Chapter 4

Jaybird pulled away from me. “You ain’t yakkin’ on my dick!”

I scrambled to sit up, swallowing frantically so I wouldn’t puke.

“Goddammit, I thought you were gonna be nice to him!” And then Franky hit me. He’d never hitme before. Even Poppa had never hit me in the face, not even when he’d found out I was gay.

“But…but…” I held my hand to my nose. Blood dripped through my fingers onto my chest.

“Get the fuck out of here! You can sleep on the sofa!” He turned to Jaybird. “C’mere.”

Jaybird sent a triumphant sneer my way.

I grabbed up my clothes and ran from the bedroom to the bathroom. It took a while for my nose tostop bleeding. It took a longer while for me to stop crying.

* * * *

I was making a pot of coffee when Franky came into the kitchen the next morning.

He looked unhappy when he saw my swollen nose. “Ah, baby, I’m sorry.”