“We can’t let her freeze,” Izzy says. “Even if she is a liar.”
I can’t cry. Not now. But it hurts that she doesn’t believe me. More reason to stay because she’s not scared of Percy.
“Yeah, I lied. He didn’t touch me. I was scared.” Whatever it takes to undo this and protect her.
Beth sighs. “Percy? She’s a kid.”
“She’s eighteen. She has to take responsibility.”
“One night,” Izzy says.
“She’ll have the same excuses tomorrow. Goodbye, Brayleigh. You’re no longer welcome here. Come again, and I’ll call the cops. What you’re doing is harassment.”
“What you did is a felony,” I snap.
Izzy frowns. “Brayleigh, you just said it was all a lie. What are you doing?”
I can’t stand him.
“Get the groceries, Izzy,” Percy says. “Brayleigh, you have one minute to evacuate.”
I swallow my pride and walk away.
“I’ll leave my window unlocked,” Izzy whispers, bags in her hands, before she slams the truck closed.
“Thank you.”
Chapter 11
“Any other chore you want to throw at me before I head to my room?” I didn’t make it back to the attic this afternoon because my dad kept saying do this and do that. I’m cranky and still hungover. I just want to lie down and sleep for the rest of the night.
The doorbell rings.
My dad smirks as he lifts his crystal cut glass of amber-colored liquor. “Yes, you can answer the door.”
With a huff, I stomp to the front door, not even looking through the peephole. When I jerk it open and see who’s here, I realize this day could not get any worse.
Farren and Coach.
Five seconds pass as they wait for me to stop staring and let them in.
Farren’s bratty voice breaks my trance, “Aren’t you going to invite us in?”
I open the door all the way, and they walk into the living room and sit without an invitation.
Coach looks around. “Are your parents here?”
I nod.
“Can you get them so they can be a part of this conversation?”
My eyes narrow, and I don’t hide the irritation in my voice. “Why?”
“Just get your parents,” he says.
Why are they both here? A wave of nausea hits me, and it’s not from the hangover. They’re here to tell me the news. She’s pregnant. That’s what this is about. And I thought my day couldn’t get any worse.
My parents are in the family room with my siblings huddled around the television watching The Santa Clause. “Mom, Dad. Coach and Farren are here. He wants to talk to you guys.”
Mom rises from the couch, setting her glass of wine on the coffee table and tossing her blanket over a sleeping Potter, my five-year-old brother. Yes, his name is Potter. That’s what happens when you leave the naming of your unexpected child to your three other Harry Potter-loving kids. It was the only name my sisters and I could agree on.
Dad snaps the recliner shut then drains his drink and sets it on the end table. “What do they want to talk about?”
I shrug. She can’t be pregnant. She’s on birth control. Besides, we always used condoms. Maybe she is, and it’s not mine, but she’s trying to pin it on me, or maybe our over-carefulness was futile.
I follow my parents into the living room. After greeting Coach, they sit on cream, wingback chairs draped with turquoise and silver fabric to compliment the white tree decorated in the same duotone colors. My mom says this is her one fancy room, and no tacky decorations can touch it like they do the rest of the house. The only seat left is a spot on the uncomfortable couch next to Farren. I opt to sit on the floor between dear Mom and Dad.
Coach looks at me, about to speak, but I cut him off. “Look, Farren and I broke up. That’s it. It’s done. There’s nothing else to talk about.” If she’s claiming she’s pregnant, being rude will get him to spill the beans faster.
“I don’t want to talk about you and her, son.” He pulls his Knights baseball cap off and folds it in half. “That’s none of my business. I’m here to talk about you quitting basketball.”
A loud sigh of relief slips from my lips. Farren grunts. Her dad glares at her. “You said you didn’t want to wait in the car, so keep your mouth shut. This isn’t about you.”
“Farren, the girls and Potter are in the family room watching a movie if you want to wait with them,” Mom says. How is it she always knows what I need even before I do?
“I’m okay here,” Farren says.
“Farren,” Coach says, “go to the other room. This doesn’t involve you.”
She jerks up and walks out in a huff.
“Now, Zain, you need a good reason to quit basketball at this point in time. You’re the most coachable player I’ve ever had. And I told that to all three college coaches who called me after your phenomenal display against Towne Lake. Why are you throwing in the towel midway through the season and giving up any hopes of playing in college?”
My mouth drops. I gave up a few weeks ago after sending out videos and letters to several coaches for the past year and not hearing a single thing, not even a tiny mouse whisper. I figured my six-one frame wasn’t tall enough to play in college. Yeah, I have great ball skills, but sometimes height means more in basketball.
“I don’t want to quit,” I admit. “I just assumed you wouldn’t want me around now that Farren and I are done.”
“I love my daughter, but I don’t let her friends or boyfriends influence me in any way. You’re my captain. I need you. The team needs you. The guys were a mess this morning. You think Sebastian can lead them?” He bends over in laughter.
Sebastian couldn’t lead Santa to milk and cookies.
Dad leans forward and places his hand on my shoulder. “Zain has a volunteer commitment over the next month. So, he needs to figure out his schedule to make it all work.”
