The thing with Marcusās parents was that they cared. The problem was that the amount of care they exhibited was proportional with the way it affected their image and whether that was a direct or indirect ratio was, most often than not, a bitch to figure out.
Marcus prided himself in having done so pretty well this far.
Heād covered a learning deficiency too shameful to be exposed with medals and trophies in sports and with googling most of his math assignments. Heād masked an unwholesome character with violence on the wrong side of the town, where his parents wouldnāt even glance for fear their eyes would burn in their sockets. Heād hidden his lack of attraction to girls with ā well, heād hidden it. Heād done it so they wouldnāt have to care to pretend caring and he thought it should have brought him a different place from ā well, here.
āOne phone call, son.ā
The police station was cold. The chair he sat in was wet, his jacket was long gone and, handcuffed as he was, he was not exactly in a position to work some warmth into his limbs. Everything hurt, from his ribs to his jaw to his head that was unbearably pulsing.
He hadnāt even wanted to take up with Tom Riddle. His father had different ideas, though, and a ridiculous ambition to continue breathing, and Marcus had been the lucky bastard his life hung on. Fucker. And now he was here.
āI ā mm ā I donāt really have anyone to call,ā he said, eyes glued to his shoes.
His father would not even pick up. Riddle ā Riddle would just make sure someone with a knife tripped close enough to Marcus to seem an accident.
āYou sure?ā The old man scratched his ear, bewildered. āWhat about your parents? A girl? Hell, even your dog walker would do.ā
An idea flashed in Marcusās mind and, though it made his stomach churn, he grabbed it desperately. He didnāt have a dog walker, he didnāt even have a dog but there was someone who liked dogs whose number he just might be able to remember.
āYeah, ok, Iāll ā uh ā try that. Yeah.ā
The number was so seared in his mind heād dialled before he caught up with himself and then it was done. One call. No turning back.
The phone rang once, then twice, then a third time ā Marcus started wounding the cord around his finger. He answered right after the churning anxiety inside Marcusās stomach had turned to ash and the fear in his mouth had soured.
āWood,ā the gruff voice said.
Marcusās entire body jolted. He wanted to smash the phone back in his holder. He wanted to punch someone and cry. Then preferably punch someone again.
āHi,ā he said instead, fingers pressed so tightly against the plastic they whitened. āItās me.ā
āWho are āā A long pause. āFlint?ā
Marcus wished he could see Oliverās face because his voice was ā expressionless and blank and doing strange things to his heart. He swallowed hard. Behind him, the policeman cleared his throat diplomatically.
āYeah, itās me,ā he said before he could lose his courage. āI know we havenāt seen each other in two years but, theoretically speaking, how many blowjobs would you have to be bribed with to pay my bail, Oliver?ā