Did you miss Wednesday’s chapter? Catch it here: Chapter 7.24: Dear Diary, Dating Disaster Diverted
CONTENT WARNING: slight blood
Part 1: Milton’s Station
… an excerpt from the diary of Kai Seaforth
The sun is coming up on the crappy side of Twinbrook, and it’s a Saturday, so I’m at Milton’s for work. Even though it looks rundown, I like it here. I’m learning about cars, but my main activities are sweeping up, putting tools away, and pumping gas for the occasional lost car that didn’t know the super deluxe gas station was a short six blocks away.
Milton was good to work for because he talked to me like I’m an adult, not some pimple-laden teen with a voice that still occasionally cracks on certain notes.
“My name isn’t Milton, you know,” he told me today. “Neither was the guy who owned the place before me.”
“Oh, you just kept the name.”
He nodded as he tucked a rag back into his pocket. “Yeah, my real name is Frank Cooper.”
I kind of felt awkward, like I was meeting him all over again for the first time. “Frank, okay.”
“Yeah, nice to meet ya’,” he said with a smirk. “You know, someday, this could all be yours.”
His words made me feel warm inside, like someone cared about me and my future. There was nothing more I wanted than to follow in his footsteps and run this place after him.
“I really hope so,” I told him.
“I like you, kid,” he said, adjusting his glasses. “Why don’t you run out back and get us some beers.”
“You got it!”
There was a highness in my step as I went out back to the small room he lived in. Despite my upbringing, and how lonely I felt at home, it wasn’t the end. I would work hard, learn everything I could about Frank’s business, and one day, I’d be the boss.
It sounded good to me.
Part 2: The Price of Free Beer
… an excerpt from the diary of Kai Seaforth
There was one difference when I compared my plan next to Frank’s life. I wasn’t going to live in some back room. There was a huge space above the garage, and I thought maybe I’d convert that into a living space once I was in charge.
My dreams filled my head, and a rare confidence flowed through my veins. Opening the little refrigerator, I pulled out two bottles of beer. The coolness of the glass felt good against my hand on this hot, humid day. The cold beer would taste good, so I couldn’t wait to get back to Frank.
That’s when I saw the rat scampering from near my foot. I nearly dropped the bottles as it darted behind the purple curtain I wasn’t supposed to bother.
Carefully, I put the bottles down and took a few deep breaths. I’d never actually seen a rat before, and I hoped I never saw one again. I shuddered thinking about the times Jade and I spent in here. We were sharing space with a rodent! Maybe even more.
As my stomach turned, I realized a bit of the curtain was pinned back. Was it always like that? If it was, I’d never noticed.
“Are you back there, rat?” I called, moving a little closer.
That’s when I saw a little red light blinking. What could that be?
Ignoring the fact I might come across Mr. Rat again, I decided to investigate.
I shuffled forward halfheartedly, and pulled the curtain aside, stepping into the tiny space behind it. Before I did anything else, I made sure the rat wasn’t going to jump out at me again. I didn’t see it.
What I found, however, sent more chills through me than any rat ever could. A video camera. I peeked through the lens to see what it was pointing at, and my jaw went slack and dropped. It was pointing at the bed.
With shaking hands, I hit the rewind, then playback button. I can never un-see what was on there.
Part 3: The Confrontation
… an excerpt from the diary of Kai Seaforth
When I returned to Frank, it was without the beer. My muscles quivered, and I think I was grinding my teeth as my heart pounded in my chest.
“Where’s the beer, kid?”
I came roaring up to him, pushing the larger man in the shoulders. “What the hell Frank! A video camera? What the hell? What are you some sick kind of perv?”
His body barely moved even though I thought I’d hit him pretty good, and he smirked, his eyes hard.
“I told you to stay out of there.”
“Good thing I didn’t or I wouldn’t know what you’ve done!” I snarled.
“And what have you been doing, you little perv?”
As I sputtered to answer, I felt the thumb on his right hand press against my throat. It wasn’t until that moment I became aware I might be in danger.
