Sequel: When Happily Ever After Fails ›
Status: It's basically done... Wow... I never thought I'd see the day.
Be Somewhere
I'm not Jesus; Jesus wasn't there.
"Was this really what your plan was?" Ricky screeched at the trees "Am I really supposed to spend my life running through the trees? Is this all some cruel joke of karma's?"
He sat on the ground and started to weep.
"I know I've done some pretty awful things in my life... but I don't deserve this. DO YOU HEAR ME? I DON'T FUCKING DESERVE THIS!" The only replies he got were the harsh sting of rain on his skin and the howling of the wind in his ears.
"I don't deserve this..." He sobbed. He struck a match and waited for the wind to put it out. It didn't. He waited for the rain to extinguish it, but it burned as brightly as ever in the darkness that surrounded it. Ricky sighed. Spending a night in the woods during a thunderstorm probably wasn't the brightest idea ever, especially in fire season. He blew out the match and tried to think of somewhere to go.
Danny or Brad's was out of the question. He was trying to pretend that Richard hadn't lain a hand on him in weeks. They were an inch from calling child services; it was perfectly okay for them to be abused, but apparently it wasn't okay for him. Ricky hated not telling his friends things. The two people he had trusted with his life now had to be excluded from it. He thought of going to his sisters and then thought better of it, she would accuse his mother and step father of abuse and then fight tooth and nail for custody.
"AND WHY MAY I ASK DOES THAT SEEM LIKE SUCH A BAD OPTION? YOU FUCKING MORON!"
Its a bad option because of Aggie
"DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND GUILT TRIP ME! SHE'LL BE PUT IN FOSTER CARE TOO!"
Foster care? Ricky remembered foster care. He had been put in the system before, the only reason he had been saved was because of his tendencies towards arson. He was seven at the time and knew a little too much about incest.
"Can you keep a secret Ricky?" Brad had asked him shyly before they headed towards the church. Ricky had nodded enthusiastically. He was good at keeping secrets, and he liked them.. most of them anyway. They made him feel special, and important, just like Daddy had always said he was.
"Sometimes my dad comes into my room at night. What he does hurts a little, but he says I'll get used to it and that all big boys have to do it. He says hes getting me ready. I don't know what for, he says its a surprise, but I can't wait!"
Ricky paled. That sounded exactly like what his own dad had said to him. Ricky had been excited for the surprise too, until he got it. Ricky hadn't liked the surprise from the start, but after his dad had gone to jail for it, he had liked it even less. It had caused his mommy to start drinking again, and it had put him with weird religious people that he didn't know.
"When he comes into your room, does he tell you its okay, and that you shouldn't tell anyone?"
"Yeah!" Brad blurted, "But I just had to tell you anyway, you're my best friend, Ricky!"
Ricky nodded. "and does he touch you in funny ways?" Brad stared at him like he was a fortune teller who was all knowing.
"Brad, he shouldn't do stuff like that... my dad had to go away cause he did stuff like that. The policeman said it was bad and that it was against the law..."
"Do you think that it really is, Ricky?" Brad was on the verge of tears. "Please don't tell anybody! I don't want my daddy to go away!" Ricky nodded at him.
"Let me talk to him, and i promise he'll stop and he won't have to go to jail." Brad beamed at him.
"I love you Ricky."
Hours had passed before Ricky got the chance to speak to Brads Father. They were alone in the church's library.
"I know what you do to Brad, and I want you to stop." Mr. Marshall stared at Ricky for a moment before starting to laugh.
"I don't kn-" Ricky held up his hand.
"Save it. You can say that you don't know what I'm talking about, but I know that you do, and thats all that matters." Ricky glared at the man until the smile melted from his face.
"And if I refuse to stop? Ricky, you're seven. And with your family history... no cops will beleive you. And if Brad says anything, they'll believe that you told him what happened between you and your father and he didn't want to feel left out."
"Did I say anything about going to the cops? No. I have my own ways of dealing with scum like you."
