Always Summer Read Free Page A

shout.
    She
wrenches open the door.   I must look
awful, because she swoons! She also nearly vomits.  
    “I really
need you to call the cops, Mrs. Prince, Sal is really badly hurt!” I tell
her.   She reaches out to grab my arm, but
I dodge her. “I have to get back, she needs me.” I reason, before stumbling to
the stairs and speeding my way up them, oblivious to her shouting behind me.
    *
    “They’re
coming.” I say to Sal’s back.   She is
slumped on the floor, but she hasn’t otherwise moved.   Her curly springy hair is matted with blood,
so I smooth it away from her face.
    She isn’t
speaking, just sobbing between great gasps of air.   I struggle to hold her, she moves so
violently, but I cannot let her go... I love her!

 
    Sally.
    Just
don’t... don’t touch me... only she can touch me, so just fuck off!

 
    Summer.
    The police
are here now... the paramedics too.   They
are trying to get me to stand away from Sally, and they are trying to touch
her, but she is behaving all feral... she is actually snarling at them!
    A female
police officer... um... maybe... she has a badge on her dressy pants like the
cops have on their uniforms, but she isn’t dressed like a police officer.   She is telling the other cops to leave, and
they do.   She is dragging a female
paramedic in by the arm.   I am watching
them, and I am looking at them with what I hope is dangerous eyes.   I want them to be careful, because right now,
I am getting pretty sick of people trying to get my sister to stop feeling like
she does... if they knew what happened, maybe they’d leave her alone and give
her some space.
    “She can’t
help it!” I shout at the lady officer.
    “We’re
trying to help.” She says, “My name is Kerry.” She offers her hand and I look
at it, but I don’t touch it.
    “Are you a
cop?” I ask.
    “Yes, I’m a
detective.” She says.   She says it
nicely, and she is pretty, not like Marjorie... and all of a sudden I’m
wondering where Marjorie is.
    “Where is
Marjorie?” Sal asks, muffled because her face is in her hands... she must be
wondering too.
    “Marjorie?” the detective questions.
    A male cop
is standing at the door warding off other people.   He turns his head.   “The female passed out in the living room,
Detective Hunter.” He explains, before turning his face away again.
    Kerry looks
at me, kindly.   She watches as I pass my
hands over Sal’s hair.   Sal’s arm is now
protectively wrapped around my waist as I kneel over her.
    “Is
Marjorie your mother?” she asks.
    “Humph...”
Sal releases a grunt, “she gave birth to us, but that’s it... she’s a whore!”
Sal spits out her answer.   And then she
does spit, really spit...   a huge gob of
spit on the man whore, who I now know is dead, beside her.  
    “This is
her latest fuck buddy.” She sneers.   I
haven’t ever heard her speak like this before, although the word fuck isn’t new
to me... Marjorie says it all the time.
    “Okay, I’m
going to leave you two here for a minute, but I need to get you out of this
room when I get back.   If you can, please
try to walk away yourself.” She says.   She puts her blue gloved hands onto her knees and pushes up.
    Walking
over to the female paramedic, she talks quietly to her.   I’m scared she is talking meanly about Sal; I
seriously don’t think she understands what has happened here, and where does
she expect us to go?   This is our
room.   They should be taking him
away!   I want to shout at them... I want
them to understand... so I stand up abruptly to tell this Kerry what she needs
to hear.
    “That guy
hurt Sally...” I begin shouting, and pointing at him, “he pulled her pants down
and hurt her... and she didn’t want to; and he made her bleed... a lot!” Sal
was trying to pull me back down, but I was slippery and determined.   The detective lady was looking at me with
sadness.   I still didn’t understand why
she wouldn’t take him and