He eyed it cautiously. “Will it make it?”
“We have 8 minutes and 42 seconds before first bell,” I answered, patting the hood. “It’s Bessie or a tardy.”
“Bessie it is then,” he replied, strolling to the passenger side.
I grinned, getting in before leaning across the car to unlock his door. He had to use some muscle to get the door open, but it finally released with a screech.
I turned the key but it didn’t catch. A couple more unsuccessful tries and he arched an eyebrow. “Would walking be faster?”
“Give her a second,” I scolded. “It’s been a while since she had to wake up this early.” The next attempt had her cranking right up and I gave him a self-satisfied smirk.
I eased out of the driveway as he pulled the seatbelt across his chest. “Is it supposed to make that rattling noise?” He questioned as I coasted to a stop at the corner. “Um, do the brakes work?”
“When I need them,” I answered serenely and he tightened his hand around the seatbelt strap. “Walking is still an option.”
“I trust you,” he said right as Bessie backfired. “Bessie not so much,” he mumbled under his breath. I laughed, giving her a little gas when we got to the main road, and making it to school with two minutes to spare. “Thank God,” he breathed when I parked, ignoring the fact that I had to stomp on the brake to get her to stop as I shifted into Park. “Maybe Dad will shorten the grounding if he thinks my life is in danger.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” I called over my shoulder as I hopped out. “You could always walk.”
We both winced at the sound of metal screeching when he shoved his door open. “Might be safer,” he mumbled and I pointed at him.
“Remember that when its raining.”
He caught up to me as we headed into the school and there was no missing the stares as we walked down the hall together. “At least this time they’re not all because you’re hanging out with the loner chick,” I muttered quietly and he glanced down at me.
“You mean they’re not all wondering how I got the hottest girl in school to talk to me?”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “I’m average. You’re the hot bad boy. If they’re looking, it’s because of you.”
“You’re anything but average, Hope,” he murmured as we came to my locker. Amber stood there, a book in her hand, but her expression was pure disgust.
“Really? You come waltzing in with him?” She shook her head, thrusting the book she held at me and I took it automatically. “I spent all weekend going through the yearbook marking the football players for you. I thought you were serious about finding the guy,” she cried, not even glancing at Houston. “Instead, you’re with him. You didn’t even text me.” She brushed past me before I could say anything and I clutched the yearbook to my chest, brightly colored tags sticking out of it marking different pages, as regret rushed through me.
“We’ll be late,” Houston said, nudging me forward as my feet dragged, “How much time do we have?” He prodded, trying to get a response.
“22 seconds,” I answered dully, unable to shake the image of Amber’s upset face. I hadn’t thought about her at all over the weekend and she’d been working to solve my problem of the mystery football player. I deserved her anger, as well as owed her an apology.
We stepped in the classroom right as the bell rang and my eyes immediately sought out Amber, but she was focused on her notebook, ignoring everyone around her. I followed behind Houston, ignoring the darting glances he sent me.
I grabbed a sheet of notebook paper and scrawled, I’m sorry on it, and then Thank you underneath. I crumpled it up and with a quick glance to make sure Martin wasn’t looking, tossed it on her desk. She didn’t spare it a glance, her pencil nudging it to the floor.
I let out a sharp sigh, unsurprised by her reaction. Houston leaned over and scooped the crumpled paper up right before Martin walked by, calling roll. I caught a flicker of a grimace on Amber’s face when she realized Houston had her note. He casually reached over and dropped it on top of her notebook, then stretched his arm behind him, his hand brushing the side of my leg.
This time she didn’t push the note away, but smoothed it out and stuffed it in her notebook without reading it. Houston squeezed my leg and quickly straightened back up as Martin glanced over. I tilted my head down, using Houston as a shield to avoid Martin and whispered, “I’m sorry,” just loud enough for Amber to hear. She sniffed, but didn’t look over, and I took heart in the fact that she’d kept the note at least.
***
Lunch was the first chance I had to look at the yearbook she’d given me, and I eagerly flipped through the pages. Houston dropped down on to the bench next to me and I barely spared him a glance.
