The Thrashers(48)

“You needed to be picked up?” He lifted a brow at her, like she was the crazy one.

“Where’s Zack?”

Julian shook his head. “Dillon, he’s drunk as fuck. Completely gone to the world.”

The sound of the front door opening swung her around, and she couldn’t help but stumble back into Julian as her father stomped out and stopped dead in his tracks.

“Who are you? Get the hell away from my daughter.” His voice was rough, his eyes unfocused. He was in sweatpants and a stained undershirt. Any hopes Jodi had of Julian Hollister never finding out her family secret evaporated.

She opened her mouth, ready to ease the situation until her dad would let her get in the truck parked in front of the house. Her voice croaked.

“Mr. Dillon!” Julian suddenly stepped out from behind her, walking closer to her dad. “Good to see you again.” He pointed to himself. “Julian. Jodi and I go to school together. I’m friends with Zack.”

Jodi watched in astonishment as Julian slipped easily into a character she didn’t recognize. All smiles and careful approach. Almost Zack-like.

Her dad narrowed his eyes at him, gaze flicking once to Jodi before asking, “Are you fucking my daughter?”

He barked a laugh and muttered, “She wishes. No, I was just coming by to—Hey, is that today’s game? Oregon State v. Cal?” Julian cocked his thumb toward the inside.

Jodi watched her dad nod, shaking his thoughts loose. “Yeah. Third quarter, 0 to 34.”

“Has Oregon’s coach pulled his head out of his ass long enough to get that left tackle off the field?” Julian laughed, slipping his hands into his pockets. Her dad smiled.

“You wanna come in and finish it?”

“Rain check? I was actually gonna pick Jodi up for a beer run. Can I bring you back something?”

Jodi’s legs were numb as her dad’s eyes passed over her, standing stock-still on the lawn, twigs and spiderwebs all over.

“Corona. I’m all out.”

She waited for him to realize why he was all out. She didn’t know if she wanted him to remember that he threw a full beer bottle at her head or not.

“You got it. We’ll be back in ten minutes.”

Julian swung his keys around his finger. The beep beep unlocking the truck was too loud on the silent street. Like testing fate.

Jodi stumbled to the passenger door. She climbed inside and stared down at her lap as Julian pulled away from the curb. The knees of her jeans were torn now. It wasn’t until they’d turned the corner that she finally let herself breathe.

They passed the closest liquor store that didn’t check IDs too closely, and Jodi was relieved that Julian didn’t intend to keep his promise. She stared out the window as they ignored each other, her eyes pricking with embarrassment.

She’d only told two people how bad her dad got, and one of them was dead. Emily had pressed her, asking more and more prying questions about Jodi’s mom, why she spent so many nights with the Thrashers, why she looked so tired on Mondays.

The first and only other time he’d thrown a bottle at her had been last year. She didn’t know if he remembered it the next morning, but they’d tiptoed around each other for months.

Emily wouldn’t stop asking about the bruise. Not one other person saw it, but Emily did.

“It’s tequila, for my dad.”

Jodi was pulled out of her thoughts by Julian’s voice. She fought the urge to look at him.

“Thinks he’s a connoisseur of tequila or something.”

She pressed her eyes closed. The last thing she wanted was Julian Hollister’s sympathy. It was bad enough that he knew about it at all. Couldn’t they have just never spoken of it again?

“He’s only hit me a few times though,” he said softly, and Jodi felt her skin go still. “When I’ve stolen some out of his liquor cabinet. When I flunked precalc. I was actually pretty pleased to be hospitalized after the drive-in. If I’d totaled my truck without dislocating my shoulder and breaking two ribs…” He chuckled.

Jodi’s gaze slid over to him. His knuckles were white around the steering wheel.

“He doesn’t hurt me,” she whispered in the silence, and though it wasn’t the full truth, it was close enough.

“He just scares you,” Julian said.

Jodi pressed her lips together and turned to face the window again. They were headed back to Zack’s house. He parked the truck and Jodi slid out.

They moved around the side of the house in silence, toward the pool house. When she found Zack passed out on the couch, a jolt of disappointment and anger passed through her. She’d called, and he hadn’t come.

She didn’t even notice the liquor bottle or beer cans on the table until Julian started gathering them.

“Leave them. It’s fine,” she said. “I’ll take the bed in back, if that’s okay.”

He nodded and settled on the couch as she headed down the hall. She curled her hands into fists and stared at the window that looked out over the pool until the sky turned orange.



* * *



In the morning, Zack smiled at her sleepily and asked her when she came over. Jodi sat in the corner of the couch, watching them play video games until finally Zack offered to drive her home.