Seeing Red

The next day, Taylor called in sick to work. Zac couldn’t say that he blamed him at all, but he wished he had the freedom to do the same. He wanted nothing but to stay home and stay in bed with his brother all day. He was certain that if they just never left the bed again, everything would be fine. They would be able to stay in the happy bubble they had been in after mending Taylor’s wounds and their own disagreements.

Of course, he knew that wasn’t realistic. The world didn’t work like that, and in any case, he had to earn some money. Calling out sick while he was still in training couldn’t possibly go well.

Thankfully, it was a relatively easy shift, though not short by any means. He was at least able to get away during his lunch break. He had packed a sandwich that day, trying to do his best to be more responsible with his money. All he purchased to accompany it was a Mountain Dew from a machine.

While he ate, he checked his phone. He had told Taylor multiple times to call him if he needed anything, but he knew Taylor would be stubborn. Not surprisingly, there were no missed calls. There was, however, a text from Melissa.

Okay I haven’t heard from you since last night so I really hope everything is okay. Your text was pretty vague and there were some typos, but did you say Taylor got into a fight? Is he okay?? Are you okay??? You better not be the one he was fighting with or I might have to kill you!

Zac laughed to himself for a moment, but it died quickly as he realized that he had left Melissa hanging. It seemed they were both guilty of that lately, but him more than her. He shoved the rest of his sandwich into his mouth as quickly as possible, then typed a text while he chewed.

I’m sorry! I spent the night playing nurse to Taylor. I still don’t really know what happened, he’s not talking. I think he was seeing someone else like I worried but that’s all I really know. I don’t know if it was that guy who hit him or what or why he is trying to protect whoever would do something like that. But the good news is that things seem to be good between us? I don’t know, but we had a good talk and I feel really good about things in spite of last night. Is your family still here?

Zac had deliberately avoided discussing what would happen after Melissa graduated. He knew she had no interest in returning home, but he realized that they hadn’t talked at all about her future plans—whether she had a job lined up, grad school, whatever. He had been so focused on his own future, or lack thereof, that he hadn’t even thought to ask about hers.

He still wasn’t sure how to do so, but he knew that he needed to at some point. Taylor wasn’t the only person who needed to see that Zac was capable of being a decent person.

Just my parents and the younger ones. They’re out of school now so the whole fam is having a kind of mini vacation down here. I still have a couple weeks before I start working at the public library so I’ve got time to play tour guide.

That answered one of his questions, at least. He still didn’t know where Melissa would be in the fall, if this job was only something for the summer. He polished off his soda, then typed another text.

Well that sounds like fun, I think? I’ve got to get back to work, but once I get home and check on Taylor, I’ll give you a call or something. He hasn’t texted me or anything today but hopefully he’s recovering from the hangover, if not from the fight. You wouldn’t believe how pitiful he looks. He’s going to need some serious makeup to cover the black eye.

He didn’t have time to wait for Melissa’s reply before he had to get back to work, and he knew that was just another thing on the list of things he would be apologizing to her for later. The list was going to be so long by the time he got around to doing that he would be lucky if he remembered everything on it.

Somehow, the rest of his shift went by quickly. That was one good thing, at least, Zac thought to himself as he packed up his things and left the mall. Although his schedule was anything but regular, he felt like he was finally starting to get used to the tedium of working. The fact that it would never really change, that he would be doing more or less the same things every day, indefinitely, should have terrified him a bit. And deep down, it did. But mostly, he liked how predictable it was. The customers were different and had their own unique issues, but there was a strict set of rules for handling anything that might happen. He liked that. He wished life could be that way.

When he pulled back in to his apartment’s parking lot, he could see an unfamiliar car parked at his end of the complex. It gave him a flashback to what had happened only a few months prior, and it made his head spin. He had no other brothers to show up out of the blue; chances were this person was a guest of someone else in the apartment complex.

He realized just how wrong he was when he saw Taylor’s figure descending the stairs quickly. A dark figure was hot on his heels, and Zac immediately recognized him, even at that distance. It was the man from the club. Zac hit the gas, his tires squealing as he slid into his usual parking spot. Taylor’s back was to him, so engrossed in his argument with the stranger that he didn’t even notice Zac’s arrival.

