Part 4: Full Circle

Pete’s wait in the office was much longer this time around. Given the severity of the beatings he had handed down, and the accusations of assault, and defense, Mr. Robertson had been forced to call the police, and now Pete sat, alone, waiting for them to conclude their interviews. Miss Sarah had not even bothered to show up, telling Pete that she would deal with him when he got home, and Ashley’s aunt had come to collect her while Pete had been giving his statement. In the end, a combination of video evidence, provided by a student who had recorded the beginning of the fight on her phone, and corroborating statements from both Pete and Ashley had convinced them that he had, in fact, been acting in self defense.

By the end of the day, the score stood; one torn ACL, a fractured patella with torn lower patella tendon, combining to equal one lost scholarship offer. One hemorrhaged testicle, a broken collar bone supporting a dislocated shoulder, a fractured cheek bone complete with three missing teeth, and a second degree concussion. Two cracked ribs, a severely wrenched neck with a bulging disk, along with yet another severe concussion on the parts of Greg and his friends. Versus four bruised ribs, and and a bruise creeping down the left side of his face, on the part of Pete. As the police detective watched Pete walk down the road away from the school, he turned to Mr. Robertson and said quietly, “I don’t know how that boy has made it this far. And I have no clue whats keeping him together.” The vice principal looked at him seriously and replied, “Ashley Waters is.”

By the time Pete got home, Miss Sarah was waiting for him, she had been furious when she found out that Pete had not even managed a single day without getting into another fight. She had begun drinking as soon as she got home, and had, by now, completely wound herself up waiting for the worthless little fucker to get home. And as soon as Pete walked through the door he could see that tonight was going to be a bad one. But for the first time in his entire life, Pete felt no fear, for the first time in his life, he knew someone out there actually cared, someone out there actually thought he was worth the effort to care. And for the first time in his life, that made Pete untouchable.

Sarah started as soon as the door closed, her voice shrill and slurred, as she came at Pete in a rage. The wooden cooking spoon in her hand brandished like the deadliest of weapons, swinging at Pete like she intended to decapitate him. Pete honestly couldn’t care, what he had learned that day, had taught him that pain was inconsequential, absolutely meaningless, when someone was willing to help shoulder the burden. The spoon cracked down onto Pete’s shoulders and face, in stinging slaps, as Sarah continued to berate him. “You stupid little fuck! You couldn’t go one day without showing how worthless you really are?” she shrieked, her voice going up an octave, as she saw how little Pete was reacting, “You think you can just spit on all the effort I’m putting into you?”

Something inside of Pete snapped, he had finally had enough of it all. For the first time, he knew he was worth something to someone, and that everything Miss Sarah was spewing at him was bullshit. It had always been bullshit, after everything Ashley had told him today, he finally understood, that none of what happened to him, had been his fault. Pete’s eyes hardened, and he pulled himself up to his full height, towering almost a full foot over Sarah, who suddenly saw something in Pete that she had never known was there, burning behind those eyes, that had always been empty and hollow, was anger, and outrage. His eyes were burning with an anger so all consuming that it stopped Sarah cold, as fear settled into the pit of her stomach.

Snatching the spoon out of her hand, Pete snapped it in half in front of Sarah’s eyes. “You will never touch me again, you worthless bitch.” Pete’s voice was calm, the type of calm that spoke volumes about the anger that was boiling just beneath the surface, and it turned her insides to jello, “I’m nothing more than a stipend check to you, remember? I’m here because I have no choice, but I will not be a victim ever again.” he grated through tightly clenched teeth, “I’m here until I age out of the system, you keep getting your money. But that is as far as it will ever go again. You will never hit me, or raise your voice to me again! And you will never, ever, feel my dick inside of that sloppy hole you call a cunt again. Do. You. Understand?” All Sarah could do was stand there, mute, and nod, knowing that if she pushed this boy, whom she had so callously disregarded, had used and discarded simply because she felt she could, if she pushed him one more time, she suddenly knew, he might break her, just like her spoon.

