“What?” My jaw tightened. Had Mom lied to me all these years? If so, what the fuck had she done with all the money? Unless, of course, he was feeding me a bullshit line—just like a Pressler to try to wriggle their way out of trouble. “How do you expect me to believe that? Do you think we’re just going to let you waltz right back into our lives because you say you sent money?”
“She never told you, did she?” Dad tugged me over to a picnic table, which sat beneath a large red maple tree. He rubbed a hand across his face, looking a lot older than I remembered. “When we first divorced, I stopped by the house on Port Street several times to see you and your brother. She always told me that you were too upset to come with me.”
“Port Street? We haven’t lived there in forever.” He hadn’t even bothered to keep track of us.
“After she sent me away from the Port Street house several times, I thought about getting a lawyer to fight for time with you boys. But I didn’t want to put you two in the middle of a custody battle. I should’ve known your mom was lying—she’d done so much of it during our marriage.”
“She said you didn’t want anything to do with us. That you ran off with your secretary and lived in Italy.” Did he have an excuse for everything? Why couldn’t he just man up and tell me that he hadn’t wanted Landon and me? It’d hurt, but I’d gotten used to not having a dad over the years. I didn’t need one now. Now that I was grown-up.
“Shit. No, I still live up on the hill, next door to your grandparents. I’ve passed you in my car a couple of times, when you’ve visited Brady. And I never got remarried or slept with my secretary. In fact, your mom hasn’t told you one thing that’s even remotely true.” He sighed. “I was gone on a business meeting when you were in fourth grade. Your mom and I had been fighting a lot. Mostly over her purchasing things and overspending. The fact that she’d been seen out at the bar on several occasions with men who weren’t me.” He stopped and watched me for long seconds. “Maybe we shouldn’t talk about this right now.”
I glanced at him. “I’m old enough to hear it.”
He nodded then continued. “The last straw was when I came home early to find her with one of my golf partners. I told her we were done and I wanted her out of the house by the next day. She sent you to school the next morning, then packed all yours and Landon’s things and moved. I never meant for her to take you kids. By the time she picked you up from school, she’d already hired an attorney with money she’d swiped from our joint account. Next thing I knew, there was a court order granting me limited parenting time due to my job and having to be on the road so much.”
Unbelievable. Everything I thought I knew was wrong. Maybe it wasn’t my dad who’d been the douche bag, it’d been my mom. This whole time, had she been lying to me? Fabricating stories to make me hate him? Or maybe she hadn’t been. Maybe Dad was just here now to save face. I mean, his friends would definitely hear about my mom going to jail. He probably didn’t want the Pressler name ruined. Fuck. I had no idea what to believe. Dad had been absent from my reality for so long that I didn’t know whether he was bullshitting me.
I sucked in a deep breath, fighting back the tears. Even if he was being dishonest, it didn’t change the fact that my mom was in jail and Landon and I needed a place to go. I was sure the Hawkinses would let us stay with them for now, but probably not forever, and we weren’t their responsibility. And the one good thing about us going to my dad’s was that at least Landon would be taken care of.
Maybe things could be different now. Maybe I wouldn’t have to work all the time. I could finish high school, concentrating on my grades instead of where my next meal came from. But did I dare open myself up to be hurt again? What if Dad got us home and decided he didn’t really want us? What if he left again? Could I handle something like that a second time?
“What’s going to happen now?” I whispered.
Dad stood and came around to my side of the table. He pulled me to my feet and hugged me tight. At first I attempted to pull away, but he held onto me. Hesitantly, I hugged him back. For so long I wished Dad would come back, and now I wasn’t sure what to think.
“Now, I’m going to fight for you and Landon, like I should’ve done a long time ago. I’m going to make sure you never have to go through anything like this again.”
“Mom’s in jail.” As if he didn’t already know that. But saying it out loud made it more real.
“I know. And by the sounds of it, they found drugs and other things in the house as well. She might be going away for a while—but you’ll have a place to stay.”
