Page 40 of It Happened on the Lake

“Y ou sneaking, ungrateful son of a bitch!” Tom Hunt roared, his anger seeming to palpitate through the house, though really it was echoing through the dusty floor vents. Any conversation that took place in the basement drifted up to Levi’s bedroom. So, lying on his bed, Levi heard every word.

And when Dad was like this, all hell broke out.

“Where in Christ’s name have you been? Out carousing?

Drinking? Doing drugs? What’re you into now?

Pot? Speed? Maybe acid? What the hell’s gotten into you?

” Dad roared. “What in the world are you thinking? Flunking out of school? Throwing your life away!” A pause.

No answer from Chase. “I’ve seen you sneaking around down the street, too.

Don’t tell me you’re fucking one of those hippie sluts! ”

“Thomas,” Cynthia interjected, her voice faint. “If you could just calm down and—”

“You want me to calm down?” Dad yelled. “While our son is out whoring and doing God only knows what?”

“I don’t think it’s any of your business what I do,” Chase challenged.

Uh-oh. Not good.

Levi rolled out of bed quietly to crack open his bedroom door and peer across the short hallway to the empty living room bathed in warm light from amber-colored lamps.

The conversation was now muted, seeping up the open stairs from the basement. Levi, careful not to make a sound, eased down the carpeted steps.

“Getting angry isn’t going to help,” Mom was saying, her voice louder as he rounded the corner near the bottom of the staircase.

Levi dared to peek into the room. They were all squared off; Dad and Chase facing each other, Dad’s face red and sweating. Chase, too, was flushed, his body coiled, ready to spring.

And Mom stood behind the couch, her hand on its velvet back.

“Are you out of your mind?” Dad obviously didn’t believe what his eldest son was peddling.

“Didn’t you read the letter from the university?

” he demanded, glancing at his wife. “See his grade report? He’s flunked out of college, Cindy!

Flunked out! Our all-state academic athlete!

He’s thrown it all away! Flushed his future down the toilet.

No scholarship. No fucking deferment. For the love of Christ, what a mess! ”

“It’s my life,” Chase argued, blinking hard, his jaw set. “Not yours!”

“Oh yeah? Who do you think paid for all your tutors?” Dad demanded. “Your private coaches?”

“That was your choice, Dad. You loved every minute of it! Bragged about it. How your son was so great.” His eyes shone. Jesus, Chase was near tears.

But what Chase said was true. Hadn’t Dad always shone in the reflection of “his boy’s” achievements, especially on the football field and basketball court?

“So now you’re gonna waste it all? All that effort? All that time? All that money?” Dad wasn’t letting it go.

“I never asked for any of it!”

Still in the shadow of the staircase, Levi stepped closer to the archway of the rec room where his brother and father were facing each other, fists clenched, jaws tight, gazes locked.

The low-ceilinged room ran the length of the house, with a pool table on one end, the jukebox at the other, a few old chairs and lamps in between.

And father and son right in the middle, looking to tear each other apart.

Dad’s face was so red as to be almost purple, his teeth bared, a vein throbbing at his temple. His usually neatly combed hair was a mess, exposing the bald spot growing beneath the graying strands.

Wild-eyed, Chase looked like he was hopped up on something.

Dad wasn’t wrong about that.

Mom had moved to the sliding door, her face a mask of worry, her chin wobbling as she shredded a tissue between her hands. “Stop this now,” she said, her voice trembling. “We can talk about this in the morning. When you’re, I mean when we are all calmer.”

“Nothing to talk about.” Dad’s eyes were focused solely on Chase, his feet planted on the checkerboard tile floor, the zebra-skin rug between them. “So, what now, boy?” he taunted. “I guess you’ll be hauling your ass down to the recruiter’s office cuz sure as shootin’ Uncle Sam is on his way.”

“I’m not signing up,” Chase said. They were circling each other.

“You won’t have to.”

“I’m not going.”

“The hell you’re not. Any son of mine is damn well serving his country. And proudly.”

“Bullshit! You can’t tell me what to do!” Chase yelled. Now the tears were flowing. He dashed them away with the back of his hand.

“My house. My rules,” Dad said.

“If I have to, I’ll be a conscientious objector.”

“No, that’s not an option.”

“Then I’ll get Harper pregnant.”

“What?” Mom gasped, the tissue in her fingers forgotten.

“No, no, no. Don’t even think that way. Who knows what would happen with that rich little .

. .” Apoplectic, she was shaking her head violently.

“I mean, she could trick you! You wouldn’t even know if the baby was yours. Do not go there, Chase Thomas!”

