Page 149 of Jaked

My heart sank. "So you really liked her?"

"Hell no," he said. "I fucking hated her. She was a drunk, a cheater. She used to hassle the shit out of my brothers, especially the youngest."

"But if that's true," I said, "why would you proposition her?"

"Because I wanted her gone."

I stared at him. "I don't understand."

"She was bad news," Jake said. "And we had plenty ofthaton our own. And Debbie? She used to goad the shit out of my dad. She'd get him all worked up." Jake glanced away. "All liquored up too. And this one night, they start hassling the piss out of Joel."

"The youngest, right?"

"Yeah." He was a tough kid, but there was something about it that just wasn't right."

"With Debbie?" I asked.

"Shit, with everything," Jake said. "So I’m thinking, 'What's the best way to get rid of this skank?' And I think, 'I know. I'll fuckin' sleep with her. Make sure my dad catches us too.'"

"Wow," I breathed, "that is so messed up."

He made a scoffing sound. "You think?"

"So what happened?" I asked.

"So, I talk Debbie into paying me a visit. Not that it took a whole lot of convincing."

That, I could definitely believe.

"So anyway," Jake said, "Long story short, my dad walks in, and Debbie's laying there on the bed. She's drunk off her ass and naked as hell. And my dad's going nuts. And Debbie starts blubbering that nothing happened. She says she just fell into the wrong bed, all kinds of bullshit. And my dad, he doesn't believe her, especially when I say, 'Yeah. I fucked her. And it was like screwing sandpaper."

As awful as it was, I stifled a laugh. "You didn't."

"I did."

"So what happened then?" I asked.

"So my dad? He does the usual thing, tries to kick my ass. And Debbie? She's clawing the shit out of my back. A couple of my brothers jump into the mix. Remember Joel? He ends up with twenty stitches and a broken arm."

"Oh jeez," I said. "I always wondered how that happened."

"Now you know," Jake said. "I did himsomefavor, huh?"

"Hey, your intentions were good." I pushed myself off the sofa and reached for his hand. "Jake, you arenotthe villain of this story."

"Inthisstory?" he said. "There's nothingbutvillains."

"Oh come on, you're no villain," I said. "You did it for love. For your family, I mean. And honestly, it wasn't that bad. I mean, you didn't actually sleep with her, right?"

"Hell no," Jake said. "She was trash. Probably had a dozen social diseases."

"But they all think you did? Still?"

"Sure," Jake said. "I never denied it. Probably never will."

"Why not?" I asked.

Jake gave a humorless smile. "My dad? Like I said, he liked to beat on us. I was the oldest, so no problem for me. I could take it just fine. But after I 'fucked' his girlfriend?" At this, Jake actually grinned. "It kept him good and pissed at me for a year. Left him no time for my brothers."