* * *
“Hey, Mrs. Carter,” I said to Kye’s mom.
“Zane, sweetheart.” She grabbed my jacket and yanked me down so she could plant a kiss on my cheeks. “How many times do I need to tell you, it’s Deb to you.”
“Okay, Mrs. Carter.” I smirked, and she swatted my chest.
“Boys. How was school today?”
“Riveting, Mom.” Kye poked his head around her shoulder and kissed his mom’s cheek. “But we survived.”
“I don’t suppose you know where that wayward sister of yours is going tonight?”
“Last I heard she’s studying over at Brianne’s.”
“Hmm, that’s what she told me too. But it’s Chloe. I worry.”
“So ground herwaywardass.”
“Kye, you know I can’t do that. She’s almost seventeen. Besides, I never gave you a curfew once you got to junior year.”
“That’s because I’m your favorite.” He grinned, foraging in the cabinet for snacks. He grabbed a box of Oreo’s and slid them on the counter toward me. “Dig in.”
“Does Coach Farringdon know that you live on a diet of cookies and soda?” Her brow arched as she watched Kye crack open a can of Coke. He guzzled it down in one, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
“But it tastes so good.”
“You’re a dork,” I said with a huff of laughter.
“Is Nix with Harleigh?”
“Yep.” Kye shot me a knowing look before sliding his gaze back to his mom. “But let’s not go there.”
“Ooh, do I sense a bit of tension brewing between my three favorite boys?”
“They deserve to be happy,” Kye said.
“You’re right, sweetheart, they do. But we should never overlook our friends for love. Friends will be there to pick up the pieces when it all goes wrong.”
An awkward tension descended over us, and Mrs. Carter got a faraway look in her eye.
“It’s all good, Mom,” Kye said, hooking his arm around her shoulder and squeezing. She jolted out of her reverie, giving him a sad smile.
“Excuse me. I think I’m going to lie down.”
She left a different woman to the one who had greeted me. Kye let out a weary sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. “I thought we were making progress but it’s like one step forward two back every fucking time. I don’t understand how after all these years she’s still so messed up from him.”
“You’re asking the wrong person,” I said, glancing back to the hall.
“Want to get out of here?” A shadow lingered in Kye’s eyes. He didn’t let us see it much, always covering the truth with some lame-assed joke. But I knew what it was like to worry about someone you cared about. To wonder what would happen if you weren’t there to look out for them.
“She’ll be okay,” I said as if it might help.
As if it might fix anything.
It wouldn’t. But sometimes, a half-truth went a long way.
“She won’t.” He grimaced. “But it is what it is. Come on, let’s go sit out back or something. I need to burn off some steam.”