“We have practice in the morning for the rest of the year. Then, in January, we’re going back to splitting time with the girls, so rotating mornings and afternoons. Will that work?”
Dad looks at Mom who nods.
“I’ll get out of your hair now,” Coach says. “See you at six in the morning.”
I hide the moan that wants to come out. I could use a sleep-in day. What can I say? I’m a lot like my mother.
“Tell Farren I’ll be in the car.” Coach leaves.
We walk into the living room where Farren is sitting in Dad’s recliner, scrolling through her phone. Potter’s still out, and the twins are glued to The Santa Clause.
I offer my hand to help her up. “Your dad’s waiting in the car.”
Farren takes it and doesn’t let go. “Walk me out?”
“Okay.”
When we enter the foyer, she says, “Did you hear the other breakup news?”
I shake my head.
“Sebastian dumped Brayleigh.”
Why is my heart beating an insane rhythm?
I eye her. She could be lying just to see if I’ll react and prove I have feelings for Bray. “How’d you find out?”
“He’s made several posts online that leave little to the imagination, calling her all sorts of names.”
I’m surprised Sebastian hasn’t called me. He’s always one to vent before opting for a social media rampage. You busted your phone, dumbass.
She pauses at the door with a trembling chin and a quiver in her voice. “So, we’re really done this time?”
I nod.
Before leaving, she turns around and hugs me, and I hug her too. “We both know it was no longer working. We’ll always have great memories. They were just few and far between the past several months.”
A low sob emits when she pulls away and walks out the door.
> Another sigh of relief escapes my lips, but this time, I don’t try to cover it up.
I’m free. Bray’s free. I might be able to play basketball in college after all. Suddenly, my luck is not so bad.
Wait a minute. What’s wrong with me? Bray is my best friend’s ex-girlfriend, and I just broke up with my girlfriend of two years. I should be here for my friend as we mourn our losses together.
Why do I not even care?
Since the first day I met Bray over a year ago, I’ve had this connection to her, like she’s the lights on my Christmas tree. And I need some glowing lights on my dull, evergreen limbs.
Chapter 12
I wait until dark to sneak in. Izzy’s soft snores fill the room. I stuff my things under her bed and climb to the top bunk. My bladder begs for release, but I can’t risk going to the bathroom. It was hard enough climbing through the window. Luckily, Izzy kept her word and unlocked it. Otherwise, I would’ve had to use the kitchen knife I stole from Sebastian’s to get in.
Her top bunk is sweet relief to my cramped and cold muscles. I spent the last few hours hiding in a tube-shaped slide wearing extra layers of clothing.
This is rock bottom.
The shelter is my best option for tomorrow, and it’s going to take a full-day’s walk. Then I have a few days to find a place to stay before they give me the boot.
I thought shelters were in every city, but the nearest one I found was in a church and only open during the coldest months of the year. Maybe I can go to school tomorrow and find someone to crash with instead so I can save the shelter for a last resort. Plus, school is closer, even if my perfect attendance and 4.0 GPA got me out of finals week. I have no need to take the finals and try to score higher, but I could hang out in the school library and beg Theo or Zain to take me in. That is, if they still want to be friends after I dumped Sebastian.
My legs are up, and I’m pushing as a nurse coaches me. Zain pats my head with a wet cloth. “Just a few more. You’re doing good.”
I crush his hand and push until weight leaves me with a slimy ooze.
“Our baby,” Zain says.
The doctor pops the baby’s bottom, and he cries. The nurse wipes off blood and the yucky stuff from inside me.
Zain kisses me, then the nurse hands him the baby.
Zain’s smile fades.
I try to sit up. “What’s wrong. Is he okay?”
“You fickle whore.”
He tilts the baby toward me.
“You’re mine,” the baby says with Percy’s voice and face.
I gasp awake from my nightmare.
“I love your sounds.”
Percy? My eyes go from side to side, but there’s no one here. I take a deep breath, the dream leaving me disoriented.
“I’m the only one, right?”
Izzy? What is she doing up?
“We’re in love,” Percy says. “When you get older, I’ll leave Beth and marry you.”
I’m dizzy. I’m probably still in the slide, hallucinating.
“What about Brayleigh?”
“She’s jealous she can’t have me.”
Moving lips and a creaking bed sound. No no no. This is so much worse. Izzy? Seduced by this predator?
I’m losing it. I must be. But she moans.
“Stop,” I say, breathless because I can’t fathom what’s going on beneath me.
“Just a minute,” Percy says.
“That wasn’t me,” Izzy whispers, fear coating her words.
Jumping from the top bunk, I’m on the ground in seconds, yanking Percy off Izzy. His naked body rolls to the floor. I let go long enough to grab the knife on top of my bags and wish it were a steak knife instead of a butter one. Izzy lowers her Hello Kitty nightgown.
I scream for Beth as I hold the knife to his throat and put my knee on his chest to pin him to the floor.
“She’s on sleeping pills,” Percy says with a labored voice. “Get this knife off me.”
“Izzy’s sixteen. She’s still a girl!” Blood warms my veins. “You lied to me. You said you wouldn’t touch her if I—”
His menacing laugh echoes through the room. The knife ever so gently scratches his throat, and I wish it were a steak knife so it’d do more damage. I press my knee harder against his chest.