“Are we going with you now?” I asked. Fear rolled through me. I wasn’t sure I was ready to move back to Mansion Hill. Back home with a man who was basically a stranger. Yet, I had to think about Landon, too. His needs. Needs I couldn’t meet on my own. We had no other family. And I couldn’t burden the Hawkinses like this. Besides, didn’t Dad owe us? For all the times he wasn’t there?
“No. Carmen, the CPS lady, said we’d have you and Landon stay here tonight, then let the judge decide what needs to be done tomorrow,” he said.
“And what if they won’t let you take us? Where will we go?” The question wasn’t really about me, though; I was old enough to be on my own, or at least if I could get myself emancipated, I was. But not Landon. I wouldn’t let them put him in the foster care system or whatever it was that the courts did.
“I’ve got an attorney, not to mention your grandparents are pretty influential. We’ll find a way to bring you home, okay?”
I nodded, hugging him tight despite myself. How many nights had I tried to remember what life was like when my dad was in the picture? How many times had I pictured him in the stands for my basketball games or at my academic award ceremonies? Yet, I didn’t dare get my hopes up. Because things never turned out for me.
“Why don’t we go back inside? I’d like to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Hawkins for a bit,” he said.
He released me, and I followed after him. As soon as we walked in, Landon latched back onto our dad. And I went straight for Ayla.
She wrapped her arms around me. “Everything will work out, you’ll see,” she said.
And I believed her. Ayla had been my rock through so much recently. She might’ve started off as my fake girlfriend, but now I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.
…
On Monday morning, Mr. Hawkins drove me and Landon to the courthouse. Ayla had wanted to come along, but I assured her we’d be fine. My stomach grew queasy. I peered at Landon as we walked into the brick building and took his hand.
“Luke, do you know what we have to do?”
“Not sure, buddy. But everything will work out, you’ll see.” Or at least I hoped it would. I had mixed feelings about all of this. I was pissed at my mom for all that she’d put us through. I was pissed at my dad for not trying harder. Why didn’t he check into things more? Maybe it was like he said, he didn’t want to put us in the middle of it. Problem being, that’s exactly where we were now.
The CPS worker, Carmen, met us in the hallway. “Hey, good to see you.” She smiled, patting us both on the arm. “Before the hearing, the judge wanted to interview you. There will be a family court worker in there as well. He just wants to get an idea of your thoughts before we go on the record with our recommendations. With you almost being of the age of majority, Luke, he might ask you a few more questions—”
“Okay,” I said. Down the hall, I spotted my dad, along with Grandma and Grandpa Pressler, and next to them was an older man who I assumed was Dad’s lawyer.
When Grandma Pressler saw us, her eyes welled with tears. She waved.
“Are we allowed to talk to my dad and his family?” I asked.
Carmen nodded. “You can say hi, but come right back. The judge should be ready for you any minute now.”
Holding tight to Landon, we moved toward our family. Grandma rushed toward us, and I went straight into her arms. “My baby boys. We’ve missed you so much.
”
Nothing was how Mom said it was. She’d kept us from them, too. Choked up, I just squeezed her. Unless it was all an act? I didn’t know.
When she pulled back, she touched my cheek. “You look so much like your father did at this age.”
Grandpa and Dad joined us as well. Grandpa patted me on the shoulder, then brought me in for a bear hug, much like he used to do when I was Landon’s age. “We’ve been keeping an eye on you in the paper. Saw you got a full ride to Michigan. We’re so proud of you.”
“Thanks.”
“No matter what happens today in court, we’ll be here for you,” Dad said. “I’ve hired a really good lawyer, and this time I’ll fight—I promise.”
Carmen waved for us to join her again. She took us into the judge’s chambers. Behind the desk sat an older man with graying hair. His glasses slid down his nose as he pointed for us to take a seat.
