Shane turned his wild eyes to him. “You shut up! You always loved him more than us. Always.”
“Leave him alone.” I moved to stand between Garret and Shane. Merle stood near, rocking from side to side, itching for more fight.
“No, you leave. Leave all of us alone.” Shane was working himself up into a fury. “You don’t deserve the business. You don’t deserve any of what we’ve given you. That tuxedo and the flower and Ma looking at you like you’re not some freak when you are. You fucking are.”
The red haze was back in my eyes. My stomach burned as if I’d swallowed acid. My phone chirped a text—probably Jo asking me where I was, worried I was standing her up. I sucked in breath after deep breath.
“I’m leaving,” I said again. “After graduation. You’ll never see me again.”
“Go now,” Shane screamed. “I don’t want to see your face ever again. Go now and take that scarred up slut with—”
Like a lit match on gasoline I blew. The years of pent-up anger and pain burst free and I fought for Jo. Fought for the love of this girl who’d seen past the lies and rumors surrounding me. The truth. Jo learned the truth about me and still she stayed.
I flew at Shane again, only this time Merle was ready for me. Like the linebacker he was, he tackled me to the ground. I went down hard and his hands went for my throat, choking me as he slammed the back of my head against the pavement.
Shane circled us like a caged beast, shrieking and inciting Merle to greater violence. Garrett threw himself at Merle’s back and began pummeling him with his little fists until Shane hooked the little boy about the throat with his recovered cane and yanked him off.
I saw Garrett fall to the ground, coughing and crying. Rage filled me again, a second dose of gasoline to the fire. Merle’s hands squeezed harder and I fought for my life. Starbursts in my vision. My lungs screaming for air. The crushing grip at my throat. I pummeled Merle’s face, punched and writhed in more and more frantic attempts to gain freedom. Over and over, my feet kicked the empty air…
Until the air wasn’t empty.
My foot struck something hard. Somewhere between the red haze and my choking gasps, I felt flesh give and bones crunch. And then a sound I would never forget. A little yelp, like a wounded dog. From somewhere behind Merle’s great bulk, I heard Garrett strike the ground.
Everything stopped. Silence. Merle’s hands on my throat loosened as he turned to look behind him. I hauled myself out from under him, to my hands and knees, sucking in great gulps of air.
Garrett lay on his back in the driveway. Blood streamed from his crushed nose to coat his mouth and chin and throat. His eyes were partially open and rolled back in his head, eyelids fluttering. His little body twitched as if a current of electricity were running through it. Horror like I had never known in my entire life doused the fiery rage, making me numb. Beyond numb. Icy cold with dread.
“Garrett…” I crawled toward him.
Shane turned to me. “You did this. You did this to him!” He looked behind me. “It’s Evan’s fault, Ma. Evan’s fault!”
Norma pushed past us and stopped cold at the sight of Garrett. The streetlights came on, now Garrett lay in a pool of yellow light, blood still flowing maroon on his face. So much blood. Too much.
“My boy…” Norma knelt beside Garrett, her hands shaking as they moved to touch him and then pulling back. “What is this…?”
“It was Evan,” Shane cried. “He freaked out. He had one of his fits and just went berserk. He attacked all of us: me, Merle and even Garrett!”
I shook my head, staggering back on watery legs. I wanted to go to Garrett, to put him back together. Put the blood back in his nose… Oh, Christ, his nose…
“You did this!” Shane shrieked. Neighbors were emerging from their houses; in my peripheral, I could see dark shapes coming out on porches and walking down driveways.
“You’re a freak,” Shane cried. “You’re a crazy nutjob.” He spun to Norma. “And I warned you! I warned you but you never listened.”
“Someone call 9-1-1! Now!” Norma’s command cut through Shane’s rant and tore the night air into ribbons. She cradled Garrett’s trembling little body to her, his blood staining her dress, his body hitching in a way that scared me to the marrow of my bones.
“Someone call an ambulance!” called a voice from the crowd.
“Did you hear what he did?”
“He attacked that little boy.”
Everything was closing in. I was in a whirlpool. A black hole sucking everything in: all the pain and fear, the shocked expressions, Garrett’s limp and bloody body, everyone and everything. All of Planerville falling toward me. I staggered backward under the impossible weight.