That night, was the first night, since Pete had been forcibly removed from Uncle Billy’s home, that Pete slept, deeply, soundly, safe in the knowledge that no matter what was to happen to him next in life, he had someone who was willing to have his back. In the small hours of the night, deep in his first untroubled sleep in years, Pete dreamed. He saw Ashley, her beautiful eyes, glorious and smiling, and felt, again, the touch of her hand on his cheek, and her warm, soft lips as they touched his. The dream morphed then, into the long litany of faces, and voices, that had brought him nothing but pain and horror throughout his life. He saw his mother, her cold, merciless eyes, glaring at him, Victor, his first foster father, leering at him with that sick, degrading hunger that had inspired fear in a young, vulnerable Pete. On and on the line continued, taunting, and tormenting Pete with the memories of the pain, opening all of the old wounds, but this time, the words carried no weight. There was finally nothing more for them to use to hurt him, because at the end of the line, after the storm of pain and sorrow, was Ashley. Those glorious eyes, smiling at him like a lighthouse beacon, shining through a hurricane, calming both wind and sea, letting Pete know that he was ok.

Pete woke up with the sun streaming through the window of his bedroom (barely more than an expanded closet in truth) and it was to Pete, like the sun rising on the first day of time. After the best night’s sleep of his life, this was the most beautiful morning he had ever experienced, and in a few short hours, he knew, it would only get better. Today he was going to spend his entire day with Ashley Waters, and Pete finally felt like being around another person, was going to be a good thing. Looking at the small clock next to his bed, Pete realized that it was already after nine in the morning! He was stunned, he had never slept this late, always awake long before the other people he had lived with, always finding a reason to leave early, and come home late, avoiding contact as much as possible. Today, all he heard was silence, the house was still, calm, just like Pete felt. Right up until he realized he only had an hour before he had promised to meet Ashley at the gas station uptown!

Pete rushed out of the house, his hair still wet from his shower, still pulling his shirt down his lean, bruised, scar laced body. He had never bothered to really look at himself, so he barely understood why the neighbor, Mrs. Bradley, a kind, matronly, septuagenarian, who was out getting her morning paper gave him such a stare as he passed her, while straightening out his clothes. Pete ran as fast as his long legs could carry him, knowing he was already running late, hoping Ashley would wait for him. By the time Pete had covered the twelve blocks to the Dairy Mart & Gas’er’Up, he was panting for breath, his right side was wailing at him in pain, and every intake of breath shot white hot needles from his waist to his armpit. He skidded to a halt at the air pump in the gas station parking lot, pressing in on his ribs, and gasping for breath, and looked around, not seeing Ashley.

He started to panic, thinking he had kept her waiting so long, that she had decided to leave. Pete looked around the uptown area, a juncture of two secondary state highways surrounded by local businesses and the town bank. Pete stopped and stared, at the front of the bank stood the ‘Old Towne Clock’, the story was it went up when the town was incorporated over a century ago. That wasn’t what was important to Pete though, what was important was that, according to the clock, it was only five minutes to ten! He had covered twelve blocks in under fifteen minutes! In fact he was so stunned that he completely missed Ashley walking up next to him. “Hey Peter!”

The sudden sound of a voice next to him made Pete jump. Right up until he looked down, and saw Ashley smiling up at him. Pete stood, his mouth hanging open, Ashley looked amazing, her rust red hair was pulled back into a pony tail, fully exposing her heart stopping face. Her pale skin glowed in the morning light, and her broad smile lit up her eyes like Pete had never seen before. She wore a pair of tight jeans that accentuated her narrow waist, and perfectly flared hips. Her green sweater was light, and hugged her curves gracefully, showing off her amazing chest (Pete had no way of judging them, but they were in fact a very generous C cup) while not making her look trashy. In a word, Ashley was stunning. Right up until the smile slid from her face, to be replaced by a look of outrage.

“Peter?! What happened?” she demanded, as a tiny hand came up to cup his chin, pushing and pulling his face from side to side. She could see the confusion in his face, and suddenly she realized something about Pete that she could never have prepared herself for. She realized that Pete, this poor, shy, quiet, wonderful boy, who had saved her from her worst fear coming back to life, was so accustomed to pain, that he didn’t even notice the bruises that now covered his cheeks and jaw. Her heart broke, and she had to fight off tears, knowing they would only confuse Pete even more. “Peter, your face is covered in bruises! I know it wasn’t the fight, so ... What. Happened!?” She demanded, wanting to know who’s eyes she was going to have to claw out for hurting this poor boy again.

“Oh. That?” Pete said, trying to brush it off like it was nothing “I had a disagreement with Miss Sarah. It’s all settled now though, don’t worry.” Even as he said it, he could tell, Ashley was not about to not worry. Her gray eyes hardened like flint, and her mouth thinned to a single line, as she tried to sublimate her anger.