He poked his forefinger into my chest. When he spoke, he didn’t yell, but instead, his voice was low, almost too controlled. “You didn’t listen. I thought I could trust you. But you’re just like all the boys I’ve dealt with in the past.”
“W-what boys?”
I tried to back away from him, but he had me good by the neck. My breathing was partly cut off now.
“Why did you record us?” I choked as my eyes burned with tears. I was seeing stars, but I struggled to stay alert. There was no way I wasn’t going down without a fight. Every word was a painful struggle to get out, but I kept it up, “How long? How long have you been letting kids have beer, and a place to crash just so you could make x-rated recordings? You can’t do that!”
My sight was getting hazy around the edges, and dark. Was this it? Was I about to die? Bile rose in my throat, and I gagged as my heart raced.
“If you think you’re going to tell your mommy and daddy, you’re stupid,” he continued. “As soon as they see what you’ve been up to, you’ll be in the worst trouble of your life! No, you’re not going to tell anyone. And, you’re going to report here for work after school and on Saturdays like normal so no one suspects anything is up. Is that clear?”
With a burst of strength, I shoved at him, and nearly got away, but he kicked my legs out from under me. I hit the shop floor with a thud that left me winded.
Once he had me on the floor, he straddled me and pounded me in the face with his fist. There was no escape now. The stars I saw were brighter, and he was yelling with each punch that I wasn’t going to tell.
Abruptly, he stopped hitting me, letting go and standing up. Without waiting to see what happened next, I crawled a couple feet, got to my knees, then finally stood and got out of there.
Part 4: Getting Past Mom
… an excerpt from the diary of Kai Seaforth
I wish there’d been somewhere I could’ve gone besides home because then I could clean up a little. But home was the closest place I knew to Milton’s Station, so I ran all the way there despite the heat.
Entering the house, I shut the door behind me with a loud thud, then leaned against it, holding my bloody nose and upset stomach. Heat flushed through my entire body, and I was sweating pretty bad.
And there, in front of me, was my mom with that look on her face. You know the look. It’s the one where she isn’t sure what I’ve been doing, but it must be something bad for me to look this way.
I wanted to tell her everything and come clean. I wanted it to be off my shoulders because it was all such a heavy burden for me to carry. But if she found out what Jade, and I had been doing, and that there were recordings of it…
My head was spinning as mom asked, “What is going on? Did you get in a fight? Are you drunk again?”
The way her voice sounded, well, I wasn’t going to get any sympathy there. And I didn’t deserve it either.
All at once, as if I wasn’t even in control, and my body just knew what to do, I ran into the bathroom. Bowing over the toilet, I lost my lunch big time. Afterward, I leaned against the wall and slid down to my butt. Mom pounded on the door for a minute. When I didn’t answer, I heard her move away toward the kitchen.
Thoughts fluttered through my brain like crazy. What was I going to do? Then, like a brick smashing me in the face, I remembered Jade was a part of this, too. My heart was pounding hard, but I wondered if it could suddenly stop? I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself but it was no use. OMG. We were naked- completely naked, and doing… stuff– for everyone to see because we didn’t want to use Frank’s creepy blankets. I had to physically stop myself from banging the back of my head against the tiled wall. What should I do? What could I do? Should I tell her? No, no, I can’t tell her. What if she tells her parents? She likes driving them nuts.
Finally, after calming down a little, I realized there was nothing I could do about this right now. All I had was my resolve, and it would have to be enough.
Because someday, I didn’t know when, I would pay this mofo back. Frank Cooper was gonna get his, even if I had to kill him.
Part 5: Waiting on Bram
… an excerpt from the diary of Kara Poe
Dear Diary, once again, I’m at a loss. As far as I knew, my son had gone to work but hadn’t stayed the entire day. Instead, he came bounding in, looking like death warmed over. I was certain he’d been drinking.
First, I called Bram because he hadn’t arrived this morning as promised. His layover was delayed, and he was still in Fortress Rock, waiting to board the next flight.
Bram was the one who suggested I call this Milton fellow and try to find out if Kai even went to work, and if he did, was he acting strange. Why hadn’t that been something I thought of on my own? Sometimes, I felt like kicking myself.
