Free Housebroken by The Behrg

one-roomed wooden building that was Sunrise Yoga, faded blue paint now an almost colorless gray, Jenna felt the breeze die, air turn stale.
    First, her morning runs. Now these bastards would take this from her. One less hour in the day to lose herself; how desperately she needed to remain lost.
    Drew stood on the cracked sidewalk, watching her, his eyes never leaving her chest. She shuddered, a cold sweat trickling down her back as she thought about last night. Drew might not have touched her, but she couldn’t escape the feeling of having been raped.
    Where has that breeze gone?
    “So are we doing this today?” Adam stood next to Drew by the side of the building, sulking even more than usual. Not that she could blame him. Reluctantly, she joined them.
    “There’s a skate park in Santa Monica I wanna check out when you’re done,” Adam continued.
    “I’ve got a hair appointment after this,” Jenna said. Adam rolled his eyes in response. “This is a women-only facility. You’ll have to wait outside. It’s one room. There’s nowhere I can go.”
    “I’m supposed to stay with you,” Drew said.
    “And I’m telling you if you want me to maintain my routine, we’ll need to compromise. Your . . . brother was adamant we keep our schedule.”
    Drew ran his hands through his greasy hair. “I should call George.”
    Adam’s face suddenly lit up, his eyes brightening. “I thought he put you in charge of us? You call the shots. You don’t need his permission.”
    Careful, Adam .
    Jenna reached out to put her hand on his shoulder, but he ducked her, drawing closer to Drew.
    “It’s not like you can be with both of us at all times anyway,” Adam continued. “Think about it—Jenna runs around to a million places, I’ve got my things that I do. You’re going to have to trust one of us to be on our own. Unless you keep us both locked up at the house.”
    Damnit!
    Jenna almost slapped Adam; the kid had no finesse. As soon as she got inside, she’d be able to get help. Sure, it’d be embarrassing, but there were far worse things to worry about. Their bedtime routine, for one.
    “I’m going to be late.”
    “Wait,” Drew said.
    Jenna continued toward the front corner of the studio. From there, she could sprint to the building, get inside before he even realized what was happening.
    “Ow!” Adam cried out.
    “I said wait!”
    Drew had Adam’s arm twisted behind his back, causing Jenna to halt. The boy was up on his tiptoes, trying to release the pressure, a grimace on his face. The parking spaces in front of the bike and surf shops were empty, not a single passerby or witness around.
    “You want to see your son, get back in the car.”
    Jenna hesitated. And Adam saw it.
    “She doesn’t care,” he said. “She’s not my real mom.”
    His words couldn’t have been more damning. She left the side of the building, rushing to Adam and cradling him in her arms. He pulled away from Drew, returning the embrace.
    “I am your mother. And I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    Adam responded with a choked gasp, his head resting against her bosom. Despite having made the right decision Jenna couldn’t help but feel like an invisible glass had just been lowered over her, walling her in on every side.
    A gear ticked another notch closer to a darkness as consuming as the ocean, an ink stain sickness that knew only how to feed and multiply.
    “Get in the car,” Drew said. “I’ll drive.” He took the keys from her, opening the passenger door. A true gentleman.
    She slid in, the closing of that door sending the gear tumbling yet another notch.
    “Love you, Jenna,” Adam said from the backseat.
    “You too, kiddo. You too.”

3
    The clear glass walls of JT’s office transformed to an opaque beige, something accomplished with the push of a button. He closed the double doors behind him, rubbing his hand against the gray-tinged goatee on his pocked face, the only hair on his head that still grew. He was