He gives me a hard look of malice. “What the fuck do you care?”

“Jesus,” I say.

“Fuck you.”

“What the hell is your problem?” I ask.

He locks his eyes on mine. I’m sweating again and anger bubbles up inside me. I’m sick of his moods and of the way he’s been talking to my mother and me, tired of him pushing us around and his temper tantrums and the way he kicks and breaks things like an angry child.

“Like you give a shit,” he says and opens the second beer.

“Why are you being such an asshole?”

He smiles. “Think yer hot shit, do ya? Think yer ready to take on yer old man? You just remember who taught you those moves that have ya feelin’ so cocky right now.”

I shake my head. “Piss off,” I say, and instead of waiting to see how he’ll respond, I turn and walk out the door and get into my car, holding my breath while praying that he hasn’t followed me. He hasn’t. I start my car and pull away. My hands shake for most of the drive. I have the urge to go to the mall instead, to find my mother and warn her against coming home. But there are three malls the same distance away and I have no idea to which she has gone. And I doubt I’d be able to find her if I did.

I arrive at Jason’s and carry the box with the gun and ammo up to his house. He walks out wearing black shorts and no shirt. The high is 101, and it feels every bit of that now, no wind, not a cloud in the sky, humid as hell. The good thing about Jason’s is that he lives far enough away to evade the smell of simmering manure.

“What up, fool?”

“Shit,” I say. “It’s hotter than hell.”

“Yeah it is.”

I look at the Pepsi can in his hand and shake my head. “Empty calories,” I say.

“Blow me. When I bust in your face you’ll be covered in empty calories.”

“Actually, I think there’s a lot of protein in jizz.”

We both laugh. I follow him into the house, which is hot and stuffy, and several fans do little more than circulate the hot air. Both of us are sweating.

“You mind if I use your phone?”

“No, go ahead.”

I pick up the receiver and call my mother’s best friend. She answers on the second ring.

“Hi, Dee, it’s Stratton.”

“Well, hey there,” she says cheerfully.

“I was wondering, have you talked to my mom today?”

“Well no, haven’t seen her since yesterday morning. Is everything okay?”