When I got to the bottom of the stairs, Rabia and Mase were sitting at the island, talking with Mom, who leaned on the counter, sipping some tea. Their conversation stopped when they saw me, which made me want to bolt back upstairs. Before I could make an escape, Rabia streaked toward me to devour me in a hug, almost tipping me over. Mase moseyed over to wrap his arms around both of us. Tears pricked at my eyes while they held on tight, comforting me in the best way they knew.
When they pulled back, Mom was watching us with a hand held to her chest, tears sparkling in her eyes. I had some pretty amazing friends. She watched while they led me to the couch in the living room, sitting me in the middle and blasting me with questions.
“Are you doing okay?” Rabia began in a soothing tone, resting a hand on my arm.
My lips twitched into a weak smile. “I’m fine.” I shrugged. “It’s not like I got hurt, only my poor car.”
“Yeah, your mom let us see it.” Mase scowled. “I can’t believe someone would do that to you.”
“It’s really okay,” I assured them. “It will get fixed—hopefully—and it will be like it never happened.”
“Do you have any idea who did it?” Rabia asked, pulling on her braid before giving Mase a weird look I nearly missed.
I speculated what it was about, but answered, “I have some, but it could have been anyone. Even someone we don’t know who did it just to do it.”
Mom brought over some tea and a cute tray of cookies, exactly as she did when we were little. “You kids have a good time. I have to get back to the gallery,” she told us with a huge smile, obviously satisfied I was spending time with my friends.
“Thanks, Mrs. Hart,” Mason said around a mouthful of cookie, crumbs flying from his mouth.
“You’re welcome, Mason. If you two can, you should get Ava out of the house tonight—go do something fun.”
“That’s a great idea!” Rabia exclaimed, clapping her hands, making Mom’s smile widen.
A groan almost escaped me, but I held it back, knowing there was no way I could get out of it now. With that, Mom doled out hugs and kisses before leaving, and we got back to our conversation.
“Well, I hope they figure out who did it,” Rabia said. “If it’s someone we do know and they did it to hurt you, who knows if they’ll do something else?”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I choked out, my stomach clenching. I had only driven myself insane with thoughts of someone we knew trashing my car just for the fun of it.
“Nice, Rabia,” Mase chided, making her look horrified with herself.
“It’s okay,” I said again, patting her leg now. “I just hadn’t thought about that part, but I should have.”
“Yeah, so anyway,” Mase interjected, bouncing in his seat, “you really missed out today. You won’t believe what Cade did.”
“Mason,” Rabia hissed, slapping his arm with a hard glare.
“What?” he demanded. “She would find out sooner or later. We may as well be the ones to tell her.”
“Tell me what?” I asked, trying for nonchalance, but failing miserably. They shared a look, Rabia shrugged, making Mase beam. “Guys, what’s going on? Is Cade okay?”
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Mase answered while I shook that awful thought from my head. “But he’s suspended for a week, and he’s probably grounded on top of that. You know how his mom is.” He shrugged as if Cade being suspended and grounded was no big deal, but my insides knotted, my heart thudding.
“What do you mean suspended?” I demanded. “What did he do?”
“I told you we should have left it.” Rabia glared at him, all worried about me like a mama bear. “She has enough to worry about.”
Being cramped between them, the worry building in my chest was too much. I shoved away from the couch, turning to look at them. “I’m fine, Rabia,” I told her in as gentle a tone I could muster. “It sucks someone ruined my paint job, but it doesn’t mean I’m suddenly fragile. So, Mason, please tell me what happened.”
Rabia gave him an expectant look, and he complied. “Well, somehow, it got out what happened to your car. I think whoever did it was bragging.” He pointed at me, raising his eyebrows. “So anyway, Trent was going around saying you deserved it and that he wished he had been the one to do it.”
