Kian

"Kian... I need you."

  My little brother's voice in my ear breaks my heart in half. He's crying. He sounds like he's whispering, and there's a bunch of background noise.

  "What's going on? How'd you get your phone?" I ask, hoping he's okay. He has to be okay.

  "I found it hidden away in a drawer, but I've been too scared to use it. But..." He lets his voice trail off.

  "Zeek?"

  "I need you to come and get me," he finally says.

  I squeeze my eyes closed and try to breathe, but it's hard. "I can't do that, Zeek. You know I can't."

  "It's... different now. Mike is... he wants me out of their house. Mom told me to call you."

  "Mom told you to call me?" I repeat, because it doesn't make any sense.

  Not even a week ago, she got the cops to come and get him to bring him back to Riverside. She wanted him back.

  "Yes." My brother's little voice sounds so scared.

  "Is she there? Can I talk to her?" I ask, even though I don't want to talk to her. I'd rather never talk to her again.

  Zeek hesitates, and then whispers, "She dropped me off at the Mcdonald's, by my school."

  "What? What are you saying?" I ask, because I'm frantic all of a sudden.

  "Can you just come and get me? Please?" he wants to know.

  Of course I'm going to go and get him, but the facts don't add up. Mike doesn't want him living there anymore? He's eleven. My mother is going along with this? I don't have time to ask any more questions, so I start my truck while still on the phone with him.

  "I'm two hours away. I'm sorry, but I will be there as soon as I can. Hang tight, okay?" I tell Zeek.

  "Okay. Yeah, I'll be here," he finishes and then ends the call.

  I blow out a heavy breath as I lower my phone from my ear and place it in the cup holder between the seats. I can feel Seph's eyes on me but she's waiting for me to talk first. I really don't want to talk.

  "Seph, you have to be sure about this," I speak, but I'm not looking at her.

  "I am," she says easily.

  "You don't even know what you're agreeing to," I tell her, and it comes out meaner than it should.

  She swallows hard and is quiet for a minute. I want her to really think this over because it'll be hard on both of us if she changes her mind afterwards.

  "I'm not happy," she says, finally. I keep my eyes on the road but she's going to go on, I can feel it. "I haven't been in a long time. Things feel a little brighter when I'm with you-"

  "Brighter?" I repeat, annoyed for some reason. I just told her that she made my life brighter, not the other way around. "I'm the opposite of that."

  "Not to me, you're not." Her words are so serious that I believe her. "I'm driving to Riverside to pick up my brother. My mother dropped him off at a Mcdonald's, for fuck sake." This is her last chance to change her mind. I have to tell her everything. "He's eleven. My mom's asshole boyfriend has been hurting him and now he just wants him out, so..."

  Tears sting behind my eyes. This is not fair to Zeek, and it's especially not fair that I went through it, too. Our mother didn't care enough to protect me, but at least I was eighteen before she started kicking me out. He's eleven.

  "So, we go pick him up," Seph finishes for me.

   I can't help but smile at her, even though smiling seems like the last thing I should do right now. It's still early in the day, but driving two hours to Riverside and then back to Santa Monica feels like a lot. I need a coffee. I'm supposed to work tonight, at the bar. I already lost my job working for Frank and now I have even more responsibility on my plate.

  I'm quiet, for a long time. I drive, a bit too fast, down the highway towards my hometown. This drive used to mean my mom wanted to see me, or she was letting me come back home. It often felt like a new start, but it never lasted. Now it feels like a difficult task that I don't want to complete, but I have to. 

  When I reach into my pocket for a cigarette, I offer one to Seph, too. She shakes her head, so I just pull one out and light it, without a word. She's giving me time and space to process what is happening, I get that. A lot has happened between us since last night. I am so happy she's here, beside me, but I can't stop thinking about her parents and what they'll do when they find out.

  "I've never been to Riverside," Seph says, when we are only about ten minutes away.

  I glance at her just for a second. "You're not missing anything."

  "I've basically stayed in Malibu my entire life. Like, I've been to L.A. for a weekend trip, you know? And I've been to Bakersfield, for gymnastics meets. But there's so many places I've never been," she goes on.

  "That's not a bad thing," I mumble.

  I shouldn't be taking my anger out on her, but I can't help it.

   Instead of getting offended, she reaches over and slips her hand into mine again. Her hair is down and wavy around her shoulders and part of her face is covered when I look at her again. She's beautiful in an unconventional way and it makes my stomach tingle. I don't know what will happen, with us. I don't know if she'll be able to deal with the life I'm about to show her. But for now, she's here.

  "There he is," I say quietly, as I pull into the parking lot. My voice doesn't sound like myself.

  Zeek is sitting outside of the McDonald's, on a metal bench. He's in shorts and a t-shirt and there's a back pack beside him. The same one he grabbed when I took him, last weekend. He looks so young, sitting there by himself.

  Seph stays quiet, and she stays in the truck when I turn it off and hop out. I walk, fast, towards my brother, my heart racing. I don't know what to say to him, so I just wrap my arms around him in a hug, when I'm close enough.

  "You okay?" I ask, and he nods as I step back and look at him. I don't see any fresh bruises right away. "Sorry I took so long."

  Zeek shrugs. "Mom gave me twenty bucks. I got a burger and I sat inside for awhile, and then I just came out here."

   My blood boils, thinking about our mother dropping him off here however long ago. Does she just not care about him? Was she drunk, or was Mike threatening her? The latter seems like the most likely, but I can't be sure.

   "Okay, c'mon," I say to him, motioning at my truck.

   He follows behind me until we are close and I stop and look at him again. He's looking at the truck. At Seph, in the truck. There's a questioning look on his face, but he doesn't say a word.

   "My friend, Seph, is with me," I tell Zeek. "I'll explain, but... yeah. She was with me when you called."

   "Okay," he says and then shrugs. "Is she your girlfriend?"

   I look at him right in the eyes and then glance at the truck. "No. I mean, I don't think so."

   "You don't think so?" he asks with a laugh. "She either is or isn't."

   "Quiet," I tell him and open the passenger side door. "Get in."

   Seph slides over a bit closer to the center console, and Zeek nods and jumps in. I slam the door closed and go around to the other side of the truck. Once I'm inside again, I can smell Seph's shampoo - mangos or something fruity. I like how close she is.

   "So, where are we going?" Zeek asks, tossing his bag down to the floor.

   I don't say anything. Seph smiles at my brother but stays quiet.

   "Come on. You don't have a plan?" Zeek goes on. I can tell he's teasing me, the little shit.

   "I do not have a plan, but we have to go to back to Santa Monica," I say, but I don't want to say why. I don't want to tell them that I have to work tonight.

   "Santa Monica," Zeek repeats. "Uncle Frank lives there, right?"

   "Yes, but..." I let my voice trail off. "We'll get a motel for tonight and then go from there."

  "A motel?! Awesome. I hope they get good channels. I haven't seen any good TV in so long," Zeek says, acting like a normal eleven year old kid.

  He's not, and I know that all too well.

   Seph grabs my hand again as I start the truck. She holds my hand as I pull around the parking lot again, then go through the drive thru. I get a coffee for myself and I get Seph a Coke, and then we get back on the road.