“One less of your boyfriends to worry about, if you ask me,” he grumbled. “It’s not like you haven’t had plenty. What is it? A new one every week? I thought I told you to stay away from that boy anyway.”
Kay sighed, shifting her gaze out the window.
“Don’t ignore me when I’m talking to you.”
“You’re not talking to me,” she said. “You’re insulting me. And I really don’t feel like falling into one of your fights tonight, Dad.”
“My fights?” he shouted. “My fights? Right. You never do anything to start it, do you?”
Kay bit her tongue, trying her best to remain silent, when all she wanted to do was scream that no, actually, she never does anything to deserve the hell he reigns down on them every other night. But doing that would be falling into his trap…and she was too exhausted to fight.
“I’d really like to know how I wound up with such a self-righteous slut for a daughter.”
There it was-the verbal punch in the gut. Sure, she was used to hearing that from the kids at school, she could block most of the pain out, then. But hearing it from her own father? It never stopped hurting.
Still silent, Kay refused to give in. She just closed her eyes while he sped across town to their house, praying she could slip into bed without a three-hour fight first.
***
Alex
***
Groggy and light-headed from painkillers, Alex frowned down at the cast on his arm. “This is itchy. And heavy.”
“Well, you’re lucky you didn’t need surgery on it,” his mother responded.
She was across the room, going through the bag with his belongings in it. She pulled his letter jacket out of it, eyes tearing up when she saw the bloodstains. “We’re all very lucky you weren’t killed.”
“Mom, I’m okay,” he said, sensing the fear in her voice.
“I know,” she said. “I know. I keep telling myself that. But what if you hadn’t been? If I ever lost you, I don’t think I could take it.”
“You didn’t….and you won’t. I promise, I’ll be more careful.”
“You mean by looking both ways before you cross the street?” She tossed an impatient, very motherly look over her shoulder as she reached into his pocket. “If I could just find your keys, I’d move your car from the school’s parking lot.”
“You don’t have to do that tonight, Mom,” he said, getting a little nervous. He knew what was in that jacket.
“It’s fine. I’ve got to do something—” her voice went silent as she pulled out the small photograph. The sonogram Kelly had given him.
His mom turned to him, concern in her eyes. Dread. “Alex…what’s this?”
He cleared his throat, looked away. “That’s…that’s a sonogram photo.”
“I can see that,” she snapped. “Why is Kelly’s name on it? Why is it in your pocket?”
Alex stole a glance at his mom. She was still looking down at the picture, eyebrows furrowed in curiosity and concentration. “This…it was taken months ago. And Kelly was just here…she’s as skinny as she ever was.” Her tone turned from soft to demanding. “Alex Walker, you better start explaining. Now.”
He tried, he really did, but he couldn’t get any words to come out. All he could think about was how scary she looked, how disappointed she’d be, and how much he’d hate to tell her what he had done.
Her eyes bored into his, never leaving his face and making it impossible for him to lie. “Is Kelly pregnant?”
“No,” he said finally. “Not anymore.”
“Not anymore,” she repeated flatly. “What does that mean?”
His mind filled with dread and reluctance, but he finally told her the truth. “We decided to get an abortion.”
She dropped into the chair at his side, staring at him like he was a stranger. “I don’t understand…that doesn’t sound like you.”
Letting out a deep breath, he sat up and looked over at her. “It was toward the end of the school year—last year—and Kelly told me she was pregnant. I didn’t know what to do…so I went to Dad for advice. Which was a stupid thing to do.”
“Oh, God.” Mrs. Walker sank into a nearby chair. “What’d he do?”
“Come on, you know him. He didn’t want anything to ‘jeopardize’ my ‘future’. After enough grilling and lectures…I convinced Kelly to have an abortion.”
She shook her head, ashamed and disappointed. “I can’t believe this.” She stood up and began to pace. “Why didn’t you just come talk to me?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “Dad said we should leave you out of it. That’d it break your heart.”
