Curveball (Barlow Sisters Book 1)

by Jordan Ford

  My soul weighs a freaking ton right now.

  I sure as hell hope that once we’ve done the right thing, I won’t feel like I’m crumbling beneath a weight I can’t bear.

  39

  Maybe Just A Little Addicted

  MADDIE

  I’m still shaking.

  Lifting my hand, I look at my trembling fingers and fight the urge to crumple on the porch.

  The lack of response from the house tells me it’s empty.

  Pulling back the screen door, I nudge my head inside and call out. No one responds, so I click the lock and secure the house before thudding down the steps.

  I feel heavy and exhausted after all the drama.

  Holden’s face before he drove away…

  My heart is breaking.

  I wish I could be there to support him through this, but…

  Meeting Chloe’s gaze, I give her a brave smile and try to lighten my step. “Well, that’s enough drama to last me for the week.”

  Chloe bites the edge of her lip and brushes the dirt off the back of her phone. “Should we go to the station?”

  “No.” I cross my arms. “I think we just need to let them deal with this on their own. Holden will do the right thing, and although Dad’s a hard-ass, he’s also a good guy. When he hears Luke’s motivation, he might go a little easier on him.”

  “Let’s hope Luke’s brave enough to tell him. Poor guy. It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for him. But then I just have to look at your face, and oh man…he better do the right thing.”

  My lips twitch as I bob my head. “I’m pretty sure Holden won’t let him leave until he does.”

  “Yeah, he better.” Chloe raises her eyebrows, looking exactly like Mom for a second.

  “He will.” I’m determined to think nothing less.

  Chloe purses her lips, her eyes still on her phone. “He’s a really good guy, you know.”

  My chest tightens, wondering if we’re about to have the conversation we’ve been avoiding.

  Not now, Chloe. Please! I’m wrung out.

  Biting my lips together, I walk around her and head for the car.

  “He really likes you,” she calls after me.

  “It doesn’t matter.” I stop by the driver’s door and look over the car. “It’s not…” The words dry up in my mouth and all I can do is shake my head and start fidgeting with the keys in my hand.

  Chloe walks up to the car, laying her hand on the roof and giving me a closed-mouth smile. “So, I’ve been thinking. You know, what’s the point of crushing on someone who’s in love with somebody else?”

  I go still, my heart hammering as I slowly look up and catch her eye. “What?”

  “You should be with Holden.” Her voice is soft and sad.

  I roll my eyes and get into the car. “It’s never going to happen, Chloe.” Slamming the door behind me, I wait until she’s buckled up before I start the engine.

  “But you like him.”

  What is she doing?

  I throw her a quick scowl. “I can’t hurt you like that again. You didn’t speak to me for over a week, and that was just one kiss. You’re more important to me than he is.”

  “But you like him, more than you’ve ever liked anybody.”

  “So?” I grip the wheel.

  Chloe shuffles in her seat to face me. I keep my eyes on the road, refusing to look. She’s going to freaking make me cry…while I’m driving! It’s not cool.

  I sniff and clench my teeth.

  “So…you should be with him.”

  “What are you doing?” I snap, pressing the brakes as we approach the stop sign. “Don’t do this to me, Chloe, okay? I’ve made my decision. You come first.”

  “I know I do. I can see how much I do by the fact that you are torturing yourself not being with this guy. And you’re doing it all for me.”

  Okay, my eyes are really starting to burn now.

  “I’m telling you that it’s okay to stop doing that now. Be with him. You know you want to.”

  I don’t know how to respond, so I’m just gonna focus on getting us home safely. I wait for the blue pickup to pull through the intersection before driving forward.

  Chloe snickers. “Come on, Mads. Stop lying to yourself. You like him. You might even love him.”

  “Shut up,” I mumble, but I can’t help the blush that’s heating my cheeks. I’m being ridiculous. “I’ve known him less than two months. I can’t be in love with him. We haven’t even dated. I barely know the guy.”

  “Well, you like something about him.”

  Don’t get me started.

  I steal a quick glance at my sister and bite my lips together.

  She starts giggling and slaps my arm. “Oh, you are so gone. I bet you’ve already started scribbling ‘Maddie Carter’ on scraps of paper and imagining what you’re going to wear to senior prom.”

  “Ew! I have not.”

  “Whatever.” Chloe shakes her head. “I’m not blind. The way you guys try not to look at each other is almost comical.” Her humor disappears for a second, stolen by a serious whisper. “I’m sorry I’ve made you wait this long. I just needed time to process.” Curling a lock of hair around her finger, she focuses on the task and softly admits, “Holden came to see me the other day. He told me how he really feels about you and practically begged me to give you guys permission to be together.”