“Luke, Landon, this is Judge Dykstra. He’s our family court judge. And this is Ruth Gebberd—she deals a lot with families here at the courthouse.”
“Good to meet you.” The judge held out his hand, and I gave it a firm shake.
For the next hour, the judge and his clerk asked us a lot of questions. Everything from how we were doing in school to what our home life was like. When I mentioned paying the bills and Mom’s drinking issues, his lips pursed.
And that’s what I think sealed his decision.
Chapter Twenty
Ayla
As I sat in the library, I glanced down at my phone for like the hundredth time. What if something had gone wrong in court? God, I hated waiting.
Someone sat down across from me, and I peered up to see Brady and Chloe. “So where’s Luke today? He never misses school. I’ve tried texting him a bunch of times,” Brady said.
I frowned. Did Luke want everyone knowing what was going on? I hadn’t even told Chloe what’d happened or that Luke had spent the weekend at our house. “He had some things come up. Some really big things,” I said, hoping that would appease him.
Brady quirked an eyebrow. “His mom didn’t make him stay home to watch Landon again, did she? That woman is such an asshole about stuff like that. You don’t know how many times I’ve offered to let him come stay with us, but he didn’t want to leave Landon alone with her.”
“No. It’s something else. I’m sure he’ll call you and let you know soon. I just don’t feel like it’s my place to say anything.” I toyed with the crust on my sandwich. Jeez. I was too worked up to even eat, which so wasn’t like me.
Chloe fidgeted with her bracelet, watching me pick at my food. “If you need to talk, we’re here, Ayla.”
“I know.” I smiled. My phone buzzed, and I peeked at the screen to see Luke’s number pop up. “Um, I’ll be right back.” I leaped from the chair and made my way over to the nonfiction section of the library. Mostly because I knew no one would be there. As soon as I checked to make sure I was alone, I hit the talk button. “Hello?”
“Ayla, hey, it’s Luke,” he said.
“I know,” I teased. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. The judge is placing us with our dad.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s good news, right? I mean, you’re okay with it?”
“For now. At this point we don’t really have anyone else who can take us.” I heard him sigh on the other end. “I want to trust him, but I just don’t know. It’s been too long since we last saw him. But my mom got hauled out of the courtroom for freaking out on us. It was a mess. She actually blamed me and Landon for our situation—it’s like she wouldn’t even own up to the part she played. I’m just glad this part of it is over.”
Relief flooded through me. I was glad, too. No one deserved to be treated like Luke had been. “Brady’s been asking why you’re not here. I haven’t said anything yet because I wasn’t sure who you wanted knowing what.” Leaning against the bookcase, I twirled one of my curls around my finger.
“I’ll call him later on tonight. But look, I wondered if I could ask you for a huge favor.”
“Of course, what’s up?”
“We dropped Landon off at the elementary school, as he had a field trip to the zoo today he didn’t want to miss, and we need to go get our things packed up at the house. Do you think you could drop by and grab him after school for us? My dad added you and your parents to the list of people who are allowed to pick him up.”
I had to see Mr. Leaver about the vandalism article, then right after I was supposed to go to drama club, but I was sure I could con Mrs. Parkins into letting Landon help out with something. “Absolutely. I have play practice until seven tonight, I can drop him off after that, or if you guys want to swing by the house to get him, that’d be fine, too,” I said.
“You’re a lifesaver. After all this, I’m going to owe you big.”
With a snort, I peered out the window into the courtyard, where several leaves fell from the lone tree. “No, you don’t. I’ve kind of made your life a living hell these past couple of weeks.”
Luke got quiet for a second, then said, “No, you haven’t. If anything, you helped me through all this. Besides, maybe it was a good thing that you blackmailed me. Otherwise, we never would’ve started talking or hanging out. And that would’ve sucked.”
My cheeks grew hot. “It still doesn’t make me feel any less shitty. But I’m happy with how things have turned out.” Would Luke stick around after the election? He’d said he would—I mean, he’d said he really liked me, and we were kind of dating now. Even if neither of us had stated it.
