Outburst Read Online Free PDF Page B

latched shut with a twisted coat hanger stuck through a couple of rust holes. As she climbed the walk and approached the front door, she heard a television and voices, little ones, all of them blaring away. Crap. She'd hoped they'd all be in bed by now, God only knew they should be. Much too late for young things like that to be up. Had her cousin lost her mind?
    There was no way Kris could face anyone, especially them, and she turned, quietly slunk past the two living room windows and around to the side door. With her key she unlocked the door, carefully opened it, and stepped inside and onto the landing. The kitchen was to her right, up just two steps, and while the light was on over the range, no one was in there. Flicking on the basement light, Kris hoped she could simply disappear unnoticed into her room downstairs. She grabbed the handrail, took one step, another.
    “Kris?” called a voice. “Kris, is that you?”
    “Krissy! Krissy!” cried a couple of little voices.
    From the other room her cousin continued, demanding, “What are you doing sneaking in the back?”
    Kris froze on the fourth step and muttered, “Oh, fuck.”
    There was a stampede of feet, and they were there within seconds, Maureen and her four-year-old twins, Ricky and Rachel. Kris quickly ran a hand through her hair and tried to make herself presentable, which, however, was hopeless.
    “Yeah, it's me,” replied Kris, her voice deep.
    “Where have you been? I thought you were coming straight home from your therapy appointment,” said Maureen, appearing on the landing. “You saw Dr. Dorsey, didn't you? You didn't skip again, did you? You've already missed one out of your first three sessions, and I'll bet he'll drop you if—”
    “Don't worry, I was there.”
    “Well, then, where have you been since? Do you realize how worried I've been about you? I mean, that storm—there're trees down everywhere!”
    “The ‘lectricity went out!” exclaimed Rachel.
    “We lit candles!” added Ricky.
    Kris turned and glanced up at her cousin, who was a good ten years older than her, a good deal heavier, and simply not as pretty. Maureen had similar blond hair, but somehow it wasn't as pure, as soft, not as bright, and her eyes weren't nearly as blue or sparkly as Kris's either.
    Maureen took an equally judgmental assessment of Kris, then grabbed the children by their shoulders and shooed them out. “You two go back and watch the end of your movie!”
    “But—” they whined in unison.
    “Now!” ordered Maureen, who scooted them out, then turned on Kris. “Your appointment with Dr. Dorsey was supposed to end at six. What the hell have you been doing since?”
    An interrogation was not what she wanted, and Kris said, “Not much.”
    “You look like hell. What happened?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Right, you expect me to believe that?” Maureen started down the steps. “No one hurt you, did they? You're all right, aren't you?”
    “I'm fine. I just had a bad night, that's all.”
    “I was expecting you hours ago. You're soaking. Where have you been?”
    “Just out. Out walking.”
    Maureen shook her head in disapproval. “Where?”
    “Shit!” snapped Kris, her voice losing its femininity and becoming deep and harsh. “You're worse than my own mother! I didn't move all the way to this stupid place to be interrogated by some stupid cow like you!”
    Maureen's eyes flared in anger. “And I didn't agree to open my house to some ingrate like you!”
    Tears instantly blossomed in Kris's eyes. “Just fuck off! And don't worry, I'll be out of here soon enough!”
    With Maureen screaming a string of unpleasantries behind her, Kris turned and bolted down the stairs as fast as she could. She rushed across the red linoleum floor, reached the dark-pine door to her bedroom, opened it, then slammed it shut as hard as she could. There was no doubt about it, everyone—men and women, straights and gays—found her too “different” and because of that