  “What?” I slam the brakes and we jerk to a stop in the middle of the road. It’s empty, and I need to concentrate on my sister for a second. “He did what?”

  “I’m telling you.” She looks at me with her innocent blue eyes. “He’s falling for you, and you need to stop fighting it. I’ll be fine. Seriously. I’m not saying it won’t hurt some days. I really thought he liked me and to find out he fell for you instead, well…” She looks completely gutted for a moment but then shrugs and murmurs, “But I love you, Mads. You’ve always looked out for me, and now it’s my turn to look out for you. You guys should be together, and I won’t be responsible for keeping you apart anymore. Besides, he needs you right now.”

  Her softly spoken words hit me right in the soul. I blink at my stinging eyes and pull her into a hug.

  “I love you too, Chlo-Chlo.” She giggles in my ear, her laughter only increasing when I pull back and whisper, “He’s falling for me? He actually said that?”

  Chloe’s head bobs, and my chest expands as a swarm of butterflies ripples through me.

  My little sister grins and points at me. “And you try to deny that you’re not in love. Look at your face! You have fallen so hard!” She starts making falling torpedo noises, her hands spreading wide as her invisible bombs explode in my face. She then goes the extra mile and launches into a loud rendition of “Your Love is My Drug” by Kesha.

  “Okay.” I roll my eyes and turn back to face the front, accelerating for home.

  My cheeks must be neon right now. Chloe’s singing is so not helping, but when I tell her to shut up, she just finds the song on her phone and blasts it until it’s filling the entire car.

  By the time we reach our driveway, I’ve given in and started singing along with her.

  What the hell, right?

  I guess I have to admit that I’m maybe just a little addicted to Holden Carter.

  My giddy joy jumps and then crash-lands as I think about what he must be going through right now. I hope he’s okay…and I hope I can be what he needs, because taking your best friend to the police station is going to have a pretty shitty aftermath.

  40

  Tidal Wave

  HOLDEN

  Luke hasn’t said a word since we got into my car.

  I thought about telling him my problems, trying to prove that he’s not the only guy to suffer, but I always hate when people try to compare. Sometimes you need to be able to vent without the listener launching into their own sob story.

  So I keep my mouth shut and we drive the whole way in this thick quietness. It has this sickening claustroph
obia to it and by the time we pull into the police station, I’m desperate to get out. Slamming the door behind me, I walk around the car and open his.

  “Come on, man. It’s only gonna get harder if you wait.” I grip the door, wishing I didn’t have to do this.

  Luke’s jaw muscle is going crazy—clench, unclench, clench, unclench.

  “Luke.” I say his name with a little more force and he huffs, lurching out of the car and nearly barreling me over as he heads for the doors.

  I race after him, not even bothering to lock my car.

  The guy at the front desk gives us an odd frown as Luke slams into the counter.

  “We need to talk to an officer, please.” I speak for him, wondering how much of that I’m gonna have to do today.

  “What seems to be the problem?” A deep voice to our left makes us turn in unison.

  Chief Barlow is standing in the doorway to his office. His expression is kind of hard to read. The guy always looks so fierce and intimidating.

  Flashing him a desperate grimace, I try to indicate that this is pretty damn big.

  Luke can’t see my face, but Chief Barlow’s eyes narrow and he points towards his office. “I’ve got this one, Michael.”

  “Yes, sir.” The man at the front desk turns back to his computer and we shuffle into Chief Barlow’s office.

  He gestures to the chairs in front of his desk and we sit down, both edgy and nervous. Luke’s butt is only just perched on the seat like he’s ready to jump up and run. I give him a pointed look and tip my head towards the big guy drilling us with those scary-ass eyes of his.

  Threading his thick fingers together, Chief Barlow rests his elbows on the desk, which only expands his broad frame even more. “Is there something you boys would like to tell me?”

  I look at Luke, but all he does is droop his head and stare at the floor.

  With a heavy sigh, I glance up and start my best friend’s confession. “We know who stole the laptop, and the baseball gear.”

  “And the money for the school dance.” Luke’s voice is small.

  Chief Barlow’s nostrils flare, a tendon in his neck straining as he no doubt thinks about Maddie’s assault. I can’t go there. If I think about Luke doing that to her, I just…I can’t.

