I didn’t expect to see Piper so soon after the race, and although my issues with my father were presumably solved, for now, the thought of facing her after I’d encouraged her brother to turn himself in along with Tank had my stomach dropping to the floor.
Piper.
I had no clue what she was feeling or if she hated me, but I was seconds from finding out.
Chapter Forty-Five
Piper
I could still hear the sound of my mother’s voice booming in the background of the call I’d made to my father. She was all but shrieking, freaking out, and I was pretty sure she wanted to kill me.
My father was the level-headed of the two, always staying cool, calm, and collected. When he’d thrown Jason out of the house and changed the locks, he didn’t act angry. He simply packed up his things, walked them to the front door, placed them on the porch, closed the door, and that was the end of it. Not a single word was muttered from him. I sensed his anger. Saw the redness of his face. But nonetheless, he had stayed quiet. My mother, on the other hand, wouldn’t shut up. She was angry and baffled at his behavior, and at one point, I think she even said good riddance.
I knew it pained her, though. It pained both of them. That was why they never came home. That was why they buried themselves in loads of work, only checking in on me occasionally. My mother thought that if she checked my bank account and saw that I wasn’t spending excessive amounts of money like Jason—the first clue that he was using drugs—that I would stay out of trouble.
I was a good girl. I’d always stayed in between the lines. I knew right from wrong, but now, the truth was beginning to surface. Their perfect, straight-A student wasn’t so perfect anymore. They thought my loyalty was to them, but it wasn’t. It was to Jason.
Or so I thought.
Crickets chirped in the background of my thoughts as Christian, Eric, and Hayley sat beside me, our backs resting along the side of the police station. Ollie would be coming out any second now, per what Michael, their family lawyer, relayed to Christian a little while ago. Tank was in custody, and Jason… Well, none of us really knew what was going on there, other than Eric dropping him off so he could confess to something that would incriminate him but take Tank down, too. It was all part of the plan that Ollie had whipped up.
And as I nervously sat there, my back against the rough brick, kicking a small pebble back and forth with my shoe, I realized that somehow, over the last few weeks, my loyalty had completely shifted.
I realized that fixing Jason’s problems wasn’t my job. He was my brother. I didn’t raise him, and it wasn’t my responsibility as his younger sister to protect him from the choices he made. The person I was most worried about was Ollie.
Oliver Powell.
The boy I used to hate. The boy who stepped in and protected me, who was potentially in some serious trouble for me. How could I ever have hated him? He was pure. He was good. And I was pretty certain I loved him. I didn’t realize it before, but when I saw him take off down the gravel road, dust flying out from underneath his tires, I saw my life flash before my eyes. Then, when he had cuffs slapped on his wrists, my heart shattered. I would have done anything in that moment to take his place.
It was a scary thought. But it was there.
I was still concerned for my brother. I still cared about him, but Jason had made his bed, and now he had to lie in it. I just hoped Ollie would make it out unscathed.
Suddenly, the door swung open, and light filtered onto the sidewalk. I was the first to jump up, my nerves completely frayed on the ends.
Ollie’s dad walked out first, but then I was met with a blue-eyed boy who looked almost fearful to see me standing there. Before I knew what I was doing, my feet took off, and I was in his arms. Air whooshed out of his lungs as I all but tackled him. My arms wrapped around his warm body, and my head buried into his chest.
I whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Tears gathered in an instant, but I clenched my eyes in an attempt to keep them stowed away.
“Hey, hey, hey…” Ollie’s voice was like a salve to my wound. He pulled me away, and his troubled eyes cast down into mine. “Why are you sorry? Jesus, why are you crying?” His fingers hurriedly swiped over my cheeks as he brushed away the salty moisture.
My head shook back and forth. “This is all my fault. I was so wrapped up in Jason that I was blinded to what really mattered.”
He frowned. “Which is?”
“You!” I shouted frantically, not caring that everyone was watching us, including his dad. “You matter. I should have never let you get involved in this. I should have just gone to my parents and been done with it. Jason is not my concern. I’m so tired of fixing his mistakes.” I dropped my head and looked down at my ripped jeans, feeling so incredibly guilty. “I am so stupid.”
“Shh.” Ollie pulled me into his body. “Your brother knows he was wrong to drag you into this. Why do you think he turned himself in?”
I pushed off his chest and peered up into his face. The planes of his high cheekbones rose as he gave me a half smile. “He did it for you, Piper. He’s trying to fix his mistakes.”
“But what about you?”
In typical Ollie fashion, he chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. All I got was a fine. I’m just glad you don’t hate me.”
My heart was slowly molding back together. “I could never hate you.”
Hayley snickered behind me. “Says the girl who swore she hated him.”