“You know what breaks my heart?” she snapped, turning to him. “The thought of you two kids going through this alone, with only the guidance of that one-track-minded man out in the waiting room!”
“Mom, I wanted to tell you, but—”
“But you did what your father said, just like you always do.”
“It’s not all his fault. I was the one who pressured her into it. I was the one who said—”
“That’s enough,” she said firmly. “This isn’t the place…and it’s definitely not the time. You rest up. We’ll talk about this when you’re better.”
“Mom, I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine! Your arm is broken, Alex. And it sounds like your heart was broken long before that, so you just get some rest and I’ll come by and see you in the morning. Okay?” She walked over, planted a kiss on his forehead, and then left before he could say anything else.
Alex sank back against the bed.
***
Meagan
***
Meagan was trying, and failing, to calm herself down when her brother finally came into the hospital room.
“Meagan, what happened?” Trevor asked, looking concerned the second he saw her so upset.
“It was Seth,” she said, trying to sit up. “He was here.”
“What? He came to see you?” Trevor sat on the edge of the bed, a look of disbelief and anger on his face.
Meagan nodded, and told him what had happened. By the time she finished, she was in tears again. “I said I’d rather die, and he said ‘you might.’ That’s a threat, right? I mean, it sounds like a threat, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it does,” he said, his voice taught with worry. “Don’t worry. He’s not going to get away with this.”
“Yes he will,” she said, wiping a tear away. “He always does.”
Trevor reached out, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I promise I’m not going to let him hurt you, okay?”
Meagan nodded, trying to believe this, but somehow feeling like it was an empty promise.
“You just try to get some rest. Do you want me to get the nurses to give you something to calm you down? Something to help you sleep?”
She shook her head. “No. I can’t risk being out of it…”
“Hey,” he said, trying to get her attention before she went into panic-mode again. “I’m going to be right here. All night. I’m not going anywhere, okay?”
Though her heart was still racing, she nodded as she clutched on to Trevor’s hand, trying to believe that she would be safe. But safety was something she’d come to think of as a luxury, and that would never change as long as Seth walked free.
***
Kelly
***
It was just past one a.m. when Kelly finally arrived home from the hospital. Emotionally exhausted and drained, she stopped by the table in the foyer and dropped her purse and keys onto it. Then, hearing Kendall shouting from the sitting room, she thought better of it and stuffed her keys down into her purse.
The door to the sitting room opened and her mother came out, meeting Kelly in the foyer.
“You’re home,” Jodi said softly. Her blond hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and her pretty, youthful face looked frazzled. “How’s Alex doing?”
“He’s got a broken arm,” Kelly said, picking her pu
rse up off the table. “But he’ll be okay. No thanks to—”
“Look, I’m sorry!” Kendall’s voice echoed from the sitting room. “How many times do I have to say it, dad?”
“I don’t want your apologies,” Jordan said, just as loud. “I want an explanation! You know better than to drink and drive…than to drink at all. You could’ve killed someone, or yourself! Didn’t rehab help you at all?”
Jodi sighed wearily. “They’ve been at that for an hour.”
“Fun,” Kelly said sarcastically. Any time Kendall was around, tension ran high. Kelly didn’t know exactly what was up with the rebellious girl, but she always had an attitude and did whatever she wanted. Last year, when she’d been living with them, Kendall had disappeared for days at a time, came in drunk or high. One time, Jordan caught an older guy in her room in a very compromising position. He shipped her off to rehab after that, but she ran away in the middle of the program. A week or two later, she called to say she was living with her mom and no one had heard from her since. Now, Kelly was afraid Kendall’s arrival wasn’t just a visit. “Mom…tell me she’s not—”
“Honey, she has nowhere else to go. Her own mother kicked her out.”
Kelly groaned and leaned against the wall. “No, no, no. Tell me this isn’t happening.”
“She’s Jordan’s daughter—we can’t just turn her away. I know you guys don’t exactly get along….”