“What’s with the yearbook?” He asked finally, biting into an apple right as I glanced up. Juice trickled down his chin and I didn’t think twice as I reached up to swipe it off. “Thanks,” he mumbled around his bite as he offered the apple to me. I shook my head, my attention going back to the yearbook.
“I’m trying to find a student, a football player,” I answered vaguely. “Amber was helping me.”
I felt him nod next to me as he propped his elbows on the table. “Seems like Amber doesn’t like me,” he mentioned and I shook my head. “Thinks I might corrupt you.”
I chewed on my lower lip, trying to decide how to answer. “She heard a lot of the rumors going around. She thinks you pulled the fire alarm to get out of class.”
“But that’s not why I did it,” he whispered, his lips dangerously close to my earlobe. “I did it because you asked me to.” His breath puffed against my cheek, stirring tendrils of hair. “What I want to know is why you didn’t tell your best friend the truth?”
My head jerked, but he only brought the apple back up to his mouth, taking another bite, seeming unconcerned by my lack of an answer. I turned the page absently and staring up at me was the guy I’d bumped into in the cafeteria, the one who should have died. I sucked in a breath and Houston glanced down at the page.
“Brandon Hall,” he stated and I glanced up at him in surprise. He shrugged, saying, “He tried to recruit me for the football team. He’s the captain.” My forehead wrinkled as I looked back down at his picture. Why would someone want to kill him? Was he just an unintended consequence or something more? “Why do you want to find him?” Houston’s voice held more than idle curiosity and I debated how to answer him. “Hope,” he said sharply. “He doesn’t have anything to do with the pep rally, does he?”
I couldn’t straight out lie and he ducked his head closer to mine. “Do you think he was the one you overheard?” I shook my head, suddenly worried Houston might confront Brandon for the wrong reasons.
“No,” I replied softly. “I think he might have been one of the victims.”
Houston’s gaze settled on me, heavy with questions, as I revealed I knew more than I’d told him or his parents. The bell rang and even though we had a couple of minutes, I scooped up my stuff. “I have to go by my locker,” I said as an excuse, hurrying away without looking back at him. Leaving didn’t elevate the weight of my guilt though. I hated the fact that I’d lied to him but didn’t see an alternative.
You could tell him the truth, an internal voice whispered. “Yeah, and be hauled off to the looney bin,” I muttered under my breath, bumping into a guy who’d stopped at the sound of my voice. I kept my eyes lowered as I muttered an apology, having no desire to add yet another expiration date to my collection, but couldn’t help noticing the tattoo on the inside of his forearm. He’d pushed up the sleeves of his hoodie, revealing an intricately detailed compass tattooed on his wrist. Something about it intrigued me and I ignored my own rule as I glanced over my shoulder after him. He’d turned the corner though, disappearing from sight.
I rubbed my ear as a strange buzzing filled my head. The warning bell rang and I shook off the odd feeling, rushing to my locker to switch out my books before I was late.
<
br /> ***
When the final bell rang, I was still packing my stuff in my backpack as I tried to figure out how to explain what was going on to Houston. He stood by the door as I finally walked out of the classroom.
“I’m going to walk home,” he stated, lifting his backpack to his shoulder. I opened my mouth but he kept talking. “Look, I get it. You have secrets. You’re different than other girls. But I don’t like being lied to. Or lying to my parents. If you can’t trust me with the truth then we probably don’t need to be hanging out.” We stood there for a minute in silence as I tried to find the right words. Apparently, I took too long because he made a noise in the back of his throat and strode down the hall, leaving me standing there alone.
Chapter Twelve
I stared down at the phone, trying to decide if calling again would come off as desperate. She’d ignored my last seventeen calls so I wasn’t exactly hopeful she’d have a sudden change of heart and answer this time. A sigh escaped me as my head dropped back on the bed, uncomfortable emotions squirming through me. I wasn’t used to these feelings and didn’t like the fact that I’d managed to hurt not one but two people I cared about in the span of a single day.
