8 Mile & Rion Read Online Free PDF Page B

piece.
    Turns out, I have a lot of pieces.
    “My Dad was a Marine,” I say the moment I barge through the door. “A damn good one too. He met my mom young and when his time was up, he came state side to start his life. Only to find out all his time serving his country was for nothing. He had no education, but he had three skills. Battle, loving my mom and taking bets. My dad wasn’t always law-abiding, but when I was born he turned that around, for me . He went to the hospital a married man waiting to meet his first born daughter and came home a widow with said daughter. That man dedicated his life to me. He may be a lowly bookie to you ,” I growl up at him, followed by poking him in the chest, “but he was my dad!”
    “I---”
    “Shut up!” I scream at him. “I offer you a place to stay and you repay me by insulting the only man who’s ever loved me in my own fucking home? You look at me like I’m the piece of shit in this scene? Look in the mirror asshole; you’re the star of this shit show.”
    “Look---”
    “No, you look! One week ago I had everything! My dad, a decent job and a few bucks in the bank. Today I have nothing. I have to start over without my dad. I just got dumped by my god damned answering machine. You remember that, right? Was that as fun for you as it was for me? You’re mean, I don’t do mean.”
    “Rion---”
    Just then my temples started to squeeze and my mouth got salty. I couldn’t even finish my rant because I was going to puke now, perfect. “Excuse me,” I whimper knowing he’ll see himself out. I need the dark, I need the quiet and I needed it right now.
    Crawling into bed, I don’t even bother with covers or a pillow. I curl up in the fetal position and pray this passed quickly because I had shit to do. Trying to focus on anything but the pain, some time goes by when my door opens slowly and wouldn’t you know it, he hadn’t left.
    Fuck, he was more persistent than this damn headache.
     

‘War is good when good survives and evil is crushed. If you don't crush evil then evil will get you.’
    ~Ted Nugent
    I sat outside her door feeling all kinds of shitty. She was right. I had no business commenting on her old man. Problem is, if I have something on my mind I say it. Tends to piss people off too. Just when I think she’s out, she moans in agony and it makes me grab my own head in misery hearing it. I don’t know what to do for her, but I know she wants me to leave and I will, after I know she’s okay.
    Recalling her every word I almost smile at how fired up she was. I may be Loyal by name, but that woman was loyal to her fucking core. Hell, she drew a fucking gun on me over an insult to her old man. Her loss was fresh, raw even. Fuck, the poor woman was probably trying to mourn him proper but can’t because she’s running a business that’s broke, got dumped, took on a charity case and gets blinded by headaches to boot.
    Yeah, I feel like shit. I may be homeless, but she’s just fucking wrecked.
    Grabbing a cloth from the bathroom, I wet it with cool water like my mom used to do and crack her door open slowly. Entering her room as quietly as possible, I walk over to her side of the bed, kneel down and press it to her forehead. She whimpers again which causes my stomach to tighten. “Can you hold this?” I whisper.
    “No,” she whispers back so low had I not been so close, I wouldn’t have heard it.
    “I’ll do it,” I tell her and she doesn’t object. Sitting on the floor next to her bed with my arm extended, I hold the cloth to her head until I hear her breathing even out. With a small amount of light coming through the window, I study her. Long light blonde hair, long eye lashes, freckles across her nose and pink lips. Most women spend time painting their faces to look pretty, but not her. This woman has the girl next door vibe working for her. Size wise she’s tiny next to me, but then again most are. She looks like a little sprite from a kid’s