Midnight Calls

RAINEY

After Alex drops me off at my place, I wave them goodbye. I walk up to my front door, but when I turn around, I see their car hasn’t moved. Alex is hugging the steering wheel, watching me from the driver’s seat, and Ansel is peering at me from behind his glasses. I wave at them, and they wave back, waiting until I’m safely inside before they drive off.

My mom and Jeff aren’t on the couch tonight. I remember I didn’t eat dinner earlier because of the drama at the table. I head to the kitchen to make some cereal, but Jeff is there, washing a cup. I roll my eyes and decide not to eat. I don’t want to be in the same room as him. I turn to leave, but then he speaks.

“Little girls should be little girls.”

I raise an eyebrow and turn to glare at him. “What did you say?”

He puts the cup in the dish rack and turns to face me. “It’s not right for a girl your age to bring a boy home.”

I cross my arms and give him a dirty look.

“You’re not my dad. Remember that. And if you think being with my mom gives you the right to control me, you’re wrong. It’s not going to happen. Not now, not ever.”

His jaw tightens as I turn to leave. Suddenly, he grabs my elbow, stopping me in my tracks. I spin around to face him, and he’s towering over me.

“Don’t you dare walk away from me, or I’ll show you who’s in control, you hear me?”

His face twitches, and I wince at his painful grip, gritting my teeth.

“Let go of me.”

“Show some respect, or I’ll remind you why you should. Do you need a reminder? Have you forgotten?!”

His grip tightens as he yanks me toward him. His eyes darken as I squirm in his grasp.

“Let go of me!”

“Your father is gone, and I’m in charge now. I’ve always been in charge, so don’t you dare turn your back on me, you little brat.

“You think because some boys at school flirt with you, you can talk to me however you want? Think again. I’ll set you straight!”

“Get your hands off me!”

“Don’t make me teach you a lesson, because you know I will. You know I’ll mess with your head! Don’t make me show you who—”

I knee him in the groin. He doubles over in pain, clutching himself as his eyes go wide. His face turns red, and the veins in his neck bulge.

I step back as he struggles to stay upright.

“Ah! You little…!”

He tries to limp toward me, so I grab the salt shaker from the counter, unscrew the top, and throw the salt in his face. He cries out, clutching his eyes as he stumbles to the sink.

My mom rushes into the kitchen in her nightgown. She looks terrified as she takes in the scene: Jeff with his face under the running water, and me holding the salt shaker, glaring at him.

When she realizes what happened, she goes pale.

“What—what did you do, Rainey Slate?!” she yells at me.

“Tell him to never touch me again!” I shout back. “I’m not a little girl anymore! If he thinks he can do what he did to me years ago, he’s got another thing coming!”

“Do what? What are you talking about? You’re always making him out to be the bad guy. What’s wrong with you?!”

“Touch me again and I’ll kill you!” I warn him.

“Go to your room!” my mom shouts at me. “You disgust me!”

I look at her. I know she cares more about Jeff than she does about me, but it still hurts every time she takes his side.

I throw the salt shaker on the counter and storm out of the kitchen. I go to my room, slam the door, and lock it. I’m not taking any chances with that creep tonight.

I won’t let what happened seven years ago happen again.

I sigh and start to undress. I take off my dress shirt, leaving just my tank top. As I’m about to fold it, a small piece of paper falls out. I pick it up and unfold it.

~Hey, here’s my number. If anything happens, call me.~

~954 578-4895~

~—Ansel~

Despite everything that just happened, I can’t help but smile. When did he slip this into my shirt pocket? He’s pretty slick.

But why am I surprised? I saw him take down two guys tonight.

I realize I’m grinning like a silly teenager and quickly wipe the smile off my face. But I can’t stop blushing.

I sit on my bed, wondering if I should call him to see if he’s okay. Would that be too forward? I put the note on my bed and decide to take a shower instead.

I spend a long time in the bathtub, thinking about Ansel. After my shower, I get dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. I pull my hair up into a messy bun and crawl into bed. I start watching a mafia series on Netflix, but my mind keeps drifting back to Ansel.

~I’ll just ask if he’s okay. That’s all. It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just one classmate checking on another. Totally normal.~

I grab my phone from the bedside table and pick up the note. I dial his number, and my heart does something weird—it skips a beat.

My legs twitch as the phone rings. It’s the third ring now, and I’m about to pull the phone away from my ear, thinking he’s probably asleep. But then his voice cuts through the silence.

“Hello?”

My throat feels like a desert, and I’m suddenly hit with the same nervousness I felt earlier today in math class. I can’t remember how to form words.

“Hello?” he says again, and I shift my position, pulling my feet under me as I sit up straight.

“Um, hi. It’s—”

“Rainey, is everything okay?” His voice is tinged with worry, and I can hear the rustle of sheets on the other end. He must be in bed.

I blink. “Y-yeah. I’m okay… I was just wondering if you were.”

“Oh, yeah, I slapped a band-aid on the bruise.” He laughs a little, and I can’t help but smile.

“Well, that’s good to hear.”

There’s an awkward silence, and I close my eyes, scratching my forehead. “Well, um, as long as you’re okay…”

I start to pull the phone away, but he speaks again.

“Wait, Rain.”

“Yeah?”

“Look, it’s not my place to butt into your family stuff, but what your mom said today about you being ‘hard work’ wasn’t right. I hope you didn’t believe her,” he says.

I hold the phone tighter and smile a little, dropping my gaze. “Yeah. Thanks, Ansel.”

There’s another pause, and for some reason, I can almost feel him smiling.

“Yeah. Well, see you at school tomorrow,” I say.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Rainey.”

My smile widens, because the way he says my name is unlike anyone else.

“Goodnight, Ansel.”

We hang up, and I set the phone on my bedside table. I grab the remote, switch off the TV, and snuggle under my covers. I close my eyes and let sleep take me, my thoughts filled with Ansel.