He paused for dramatic affect. My body vibrated with anger, my firsts clenching at my sides. “We heard him in the lunch line talking about it, and Cade was with us. He went off on Trent, telling him he had no right to talk about you that way. Yada, yada, yada.” He gestured, twirling his hands. “Trent basically scoffed, then started walking away and said something over his shoulder we didn’t catch. But next thing we know, Cade walks toward him and punches him in the face. Everyone crowded around them, and Cade beat the shit out of him.”
“What?” I breathed, rubbing my temples. “Why? Why would he do something like that?”
“He was pissed,” Mason supplied, as if it should have been obvious, then looked at Rabia. “We all were, but he was the one who did something about it. That kid, Brandon, he got the security guards, and they got Cade off Trent and carted both of them to the office.”
“Oh, God.” I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling on it. “Is Trent hurt?” I asked, not really caring but worried about how much trouble Cade would be in.
“Ha, he’s fine.” Mase chuckled, until Rabia and I glowered. “What? He was bloodied a little, broke his nose, but they pulled Cade off before he could do any real damage.”
“That was so stupid of him,” I groaned, plopping down between them. I wanted to rant about how we had seen him with another girl, how there was no reason for him to stick up for me, but Mason would have no clue what I was talking about. But really, we had seen him with Sydney.
Why the hell would he risk getting in trouble for me?
“It will be okay,” Rabia assured. “Yes, it was very stupid of him, but he’ll be okay.”
Emotions bombarded me, too overwhelming to sort through. I stood up again while they watched me as if I were a bomb about to go off. “I need to grab my phone,” I told them before bolting for the stairs.
My phone had twenty texts, multiple missed calls from my mom, dad, Rabia, and even Cade, and a couple voice mails. I deleted all the voice mails from Mom and Dad then quickly read through all the texts from Rabia asking if I was okay, telling me she wanted to come see me, then from Mom and Dad asking if I was okay, as well. Then I read the ones from Cade.
The last one came only a few minutes after my mom woke me and had my entire body shaking.
I’m sure you heard
what happened by
now. I know Rabia and
Mase came over… I
hope you don’t hate me.
I’m not sure why you’ve
been avoiding my texts,
but I probably won’t be
able to talk to you for a
while now, cuz Mom
grounded me… Guess I’ll
call when I get the chance.
My stomach rolled when I tried to call him back and it went straight to voice mail. It was irrational to call him, but I needed to know why. If he had something going on with someone else, why would he do such a stupid thing? I didn’t know what could be done, but I needed to see him, to tell him I didn’t hate him. To ask him what the hell he was thinking. Maybe tell him he was stupid for acting like a Neanderthal, but that didn’t mean I hated him.
Someone yelled my name while I sat there staring at my phone, so I hurried back downstairs to find my dad talking with Rabia and Mason.
He came right to me when I got to the bottom stair, consuming me in another rib-crushing hug, the kind I would never get tired of. He pulled back to appraise me as if I were supposed to show signs of trauma or something. “Don’t turn your phone off ever again, young lady. Understand?” he demanded.
I nodded with wide eyes. “I’m sorry. I wanted to take a nap… uninterrupted.”
“Then put it o
n silent,” he instructed. “I didn’t know if something happened to you. Someone vandalized your car then you spent the whole day ignoring everyone. I thought they may have come back to hurt you. I was going crazy at work all day, even after your mother told me you were okay.”
“Dad, nothing happened,” I assured him, even though it was obvious. Even still, fear closed my throat from the thought of whoever spray-painted my car trying to hurt me in another way. “But I’ll make sure I keep my phone on from now on.”
“Good.” With an approving nod, he hugged me again.
“So Mom said I could use your car if I wanted to go out tonight?” I gave him the sweetest smile I could summon when he pulled back again.
“Where are you going?” he asked, still sounding angry and not too inclined to do me a favor.
“Um, I wanted to go over to Cade’s. With Rabia and Mason, of course,” I added when he gave me a sharp look as if he wasn’t okay with me hanging out with a guy, even if it was one he liked, after the stunt I pulled with my stupid phone.
Rabia and Mason gave me questioning looks as if they knew we probably wouldn’t get the chance to see him if we went to his house. With a slight shake of my head, I hoped they wouldn't say anything.