Milton, who was actually named Frank, I found out, was a cheery sort of person. He said Kai came to work, did everything he was supposed to, so he’d let Kai leave early. And no, he hadn’t noticed anything strange.
“Kids,” he’d said. “Who can figure them out?”
Who indeed?
Notes from Kymber
Special thanks to Bee (Poses by Bee) for the Getting Sick pose pack! They were fun to use! She also made the great fight poses for me, too! Thank you, Bee!
Milton’s Garage/Station is actually Brenn Auto Service, made by fredbrenny.
Thank you so much for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting,
I’ve read this one before so I know what happens and what happens between Frank (weird writing the name as I only think about my Frank who’s a good guy, lol) and Kai later on. But it is still so wrong and messed up. What a perv.
Frank is a total asshat and perv, like you said. (Oh, yeah, let’s not think about your Frank and this Frank in the same thought! LOLOLOL)
Oooh shoot!! I can’t believe Frank did this… poor boy 😥 I really hope Kai tells on him and that perv gets locked away for a loooong time! 😡
I agree with others that Kara should pay more attention – the kid was all bloody when he got home for crying out loud!
I knew there had to be a catch to all this free beer and stuff. You don’t get anything like that for free in life, but Kai had no idea that there were red flags. Frank Cooper is a bad man…a very bad man. Kai needs to turn him in regardless of the fallout.
Yeah, I mean, who would give the kids stuff like this without some motive? I think Kai should turn him in, too.
I thought there must be something weird about this “Milton” who supplied them with endless beer, but I had no idea it would turn out this way. I wish Kai would turn him in, there’s so much evidence that this guy is a disgusting predator. Plus Kara knows most of what Kai was up to anyway.
Thank you, Heather. Honestly, I think Kai should have turned him in, too. There isn’t much more he could do that would shock Kara at this point. I reckon Kai doesn’t understand all that, though. It’s one thing for his mom to know what he’s done, but to him, it’s another thing for her to actually see it. I think when he grows up some, he’ll regret this decision.
Ohhhhhhhhhhh BOY!!! This is SO not what I was expecting to read today!! ALEXA…order me ALL the popcorn!!!!
LOL Extra butter, please! 😀 😀 Thank you, Jess.
If he doesn’t tell Jade, I’m gonna hate him. She has the right to know. And any other kid should be warned. It’s the least Kai should do if he doesn’t want to report the sleazeball right away. Is he really that stupid to go back to that place and work there? Playing tough only with his mom, huh? When it counts he’s no hero.☹️ This is not just about him. I’m mad both at the perv and at Kai.
Bram, where the heck are you?
Thank you, maladi. You tell him! I can totally see why you’re mad. I think he’s being very self-centered, too, and he should tell Jade at least. He’s such a mess. Hopefully, Bram will get there and help.
I had a bad feeling about that Frank guy as soon as I saw him. Hi just has a look about him. Combined with the fact that minors have access to alcohol and other stuff under his roof – only bad things can go from there.
Thank you. 🙂 Yeah, he’s kind of a slimeball. lol I mean, there had to be something shady, otherwise there wouldn’t be all the freebies for the minors.
How did I miss this? I was reading the next chapter and Kai’s murderous thoughts mad no sense so I knew I missed something! I knew something was rotten in Denmark! Who would freely give the kids alcohol? That was weird, and now it makes sense. Poor Kai…I wish he would tell his mother.
LOL Thank you, Audrey. I can see how this was missed since I never used to post twice a week. Once gen 8 begins, I’ll go back to the weekly schedule. As for Kai, I wish he would tell her, too.
A lot of drama in this one. I never relaxed from the moment that rat scampered across the scene!
Thank you, Jacqui. Hopefully, things change for the better soon. 😀
Ick! I want to lose my lunch.
I’m sorry, Jo. I can totally see why.
