Behind The Tears Part 8

Naf followed, but got shoved out and the door slammed in his face. He thumped it and yelled, "He's my brother, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!" Something thudded on the other side, causing him to jump backwards. He swore up a storm, then spun around, quickly zeroing in on Juliet. "You can p.i.s.s off! I don't want cha living here anymore."

His girlfriend placed a hand on his chest. "Calm down, honey," Aroha said. "There must be a good reason she hit him. Juliet likes Corey; she wouldn't have done it for nuthin'."

"He's got cancer!" Naf hollered so loud his face turned red. "There's no excuse."

Aroha bobbed down and coaxed Juliet to stand. "Let's go to your room and you can tell me what happened."

"Leave her there," Naf said.

Ignoring him, Aroha helped Juliet through the doorway. Naf followed them inside, insisting that Aroha come out. Aroha started scolding him like a mother would a child, causing Naf to go silent. He quickly left the room, closing the door behind him.

Shaking her head, Aroha sat down on the bed next to Juliet. "He's worse than a b.l.o.o.d.y kid sometimes, but don't worry, I'll make sure he lets you stay. All I needa do is withhold s.e.x and he rolls over and does whatever I want."

Juliet glanced at the Mori woman. Aroha was dressed in one of Naf's XL s.h.i.+rts, which swamped her body, making her brown legs look painfully thin. Although Naf's girlfriend was nuttier than the Crazy Cat Lady from The Simpsons, the woman's hair just as wild, Juliet thought she was nice. Yeah, Aroha was way too old for Naf, but Juliet liked having another female around, especially one who always sided with her.

"What happened, love?" Aroha asked. "Why'd ja hit Corey for?"

Juliet wiped her eyes. "He used me."

"How?"

"He called out Sledge's name while we were having s.e.x."

Aroha's mouth dropped open. After what seemed like ages, she finally spoke, her raspy voice sounding shocked. "I thought he wuz answering Sledge."

"No, that's why I hit him. First Tama rejects me cos I look like Sledge, and now Corey f.u.c.ks me cos of it. I can't win."

"Jeez, I never thought Corey wuz gay. He doesn't look or act it."

"Well, what else could he be? He follows Sledge round like a puppy dog, and when Sledge isn't here, all he talks about is, Sledge said this, Sledge said that. But, it didn't hit me until he called out Sledge's name when he came."

"Does Sledge know Corey has a thing for him?"

"Doubt it. Sledge is a clueless dumba.r.s.e and I can't see Corey telling him. Sledge is almost as bad as Tama when it comes to being h.o.m.ophobic."

"Are you gonna tell Sledge?"

Juliet screwed up her face. "Are you nuts? He won't believe me, and I'll pro'bly get slapped around again. Sledge hates anyone saying bad things about Corey. He even punched Tama for calling Corey a f.a.g when Corey dyed his hair blond a few months back." She straightened, wondering whether Aroha could get her out of this mess. "Can you tell Naf why I hit Corey?"

"It should really come from Corey, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." Juliet pulled the blanket further around her and hugged Aroha with one arm, then leaned her head against the woman's shoulder and started crying again. "I really liked him."

Aroha ran a hand over her hair. "I know. Just let it all out."

Juliet continued to cry, thinking about all the guys she'd ever liked and how every one of them had done something mean to her. She'd had a huge crush on Nike Daniels in primary, but all he did was call her names and push her over when she'd tried to kiss him, then she'd fallen for Tama... She started crying louder, the memory of what he'd said still humiliating her: 'You look so much like your bro it would be like f.u.c.kin' Sledge, and I'm no h.o.m.o.' And now Corey had proven his point.

By the time she finally stopped crying, the front of Aroha's s.h.i.+rt was damp. Embarra.s.sed, Juliet sat up and wiped her eyes.

Aroha patted her knee. "Feeling better?"

Juliet shook her head. "It's not fair. Why couldn't I look like Ash and Dante instead of b.l.o.o.d.y Sledge?"

"Well, darling, you are his twin."

"It's not that, I mean, me and Sledge don't look anything like either of our parents. I've seen pics of my mum and she wuz gorgeous, but instead I look like this." She waved a hand in front of her face. "Why do I hafta be so ugly?"

Aroha frowned. "You're not ugly, and Sledge isn't either."

"That's cos it's alright for a guy to look rough, but not a girl. Once, my grandmother cut my hair short and people thought I wuz Sledge's li'l brother." She grabbed her small b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "And I've got hardly anything up here, which makes me look even more like a boy. What guy would want me?"

"You'll find someone."

"When? Cos I'm sick of waiting. I'm eighteen and I haven't even been on a date. And having s.e.x with Corey doesn't count, cos that's all we did. I want to be asked out to a movie or a restaurant, for a guy to want to spend time with me and not my brother. G.o.d, I never thought I'd be jealous of Sledge, but even he gets more guys wanting him than I do. It's not fair!"

"Then maybe you should lower your expectations, like I have. The unattractive guys are really appreciative of any attention."

"Naf's not unattractive, he's just a little overweight."

Aroha shrugged. "He's not really my type, but he treats me right, much better than the hot guys ever did. Find someone like that."