“Plan on me dropping by to get Landon. That way I can thank your parents for this past weekend,” he said.
“Okay, I’ll see you tonight, then.” After I hung up, I scrolled through my phone to find the video of Luke and his friends. I pulled up my text box and sent Luke a quick message.
I’m deleting the video. So no more thoughts of blackmail.
Luke: Thank you.
“Everything okay?” Brady poked his head into the section I was in, Chloe right behind him.
I quickly closed my screen down. “Yeah, Luke said he’ll give you a call in a little bit.”
“So he’s good?” He watched me.
“He will be.”
Right then the bell rang, and I grabbed my books to head to next hour. When I came to the senior wing, Jenna stepped out in front of me. “So are you going to set up a table Friday?” she sneered.
My eyes narrowed. “Yes.”
“I don’t know why you’re even bothering…I’ve got this election wrapped up, and you know it. No one is going to vote for you.” She gestured to my Magic T-shirt and holey jeans. “People think you’re a joke. And God only knows how you managed to land Luke.” She smirked at me. “Trust me, everyone is wondering…”
Not wanting to deal with her, I attempted to push around her. “Screw off,” I said.
She clutched my arm. “Did Luke ever tell you we dated?”
“No, and I honestly don’t give a shit.”
“Don’t you? Because here’s the thing, all I’d have to do is bat my eyelashes at him, and he’d come running back to me in a heartbeat. He was devastated when we broke up. He’s messaged me several times over the last couple of weeks…face it, you’re not really his type.”
This time, I jerked away from her and headed to class. I wasn’t going to sit there and listen to her. Although I wondered if Luke did want someone more like her. People like them always dated. They were both popular—beautiful. Nothing about his being into me made sense. What did I really have to offer? Sure, I was vocal about important issues, and I tried not to ever give a flying fuck what anyone thought about me. But I didn’t fit the mold of the type of girl he usually dated. Jeez. Why was I doubting everything? Luke wouldn’t have said he liked me if he didn’t.
Or would he? Maybe this was about the video. Maybe they were all playing me. Him. His friends. All of them.
My stomach churned with the thought. Okay, I needed to let it go. J
enna was just trying to cause trouble. I’d show her on Friday when we set our tables up to hand out flyers and pins. Everyone had to see through the fakeness.
As I was getting ready to walk into my classroom, Jack appeared in front of me. He glared at me. “This thing between you and Luke isn’t going to last,” he said.
God. What was this, the day of the dick? “Jealous?”
“He’s gonna get bored with you…I don’t know what kind of crap you’ve been talking behind my back. But it’s always been bros before hos—so don’t think any of the shit you keep telling him about me is going to ruin our friendship.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t have to tell him anything—he already knows you’re an asshole. As does the entire school. Now get out of my way.” Luke would be proud of me right now, standing up for myself.
“You’re going down, heifer. Just wait.”
“Obviously, you can see I’m super frightened of you. Now back the hell off.” This time, I rammed an elbow into his side and plowed past him.
“Lay off her, Jack,” Brady said, gripping him by the arm and dragging him down the hall. “Ignore him, Ayla. He doesn’t mean any of it.”
“The hell I don’t.” Jack’s jaw tightened as he bored holes through my face with his eyes.
I hurried into my classroom. Damn. I’d never been exposed to this much drama…normally the only people I bumped heads with were the principal and the counselor about the paper.
Jack stayed out of my way for the rest of the day, mostly because Brady seemed to be glued to his side.
When I got to the elementary school, Landon was waiting out front. As soon as he saw my car, he rushed toward me.
“Ayla—can I sit up front?” He slipped his backpack from his shoulder, holding it against his chest. His blond hair blew into his eyes.
“Sure thing. Just throw your bag in the back. I hope you don’t mind, but you’re gonna have to go to my newspaper meeting and to play practice with me.”
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