Judging from comments, I must also agree that this story evokes strong emotions that don’t go away at the end of the chapter. That means this is exceptional writing, the best of its kind. You really have us investing our emotions and I for one, am on the edge of my seat. Innocence is lost one terrifying moment at a time but those of us that make it are the much wiser for it. Kai, will be a savvy adult if Kara and Bram can get to him in time.
Thank you so much, Dan. 😀 My face is totally red right now. LOL Your words are always so encouraging and I appreciate it. I really love reading what people think whether it’s good or bad. As for Kai, I think you’re right that he could become a savvy adult if Kara and Bram get on top of this.
Our shared INFJ blush is fully understandable. I just love how you tackle real life challenges and solutions and with consequences to the characters. It’s that relatability that feels so real. I’m glad Cesare approves. He knows what works.
LOL He approves because it was all his idea. 😀 😀
I’ve always enjoyed writing about real life problems, I don’t know why. But it’s what seems to flow.
Me too, I focus on emotional thoughts and interactions, some deep within and some not so deep. I hide all of it in my characters as they act out each scene. It what we do best, I think.
That’s a wonderful description of your writing, and so true.
Thank you Kymber! It’s a labor of love, isn’t it?
Yes, it is that, for sure. 🙂
Kai keeps getting into the worst situations.
Thank you, CT. He certainly does! Hopefully, he’ll wizen up soon!
Kara could really do with a resurfacing of her gift of “hunches” right about now.
Thank you so much, snazzle. You can’t see me, but I grinned so wide when I saw this comment. I wondered if anyone remembered she had those little hunches. 😀 More on this coning up. 😀
What a piece of trash… Frank needs to be put in jail immediately. It’s so sad that Kara didn’t worry more about her son’s injuries, but their relationship has been strained for some time. I hope things look up soon
Thank you, Raymond. A piece of trash is right. Frank needs to be put away; he’ll probably keep doing this to other kids. I agree Kara should’ve worried more. I think she thinks Bram will swoop in and save the day. I hope things look better soon, too.
Well that escalated. 🙃 As others have said, Kai really should be telling because what Frank is doing is illegal on so many levels. And so *what* if people know he’s had sex with Jade? They’re teens – it happens. And good heavens, Kara… you can’t seriously believe that he’s okay when he comes home banged up and bloody?! Oh dear, this family…
Thank you, Louise. I agree Kai should tell what happened because Frank would go away for a long time, which he deserves. I’m not sure Kai is as concerned his parents know he had sex, but rather, he doesn’t want them to actually see him in action. As for Kara, IKR? Is she over it all and giving up? We’ll find out soon.
Man, what a great chapter title. Just had to click.
That wasn’t what I was expecting, though! Usually for me the price of free beer is sitting on someone’s couch and nodding through other people’s opinions of movies I haven’t seen.
Thank you so much, Dolly Llama. 🙂 That’s how it usually is for me, too. I’m glad you clicked, though. 😀
Frank is recording under age kids, which is a major federal offense. He should be locked up for a very long time. I hope Kai does tell someone what is going on.
Thank you so much. Kai really should tell someone, that’s true. I mean, his mom’s best friend is Morrie who is a cop. But, I don’t know that he will. I do wish someone would put Frank away for a long time, though.
Typical Kai in all respects! Will he return to work? How could one even do so…..after being betrayed, then threatened and losing a mentor which he based his self confidence on.
Thank you, Bee. Yes, typical Kai, for sure! lol I think it will be hard to return to work, as you mentioned, but what if he doesn’t? It’s a tough situation for him.
Permission to kill Frank and set his garage on fire?😡 No one hurts Kai and gets away with it!!!
LOL Thank you, Hilly. Permission granted, except I do need both of them for Kai’s generation. LOL 😀
Oh wow! Frank is one of those psychopaths. Damn poor kid. Too bad he didn’t think to take the camera and delete the footage.
Thank you so much. You’re so right about Frank. It would have been good if he’d thought to do that. He might regret later that he didn’t think of that at the time.
Looks like he already regrets it. But yeah, things can get a whole lot worse.
You’re probably right, he does. And, they sure can.
Lessons learned the hard way.
Thank you so much. Unfortunately, that’s true.