The sound of Zac’s car door slamming behind him drew their attention, at least.

“What’s going on here?” Zac asked, sounding far stronger and tougher than he felt.

“None of your business,” the stranger replied.

“Devin,” Taylor hissed. Just the name alone seemed to take all of his strength and courage.

Zac gave Taylor a look, as if to ask if this was both his ex-boyfriend and the guy who had done that to him. Taylor’s expression said it all—and, as Zac noticed belatedly, the sleeve of his shirt was ripped, as though he’d barely made a quick getaway.

Zac had never been much of a fighter. He had never understood the sort of rage that made a person actually see red; he had thought that was just a phrase. The heat that moved through his body, from his feet all the way up to the top of his head, made him realize it wasn’t a metaphor at all.

“You need to leave, right now,” Zac said sternly, wrapping a protective arm around Taylor’s waist. “You’re trespassing, and you are definitely not wanted.”

“You don’t know shit about who does or doesn’t want me, kid. Isn’t that right, Taylor?”

Taylor let out a weak, pitiful sound that betrayed just how scared he was of this man. Knowing that Taylor had lived with this… this sneering monster… made Zac’s blood boil even more. He gripped Taylor tighter, protectively.

Devin tilted his head to the side. “You took him back that fast, huh? Barely even ended things with me again, and you’re back in his arms after he broke up with you. You just can’t stand being alone, can you?”

Taylor shook, but not his head. His entire body was trembling. He didn’t speak.

“I hope you know what you’re getting into,” Devin said, and it took Zac a moment to realize he was the one being addressed. “He’s clingy. Codependent. Can’t make up his mind, and he’ll come running back to you with his tail tucked between his legs as soon as someone else breaks his heart.”

“You don’t know anything about me, or him, or what our relationship is,” Zac said as calmly as he could manage. “But I do know that you’re clearly insecure about something. What’s it called—internalized homophobia? Or maybe you just have a small dick. Whatever it is that makes you hate yourself so much, if you take it out on my—on Taylor again, they will never find all the pieces of your body. So, if you don’t mind, get the hell out of my way. I’m going to my apartment, and you’re going to fuck off and never bother us again.”

Devin stepped in close, so close that Zac could smell the yeasty stench of beer on his breath. He leered at him for a moment before turning to Taylor. “He’s cute. But he’ll leave too when he finds out about your creepy obsession with your long lost little brother.”

Zac didn’t remember doing it. He didn’t remember even thinking about doing it. That part wasn’t exactly true. He had wanted to punch the smug look off Devin’s face from the very second he realized who it was and what he had done to Taylor. His brain had cycled through a variety of explicit and creative scenarios during the whole, brief conversation.

But in that moment, he thought and felt nothing. From somewhere outside his own body, he watched his fist connect with Devin’s side, landing somewhere that gave a sickening crunch—ribs, maybe. Anatomy wasn’t Zac’s strong suit, but he knew he had hit something important—and hard as hell. He didn’t feel the pain that he knew a punch like that must have caused. He pulled back and watched with an odd, sickening sort of fascination as Devin doubled over, clutching his side and spitting out a stream of groans and curse words.

He still couldn’t feel anything.

Taylor’s mouth was moving, but he could hear nothing, either. There was a dull roar in his ears, pierced only by the screaming wail of a siren. Zac took a few steps back, then spun around, realizing the sirens were getting closer—and so was Devin. He barely dodged Devin’s punch, and was vaguely aware of it grazing his ear, rather than its intended destination, as he reeled back.

That should have hurt, he thought. That definitely should have hurt.

Everything was happening in a strange sort of slow motion, in a vacuum where he could feel nothing. Even the rage he had felt moments ago felt remote and inaccessible. Zac didn’t understand what was happening to him at all.

There were voices now, and sirens. Loud sirens, right next to him. Somewhere in the distance, an apartment door opened and then shut again. There were footsteps, rushing at him from seemingly all directions. He was vaguely aware that the voices were coming from two men in uniform, rushing toward him.

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