Hold Me Closer, Necromancer - Lish McBride [13]
Ramon clapped him on the shoulder. “You think it’s not?”
“I’m taking a shower,” I said, standing up before Frank got his second wind. That’s all I wanted, to wash today off me. Actually, there was a long list of other things that I wished for, but I’d settle for a shower. Ramon was antsy to talk about earlier, I could tell, but it would have to wait.
The quiet of my bathroom was comforting. It was nice to have a moment to myself, to let everything catch up. Unfortunately, since my bathroom was more like a glorified closet, thinking was about the only thing I could do easily. The beige sink was only an arm’s length from the toilet, and I had to close the door to get into the shower. Sometimes it was good to be scrawny. A fatter Sam wouldn’t have been able to fit in my bathroom.
I examined my face in the mirror and was surprised that Mrs. Winalski hadn’t called the cops anyway. Bruises were already surfacing on my face, and a wicked-looking patch of scratches covered my cheekbone. Grease from the asphalt covered my shirt. What wasn’t greasy looked shredded, and my name tag was ripped clean off.
I tried to remove my shirt. Blood made it stick to my back, though, so I pulled it off with a quick jerk that I regretted instantly. I twisted a little so I could see my back in the mirror. Long, bloody furrows went from my shoulder to the bottom of my rib cage, like I’d been pawed by a giant cat. I’m sure all the blood, dirt, and bruises made it look worse than it actually was. Or, at least, that’s what I was hoping.
I threw my shirt into the trash and crawled into the shower, letting the water run until it went cold. But getting clean didn’t help much. Before the shower, I was scared, tired, and confused. Afterward, I was all those things plus cold and wet.
I pulled on a clean pair of boxers and jeans and went out to rejoin the others. Frank was huddled over my computer in the corner, one hand on my skateboard, and Ramon was idly flipping through his biology textbook and taking sips out of the flask I’d gotten him on his last birthday. All the curtains were drawn, and they’d pushed my easy chair against the door. Welcome to a night at Casa Sam, where our parties are legendary. I cleared my throat.
“Um, one of you is going to have to bandage this for me,” I said, though the choice was simple. Ramon might have some idea as to what he was doing, since he had gotten an A in biology. Besides, he had patched me up after the many, many times I’d wrecked my board. Frank was…Frank. I wasn’t not quite sure what that qualified him to do.
Ramon went to the cupboard for my first aid kit while I took a seat at the kitchen table. Most guys my age didn’t have first aid kits at all, much less one like mine. No Neosporin, aspirin, or rubbing alcohol. My mom wasn’t against Western medicine per se, but it wasn’t her first choice. Ramon had been around my family enough that he knew what the various jars and powders were. Frank, however, had not. He left the computer for a few moments to come watch, proving that even he felt the basic red-blooded male’s attraction to gore and violence.
“That smells good,” Frank said, picking up a jar Ramon had pulled out. “What is it?”
“Tea tree oil, cloves, whatever. They’re natural antiseptics. Sam’s mom’s a hippie.”
“She’s an herbalist,” I said. “She’s made the same bottles for you and your family.” And a bunch of other people. My mom had a small shop where she sold natural herb mixtures. She also had a Web site. You could buy the stuff Ramon was cleaning my back with for $12.99 over the Internet at HerbaceousPlanet.com.
“Yeah, that just means she’s good at it. No patchouli stink and half-baked Frisbee days for her.” Ramon finished cleaning my back and handed me the jar so I could get the scrapes on my front while he set about the bandaging.
“I’m a little worried about these scratches, Sam,” he said. He’d been calling me Sammy since we were little, and he tended to drop the y only when he was being serious, which was rare.
I wasn’t worried. We’d cleaned them well, and I didn’t think they