I released a growl, grabbing the phone and typing out a quick text to Amber. I knew the only thing that would fix my problem with Houston was the truth and I wasn’t prepared for that just yet. Amber was a different matter. A little groveling combined with her own curiosity would bring her around.
I glanced down at my silent phone.
Eventually.
***
I must have dosed because the sound of my phone ringing woke me abruptly. “Hey,” I answered, thinking Amber had finally caved after I’d sent her the name of the guy.
“Hope?”
It took me a second to place the male voice and when I did, I sighed, “Jerry.”
“Sorry, kid, but I’m gonna need you to come get your old man.” I nodded, even though he couldn’t see me and scooted to the edge of the bed. I didn’t need to glance at a clock to know it was 1:47 in the morning.
“On my way,” I mumbled, hanging up the phone as I shoved my feet into sneakers. It had been a while since he’d gone on a bender and I’d started to think maybe, this time was different. I picked up my keys from the bowl on the console and let myself out the front door. The late hour didn’t bother me, the night air silent and heavy with humidity as old Bessie did me a favor and cranked right up.
I drove carefully since the only people out were cops and drunks, pulling into the parking lot right as the light in the window flickered out. I held in a frustrated growl, not bothering to lock Bessie since no one would be dumb enough to steal her here.
I pounded on the heavy wooden door and Jerry came to unlock it. He jerked a thumb, as he said, “He’s in the corner.”
I made my way over to him, trying to figure out what had set him off this time and praying to whatever God was out there that he hadn’t gotten fired. My anger dissipated when I saw him slumped over the table, as if his body couldn’t bear the weight of his despair any longer.
“Dad,” I said softly, gently shaking his shoulder. “Dad.”
His head rose and he blinked at me with bloodshot eyes, a suspicious dampness rimming them. “Hope,” he cried, my name almost a benediction on his lips. “Hope, we never stopped hoping. Our miracle baby.”
“Dad, it’s late. We need to get home,” I answered, reaching for his arm to help him to his feet. He stumbled, swaying as he came upright. “Let’s get you in the car.”
“Ten years we waited for you, praying and hoping we’d be gifted with a child,” he mumbled as I braced myself under his shoulder, supporting him. I wiggled my fingers toward Jerry and he gave me a short nod. “When they placed you in my arms, I knew our prayers had finally been answered.”
“And that’s why you named me Hope,” I murmured, weaving slightly under his weight as we came to the car.
“Twenty seven years we were together, but I’ll never forget the day I brought you home to your mother,” he slurred, the words almost inaudible and I stilled. “The look on her face when she saw you for the first time…..” he sniffed as I stood there trying to process his words. “I never regretted it.”
“You never regretted what?” I asked softly as he slid into the seat, hiccupping. “Dad.”
“Leaving everything, starting over. We would have done anything to protect you, Hope. You were worth it. The happiness you brought us.” He shook his head as he leaned back, his eyes slipping closed, not noticing the sharp screech as I shut his door. I walked around the car blindly, my thoughts forming a tornado that threatened to rip apart the very foundation of my life as I knew it.
The ride home was silent except for an occasional rattling snore from Dad. I parked in the driveway, tempted to leave him sleeping in the car, but school started in 4 hours, 56 minutes, and 19 seconds and skipping wasn’t an option.
“Up we go,” I grunted, guiding Dad up the steps into the house. “One more.” He stumbled, almost bringing us both down, but finally I got him to the bedroom. He grasped the framed photo on the nightstand as he sat down on the edge of the bed. Tears slipped from his eyes as he stared at their wedding picture and I pressed my hand to my mouth as I remembered today was their anniversary. “I’m sorry, Dad,” I whispered, smoothing my hand over his head as I realized why he’d gone on a drinking binge.
“She was my light. My everything. I would have done anything for her. Traded places with her, given my life for her,” he muttered brokenly, staring at the picture.