"I can't even get ugly guys. I knew it wuz too good to be true with Corey, cos he's so cute, but I really thought I'd finally found someone, like the time with Tama."

Aroha sat up straight. "What happened with Tama?"

"He used to hang around me a lot, but later I found out it wuz only cos he thought he could get money offa me. But I had no idea, and just a.s.sumed he liked me, so when he stayed over at our place one night I went into Sledge's room to ask if he wanted to go to the movies, but I found him lying on the bed rubbing himself, so I thought he might like it if I blew him-"

Aroha practically squealed, "You blew Tama?"

"Yeah, he told me to keep doin' it, but he wuz pus.h.i.+ng my head down too much and making me gag, so I asked if he wanted s.e.x. He said yes, then when I mentioned using a condom he opened his eyes and went nuts at me. He pushed me away, saying he thought he wuz dreaming. He wuz really, really mean."

"Is he big?"

"Eh? What do ya mean?"

Aroha moved her head forward. "You know, is he well-hung?"

Juliet screwed up her face, shocked by the question. "You can't be serious? I've just poured my heart out to you and all you're concerned 'bout is how big Tama's c.o.c.k is?"

"You don't needa get offended, it's a simple enough question."

Juliet stared at the woman.

"C'mon, please tell me," Aroha said. "My friend reckons he's ten inches. So, is he?"

"I didn't have a measuring tape, so how would I know."

"Don't be a spoilsport. If you wanted to know, I'd tell you."

"I wouldn't ask sumpthin' like that, it's rude."

Aroha scowled. "Sheesh, I stuck up for you against my own boyfriend, so you could at least tell me."

Juliet's shoulders slumped forward. "Yeah, sorry. I haven't seen many c.o.c.ks so I wouldn't know what big is, but Corey's one wuz loads smaller than Tama's, which kinda surprised me cos I just a.s.sumed guys were all the same size."

Aroha punched a fist in the air. "I knew he wuz hung, I b.l.o.o.d.y knew it."

Juliet shook her head. "You really are weird."

"Nah, I just have a thing for Tama. That boy is sizzling hot and I'd die to have some of his sausage. And how could you not know that guys have different sized w.a.n.gs? Sheesh, you have three brothers, girl."

Juliet's face dropped. "That's wrong in so many ways. And I never looked at theirs. Gross, gross, gross! And you shouldn't be talking 'bout Tama like that, cos you're with Naf."

"Not like I'm married to him, and I'm never gonna be stupid enough to do that." A smile crept across Aroha's face. "Hey, do ya think you could get me a visit with Tama?"

"But, that would be cheating on Naf."

"No it wouldn't, it would just be a visit, and we can go together. Anyway, Tama isn't interested in me, he turned down my proposal, but I still like looking at him."

Juliet's eyes widened. "You proposed to him?"

"It wuz just before I started dating Naf. I sent him a letter cos I thought he might say yes to get conjugal rights. When he didn't reply, I asked his cousin what Tama thought of my proposal letter. The li'l s.h.i.+t said New Zealand doesn't have conjugal rights, and that if it did Tama still wouldn't marry me. He wuz really rude too, and called me a paedophile." Aroha pursed her lips. "Tama is over the legal age."

"What's conjugal rights?"

"It's when married couples get time to have s.e.x if one of them is locked up. I visited my ex in prison when I lived in Australia, and just a.s.sumed they allowed it here too." Aroha frowned. "The b.a.s.t.a.r.d divorced me when he got out, saying he enjoyed s.h.a.gging his inmates more than me. Still, I love the sod."

Juliet covered her mouth to stop from laughing. It didn't matter whether she was in a foul mood, Aroha could always crack her up, although the woman never did it intentionally.

"Maybe I could visit my ex and Tama at the same time, cos they're in the same prison." Aroha hesitated. "Um... actually, that's pro'bly a bad idea; I'll just see them on different days. So, will ya get me a visit? I'll go tell Naf straight away 'bout what Corey did if you promise me."

"I s'pose I can check if it's alright to visit him." Juliet wondered whether Tama would see her after she got him in trouble with Ash. She wasn't exactly his favourite person, although he did owe her for all the money she gave him.

"Choice, lemme know when you hear. I'll go talk to Naf now." Aroha got up and headed for the door.

Juliet watched Aroha close the door behind her, feeling bad for Naf. Yeah, he'd yelled at her, but he was usually nice, and she didn't like the thought of Aroha going behind his back to see Tama, regardless of whether Tama was interested or not. She would never do that to someone, because, no matter what Aroha said, it was cheating. Maybe she should tell Naf, but then again, she was already in his bad books.

Sighing, she headed for her drawers and grabbed some clothes. She wished she'd told Aroha no, because she didn't want the woman's help now. She couldn't stand dishonest people, especially when it affected someone nice like Naf.

She tugged on her green skirt and matching top, wanting to get as far away from this crazy place as possible. Maybe she could visit Ash and get him to sort out this mess for her instead. He always came to her defence, unlike Dante who usually laughed and said it was her own fault. Or maybe she could ask Ash if she could move back in. Yeah, that wasn't a bad idea at all. She grabbed her keys off the colourful cabinet her grandfather had made and headed for the door.

