Violence Begets... Read Online Free PDF

liquor
cabinet.”
    “What? You got that from my house? They’ll
kill me if they find out!”
    “Don’t worry about it. I just took a
bit off the top of all the bottles. They’ll never miss any.”
    “So, what’s in it?” I asked again.
    He laughed, “A bit of this, a bit of
that. I don’t know. Whiskey, wine, vodka, rum, Jagër, whatever
was there.”
    “And you mixed it all?” I ask, astonished.
    “Well, what would you like? Me to make
you a martini or something? It’s not supposed to taste good; it’s just supposed
to fuck you up. Go ahead.” A command was hidden there, and I held my breath and
put the bottle as far back in my throat as possible. As I swallowed, I felt the
fire all the way down to my stomach.
    “That stuff is just wrong,” I gasped.
    I handed the bottle off to Jeremy as
Kevin nodded at me to do so. I was still coughing and trying to keep the mixture
in my stomach. The way it burned I expected to feel drunk instantly. I wondered
if something was wrong with me because I didn’t feel drunk at all.
    Suddenly, a flash of Jason’s face tried
to crowd into my head. He isn't here, I reminded myself. I had to pull this
off. I couldn’t go back to eating lunch alone, and somehow I knew this was just
another test.
    “Hey, Kevin, can I have one of those
beers?” I asked. A rare smile crossed his lips as he handed me the beer.
    Thirty minutes and several swigs later
I was drunk. I looked around to find that Kevin had disappeared, and I stumbled
outside to find him.
    “Whacha doin’ out here all by your lonesome?”
    “Trying to get away from you drunk fools,”
he replied. I put my arm around his shoulders to try to keep my balance. He immediately
shrugged me off and I fell down.
    “What’d ya do that for?” I laughed from
the ground.
    “Don’t fucking touch me,” he said coldly
and walked back into Zarahemla.
    So that’s what a buzzkill is, I thought. I wasn’t going to let him bring me down. He had nothing on the memories
I fought with. What could he possibly say or do that would hurt me more than what
I’d already done? I followed him back in and grabbed the bottle of alcohol, adding
to the fire burning in my stomach. As I got to know the guys better, Kevin faded
back into the silence.
    At the end of the night, I stood at
the base of the tree next to my window. I looked up and immediately lost my balance,
falling back onto the grass. There was no way I was going to be able to climb the
tree, and I was glad the keys to the house were still in my pocket. After letting
myself in and taking what felt like an hour to get to my room, I remembered Mike
had said something about taking some aspirin and drinking water, but the only thing
I could think of was making it to my bed.
    I woke the next morning with my shoes
and all my clothes on. My mouth was dry and felt like I’d been chewing on cotton
balls and onions all night. The sunlight was coming through my window and it was
like a bad scene in an alien movie—far too bright to be natural. I dizzily stumbled
to the bathroom and tried to throw up in the toilet, but I couldn’t. My head hurt
more than it had after the car accident. I found my way back to my bed and buried
myself under the blankets, trying to shut out the sound and light of day. I now
understood why Kevin had said he’d excuse me for not making it to the corner in
the morning. He knew there was no way I was going to be able to go to school.

Chapter 3
    Rick
    “Aren’t we going to wait for him?” I
asked the guys the next day at the corner. Kevin was late.
    “He wasn’t here yesterday either,” Mike
said as if that explained everything. They started walking. I joined them but kept
looking behind me to make sure Kevin wasn’t coming. I didn’t think he’d like us
taking off without him.
    “And we know he’s not coming today?”
I questioned.
    “He’s never late. If he’s not here on
time, he’s not coming,” Jeremy supplied.
    “Besides, two days in a row,