“Get along? We’re mortal enemies. She’s selfish and rude and she just hit my ex-boyfriend with her car! How is she not in jail, anyway?”
“Jordan talked to this friend at the police station…they didn’t drop the charges but they’re letting us take care of her until the hearing Monday morning.”
“So, hopefully, I just have to deal with her this weekend, right? By Monday she could be in jail.”
Jodi chuckled lightly. “I don’t think she’ll see any jail time. You might just have to get used to the idea that she’s staying here.”
“No.” Kelly rubbed a hand across her face. “This is a perfectly awful ending to an even worse week.”
To this, Jodi looked concerned and not amused. “Worse week? What happened? I thought things were going better for you.”
Kelly dragged herself over to the stairs and took a seat. “So did I.”
Jodi sat down on the steps next to her daughter. “You want to talk about it?”
It took her a minute, but finally Kelly whispered, “I was right there when the car hit him, mom. There was so much blood…and he looked so…” tears clouded her vision, thickened her voice. “So weak. I always thought Alex could handle anything, you know? That he’d be okay, no matter what. Seeing him like that tonight…” a few tears finally fell, and Kelly dipped her head, letting them escape. “I thought he was going to die.”
“Oh, honey,” Jodi said soothingly, wrapping an arm around Kelly’s shoulder. “How’d he look when you talked to him? He looked better, didn’t he?”
“I didn’t go back to see him,” Kelly said, shaking her head. “I just…I couldn’t.”
“That’s okay,” she assured her. “You can take your time.”
“I know Alex and I haven’t been getting along, but I never wanted him to get hurt.”
“Of course you didn’t, honey. You’re not that kind of person.”
“Then what kind of person is she?” Kendall sashayed into the foyer and stopped at the foot of the stairs, looking at the mother-daughter team expectantly.
“Ken, we’re not finished.” Jordan followed her, and then stopped at the door to the sitting room when he saw Kelly and Jodi. He looked exhausted. “Kelly…how’s Alex doing?”
“He’ll live,” Kelly said.
“Good. And the arm?”
“Broken.” Kelly kept her gaze on Kendall. “Just had to make a grand entrance, didn’t you?”
“Please, I didn’t hit him on purpose! How many times do I have to apologize?”
“Until you’re actually sorry,” Kelly snapped.
“Whatever.” Kendall turned to her dad. “Where’s my room? I want a shower and a very long night’s sleep.”
“Kelly, would you mind showing Kendall to one of the guest rooms upstairs? Jodi, can we talk?”
Kelly nodded and stood, while Jodi headed to talk to her husband.
Leading Kendall upstairs, Kelly squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for patience.
Kendall whistled as she looked around. “Can’t believe I was living in that rinky-dink trailer park while you guys had this place. So glad my mom gave me the boot.”
“Yes, what a wonderful surprise.”
“Don’t worry, princess. I’ll try to stay out of your way.”
Kelly cringed at the nickname. “Promise?”
Kelly took Kendall to the room at the end of the hall, furthest away from her own bedroom. “This one’s the biggest one we have. Plus it’s got a bathroom and a bay window.”
The bathroom was the main reason Kelly took her to this room. Since Kelly used the bathroom at the other end of the hall, she didn’t want to share. Kendall was always doing things like leaving her make-up all over the counter and her clothes in the floor. Not to mention she squeezed the toothpaste from the middle of the tube.
Kendall ran inside and jumped onto the bed, flopping back against the mattress. She let out an exaggerated moan that sounded like she was having sex. “This one’s perfect.”
“Great.” Kelly turned to leave.
“One more thing, princess,” Kendall called after her.
Kelly tightened her hand into a fist at her side as she slowly turned back around to face Kendall. “Yeah?”
“You got any PJ’s I can borrow? The police impounded my car and I didn’t have a chance to grab my bag.”
“I’ll bring you something,” Kelly said, her voice tense with annoyance.
“Great. And no pink!”
