Kian

Fridays are usually sort of chill for me. I get up at 7A.M. when the house becomes too loud to continue sleeping. Fiona and her roommate, Kya, are up and moving and getting ready to head to school. The house they rent is just around the corner from the college they go to. I make them coffee. I try to earn my keep. I hope every day that they don't tell me I need to go.   But today I have to drive to Santa Monica to do some work for Frank, and then I have to work at the bar all night. Today will not be a chill day.

  I still can't believe I drove to Malibu and parked outside Seph's house last night. I mean, it could have been a huge waste of time. But she answered my text. She came outside and she got into my truck. I didn't plan for any of this. I've been just barely surviving for so long that meeting this girl - or any girl -  wasn't even on my radar. For over a month I've been trying to save money and figure out how to get my own place and get Zeek into my care. I've been trying. But my mom isn't answering my calls and they took away Zeek's phone. I don't know what to do next. And now there's Seph, this girl who really needs me.

  It's 10A.M. when I get into my truck and head to Frank's house. He texted early and said he had a job for me. I'm crossing my fingers the whole way there that his wife isn't home. I don't know why she hates me so much. I think my mom has fed her lies about me. Frank keeps pretty neutral. I mean, he's my mom's brother, but he's the one who bailed me out last year when I needed help. He drove to Riverside and paid my bail so I wasn't stuck in jail. My mom was planning on leaving me there. Frank also got me a lawyer so I would be able to go to court over it. I got off with only six months of community service. That's behind me now. I should never have gotten in that fight.

  Frank meets me outside when I pull into the driveway. That's not good sign.

  "Beth is inside," he says right away. I nod. "I need you to head to Glendale and help set up for a big party. I texted you the address."

 "You're not going?" I ask him, confused.

 "You'll be fine. A couple of my guys will meet you there." He's serious and it makes me look away.

   "Okay. How long will it take? I need to be at the bar at 7:30P.M," I go on, still confused about the fact he's not going. Frank always oversees his jobs.

  Frank clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "Well, you'll be there by noon. It shouldn't take more than a few hours. You should be fine."

  "Okay," I say again. I owe him a lot, so I do what he says.

  "I talked to your mom yesterday," Frank goes on, but he's the one not looking at me, now. My heart drops. Frank knows more than anyone that there's a lot to unpack here. "She was just checking in on you."

  "Seriously?" I want to know, already shaking my head.

  "She asked if I've seen you."

 "Right. So in five weeks, she hasn't given a shit about me, since she kicked me out. She won't answer when I call her-"

   "Calm down, Kian," Frank warns me.

 "Calm down? I'm out here working my ass off, doing three jobs, to pay off my debt to you and try to save money so I can take care of Zeek, and she-"

   "Zeek's fine, Kian." Frank takes a step back when he says this, as if he's afraid I might hit him.

 "No, he's not fine. If that asshole Mike kicked my ass the way he did for so long? Who's to say he won't touch Zeek?"

  I can see that Frank is thinking about this. He swallows hard. He knows that my mom's boyfriend, Mike, beat the shit out of me more than once while I was living there. Frank kicks at some dirt before talking again. "I told your mom that you're staying with me."

  "Why would you do that?" I ask him, but I'm not yelling. I'm barely talking above a whisper.

  "Because I don't even know where you're staying, Kian." He doesn't sound mad now, more like concerned.

  "It's not your problem." I shake my head again.

   "It will be, if you end up in trouble again." This man pushes all my buttons but he also cares about me. I have to remember that.

  "Riverside brings out the worst in me. I'm going to get a place in Long Beach, or here, and-"

  But Frank laughs and then points at my truck. "You should get going."

  Fuck him. Sure, he's my uncle. Sure, he's bailed me out of trouble. But he doesn't believe in me. He doesn't think I'll be able to get my own place or take care of my brother. No one has ever believed in me and it really sucks.

  The job is as simple as any other job I've done over the past year, for Frank. His guys are assholes and make me do most of the work, but still it's not bad. Unloading a truck of tables and chairs. Setting up the table cloths and chair covers. Building the dance floor. I'm done by 3P.M. and I text Frank to let him know, before I leave.

  It's less than an hour drive back to Santa Monica, but I don't have to work for a few more hours. It's already been a busy day, but every time I've had a smoke break, I've thought about Seph. I told her I'd call her soon, so I click her name and drop my phone into the passenger seat after turning on speaker phone.

  It rings five times. No answer.

  I keep driving, unsure if I'm going to Santa Monica or back to Long Beach.  At this point, it doesn't matter. More than anything, I want to see my brother. It's an hour drive to Riverside, plus I'd need more than an hour to get back for work, so I can't make it work today. Plus, I have no idea if she'd let me see my brother, anyway.

  My mom was furious at me when I got into that fight with Dean Williams, a year ago. Dean broke my nose because he thought I was trying to hook up with his girlfriend. In reality, his girlfriend had only flirted with me at a party. But he showed up at my mom's house and he punched me in the face and broke my nose. He held me down and kicked me in the chest. In self defense, when I got up to my feet, I fought back. I was mad. I was more than mad. I was furious. I hit him so hard he fell back and blacked out. My damn mother called the cops on me. I was arrested. Dean Williams was fine, just a minor concussion. But I spent three nights in jail, before uncle Frank came to Riverside and bailed me out.

  My mom let me back into her house a month later, but it hasn't really lasted since. She finds some reason to get mad at me, or Mike is drunk and kicks me out. It's been hard on Zeek. It's been hard on me. I just want to see my brother.

  I'm back in Santa Monica and parked in a fast food parking lot when my phone rings. I drop my fries into my lap and reach for it, and then see it's Seph calling.

  She's actually calling me.

 "Hey," I answer, trying to sound casual.  

 "Hi." She sounds like she's been crying. Immediately I can tell she's not okay.

 "What's going on? I called you half an hour ago-"

  "You said I could call when I needed someone, right?" she interrupts.

  "Yeah. Of course. Are you okay?" My heart's beating too fast.

   "Yeah. No. Um... no."

  "Seph... talk to me."

  She exhales slowly. "I want to get better. I don't want to do this anymore." She's crying again, full out sobbing. I can't take it.

 "What do you need?" I ask without really thinking.

  She hesitates. My heart is breaking. She doesn't even know how to ask for help.

  "Seph. What can I do?" I ask again.

  "Can you come pick me up? I just need to not be here."

  I want to. I want to go and save her. I know if I tell her no now, she won't trust me with anything. I need her to trust me. I push the thoughts in my head aside and nod, even though she can't see me. I am not really in any place to attempt to save this girl, but I'll be damned if I don't at least try.

  "I'll be there in thirty minutes."

  She's too quiet. Is she changing her mind? My heart is beating so fast and I realize that I really don't want her to change her mind. I want to see her - no I need to see her.

 Finally, she whispers, "Thank you."