Shattered Chances: A Breaking Black Companion Novel (10 page)

Cheyenne glanced over at me and gave my hand a squeeze.

“Since when have you ever been one to skip a party?” Cheyenne asked as a smile began to form on her tear-streaked face.

I smirked, “Well, never… but if you’re not for it…”

Cheyenne peered out her window, then glanced back at me.

“I could use a beer.”

“Then let’s go…” I said as I put the truck in first gear.

Cheyenne cranked up the radio as the Drive-By-Truckers wailed out the speakers. I hit the gas, but almost immediately, I had to come to a break neck stop. Trent Myers had jumped right in front of my truck.

“This asshole!” I screamed as I laid on the horn. If looks could kill, Trent would be dead on the spot.

Trent laughed at my reaction but winked at Cheyenne when he saw her. Although my head was turned, I saw him out of the corner of my eye.

“Jerk off!” I screamed at Trent.

“Yeah… there’s a lot of them ‘round here,” Cheyenne declared as she lit up a cigarette and blew her first puff out the window.

***

We pulled up to the party at half past nine. We bypassed the house completely, not even bothering to say hi to Shelly and just went straight for the keg that was propped up in the flatbed of another pick-up truck. I slapped hands with my friends Ricky and Torian while Cheyenne immediately poured two beers. She passed one off to me and chugged one back hoping to drown her worries for just one night.

As I slammed back my drink, I put on my party face and I said to my buddy Luke, “Let’s see what kind of mayhem we can stir up tonight!”

***

“What the hell is going on over there?” I asked, three sheets to the wind drunk.

“Looks like Colt and Trent are getting arrested… Oh, shit…”

“What?” I asked as I looked up, but I knew what Cheyenne’s outburst was referring to. Averi was on the lawn giving Colt a kiss as he was hauled off by police for disturbing the peace.

“Oh, hell no!”

I was on the war path. What was she thinking?!

“What the FUCK did I tell you about staying away from my sister?!”

“Deal with it, man… We’re together.”

“Averi?!”

“You date who YOU want!”

“Oh, fuck that! Let’s go!” I said grabbing Averi’s arm.

“Stop pulling me… You’re hurting me!”

Colt struggled against the police officer when he heard Averi’s cry.

“Let her go! Officer, look!”

“Averi, c’mon! He is bad fucking news! His father is a fucking murderer for Christ’s sake!”

Cheyenne yelled, “Randy, c’mon! Leave her alone…”

Neighbors were starting to look out their curtains. The blinds in Mrs. Hearns’ window went up and a silhouette could be seen looking out.

“Hell no! Averi, we’re going home!”

Averi broke free of my grasp and just before Colt was put into the squad car, she kissed him again, right there in front of everyone. In front of me. In front of Trent. Cheyenne. The police officers… and little Jimmy Hearns. As their lips departed, the officers ducked Colt’s head into the car. I wanted to scream.

“C’mon. We’re going…” I said as I reached for my car keys.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Averi said, as she swiped my keys from me. “You’re drunk!”

“Hey! I can manage myself!”

“I’m driving,” Averi said as she climbed into the front seat. With my rage coursing through my body I called shot gun and climbed in the passenger seat.

As Cheyenne climbed in the back of the truck, I turned around and asked her, “Did you know?”

“She made me promise not to tell you.”

“Don’t even take this out on her. We just got together today… and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

My parents are probably rolling in their graves.

Averi drove us up to the ranch and while Averi got Cheyenne situated in the guest bedroom, I got reamed for coming in the house smelling like booze. I didn’t care though. Cheyenne was safe for the evening.

22.

Cheyenne

The darkness swallowed me. I could still feel my step-father’s hands around my throat. I could feel his heavy hands crushing down upon me as I gasped for a breath. His nails cut into my flesh, leaving scratches, blood catching under his nails. His eyes. Oh, my God. Those eyes. The devil himself would cower from his terrible glare.

Sleep would not come. My body would not allow it. My mind would not silence in fear that I was left unprotected. Unguarded. Even though the man that had saved my life was just down the hall.  Fear swirled in my belly. Beyond the shock of Dave’s attack was the unrelenting heartache over my mother. She was a ghost of the woman she once was. The woman my father fell in love with. Although she was the parent and I was her child, I still felt a sense of responsibility. I couldn’t help but feel guilty. I had let her down, in my eyes. Maybe if I was home when I was expected, I could have prevented her from trying to end her life again. The despair I felt was overwhelming.

It was only 1 A.M. and it was painfully obvious that sleep would not come tonight. Getting out of bed, I did the only thing I knew would help to heal my heart and soothe my weary mind. Walking to the closet in the dark of the room, I pulled out the easel that Mr. and Mrs Hall had given to me last Christmas. I grabbed a blank canvas, an assortment of brushes and a few different colors of paint and began setting up shop in the middle of the bedroom. I flicked on the lamp that sat on the bedside table, and put on one of my father’s CDs. Memories of my father, my real father, Michael West, filled my head as
Lullabye
played, its soothing melody swirling through the room. As tears burned from my eyes, colors and shapes began to take form on the canvas. Between the strokes of my paint brush, I was finally able to exhale.

23.