“Fine,” he sighed, pulling his keys from his pocket and handing them to me. “But only to his house, and I want you back by eleven. It’s a school night.”
“Okay.” I smiled before pecking him on the cheek. “Thanks, Daddy.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cade
Playing video games was a great way to keep my mind off whatever Ava might be up to, or how she was doing, or if she ever wanted to talk to me. Yeah. Doing a great job. There was no way I could keep sane during an entire week of not being able to talk to my friends. Just work and being stuck at home would suck, but I promised my mom I wouldn’t push her boundaries.
Mom had a shift at the gas station, but she didn’t have to be there until after four, so I stayed holed up in my room in order to avoid any more scolding. Around four, the doorbell rang. We weren’t expecting anyone, so I peeked out my front window to check it out. A Jeep sat out front, and I could spot Rabia and Mason sitting inside. The front patio blocked the door, so I couldn’t see who was there, but it had to be Ava. The thought she would come to my house had my heart racing.
I cracked my door open then moved into the hall right when my mom opened the door. I didn’t hear Ava say anything before my mom said, “Cade’s grounded,” in a flat tone, before slamming the door.
I couldn’t believe my mom would be so blatantly rude. She was pissed at me, sure, and she didn’t really like Ava, but that didn’t give her any right to be impolite. Moving closer, I was about to come out and confront her, but the bell rang again. I stood back to see what would happen.
My mom swung the door open again. “Can I just talk to him for one minute?” Ava pleaded, making my chest tighten. She was there and she wanted to see me. I could only hope she wasn’t there to chew me out.
“If it was anyone else, I would probably let him,” my mom said, making my mouth fall open.
Holy shit, she was pissed. But I didn’t like her being so rude to Ava. I edged around the wall so I could see everything happening while remaining unseen. Ava stood there in worn jeans and a gray T-shirt with her hair all messy curls falling into her face. Her eyes were a little red and puffy, which was intolerable, but she seemed otherwise unharmed, so I held the anger at bay. The look of shock on her face was freaking adorable.
“I know you’re the reason he got suspended, so I won’t be letting you see him.” My mom went to slam the door again, but Ava stuck her hand out, preventing her from doing so. I held in a chuckle when my mom gasped, while Ava pushed the door open further, stepping inside the house. Jeez, she was awesome when she got fired up.
“There isn’t any need to be angry with me,” Ava told her, standing firm while my mom continued to stare at her in shock. The way she held herself—so confident, as if nothing could take her down—made me want to fall to my knees. “I didn’t do anything to deserve you disliking me so much, and I certainly didn’t make your son beat someone up for me. I wasn’t even at school today because someone spray-painted my car last night. So if you would please go get Cade, I would like to talk to him for a minute.”
“Now, you wait just a minute, young lady,” my mom sneered, giving my queue to make my appearance. “I didn’t invite you inside, so you go ahead and march yourself right back outside before I—”
“Mom, cut it out,” I said, standing in the archway. I gave Ava a sly smile before my mom spun around to glare at me. With raised eyebrows, I crossed my arms over my chest. “You don’t need to be so rude because she’s right. She wasn’t at school today. She didn’t have anything to do with me getting in trouble.”
“Like I believe that.” She scoffed. “The principal called me and told me what it was all about. And you,”—she jabbed a finger at me—“you’re grounded. You’re not going anywhere, especially with her.”
“I get it, Mom.” I sighed. “She said she just wants to talk for a minute. That can’t do any harm, can it?”
She appraised me for a long minute before exhaling heavily. “Whatever. You can talk out front. It looks like she has some other people with her.” A suspicious glare was shot at Ava before she shook her head. “I have to get to work, but I expect you to behave and respect me grounding you. Got it?”
“Okay, Mom.” I gave her an innocent smile, knowing she wouldn’t stay mad at me for too long.
