Chapter 4
-Kirrill-
I don’t know what it’s like; having a family. I never even met my mother, and my father didn’t want me. But then I met the Boss, and Kat. And everyone here…they’re all my family now. Perhaps we don’t make the best family, based on how we would probably kill each other if the Boss asked us to.
But these people…they’re all I have. And they’re a good bunch really; they’ve all taken care of me since I was a kid - always making sure that I was eating well, teaching me to look after myself and stand up to bullies.
They are all good people, even if they do bad things.
I like to think that the same thing applies to me, but perhaps…perhaps I am not as good a person as they are. Because I mean, I literally just have one job: look after Kat. And passing out and injuring my head doesn’t really fit into that criteria anywhere.
My best friend is much more careful after that particular incident; she puts effort into not getting either of us into trouble, and she confronts the Boss when he tries to punish me for things which aren’t even my fault.
Things are going well, really well, until one particular evening. Kat storms into my room, slamming the door shut behind her. “This is fucking ridiculous,” she snarls, sitting down on my bed heavily. Glancing up from my book, I sigh, sliding a bookmark between the pages before placing the book on my bedside table.
“What is?” I ask, already fearing the worst - that the Boss finally decided that Kat has to break up with Aria and marry some other gang leader. Surely he wouldn’t do that, right? He knows how happy Aria makes his daughter, and the Boss would do anything for Kat.
Well. Almost anything.
“He wants me to fucking take over. He wants me to be in charge! Dad said that I’m too immature and I need to learn real responsibility by having the lives of all our boys in my hands! What kind of fucking joke is that!” Kat yells, gripping her hands at her sides in frustration.
Blinking a few times, I frown slightly. I thought the Boss had mentioned this to Kat ages ago, and I thought that they’d both agreed that she’d take over in a few years - and considering that this conversation happened a few years ago, it makes sense that the Boss brought it up again now.
“And that’s bad because…” I prompt, cracking my knuckles out of habit. Kat shoots me a frustrated look before sighing. “It’s bad because I’m not immature, and I don’t want any more bloody responsibility! I’m already in charge of two of the sub-groups, I don’t need the main one too! That’s dad’s job! He’s the pro at this,” she groans, covering her face and letting out a symphony of anguished sounds.
Chewing on my lips, I consider how the fuck I should answer. “But you…you agreed to take over. And I know that if the end result is that you don’t feel ready to take over, then you don’t feel ready to take over. But isn’t it possible for you to start…learning? The Boss can teach you what you need to learn, and you could…you know, be ready at some point.”
Kat stands up suddenly, anger in her eyes. In fact, I don’t think she was even listening to what I was saying at all. “If he thinks I’m fucking immature, then I’ll show him immature.” Her tone is venomous and I snap my jaw shut, keeping myself quiet.
Please, just don’t make things worse for us both again.
My best friend begins storming out of my room with all the ferocity of a tempest, and all I can do is helplessly follow after her.
“Kat…Kat! Can you just- can’t you just listen to me for once?! What the hell are you even going to do, huh? Run away again? Because that solves all your problems, I’m sure,” I spit angrily, feeling the heat rise in my throat.
She doesn’t even turn to look at me.
Scoffing, I run a hand through my hair. “So that’s it then. You tried being a good friend for like…a whole goddamn month. Wow. Congratulations. And now you’re just going to leave me here, again, to face the wrath of your dad. Thanks a whole fucking bunch.”
Finally, Ekaterina turns back to look at me, her hands already clutching her helmet. “You’re a big boy, I’m sure you can cope with a little bit of yelling.”
I stand there, stunned into silence as I watch my sister ride away from me. She humiliated me, belittled the punishments I have to go through for her sake.
But maybe she’s right, maybe I’m just being too overdramatic about this whole thing.
So I remind myself that it’s fine, that I can cope with this, as the Boss grasps the collar of my shirt, pulling it open at my collarbones and pressing the smouldering butt of his cigarette to my skin. I remind myself that I’m just making a big deal out of nothing as he does it again and again, over and over, burning my left collarbone repeatedly.
But it’s fine, because I can cope with this. It’s just a little pain - I’m good with pain. I just push it out of my mind, think of other things instead.
So it’s fine.
I can cope with this.
—————
-Wesley-
“You’re being a dunce right now. Your dad knows you’re friends with me; here and Aria’s are the first places he’ll look for you. You should go stay in a hotel or something instead,” I remind Kat as she slumps against my front door, shaking her head.
“No, he doesn’t know your address and neither does Kirrill, so I’ll be safe here. Just let me stay the night, I’ll figure something out in the morning,” she whines, looking at me with puppy eyes. I have a really bad feeling about this; all I know is that she ran away from home. She won’t say why, and she hasn’t mentioned what will happen with Kirrill.
She hasn’t mentioned him at all.
I haven’t seen him since that time he passed out and hit his head, but I know that after that incident around a month ago, Kat really started sorting herself out, working on not getting Kirrill into trouble.
Somehow, I don’t see how Kirrill won’t get into trouble for her running away.
This all feels really unfair to me, especially because Kat doesn’t seem worried at all about the man who she said herself, is her best friend and brother.
Before I can question her more, however, my sister arrives home from work. “Ekaterina! How lovely to see you again - Wes get out the way and let us in,” Maddie tells me off, pushing past me and taking Kat to the kitchen for some tea and a catch-up chat.
Frowning slightly, worry gnaws at my gut. Slipping my phone from my pocket, I go into the contacts, searching for one in particular. One which I’ve never called or texted, one without even so much as a name.
It’s Kirrill’s number. He typed it in himself, when he took my number. He wanted to keep in contact in case Kat came back to the shop, but in the end he never even left the shop, and Kat arrived back soon after.
Hovering over the call button, I shake my head, putting the device back into my pocket. Kat has made sure to properly look out for Kirrill recently, so he’s probably fine. He will have left too, I’m sure, and he’s probably crashing at his own girlfriend’s or something. There’s no point disturbing him, and I doubt he’d even pick up the phone if I rang.
Sitting down at the kitchen table, I listen as Maddie and Kat chat about random insignificant things, right up until my parents arrive home and convince Kat to stay the night. Not like she needed convincing anyway.
“Of course, all the usual rules apply for when you have someone staying in your room,” my dad begins, and I roll my eyes. Obviously they know that Kat is 1, a lesbian, and 2, has a girlfriend, and that 3, I’m not attracted to her whatsoever, but my parents always still give me the same lecture whenever I have someone to stay the night.
They don’t make Kat stay in Maddie’s room or anything; there’s really no point in splitting us up just because we’re different genders, so I’m always grateful for that at least.
“And lastly, just bang on the wall if you’re uncomfortable at any point. It’ll wake up Maddie and she’ll be over in two seconds flat,” my dad finishes, giving me a big smile. Chuckling slightly, I give my dad a goodnight hug before heading off to my room. My family is always cautious about people hurting me, so once I came back to live here again, we moved around our beds so that Maddie’s and mine are next to each other, only separated by a wall.
It comforts me, knowing that she’s so close by, and that all I need to do is hit the wall and she’ll instantly be at my side.
Climbing into bed, I turn over and face Kat where she lies on the inflatable mattress on the floor. Unable to stop myself, I ask the question that’s been bugging me since she got here.
“What about Kirrill?”
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