Randy

I knew as soon as I heard the song come on. I knew she was falling to pieces and there wasn’t jack shit I could do about it. Or was there? One thing I knew for sure was that I could not allow her to go back to that house. I’d wind up killing the son of a bitch. Guaranteed. Navigating the dark of the hallway, I found myself at her bedroom door. My fingers pressed on the hard surface of her door. She had no idea that I planned to move her in tomorrow at the ranch. Not for just a few days. For fucking good, til we could find a place of our own. And if Dave or Mommy Dearest have anything to say, they’ll have a reality check of monstrous proportions coming their way.

As the door to her room swung open, I was not prepared for the sight before me. In the dim light of the bedroom, Cheyenne stood before her easel wearing nothing more than a white night gown. Her hair fell gently down her back, the soft lighting of the room making her hair look almost black. Her hands danced over the canvas, her paintbrush moving in quick careful brushes.

I watched her in silence not wanting this moment to end. I had never seen anything so beautiful. She made me want to be a better man. She made me want to make her happy. But on the reverse side of that coin, I was willing to do things… dangerous things, to anyone who caused her harm. Slowly, and with careful steps, I approached her, closing the distance between us. Sliding my hands onto her waist, she stopped painting for a moment and sucked in a hard breath.

“Don’t stop.”

Without uttering a word, Cheyenne put the final touches on her painting. It was immaculate, immeasurably personal and very lifelike. Cheyenne had recreated the scene when I officially made her mine – complete with a marching band, crowded lobby, oversized tuba and teacher handing out detention slips. There, right in the middle of the scene, were a couple locked in a kiss. She had made me few inches taller than her, and for that I was grateful, since she was actually an inch taller than me.

Finally, she put the paint brush down, satisfied with her work. She turned to face me, placing a hand on my bare chest. My heart pounded under her touch. Her face was stained by her tears. Cupping her face with my hands, I wiped her tears away, brushing the droplets aside with my thumbs.

I expected to hear her crack. To break down in the intensity of the moment, but she didn’t. Instead, she looked up at me, her big blue eyes full of inflection and emotion. In the shadow of the room, she kissed me, bringing what we had to a whole different level. There was no turning back. She was it for me. She had destroyed me for other girls.

Breathlessly, I spoke to her, “Cheyenne…”

She kissed me again with more intensity, a fire in her heart that only burned for me. Her nails dug into my chest. I could feel the burning in her gaze, the longing in her touch. My mind battled against something my uncle told me, “Unless you’re ready to keep her… Keep your hands to yourself.”

I was ready but was she?

“We should go to bed…” Cheyenne said, but her actions conflicted with her words.

Her lips said no, but her eyes said yes.  We had to slow this down. Not here. Not like this. Not in my grandparent’s house with bruises on her neck and our minds all a mess. I didn’t have to say a word. She made up my mind for me. Why the fuck not? She had been shown so much hatred and contempt and violence in her life, why couldn’t I show her how much she was loved. That didn’t mean I had to take it all the way.

I watched as she climbed into bed, leaving space for me.

“Chey…”

“Don’t leave me alone tonight.”

“I won’t,” I said as I climbed into bed with face. She confirmed my thoughts when she whispered into my ear, “Not yet. Not like this.”

I brush my hand through her hair and kiss her on her forehead. I was just relieved that she was okay.

“You know what I have to do tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. I left the key on the nightstand.”

So I stayed with her, rubbing my fingers along her arm coaxing her into a restful sleep. As dawn crept over the horizon, I stood up from the bed. Cheyenne whispered softly to me amidst her dreams, “You’re the sweetest man I’ve ever known.”

She called me a man.

24.

Cheyenne

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of raised voices. With my brain still half asleep, I wandered down the hallway to see what was going on. Averi, who had come down from the third floor, gave me a confused look as we both leaned over the bannister to glance at the foyer below. Randy and Tim were slapping hands with another guy who I did not recognize, but Averi sure as hell did. As soon as she laid eyes on him, Averi ran down the hallway and down the stairs.

“Paul!”

Averi leapt into his arms.

“Hey, Li’l bit!” he welcomed her with a big smile, his arms wrapping around Averi’s small frame.

Mary entered the foyer with a pleasant smile on her face.

“Cousin Paul is staying with us for a few days. Isn’t that great?”

Randy looked happy as can be as he slapped hands with Paul once again. I was amused at how much Randy and Paul looked alike. There was just a few key differences. Paul had colorful tattoos all over his body and he had about a foot on Randy. Paul and Randy looked more like brothers than Randy and Tim; they acted like it, too.

Randy looked up at me and smiled.

“Chey, come meet my cousin, Paul.”

I felt ridiculous going downstairs in my nightgown to meet a stranger but I slapped a smile on my face to meet his look-alike cousin.

“Paul,” Randy said to his cousin, “This is my girl, Cheyenne.”

Paul greeted me with a grin, but his slate grey eyes grew stormy when they met the marks on my neck.

“What’s happened to you, girl?” Paul asked, giving Randy a hard glare.

“Her step-father is a nasty piece of work,” I explained.

Paul raised an eyebrow.

“It’s nice to meet you, Cheyenne. Are you okay?”

“Yes, Randy took care of it.”

“Speaking of… I need to go take care of something,” Randy said to Paul cryptically.

I knew exactly what he was referring to. He had my house key in his hand.