“I don’t think I can do that Peter,” she whispered hotly, her voice carrying an edge of anger to it Pete had never heard from her before. She grabbed his hand quickly, her tiny, delicate fingers lacing into his own, and squeezed tightly, “I don’t think want to either. Someone’s gotta care about you Peter, and I think I’d like to take that job.” Her smile completely floored Pete. A feeling he had no familiarity with flooded through his gut. If Pete had been given a chance to grow up like a normal boy, he would have known immediately, he was falling in love. “C’mon Peter, I’d like you meet a few of my best friends!” Ashley said, changing the subject before Pete had an emotional breakdown, and quickly tugged him down the sidewalk.

It was only a four block walk to Ashley’s home, but after a twelve block sprint, and the quick pace Ashley set for him, he was again gasping, and pressing on his ribs by the time they made it there. Ashley looked at him, concern in her eyes, as he leaned against the porch railing, trying to catch his breath. “That kick.” Pete said hoarsely between breaths, “Ribs are a ... Little bit tender...” he explained, waving away her concern. By this point in his life, pain was just something that was, there was nothing all that unusual about it.

Brushing aside Pete’s explanations, and protests, Ashley pushed up the side of his shirt and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened in shock, but it wasn’t the bruise that spread from Pete’s armpit to his hip that shocked her. Yes, the bruise was gruesome, and she could tell it was painful, but it was the scars that laced his body that put a lump in her throat. She was intimately familiar with kinds of marks physical abuse can leave on the body, but she had never, in her life, seen the sheer volume of them that she was seeing now. His chest and back resembled a rail yard, scars from an inch to a foot long covered his torso like a road map of misery. Ashley had always known Pete had been abused, but she had always assumed that the scars she saw on his hands and arms were from being a cutter. She could not even begin to process the amount of torment this gentle boy had been forced to endure.

“Good God Peter!” she whispered, “I am so sorry!”

Pete grunted in reply “Yeah, but I can tell the ribs aren’t broken.” Not even realizing why Ashley was so upset, “Been there twice. Not really something you forget.” He said as he pulled his shirt back down. As he straightened up, he looked into Ashley’s eyes, and saw tears welling up. He cocked his head questioningly at her, and tried to smile. “It’s ok Ashley, like I said, they’re not broken. Nothing for you to be sorry about.” he said gently, as he placed his massive hand against her face, his thumb wiping away the tear that was sliding down her cheek.

Pete could feel Ashley restrain her impulse to flinch at his touch, and suddenly she melted into the feeling of his hand. Her soft, warm cheek nuzzled into his palm, as a contented smile slowly spread across her face. The feeling of joy, at seeing someone smile, simply because he was touching them, erupted through Pete’s body like a geyser. He had never experienced something like that before, someone was actually happy just to be near him, there was no hunger, or lust, or sick desire in her smile. It was simple, pure, undiluted, happiness, and Pete’s heart swelled at seeing it.

The hand was rough, and calloused, Ashley could feel that the pointer, and ring fingers were twisted in a manner that spoke of improperly healed breaks. The thumb, that so carefully, and gently wiped away her tears, was still strong, and hard. It was, in Ashley’s opinion, the most beautiful touch she had ever felt. Hands that had turned to fists, dealing out punishment to people who had tried to hurt her, were now gently trying to erase the guilt she was feeling, for so badly misjudging this lonely, gentle, beautiful boy in front of her. It felt so natural, to allow herself to revel in a touch so innocent, and full of care. Deep inside of her, where she had walled off so much of herself, protecting her from ever being hurt again, she felt a tectonic click. Ashley’s eyes snapped open, and bore into Pete’s with a questing intensity, looking for something all of her instincts told her should be there. Looking for that perverse desire all the men in her experience had shown, and praying it was not there. All she saw was care, deep, sincere, and unconditional. Her smile widened, somehow, she knew, she would always be safe with Peter.

“Peter,” she whispered softly, as she looked him in the eyes, those soft brown orbs captivating her completely, “Come inside with me, I want you meet my two best friends in the world.” and taking his giant hand in hers once again, led him through her front door. The house was small, and had that cluttered, yet orderly look of some place that could only be described as ‘home’. The sea foam green wallpaper had that faded look of a place that had absorbed countless memories, most happy, but some sad as well, and quite simply spoke of comfort. The furniture was worn, yet not shabby, the sky blue carpet showed the signs of countless steps, without being threadbare. It was the sort of home Pete had always dreamed he could have grown up in, and, even though he knew Ashley had not always lived here, it was still the kind of place that said she belonged here.

