“You left work early.”
He pulls away, his grin slipping. “You’re not my dad, J.”
And then he gives a violent shudder and pushes off the couch, swaying on his feet.
I stare at him. I’ve never met Jet’s parents. Not even when we were in school. Whenever I asked about his family, he gave me some vague reply.
“I’m gonna turn in,” he says, his back stiff and shoulders hunched. “Next time don’t wait up.”
“Dammit.” I get up, a little unsteadily, banging my glass on the coffee table. “Jet.”
He doesn’t reply, and I follow him to his bedroom where he’s pulling off his T-shirt and unbuckling his belt while rummaging for something in his closet.
I tap him on the shoulder. “Jet?”
He jumps back, slamming his elbow into my stomach and shoving me backward. “Fuck!”
Ow, goddammit. I grab his arm as I stumble back, pulling him with me. He rips his arm free of my hold, trips over his feet and falls.
Time seems to stop.
His eyes are very dark and wide as he drops, his mouth open.
Then his skull cracks on the floor, his eyes fall shut, and his body goes slack, sprawled on the carpet.
Son of a bitch. “Jet!” I drop to my knees and wonder what I should do. Oh fuck, oh fuck! I grab his shoulders. “Jet, can you hear me?”
A low groan and his eyes flutter open. “Ugh.” He blinks at me. “Not fuckin’ deaf.”
“Jet.” A laugh escapes me. “Dammit, asshole, you scared me. Can you move?”
He lifts his hand, and I clasp it in mine. I haul him to a sitting position, and he lists to the side, face paling.
“Come on, I’m taking you to the ER.” I walk him to the bed and seat him down on it. “You cracked your head pretty hard on the floor.”
“I’ve got a thick skull,” he mutters, his grip tightening on my arm. “Not going anywhere.”
Stubborn idiot. “I wasn’t asking you.”
“Fuck you, J.” His hand tightens on my arm, grinding my bones together. “I’m fine.”
Is he, though? “Will you let me take care of your pigheaded ass?”
“Nobody can take care of me.” Quiet. Too quiet.
I ignore that. “Why did you leave work early? Was it because of the diploma thing?”
“Fuck, you spoke to Candy.”
“Talk to me, motherfucker.”
He snorts, shakes his head. “I’m a loser, man. I’ll get fired. I’m not ready to take the damn GED exams yet. I shouldn’t have thought the likes of me can work in a shop like that.”
“Shut up, dude. You’re bright. You can do this. Let me help you. Just…” Fuck. “Just don’t shut me out. You know I’d do anything for you.”
“Anything?”
He won’t look up.