Chapter 2
Kay
Early Saturday morning, Kay hurried down the steps. She was on her way to visit Alex in the hospital and she couldn’t wait to see him. The night before, she’d been unable to sleep because she couldn’t stop picturing him lying bloody and wounded in the street. Alex may not have been perfect, but he’d always been there for Kay without being judgmental, and seeing him hurt had really troubled her.
She was on her way out the front door when she heard her mother’s voice, overly enthusiastic as usual. “Good morning, Kaytlin! Come have breakfast with us.”
Kay turned, surprised to see her mother come into the foyer from the kitchen. For the first time that morning, she smelled the scents of eggs and bacon and tried to remember the last time her mother had cooked. Suddenly, the betrayal stung much more than it ever had. All Kay could think about was her mother, gallivanting across the country and taking secret trips to meet her lover while Kay struggled against her ruthless and miserable father. “I can’t,” she said. “I’m on my way out.”
“Why, I missed you, too, daughter,” her mom said in a sweet, cooing voice that dripped with sarcasm. “Thank you so much for the warm welcome.”
Kay rolled her eyes and turned toward the front door. “I didn’t know you were coming in today. I made plans.”
“What kind of plans?”
“Does it matter?” Kay responded, the bitterness seeping through.
“Look…Kaytlin, I was hoping we could talk about the other day…when you called me.”
“Like I said,” she interrupted, turning around and grabbing the doorknob. “I’m kind of busy right now.”
Her mom reached out and grabbed Kay by the shoulder. “You’re upset with me, I understand. You have every right to be. I just want the chance to explain.”
“I’m not interested in your explanations,” she said, a glare fixed in her eyes. “You want to have an affair? Whatever. Just leave me alone.”
“Look, I want to thank you…for not mentioning this to your father.” Looking worried, but hopeful, Melanie looped her arm around Kay’s waist and le
d her out the front door. “I got you something…to show my appreciation.”
Kay followed her mother’s gaze to the driveway, where a shiny Jeep Liberty sat, sporting a giant purple bow on the hood. She stared, unsure of what to make of the gift. She’d been begging her mom for a car for over a year and saving up to buy one. As secretly thrilled as she was, she couldn’t help but feel like this was a bribe. “You didn’t have to get me this. I would’ve kept my mouth shut anyway.”
Melanie’s smile fell. “Why are you being like this, Kaytlin? It’s not like my love life affects you personally.”
She gaped, anger flooding through her. “You don’t even know me. And it’s because you’re always gone…with someone who’s not even a member of our family. Why is he so much more important than I am?”
“You are important,” her mother insisted, although the words rang empty. She took Kay’s hand and put a keychain in her palm. “Take the car, Kay. It’s not a bribe…it’s just a gift.”
“That’s crap. This is your way of asking me not to tell Dad your dirty little secret.” Shaking her head, she tried to keep herself from totally lashing out. “Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll keep your secret. That’s what I do best.”
Feeling guilty and ungrateful, Kay turned and stalked down the sidewalk, stopping long enough to yank the stupid bow off the hood. Getting into the car, she revved the engine and backed out of the drive. She glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed her mother was already gone. It was silly to think she’d wait around and watch her leave.
As Kay drove to the hospital, she forced herself to ditch the residual baggage her mother had stewed up. She refused to dump any of it on Alex, and if she couldn’t turn her mood around, he would know something was wrong. And her visit was to support him, for a change. So she blared the radio, so loud she couldn’t hear herself think anymore.
After stopping by Jill’s Grill to pick up breakfast, she made a quick trip to the mall and grabbed a gift for Alex. By the time she arrived at the hospital, she was feeling better and most of the tension her mother had created was gone.
She found Alex’s hospital room and was relieved to find him alone. He looked like he was asleep, she noticed as she stepped into the room. Bouquets of flowers, greeting cards and anchored balloons decorated the surfaces. News had travelled fast—it looked like he’d had at least a dozen visitors bringing get well wishes.
Collateral Damage (From the Damage) Page 2