Hooligans

Tyler hadn't come after me or responded in any shape or form to the last words I'd uttered to him, although I never did leave Betty's house.

I stood in the tiny bathroom diagonal from the room Tyler had taken for himself. I stared at myself in the huge mirror above the sink.

The reflection in the glass peering back at me was almost a total stranger, one who just happened to share my same eye and color as well as facial structure. Those brown eyes bore dark, purple semi-circles underneath them, surely from the night I'd spent tossing and turning on the unpleasant mattress of Tyler's carpeted floor. Tangles knotted up my reddish mahogany hair, making it stick up in unnatural areas. Most noticeable, however, was the dark purple and blue coloring my left cheek along with a dried pool of blood in the corner of my mouth where his hand had actually split the corner of my mouth.

A soft frown came over my lips, causing me to wince as I said, "I look like shit," through a soft sigh.

"Oh, my Lord, Rikki Mae. Quite the mouth aren't ya?" Betty teased, stood in the doorway of the door I'd left slightly ajar. Half a smirk had curved onto her thin, pink lips, as she leaned with her arms cross onto the door frame.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Betty," I apologized, sheepishly.

"Oh, don't fret it, darlin', although ya are lookin' a little... uh, rough." She bit her thin bottom lip, scrutinizing my appearance. "If you'd like you can shower while I wash your slothes, so you can have something clean to wear..." she offered.

"Alright. Thank you, Betty," I accepted the generous offer.

"No problem, sweetheart." She pulled the door almost closed to give me privacy as I stripped so I could hand my clothes to her through the crack.

I heard her call through the door, "I'll put your phone on the kitchen counter!" as I twisted the knob to start the flow of water running from the faucet.



Showers, ever since I was small, always made me feel so refreshed. I used to pretend that whenever I was in the shower I was in a video game and the constant stream of hot water caressing my bare body replenished my health. Yes, I'm aware that's silly, but my mom used to always play along... that is until she-

I cut off the flow of scalding water, abruptly to stop my thoughts from sending me into the grips of depression again.

The sudden lack of hot water left my exposed, damp skin shivering as goosebumps broke out across my flesh. I wrung my hair out and threw it up into a white towel to dry. I also wrapped a fluffy white towel around my naked body.

This time when I took a look at myself in the fogged up mirror, I looked more like myself and less like the disheveled stranger I'd come across earlier. More color had come into my pale face, less in the bruised area as well. Even the dried blood had washed away with the soapy water down the drain. The only think missing was... my clothes. Betty had taken them to wash. Shit.

Holding my towel with one hand, I pulled the bathroom door open with my free one a tad. "Betty?" I called out in a loud whisper. No answer. "Betty?" This time louder. Again, no answer. "Fuck," I muttered, slipping out the door to find Betty.

I clutched the towel close to my bare body, anxiously, as always insecure. The absolute last thing I needed was for Tyler to see me exposed and vulnerable like this.

An eerie quiet, calm had come over the house, not helping in my search for Betty one bit. The kitchen was as safe a bet as I could get to assuming where Betty was. Still as I turned toward the kitchen I looked left to be sure that she wasn't doing laundry in the laundry room.

And of course at just the moment I was turning, Tyler was coming the opposite direction probably scurrying back to the isolation of his temporary room.

"Fuck," I muttered once I turned and collided directly into him. The impact sent me to the carpet, making me clutch my towel tighter to my body so as to be sure Tyler couldn't see anything.

Nonetheless, I caught his hazel eyes scanning up and down my body. "Might wanna watch where you're going," he remarked, although the tone of his voice confused me. The sentence was structured to sound harsh and rude, but his tone was soft almost as if he were telling a child to look both ways before crossing the street.

Without looking at him, I whispered, "Have you seen Betty?" a warmth coming across my cheeks.

"Kitchen," he replied, eyes raking over my body once more before he continued on to his room without another word.

"Thanks," I said, again in a whisper, though I'm not certain he heard me at all.

