“With Mason?”
I shake my head. “Josie.”
“How many times do I need to tell you to get rid of her? She’s not the right one for you.”
“I love her,” I retort, trying to keep my temper in check. It wouldn’t bode well for me to get angry with him. He doesn’t care and can take away my truck, and I need my truck.
“You don’t know what love is, Liam. You love football. That is your focus. Get rid of the girl before it’s too late.”
“What do you mean too late?”
Sterling moves toward his office and I know I’m to follow even if I don’t want to. He sits down at his desk and hands me a pile of letters. They’re all addressed to me, but are opened and have notes on them. Each one is from a different college and placed in order of preference according to Sterling. Auburn sits on top, followed by Ole Miss and Arkansas. They’re all interested in me.
He folds his hands on his desk and clears his throat. “I didn’t raise you to get trapped by the town harlot.”
I bite the inside of my cheek and shake my head. “You don’t know shit about Josie. I’m her first boyfriend. It’s not like she’s out sleeping around or messing with other guys. We’re in love. I don’t know why my happiness isn’t important to you.”
“Your happiness is on the field and you don’t need to be some teenage statistic.”
“Meaning what?”
“She’s trying to trap you, get herself pregnant. You better not be having sex with her. You’re too good for her.” I want to reach across and slam his face into his ornate desk. I can see myself smashing his head repeatedly until there’s nothing left. Who the fuck does he think he is talking about her like that?
“You don’t know shit,” I mutter weakly. It’s no use with him. “You’re such an arrogant prick thinking everyone is beneath you.”
“Everyone is, especially that Preston girl.”
I hold up the letters he just handed me. “Thanks for these, I’m not interested,” I say, tossing them back on his desk and walking toward the door.
“Liam, stop,” he demands. When I don’t, he yells it again. I turn and look at him and for the first time in my life I wish he were dead. He’s standing with his hands pushed down on his desk. I could rush him and throw him through his floor to ceiling window if I wanted. My mom would probably clean up the mess before calling the paramedics and that thought makes me laugh. We’re the perfect fucking family on the outside.
“I don’t want to do this, but you’re leaving me no choice. I’m forbidding you from being with that girl. She’s trouble and you need to focus on college. You’re thinking with your dick and not your head. Don’t be an idiot, Liam, she’s not worth it.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. She is worth it. I’m eighteen, Sterling. You can’t ground me and you definitely can’t hit me,” I inform him as I walk toward him. “You’ve already made my life hell so what are you going to do, kick me out? I do everything you ask, but I won’t let go of Josie.”
“You’ll see it my way, soon enough.”
“I doubt it.” I turn and leave, slamming his door in my wake. I almost run into my robot mother standing in the hall, listening.
“Why are you married to him?” I ask. Her eyes look sad and it makes me wonder why she stays. She knows how he is and how he treats me. Am I not enough for her? Isn’t a mother’s love supposed to supersede everything?
“He’s my husband.”
“Am I not important? Do you think it’s okay for him to say that shit about Josie?”
She looks over my shoulder briefly before bringing her glass to her lips. “You know how he is. Just break it off with the girl, pick his school and keep him happy.” She doesn’t wait for me to respond before she moves to the bar that she keeps fully stocked.
My parents make me sick to my stomach and there isn’t shit I can do about it until I leave for college, but then what? Come home to this for breaks and holidays? No thanks.
Chapter 9
I take the stairs to my room two at a time. I throw open my door, head for my closet and take out my guitar. This is a risk, but I’m willing
to take it. I need to get out of this house and if Sterling and Bianca see me with my guitar, so be it. If I have to hide it at Mason’s from here on out, I’ll do it. Right now I need an escape and this is going to be it.
I’m back down the stairs and into the garage undetected. I feel as if I’m doing something illegal and sadly, in the Westbury house, this qualifies. Opening the door to my truck, I hop in and place my prized possession on the seat. I’d give anything to have Josie by my side right now, but I’m not ready to show her yet. I want to be good enough by Christmas so that I can play her a melody that will mean something to her. I want to write words that will mean something to us. I’m not foolish. I’m not looking to make a career out of strumming my guitar, but it’s a good release and I hear chicks dig rockers. Even if I am a wannabe.
My favorite clerk is working when I enter the country store. She looks up from her gossip magazine and directly at the calendar. I try not to laugh, but I know she’s looking to see if it’s Friday. I’m a few days early.