I squeezed his head between my hands, pressing a kiss on his forehead. “Now, you have to live for her,” I told him fiercely, suddenly unwilling to take a chance that he might die before his time. “Promise me,” I demanded, squeezing tight enough he winced. “Promise me that you’ll live for her, that you’ll keep trying for her.”
He glanced up at me, clarity clearing the alcohol induced numbness for a brief moment, “I promise, Hope.” I nodded, swallowing hard, as I accepted his answer. I knelt down, tugging his boots off as he laid down, the picture frame still in his hands. “A man with hope will know joy and keep mercy,” he murmured quietly to himself and I strained to catch the words. “A man with hope will know joy and keep mercy.” He repeated the words over and over, a litany, as I backed from the room.
I headed for my room, exhaustion dragging my feet as I considered the fact that Joy had been right. I had been adopted, but there was more to it than the fact that we might be related. Dad’s drunken ramblings had revealed a truth even she couldn’t have anticipated. We’d been hidden, protected our entire lives, and now I wanted to know why.
Chapter Thirteen
“The football captain? Really? I did not see that one coming.” She dropped her bag next to her desk as she sat down, her words directed at me, but her gaze was on the empty seat in front of me. “Go big or go home, I always say.”
She met my gaze finally and I mouthed, “I’m sorry.” She rolled her eyes and I knew I’d been forgiven. “Where’s your bad boy?” Amber asked, fishing for Houston’s whereabouts and all I could do was shrug. I had no idea. He hadn’t shown up at my house and I was too chicken to go to his house. I’d planned to try and talk to him during class but as the bell rang and his seat remained empty, I gave up on that idea.
“Well, if you want Brandon Hall, we have our work cut out,” Amber observed, her gaze raking over my outfit. “No offense, but you’re not his usual type.”
“None taken,” I replied dryly, and cut to the chase. “Where can I find him?”
“Slow down, sister,” Amber made a stopping motion with her hand, “Come by my house after school and we can find you an outfit that doesn’t look so….you.” She at least had the grace to look slightly chagrined as she said it and I snorted inelegantly. Her finger pointed at me as she exclaimed, “That is why we need to make a plan. We can go over his interests, who his friends are, and what he likes and dislikes before you m
ake your move.”
I had zero desire to find any of this out, at least not until I knew if he was still destined to die in the next few days, or weeks. “You know maybe he wasn’t that cute,” I mused, tapping my chin and her mouth fell open. “It might be a good idea to take a second look before I go through all that trouble.”
She stared at me for a second before her eyes darted to the empty desk in front of mine. “He has weight training right after lunch in the field house.” She tossed a smirk my way. “They’re usually shirtless when they work out,” she paused and when I didn’t comment, added, “You’re welcome.”
“Thank you,” I replied automatically as Martin finished roll call and started on the morning announcements. Now, I just needed to verify the expiration dates for a couple of administrators in the office and then one Brandon Hall. With all due luck, they’d have long lives ahead of them.
***
I hoofed it across the green space separating the school and field house, hoping no one stopped me since I hadn’t bothered to come up with an excuse why I was going there. I’d managed to go by the Administrative office and confirmed the other school officials who had been destined to die now had expiration dates years in the future. I crossed my fingers that Brandon would be the same.
I snuck through one of the side doors and followed the sound of clanking until I came to a wall of windows. On the other side were a bunch of guys working out on different machines and quite a few of them were shirtless. I averted my eyes from some of them, wishing they’d chosen to work out with a shirt. My gaze skimmed the room, trying to find Brandon, but it wasn’t easy in the maze of workout equipment.
“Who you looking for?” Someone barked and I jumped. One of the coaches stood there, chomping on a toothpick as he stared me down. “You need one of my boys in the office?”
I nodded, taking the opportunity he presented me with, as I said, “Brandon Hall.”
He nodded, his gaze going to the corner of the room as he bellowed, “Brandon, get your ass over here.” He glanced back down at me as I tried to shake off the ringing in my ears. “They always gotta send someone down here since there’s no intercom,” he explained like I wouldn’t already know that.
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