She had been a cheerleader in high school and college and I’d thought to try out for her. I had no real interest other than it was something that would make mom proud.
“I’m very glad you’re making friends hon, I can see a huge change in you, although I can’t help feeling there’s something bothering you. Won’t you tell me?”
She came over and brushed my hair with her hand. She hasn’t done that in a long time. “I know I haven’t been here for you in a while sweetie, I’m sorry, let me make it up to you, tell me what’s hurting you.”
I looked at her for a long minute as I bit back the tears. It was the first time in my life I realized that sometimes, you just don’t need to know everything.
I know I would give my eyeteeth not to know dad’s dirty little secret.
I guess I had made my decision after all. “Nothing’s bothering me mom. It’s just school stuff, you know.” I shrugged my shoulders and tried to move past her.
Now, with the decision made, I needed to be away from her. Couldn’t bear to look in her face with that great lie between us.
In this too, my dad had betrayed me. He alone was responsible for the wedge that would forever be between my mother and I.
Whether she ever found out or not, I will always know that I knew, and because I’m such a coward, couldn’t tell.
My anger was blinding as I made my way up the stairs to my room. And that’s probably why I did what I did, why I made the call.
She was just as vile as I imagined her to be when the mask was off. With each word from her mouth, my hate grew stronger and I lost a little more of my youthful innocence.
I wasn’t as scared as I thought I would be after, but I hung up with a new purpose. Mom must never find out, no matter what.
I could see clearly now that something like this would kill her. Mandy didn’t care about anyone else but herself; it would mean nothing to her to destroy a whole family. She’d just pick the pieces up and move onto the next victim.
I felt the betrayal in my gut like a sharp hot poker and longed for the days of just a year ago, when my life was perfect and I had no cares in the world except my next music recital.
I finally crawled into bed a little later after I heard my father come home and the obligatory squabble between he and mom.
My last thought before falling asleep was how to make them pay.
Chapter 4
JACE
Today is the day. We’ve got the big game tonight and I just had a very promising talk with my girl’s parents.
I was on top of the world as I followed her to school in my car. I wasn’t driving her today because there will be too much going on tonight after the game, and I didn’t want her waiting around a darkened parking lot for me after we came back.
I pulled in beside her and went to help her out of her car. I kissed her hungrily right there in her opened car door, not caring too much about who was around.
“I missed your mouth, feels like I haven’t kissed you in forever.” I bit into her bottom lip before sucking her tongue into my mouth.
She was just as hungry for my mouth as I was hers and we ate at each other’s tongues until the nosy ass kids around us started their shit.
My hands were buried in her hair, which was now a mess, when I lifted my head.
“He said yes.” She grinned wide before her face changed again.
“That means he’s gonna know what we’re doing when we...”
“Calm down baby, don’t panic. I’m pretty sure he already knew we were making love. He said he was proud of us for coming to them like this, and he appreciates it. So you see, nothing to be embarrassed about, we’re doing okay on the parent front.”
She still buried her face in my chest. “Thanks for handling it alone, I couldn’t...”
I knew that, and that’s why I had spoken to her mom and dad on my own and told her only afterwards. My baby’s nerves can get the best of her sometimes.
“Let’s head over to the field.” I wanted to get some throws in with my boys, plus I needed to keep an eye on her.
She thought she was fooling me with her shit but I know her, something’s fucking with her. If she won’t talk I’m just gonna have to make an end run around her ass and I know just how to do it too.
Jared was going to work on Belle and Shane on Tammy. Between the three of us I figured we could out maneuver three little females.
Yep, it wasn’t long after she was out of my arms that she was back to biting her nails and looking around nervously. That shit made my guts hurt, but I held my tongue.
No sense in asking her again if she wasn’t ready to talk, but we were gonna have to do something about this shit. I wasn’t too jazzed about the not knowing what was going on with her.
I threw a few with my guys but my heart wasn’t in it, which was fucked. Why is it that women can have that much control over us men? She’s going through some shit, so of course it fucks with my life.
When she smiled at me as I jogged my way over to her, I forgot all about the vagaries of being in love though.
Her smile always have this way of touching something deep inside me, making everything else seem so not worth it.
I snatched her up and twirled her around before planting another one on her. “Hi baby.”
“Hi silly.” She grinned down at me and tugged on my hair.
“You sure you’re okay, nothing’s hurting you?” So I couldn’t help it, sue me.