A light pink tint still colored my cheeks when I reached the kitchen. "Betty?" I called out to her.

Her back was turned to me as she rummaged through the fridge looking for something to cook, presumably. Once she heard her name, she turned in my direction with a quizzical expression across her face.

"Have my clothes finished washing yet?"

"Well," her eyes examine my appearance in the towel, which I was still clutching tight to my nude body. "I don't think they're finished, but I'm sure I could find you something to wear... or well, Rikki, you're just so stick thin that I'm afraid I don't have anything that would fit you." She took a quick pause. "Maybe Tyler would be willing to let you borrow something until your clothes finish."

My teeth sunk into my bottom lip. "I doubt he would. He doesn't exactly seem like the most generous of people..."

"He should owe you one after what he did last night." Quickly, her gaze flitted to my bruised. "Tyler!" she called out into the house.

Almost a full minute passed by before Tyler appeared, looking annoyed. "What?"

"Do you have any clothes that Rikki could borrow while hers finish washing?"

Tyler eyed me, his brow furrowing in a look of almost disgust. The look faltered when his eyes skated over my bruised cheek. "I guess I could lend her some clothes." His eyes moved from my cheek to make direct eye contact with me.

Tyler disappeared into his room and returned seconds later with a ratty, holey shirt and black basketball shorts. He threw the clothes toward me, which I caught one-handed. "Thanks, Tyler..."

He didn't respond, just a slight nod of acknowledgement as I headed toward the bathroom to change. Instead of heading back to his room like I thought he would, he took a seat at the counter.

Once I was in Tyler's clothing, which was a little baggy on my tiny frame, and had taken the towel off of my damp hair, I returned to the kitchen.

"Rikki," Betty immediately called when she saw me. "Your phone rang. Probably Felicity," she said, gesturing to my phone on the counter next to Tyler.

Sure enough, my best friend's name popped up in my missed call log and before I could even call her back my phone buzzed and lit up with another phone call.

"Hello?" I answered, though I knew who it was.

"Riks! Finally you answer your god damn phone!"

"Sorry, Lis. I was showering. What's up, buttercup?"

"Annie invited everyone out for a camp out tonight. She asked me to see if you'd come."

"Uhm, sure, Lissy. Are you picking me up later or...?" I questioned, tracing patterns in the granite counter top with my fingertips.

"Yeah, I will. See ya later, girly."

"Thanks, lovely. See ya."

The line went dead and I stuffed my phone into my back pocket.

"What's up, Rikki?" Betty queried, turning her back to the stove to look at me.

"Felicity just invited me to go camping tonight," I relayed to her.

"Oh, that's nice..." She hesitated a moment, a realization coming over her. "Maybe you'd like to invite Tyler to go with you?" she suggested, heavily.

My gaze swept to Tyler, my bottom lip between teeth. "Would you like to come with us, Tyler?" I asked in a soft, hesitant voice.

"Not particularly," he replied after a moment of silence.

"Come on, Tyler," Betty pleaded. "It'd be nice for you to get out of the house... socialize."

Tyler, I noticed, bit the inside of his cheek. Hard, stormy eyes grazed over me, too many emotions clouding them for me to read him accurately. His facade even softened a bit. "Well, if you'll get off my ass about it... I'll go."

One of my eyebrows rose at his lack of argument. I'd expected more of a fight. And while his response was still rude, it wasn't nearly as rude as he had been lately. Maybe he felt bad about the sore purple flesh on my cheek that had come about by means of his hand.

Slowly, sucking my bottom lip further into my mouth. I nodded. "Alright. I'll, uh, I'll tell Felicity," I said, awkwardly, averting my eyes to the floor.

"Good," Betty broke the silence, clapping her hands together. "I know you guys will have a great time."

"Doubt it," I heard Tyler mumble, although I couldn't help but think that he was only being rude to keep up this whole "I-Hate-Everything-Because-I-Didn't-Get-My-Way" disguise he had going on.

Tyler may try to keep up this hateful act, but I could see right through him.