in the doorway. “Roux and I are gonna play a game.”
“You’re not playing shit with Roux.” I storm around her bed and shove him into the hallway. “Stay the fuck away from my sister.”
Alejandro is bigger than me and is always packing heat, but he’s so damn wasted all the time he’s no match for my youth. He recovers and swings at me. I get clipped on my cheekbone by his fist, but I dodge most of it. Slinging my elbow up, I nail him in the nose. He makes a groaning sound and then stumbles back to the other bedroom he shares with Mom. I hear her fussing over him, which pisses me off.