That wasn't the first time Ricky struck a match. Technically, it wasn't even the first time he had burned down a building in the process. It was, however, the first time he had almost killed someone.
He sat on the ground and started to weep.
"I know I've done some pretty awful things in my life... but I don't deserve this. DO YOU HEAR ME? I DON'T FUCKING DESERVE THIS!" The only replies he got were the harsh sting of rain on his skin and the howling of the wind in his ears.
"I don't deserve this..." He sobbed. He struck a match and waited for the wind to put it out. It didn't. He waited for the rain to extinguish it, but it burned as brightly as ever in the darkness that surrounded it. Ricky sighed. Spending a night in the woods during a thunderstorm probably wasn't the brightest idea ever, especially in fire season. He blew out the match and tried to think of somewhere to go.
Danny or Brad's was out of the question. He was trying to pretend that Richard hadn't lain a hand on him in weeks. They were an inch from calling child services; it was perfectly okay for them to be abused, but apparently it wasn't okay for him. Ricky hated not telling his friends things. The two people he had trusted with his life now had to be excluded from it. He thought of going to his sisters and then thought better of it, she would accuse his mother and step father of abuse and then fight tooth and nail for custody.
"AND WHY MAY I ASK DOES THAT SEEM LIKE SUCH A BAD OPTION? YOU FUCKING MORON!"
Its a bad option because of Aggie
"DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND GUILT TRIP ME! SHE'LL BE PUT IN FOSTER CARE TOO!"
Foster care? Ricky remembered foster care. He had been put in the system before, the only reason he had been saved was because of his tendencies towards arson. He was seven at the time and knew a little too much about incest.
"Can you keep a secret Ricky?" Brad had asked him shyly before they headed towards the church. Ricky had nodded enthusiastically. He was good at keeping secrets, and he liked them.. most of them anyway. They made him feel special, and important, just like Daddy had always said he was.
"Sometimes my dad comes into my room at night. What he does hurts a little, but he says I'll get used to it and that all big boys have to do it. He says hes getting me ready. I don't know what for, he says its a surprise, but I can't wait!"
Ricky paled. That sounded exactly like what his own dad had said to him. Ricky had been excited for the surprise too, until he got it. Ricky hadn't liked the surprise from the start, but after his dad had gone to jail for it, he had liked it even less. It had caused his mommy to start drinking again, and it had put him with weird religious people that he didn't know.
"When he comes into your room, does he tell you its okay, and that you shouldn't tell anyone?"
"Yeah!" Brad blurted, "But I just had to tell you anyway, you're my best friend, Ricky!"
Ricky nodded. "and does he touch you in funny ways?" Brad stared at him like he was a fortune teller who was all knowing.
"Brad, he shouldn't do stuff like that... my dad had to go away cause he did stuff like that. The policeman said it was bad and that it was against the law..."
"Do you think that it really is, Ricky?" Brad was on the verge of tears. "Please don't tell anybody! I don't want my daddy to go away!" Ricky nodded at him.
"Let me talk to him, and i promise he'll stop and he won't have to go to jail." Brad beamed at him.
"I love you Ricky."
Hours had passed before Ricky got the chance to speak to Brads Father. They were alone in the church's library.
"I know what you do to Brad, and I want you to stop." Mr. Marshall stared at Ricky for a moment before starting to laugh.
"I don't kn-" Ricky held up his hand.
"Save it. You can say that you don't know what I'm talking about, but I know that you do, and thats all that matters." Ricky glared at the man until the smile melted from his face.
"And if I refuse to stop? Ricky, you're seven. And with your family history... no cops will beleive you. And if Brad says anything, they'll believe that you told him what happened between you and your father and he didn't want to feel left out."
"Did I say anything about going to the cops? No. I have my own ways of dealing with scum like you."
That wasn't the first time Ricky struck a match. Technically, it wasn't even the first time he had burned down a building in the process. It was, however, the first time he had almost killed someone.