After giving her a quick kiss on the forehead, I sent her off to work. Ava moved to follow her out the door but acting on need alone, I grabbed her hand, pulled her around, and crushed my mouth to hers. She melted into me, gripping my shirt for support when I tangled my hands in her hair. When I ran my tongue over her lips, she gasped, opening up exactly as I wanted.
Her sweet, perfect taste made my blood run hot and cold at the same time. Having started, I wasn’t sure I could ever stop kissing her, touching her, tasting her. I kissed her until I was satisfied with the hitch in her breath and wobbling of her knees, then slowly backed off, kissing her softly all over her face. I rested my forehead on hers, both of us breathing heavy while I studied her deep, gray eyes.
“You’re okay,” I breathed then kissed her forehead. Having her there, in my arms, knowing whatever had happened hadn’t ruined her, made the rest of the shitty day fade to the background.
She only nodded, keeping her head pressed to my chest, right where I wanted her. We soaked up each other’s presence for a minute until she pressed her hands on my chest, giving me a slight shove.
“You’re an idiot,” she told me with a pointed look. I scrunched my face up. “I’m serious.” The glare was less convincing with the smirk twitching at the corners of her mouth.
But the reality was that I really was an idiot. Rubbing a hand over my face, I groaned, “I know.”
She snatched my hand, inspecting my trashed knuckles with wide eyes. “Cade!” she exclaimed, and I had to say, I was flattered by the concern. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I was pissed, Ava,” I growled, gripping her hand. “That dickwad deserved it, believe me.”
“I know Trent is a douche, and I’ve wanted to hit him a few times myself, but that doesn’t make it okay to actually do it! And I don’t even care about him being hurt—it’s the consequences you have to suffer.”
“It’s only a week.”
It really wasn’t a big deal. I had gotten into a lot worse trouble in Seattle, but she didn’t need to know about my sketchy past. No matter how good of friends I had become with the group, I never told any of them about the trouble I had gotten into. And I wasn’t about to start baring my soul anytime soon.
“Besides, this isn’t about me.” I pulled her close again, resting a hand on her cheek, which earned me a scowl. “I was going batshit crazy worrying about you today because you wouldn’t answer your phone.”
; “I took a nap for the first time in like a year.” With an eye roll, she pulled back from me. This surprised me. She rested, actually rested, probably for the first time since I met her. “You would think everyone would be happy I rested for once. You need to stop distracting me. There was something I came to say. Whatever this is.” She gestured between us. “It’s not okay for you to kiss me just because you’re worried. It’s not fair for you to throw me off balance like that. I came here to tell you how mad I am at you.”
“Yeah, you seemed to be fuming,” I teased, earning myself a good shove.
“I’m serious, Cade!” she practically yelled, causing me to take another step back. “I saw you with Sydney yesterday. I saw her get in your car, and only a little while before that, she told me you two have been hanging out and that you plan to take her to prom.”
She paused, pinching her bottom lip while a light bulb lit in my head. This had to be why Sydney was acting so weird the day before, because she was trying to get to Ava and she knew Ava was watching. It also explained why Ava had ignored my texts and why Rabia gave me the cold shoulder all morning. Her jealousy may have been amusing if the whole situation didn’t piss me off.
Before I could give any input, she went on. “This all sounds so lame and dramatic, but seriously, Cade, if you’re with someone else, I don’t want any of this. I don’t want you kissing me, I don’t want to go on dates, or whatever Saturday night was. I don’t want it!”
“Wow, Ava, I didn’t realize you were so gullible.” My flat tone had her eyes about popping out of her head. “Can I assume this is why you ignored my texts last night?”
Red flooded her neck and cheeks, but she took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders with her hands fisted at her sides. “She had her hands all over you, Cade. And I’m not being a stupid, jealous girl. I just don’t want to be the girl who’s okay with dating someone who dates other girls at the same time.” She paused, then groaned, making a smile tug at my lips. Her assumption may have pissed me off, but the way she ran on told me she was, in fact, jealous. There was no need for her to be. “Ugh, that sounded complicated, but you know what I mean. And it’s not that I think we’re actually dating or—”
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