Levi couldn’t stand it a second longer. His mother’s sharp words cut too close to the bone. “Hey!” he said as he stepped out of the shadows and held up his hands, palms out. “Stop! Okay? Just stop !”

“Stay out of it, Levi,” Chase warned, sniffing loudly. “This is between me and him.”

“Go back to your room!” Dad was talking between clenched teeth, and the air in the room seemed to crackle. “Go. Now! You, too, Cindy! Go.” With a glance at Levi, he ordered, “Get your mother out of here!”

“Tom, please, don’t,” she said, stepping forward, the destroyed tissue drifting to the floor.

“Stop!” Levi ordered again and caught the warning in Chase’s eyes. He ignored it and pled, “Just freaking stop!”

Chase turned on his brother. “You little pansy-ass! Butt the fuck out!”

“Chase!” Mom gasped. “Don’t!”

But Chase wasn’t listening. Muscles coiled, face twisted in fury, he turned on his brother. “This is none of your damned business, Levi.”

“It’s all of our—”

Chase sprang.

Across the rug.

Hitting Levi in the midsection.

Entangled, they flew into the jukebox.

Levi’s head crashed against the sharp corner of the Wurlitzer.

Hot pain burst across his forehead.

The jukebox skidded, slamming against the wall, blood smearing across the glass cover, distorting the numbered list of songs on display.

Mom screamed, “Stop! Chase, don’t!” Then turned to her husband. “Tom! Do something! ”

Together they tumbled over the rug, careening into the coffee table. It upended, the ashtray and box of tissues flying.

Chase hauled back to punch Levi’s face.

With a roar, Levi kicked upward, flipping Chase onto his back and pushing him away.

“Stop! Boys, stop!” Mom yelled.

Chase lunged.

Dad caught his elbow and yanked Chase back. “You little prick!” he growled. “Stop this, now!”

Mom skirted the upside-down table and hurried over to Levi. “You’re bleeding,” she said.

“Get him out of here,” Dad ordered, notching his chin toward his younger son.

“You’re hurt,” she whispered, finding another tissue in the pocket of her housecoat and dabbing at his eyebrow.

He jerked away. “I’m fine.” Breathing heavily, the scent of blood and a fight still in the air, he wanted a piece of his brother.

Undeterred, she reached for him. “No, honey, you’re—”

“I’m fine, Mom!” he repeated, afraid the tears stinging the back of his eyes might fall, further humiliating him. He threw off her arm. “Screw it!”

“Levi!” she whispered, but he didn’t care.

Let his dad and brother tear each other limb from limb.

Holding a hand over the wound near his eye, he got to his feet, and with one last glowering look at his sack of shit brother, he climbed up the stairs, straight to the bathroom where he slammed and locked the door.

Holding onto the edges of the sink, he dropped his head and let blood fall onto the pink basin.

Every one of his muscles tensed, and he wanted, oh how he wanted, to smash his fist into Chase’s always smug face.

Well, this time Chase was in big trouble.

Major trouble. He’d finally gone too far.

The golden boy losing some of his shine.

Fool’s gold. That’s what it was.

Damn his brother. Damn his father. Damn his whole family.

He looked up to find himself in the reflection, his face still flushed, his nostrils flared, his lips pulled back as he took short, fast breaths.

Chase didn’t know how good he had it. He was such a dick! Levi turned on the faucets, leaned over again, and sluiced water over his face.

Then, slightly calmer, he washed the sticky blood from his hands and found a Band-Aid from the metal box in the medicine cabinet. He tore off the wrapper, then had to retrieve a second Band-Aid as the first was immediately soaked through.

All in all, it took four of the stupid bandages to cover the wound and stem the blood flow. In that time, his shame at being taken down by Chase had been replaced by anger at the entire situation.

Not that Levi blamed Chase for wanting to leave. But he could have found a better way than flunking out of school and then trying to dodge the draft. And he should never have said anything about getting Harper pregnant. Once-upon-a-time A student Chase had proved himself to be a moron.

As for Harper getting pregnant? That was just plain nuts!

Nonetheless, he felt a jab of jealousy at the thought of Chase and Harper together. She had been his friend, and then Chase had noticed her. And then, oh crap. He closed his eyes. Couldn’t go there. “Fuck,” he said under his breath.

He heard his mother’s hurried footsteps as she rushed up the stairs to her bedroom on the upper floor. A door shut forcefully before he heard a series of muffled sobs.

Great!

Now Dad was pissed as hell.

And Mom was crying.