9.

Ash Ash parked the car close to the emergency entrance to Middleton Hospital. The large white building was surprisingly quiet, with only a few cars dropping off people. Carly jumped out and ran around to Ash's door. Again, Ash got a flash of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as she leaned over to unbuckle his seatbelt.

"You need help walking, hun?" she asked, still looking excited.

"No, I'm fine." He gave her a friendly smile, no longer disliking her. On the car ride over, she'd softened him. He hadn't realised how much she'd cared about his brother; Dante's perception of her originally clouding his view. But, she'd showed concern for him, or in her mind Dante, constantly asking whether he was alright, so, by the time they'd pulled up to the hospital he'd come to the conclusion that she was in love with his brother.

"Why'd ja text that nude photo of Dante to everyone?" Ash asked, getting out of the car. "You did yourself no favours, it upset him loads."

She scowled at him. "Stop speaking like you're not Dante! Can't you just shoosh it?"

"No, cos I'm not him."

"But, I want you to be." She touched the tattoo on his neck. Ash stayed still as her fingers wandered up his face. "You've got different tattoos, but you look the same."

"So, you knew I wuzn't him all along?"

She shook her head, her face s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g up like she was going to cry. He wasn't sure whether she understood, then she spoke, her voice sounding almost normal. "I didn't send that text. Someone stole my phone. Deano found out about it and went ballistic, beating me up. I wanted to leave him for you, but he threatened to kill you." She started crying. "Then you told me to f.u.c.k off without letting me explain. You hurt me bad."

Ash frowned, p.i.s.sed with Deano. He didn't blame the guy for getting upset over the cheating, but there was no way in h.e.l.l the b.a.s.t.a.r.d should've hurt Carly. If a female did that to him he might yell, but he would never strike a woman. Oh, he'd leave her, but hitting them, nope, that was not on... Now, a man, that would be a totally different ball game, because he'd bash the s.h.i.+t out of anyone who touched what was his.

"Don't cry," he said. "I understand now," and I'll make sure Dante does too, not adding the last part since she already thought he was his brother.

Carly grabbed Ash round the waist and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, Dante, please forgive me."

"Nuthin' to forgive."

She leaned her head against his chest. Not knowing what to do, Ash patted her on the back, feeling awkward and self-conscious, standing out in the open with blood covering both of them. He glanced at Carly's children in the back seat, the two little ones babbling away to each other. "Get your kids out," he said, extricating himself from her.

Carly hollered for them, sending a shaft of pain through Ash's head. He cradled it, watching as the two kids scooted out. Carly took off after them as they headed through the sliding doors, yelling at them to stop. Seeing his opportunity, Ash jumped into the car and fired up the engine. There was no way he was going into the hospital with a battered woman. He could just imagine what people would think seeing her with a smashed-up face, and with him decked out in leathers and tats.

Carly stopped at the entrance, then turned and ran back, yelling at him to stop. Ash floored the accelerator.

He pulled into his driveway, parking Dante's car behind his Chevy. He jumped out, hoping that Beth was still home. Once he was cleaned up, he needed to apologise for how he'd acted earlier. He knew he shouldn't have ignored her, but he'd been in shock over Sledge finding out about the rape, plus she kept asking questions, not giving him a moment's peace. And he was sick of her always nagging him about his past, something that he wasn't used to. Tiana knew there were certain things he couldn't handle discussing, but Beth was determined to pull out those painful memories, ones that he'd fought so f.u.c.king hard to bottle up so he could function without fragmenting.

Ash stopped at the front door and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. He breathed in then let it out slowly, repeating this several times and blanking his mind in the way another rape victim had taught him. The woman had told him to think of something he loved and to bring up the image, blocking out everything else. Often it was the sea, where he would get lost surfing for hours, but instead an image of Kai Iwi Lakes with its warm waters swam across his mind, a place their family used to visit before his parents divorced. His lips curved into a smile as he pictured his father throwing a squealing six-year-old Dante into the water from their little boat. His father had dived in to bring Dante back, but as soon as Dante was on solid ground, he'd screamed and kicked their father in the s.h.i.+ns.

The boom of a sound system shattered the happy memory. Ash glanced at the road as a souped-up Nissan Skyline drove slowly past, the guys inside giving him a friendly salute. The gang were regular customers, one of the few who rarely gave him trouble. He lifted his chin in acknowledgement, then unlocked the house and headed for his bedroom. He poked his head inside, half-disappointed, half-relieved that Beth wasn't there. He checked Dante's room next, then the backyard. When he couldn't find anyone, he pulled out his phone and dialled Dante's number, his brother picking up on the third ring.

Ash heard what sounded like his son in the background. "Are you at Tiana's?"

"Yeah."

"What're doin' there?" Ash asked, annoyed that Tiana had let Dante come over. No matter what his ex said about him being free to visit Angelo, it was never that easy.

"I wanted to see Angelo," Dante replied.

"Put Tiana on the phone for a sec, and after I talk to her you hafta come straight home, I needa brief you on some s.h.i.+t that went down today."