Pete was looking around, taking in the details, letting them burn into his mind, knowing, one day, he wanted a place just like this. He was so caught up in the place, that he completely missed seeing the giant dog lumbering down the hall, until his legs were nearly taken out from under him. The massive, barrel bodied, gray brindled, pit bull put his shoulder into Pete, rubbing along his leg, trying to get this large stranger’s attention, since, a new person was in the house, and they still hadn’t petted him. He felt this had to be corrected, and this was obviously the best way to go about it. Pete looked down, after regaining his balance, just as the wide head, and open, honest, face of the dog looked up at him. Those light chocolate eyes boring square into his own, caused a lump the size of the dog’s head to form in Pete’s throat, all of his memories of Goliath crashing down on him. Pete dropped to his knees next to the beautiful dog, his hands cupping the enormous jaws, and began to scratch gently, up along the jawline, and behind the ears, tears standing in his eyes, as he remembered how Goliath had loved this exact same thing.

“Peter, this is Broadway,” Ashley explained, as she knelt next to the pair, and began scratching along Broadway’s flank. The giant dog’s eyes rolled up in ecstasy as he now had two people petting on him, his tail wagged like a battering ram, slapping into Ashley’s shoulder with loud pops of joy. Pete looked at Ashley in shock, at hearing the name, but his question was erased from his mind as Broadway began happily licking his cheek and jaw. All he could do was laugh, it was just like Goliath used to do, and as he laughed at the sensation, all of the sadness he felt at Goliath being gone, was replaced by all the memories of love, and joy he had of his lost puppy. It was the first time Ashley had ever heard Peter laugh, and it was, in her opinion, one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard.

Pete’s laughter was abruptly cut short, as he felt a tugging at his left elbow. The tugging came from low on the floor, and was accompanied by the needle sharp insistence of claws. Thinking Ashley also had a cat, Pete looked down into the inquisitive, curious, face of a striped skunk. Pete froze, and lightly cleared his throat. “Uh ... Ashley...” he said softly, trying to get her attention without startling her, not wanting any of them to get sprayed, “There’s um ... There’s a skunk in the house...”

Ashley giggled at Peter, looking into his concerned face with a bright smile. “I know Peter. He wants you to pet him too,” She said gently, as she scooped the skunk off the floor, and cradled it in her left arm. “Peter, this is Hudson, and yes, he’s a skunk.” her smile was broad and infectious, as she presented Hudson for Pete to pet too. And he couldn’t help but smile at her too, it was strained, and forced, since Pete had had very little reason to smile through most of his life, but it was still genuine. “C’mon Peter, lets sit on the couch, so these two attention hogs can have their way,” she said brightly, as she bounced down into the soft cushions of the sofa.

The next hour was one of the happiest times Pete could remember having since before Goliath had died. The pair spent it petting, and cuddling, Broadway, as he wiggled back and forth between the two, deciding who was going to get the pleasure of scratching his belly next, seemingly at random. Hudson meanwhile had climbed up on the back of the couch, and scampered back and forth, taking time to nuzzle, and sniff, and occasionally nibble on both Pete and Ashley in equal measures. Through it all they talked, avoiding the obvious topic, of their similar past, instead just honestly getting to know one another. Ashley found out that Pete had tested in the ninety-eighth percentile in math, science, history, and language every year since he was in fourth grade, but only ever barely passed because he never spoke, and rarely ever did the homework assignments. He wouldn’t give specifics as to why, only “Home isn’t a good place for me to work”.

Pete found out that Ashley was very nearly a savant in the areas of art, and music, she could play seven different instruments fluently, and loved to paint, sketch, and sculpt. Her passion was the violin, and she dug out her phone, and played played a video her aunt had taken of her playing Vivaldi’s Summer Movement of The Four Seasons. Pete was spell bound when he saw the emotion in her face, as she played. He could tell just from that short video, that Ashley was being modest about her talent.

After an hour of unadulterated joy at having two people to give them attention, both Broadway and Hudson had finally had enough. Broadway lumbered off into the den, and plopped down on a giant pillow, while Hudson waddled off toward the back of the house. Ashley used their reprieve to go to the kitchen and get both of them a glass of iced tea. Pete sat on the couch, and for the first time in he didn’t know how long, actually relaxed, just soaking in the peace that seemed to envelope the entire house.