All the Sky by Susan Fanetti Page B

Turning him so that his hurling hole was pointed away, Havoc pushed him to the john and then pointed him at the toilet.
    He waited for him outside the door. When he came out, looking pale and damp, Havoc said, “I’m gonna get the van keys and take you home, kid. Your ma’s gonna kick both our asses.”
    Nolan, looking slightly less ill and very slightly less wasted, nodded.
    “This your first time, kid?”
    Again, he nodded.
    “Great. Just great. Let’s go.” He dropped his hand around Nolan’s neck and led him back to the Hall.
    He pulled up short as they rounded the bar. Cory was standing about six feet inside the front door. She was wearing a short, snug t-shirt, faded and ratty, a little pair of gym shorts, and some cheap plastic flip-flops. They looked like pajamas; Havoc realized that they probably were. He saw her before she saw them, and he watched her expression evolve from worry to fury when she took in the sight of her son, all but dangling from his fist.
    She turned her eyes on Havoc. “Oh, no way. No fucking way. You son of a bitch. You got him wasted ? Did you get him laid, too?”
    She stormed up and grabbed Nolan’s arm, yanking him out of Havoc’s grip. The kid lost his footing and reeled hard to port, landing with his hands on a barstool. Wearing that stupid, vacant grin again, he shifted and managed to get himself up on the stool.
    And then Cory flew at Havoc. It was a night of firsts, because he’d never had a chick go quite so thoroughly apeshit on him before. He’d pissed off plenty of women in his time, but usually they just yelled or flipped him off. He’d never even been slapped by any woman other than his mother. And this one was full-on gonzo, fists flying, pushing and hitting, screaming, “SON OF A BITCH! PIECE OF SHIT! ASSHOLE! MOTHERFUCKER!”
    She seemed a little pissed off.
    He had a lot of height and weight on her, but for a few seconds he was too shocked by the display of loco rage to do more than duck. Then she caught him on the chin, and his teeth knocked together. He missed his tongue, but the impact made his head ring, and he grabbed her wrists. Even in this completely wasted crowd, they were drawing an audience. From the corner of his eye, he saw Len unburying himself from his pile of pussy. Havoc did not want to have to deal with the endless shit that would come with being rescued from a crazy chick.
    “Chill the fuck out, bitch!”
    “Fuck you, motherfucker!”
    Struggling against his hold, she kicked him in the shin. With her nearly-bare foot. He hardly felt it. She started jumping up and down on the other foot.
    “Ow! Fuck! Let go!”
    He held on, squeezing her wrists. He was bruising her, he knew, but she wouldn’t ease off. He yanked her hard to his chest—she wasn’t wearing a bra, and he could feel her tits—and got right in her face. “Not until you CHILL. This wasn’t me! So back DOWN.”
    She stopped fighting, but she didn’t lose the twisted hate on her face.
    He let her go. Trying to keep his voice calm, and trying to ignore his sudden, perplexingly huge hard-on, he said, “The kid just showed up. He was wasted before I knew he was here. I was about to bring him home. It’s not on me.”
    Cory scoffed. “Right. Not on you. You’re not the reason Nolan would be here. Sure. You’re either an idiot or an asshole. No—you’re both. Fuck you. Just fuck you. Stay away.” She stopped, turned to Nolan, and her expression collapsed. When she looked back at Havoc, she was obviously on the verge of tears. “And shove your fucking job straight up your ass.” Her voice shook and then abandoned her, leaving the last word nothing but a gasp.
    She helped Nolan, who was now far on his way to passing out, out to the lot. Havoc watched them go. Then he turned on his heel and stormed to the weight room and the heavy bag.
     
    ~oOo~
     
    By the time he felt like he had his head under control, his hand was a bloody mess—he’d forgotten that he’d cut it on