Indigo Sky

CHAPTER NINE

“You were fired ?” Mom couldn’t believe I’d lost my job, as made obvious by her inability to say anything but those three words since I’d walked through the door.

“God, Susan, people are fired all the time,” Dad grumbled, no longer sympathetic to her shock. Instead, he was angry.

After Nate had left the apartment, I’d spent a good long time thinking about what I should do. I thought about all the questionable things Nate had done over the years, every time he’d glazed over screwing me over, the conversation I’d had with Joe a while back, and it’d all come down to me realizing one thing.

No friend would put me through this shit.

I had relied on him, and he had relied on me. We were codependent. But were we friends ? Had we ever been?

I didn’t have the answer to that, but I knew I had to do something. I had to leave.

So, I stuffed my backpack with enough clothes to get me through a few days, left the apartment, and headed over to my parents’ place. It was Saturday, and that meant they were both home, and neither of them had expected me to walk through the door in the middle of the day.

I hadn’t told them why I’d been fired. I didn't know that I ever wanted them to know, although it’d be easy enough for them to find out if Dad just had a conversation with Roy. I guessed, at the end of the day, I just couldn’t get myself to stop protecting the guy who apparently no longer wanted to protect me because, at one point, he was the only person who had, and I wondered if there'd ever be a time where I wouldn't feel indebted to him for that.

"Do you want me to talk to Roy?" Dad asked, regarding me with tired eyes from across the kitchen table.

"No," I said hurriedly. "It's fine. I'll … I don’t know … I'll figure something out."

"You have bills to pay," Mom reminded me, as if I'd forgotten. "Your dad and I can help you out where we can, but, Revan—"

"I know," I cut her off. "I'll look around for other jobs tomorrow. I just …" I sighed and dragged my palm over my mouth. "I can't think right now."

Dad nodded solemnly. "I get it. Take the night, let the dust settle a little, and tomorrow, get back in the saddle."

Then, Mom asked the question I didn't want to answer. "What about Nathan?"

I blew out a huffed breath and pulled my lips to one side, slowly shaking my head. "He still has a job, if that's what you're asking."

"Well, maybe he can talk to R—"

"Nope," I muttered, hoping the conversation would simply die, like my employment at the shop. "It's fine. I'll be okay tomorrow. You guys wanna do pizza tonight?"

Dad eyed me with skepticism, like he knew there was more to the story than I was letting on. And, hell, for all I knew, he did. But he didn't push the issue further as he noisily sucked his teeth, then nodded.

"Yeah, sure, kid. You want to invite Nathan over for dinner?"

I didn't want my parents to think there was anything going on between Nate and me. I didn't want them to be suspicious or ask questions about the situation. I guessed, deep down, I just didn't want them to turn their backs on him the way he'd turned his back on me.

But, even despite all that, I had no problem shaking my head and saying, "No."

***

If Mom and Dad hadn't put two and two together and realized there was something going on when I walked through the door at noon on a Saturday when I should've been working, then they definitely did when I told them I was gonna crash at their place for a few days.

"Sure, hon, but …" Mom shared a questioning glance with my father before continuing, "Why? Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah," I replied, maybe a little too enthusiastically. "It's just … you know … Saturday, and Nate usually likes to pick up some girl at the bar. So, I thought I'd give him some space while I figured my shit out."

Neither of them reacted for about a minute before they shared that same look again. The one that said they knew I was full of shit, but didn't know how to get it out of me. Then, Mom reached across the couch to lay her hand on my shoulder and rubbed gently.

"Revan, if you just want to be at home for a few days, you know that's okay. You are always welcome here— always ."

"Thanks, Mom," I mumbled, offering her a weak smile.

And, you know, there was some truth in that. I did just want to be home. I did just want to be with my parents, and I wasn't too much of a man to admit it.

But even more than that, I didn't want to rely on Nathan Manning for another thing in my life. It was time to make a change, time to work my own shit out, and if I came out on the other side without burning the bridge connecting my life to Nate's, then so be it.

I wasn't counting on it though.

***

So, over the next few years, until I was thirty-one, I lived with my parents and worked stupid little shit jobs here and there while working my way up to full-time on the maintenance team at Mom’s gym.

I had done some janitorial work over at the elementary school, thanks to Joe hooking me up. But there was nothing nice about cleaning up puke and piss and shit from kids who were clearly failing at the whole potty-training thing. It was a paycheck, yeah, and I was grateful for it, but as soon as I found something else, I had gotten the fuck out of there.

I'd been a waiter, a cashier, and a gas station attendant. For a couple of weeks, I even helped one of my mom's friend's clean houses on the weekends for a little extra cash. And even though I didn’t hate my job at the gym, I missed Roy's shop. I missed the cars. I sort of missed Donny, and, yeah, I even missed Roy. But one thing I never got the chance to miss was Nate.

Nah, he didn't let me miss him because he never went away.

I had broken it to him about a week after I moved out that I wasn't coming back to the apartment. Told him I couldn't afford my share of the rent, which wasn't complete bullshit—I really couldn't. He was cool about it, told me he understood, and honestly, he was probably happy for it. The guy could party all he wanted without me getting in his way.

I thought, Cool. This is what's best for both of us .

We could both get a break from each other, learn to be on our own … you know, that kinda thing.

But, like I’d said, he never went away.

I mean, sure, a couple of weeks would go by here and there, where I wouldn't see or hear from him. But typically, if a day or two passed where he hadn't called or shown up at my parents' door, I knew it was only a matter of time before he did. There were even a handful of times where he just so happened to be at the same bar I was at with Joe or he'd waltz on over while I was on a date with a girl I’d met at work or some shit. And, yeah, I thought that was weird as fuck, but also, you know, small towns and all that. It wasn't impossible, and I knew these places were his usual haunts, so …

I didn't think much of it.

Honestly, I didn't think anything of it at all until one of Joe's friends asked if I’d ever considered bouncing. I told him it had never crossed my mind, but I wouldn't turn a gig down if it paid well enough, and he told me the club he tended bar at was looking for a new bouncer. Someone big, someone intimidating, someone who wouldn't take shit from anyone, and someone who would do it four nights a week, six hours a night, for twenty-five dollars per hour.

It sounded like good, easy money. Something I could do on the side while still working at my day job at the gym. So, I asked him what club it was, and the dude actually blushed.

"Well," he said, obviously hesitating a little before chuckling, "it's this strip club up on the north shore in Turner’s Point. You ever heard of Midnight Lotus?"