Izzy sits up. “You’ve been cheating on me?”
“No, she’s lying, Iz,” he says, out of breath. “Look at her. She’s so jealous of us.”
I yell for Beth again.
Percy smacks both my ears at the same time, causing me to lose balance and drop the knife as they ring.
“It’s not what you think,” Izzy pleads, tears filling her eyes. “He’s my boyfriend.”
Percy and I struggle to stand.
How can I get through to her and make her see the monster he is? The truth. “He’s a grown man. He’s married. And he’s been raping me for the past year!”
Izzy yells at me. “Shut up! You’re just jealous.”
Percy soothes Izzy. “I’ll take her to her room and teach her a lesson. She’ll never rat on us.”
Izzy swallows and nods as Percy grabs my wrist.
I plant my feet, but he pulls my arm out of socket and drags me.
He slams her door and forces me into my room and onto my bed as I wail from pain.
My bed dips, and he climbs on top of me.
All I can do is hold my arm and try to breath.
He unbuttons my pants. The fabric scrapes my thighs as I attempt to kick him off. “Izzy! Help!”
He sits on top of me and grabs my arm. “Can’t have this, can we?”
He pops my arm back into place, and I lose my vision as I scream at the top of my lungs. Beth has to hear me.
The door opens, and my heart stops. Lights still dance in my eyes as I try to regain my sight, but she’ll end this.
Percy smothers my mouth with his palm. His voice is calm and smooth. “Go to bed, Milo. You’re dreaming.”
Milo. He doesn’t understand.
Tears drip down my cheeks as every fiber of my being stretches thin.
“Dream,” Milo says, rubbing his eyes.
“Tell him to go,” Percy whispers.
He uncovers my mouth, and I gasp for air. “Get Beth,” I say in a strangled voice.
“You bitch,” he growls, smacking my face.
Milo runs away, screaming for Beth.
“I’ll tell the cops. All they’ll need is a paternity test to lock you up.”
Percy grins like Freddy Krueger. “If they find out, they’ll move Milo. Keep this to yourself and get an abortion. Then I’ll let you move back in, and it’ll be like it never happened.”
He leaps off me and runs to Izzy’s room.
I go to Beth’s bedroom. Milo has her awake, but she’s groggy from her pills and slow moving as she removes her sleep apnea mask.
“I found Percy with Izzy.”
“Your pants are unbuttoned,” she says as if she’s discovered Santa Claus doesn’t exists.
I fasten them. “You have to help us.”
Percy and Izzy come into the room.
“She broke in,” Izzy says. “I didn’t know it was her, so I started screaming.”
Beth stands and touches my cheek. I wince. “I thought I heard you scream.”
“Yes.” I smile, so happy she’s getting it. “He attacked me when I pulled him off of Izzy.”
“Liar,” Izzy says. “Percy heard me, and she pulled a knife on him, so he defended himself. Then she screamed and said she’d make you believe her.”
Beth stands to face her husband eye to eye. “The last girl said you groped her. Have you been touching our girls?”
Milo hops up and down on the bed. “I want ice cream.”
I gather him in my a
rms then put him right down because a pain shoots through my shoulder, causing me to bend over in agony.
Percy’s shoulders shake as he sobs. “That was an accident. This is an attempt to ruin me.”
Percy locks eyes with me and holds his chest like his heart is breaking. “Brayleigh, I am so sorry about your past. I know the things you accuse me of have happened to you, and pregnancy at your age is scary. It’s understandable that you’re having a mental breakdown. I should’ve seen it before kicking you out. I’m so sorry I failed you.” He chokes on his words, and Beth and Izzy hug him until he can compose himself.
His act renders me speechless as he lets them go and eyes Milo.
“Milo,” he says, “do you want your sister to get help and come live with us.”
“Yes!”
“Then it’s settled.”
My mouth opens to speak, but I see what he’s doing and stop. He’s giving me an out. I can spend a week at a mental institution, get used to the idea of him and Izzy, then get to live with Milo again. Maybe he won’t even touch me.
“Brayleigh,” he says, “are you ready for help?”
This is my only option. Go along with this demented man until I’m stable enough to get Milo out of here. Izzy may be a lost cause, but if I’m here, I can try to make her understand.
I nod.
They all sigh. Problem solved. I told the truth, but the monster is clever, so no one believes me.
“I’ll get her checked in and be back soon.”
Everyone returns to their rooms, and he gathers my things from under Izzy’s bed and leads me to his car.
He turns the heat on and drives. He’s won, and the longer I’m gone, the more time he has to hurt Izzy and deceive Beth.
I swallow, though my mouth is dry. “How long will I be gone?”
He snickers and narrows his eyes at me. “I’m not wasting money on a vacation for you.”
“Then where are you taking me?”
“McDonald’s by the free healthcare clinic. You can stay warm there then walk to the clinic when it opens. Call me when you need payment for the abortion. I’ll pay in cash and bring you home.” Percy rubs my inner thigh. “What a happy reunion.”
Unwrap My Heart Page 5