  Gripping my chair, I do the best I can and manage to mumble, “Thing is, we can’t get the money back. All we can really do right now is…uh…tell you the truth, and apologize.”

  His eyes flash at me, shock and anger coursing over his expression before he manages to rein it in. “Are you saying you did this?”

  I shake my head and give him a pained frown before looking at my best friend.

  Luke’s still got his eyes trained on the floor. Everything about his stance is defeated.

  My shoulders sag with him. “He did it for his family. His dad took off and he pays no child support. His mom’s working two jobs and there’s not enough money, and—”

  “It’s okay.” Chief Barlow raises his hand, cutting me off. “You don’t have to confess for him. Luke, sit up straight. It’s time to man up, son, and tell me everything.”

  “Will I go to jail?” he croaks.

  Pulling a recording device from his top drawer, Chief Barlow lays it on his desk before hitting Luke with a look that could melt even the toughest asshole.

  But then he contradicts himself by speaking in a voice that could soothe a baby.

  “Every choice has a consequence, and you’re going to have to face yours.” Luke wilts, his body sagging back against the chair as he looks up to the ceiling. “But I can tell you that coming in here of your own volition is a step in the right direction…and that will have a consequence too…a very positive one.”

  “You still didn’t answer my question,” Luke whispers.

  “It’s not my call. Once I read you your rights and get your statement, all evidence is given to the DA. It’s up to him how he chooses to play this, but I will make sure he knows that your family needs your support right now.”

  Luke’s face washes with dread.

  “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you’re well taken care of, but son, you have to tell me everything, and you have to be prepared for whatever sentence the judge is going to hit you with. The best way for me to help you is for you to help me. Got it?”

  Luke still looks scared shitless, but he manages a stiff nod.

  “Okay then.” Chief Barlow flicks on the recorder. “Start talking.”

  Luke laid it all bare.

  It took over two hours.

  I’m hammered.

  The poor guy is still in there. Chief Barlow is making him wait at the station until his mom can pick him up. Turns out she still thought he worked at that diner and that’s how the bills were getting paid.

  It also turns out the school wasn’t the only place Luke was stealing from. He’s been shoplifting for months now…and none of us knew it. Chief Barlow’s now trying to find out where Luke offloaded Coach Keenan’s truck, and where he got the drugs to set up Vincent, but he’s staying pretty tight-lipped about it. I think he’s scared of more than just the police on this one.

  Fuck! How did my friend get so messed up in this shit and I didn’t even know? I scrub a hand down my face, blinking from exhaustion as I slowly drive home.

  In spite of the fact that I was pretty damn riled by the end of his confession, I offered to stick around until his mom showed up, but the towering policeman wouldn’t let me.

  “You head on home. Get some rest. I’ll take care of Luke.”

  His eyes—so much darker than Maddie’s—told me he would, so I reluctantly left and am now walking in my front door, ready to face my own secret nightmare.

  What will Mom’s condition be tonight?

  Pushing the door open, I step inside and wriggle the key out of the lock.

  “Hey, son.” I jerk at my dad’s voice, surprised to see him around.

  “H-hey.” I frown. “What are you doing home?”

  “Well, it is the weekend.” He laughs.

  “Yeah.” I force out a similar sound. “I guess I’m just not used to seeing you around.”

  He slaps my shoulder and brushes past me. I watch him walk into the kitchen and listen for sounds of my mother.

  “She’s watching a movie in the den.”

  Dad’s stopped halfway to the kitchen and is studying me.

  “Oh.” I bob my head and shuffle after him. “She okay?”

  “She’s on her second glass…of the day, so that’s not too bad.”

  With a heavy sigh, I lean my hands on the counter and watch him reload his tumbler with Baileys. “Dad, don’t you think it’s time we get her some help?”

  “She doesn’t need help, she just needs monitoring. As long as she doesn’t drive anywhere, we really don’t need to worry.”

  Clenching my jaw, I resist the urge to slam my hands on the counter and yell at him. After the day I’ve had, it’d be nice to blow off some steam.

  “You want to say something to me?” Dad takes a sip of his drink, his eyes narrowing, his stupid smirk provoking me.

  I glare at him, running my tongue along my bottom teeth and willing my voice not to shake. “Is there any point in saying anything to you?” I mutter darkly. “You don’t want to acknowledge the problem because you hate the thought of the precious townsfolk of Armitage finding out your family’s not perfect.”

  Dad’s easy expression darkens with a look of warning.

  “It’s okay, Dad. It’s okay to be real. I’m sick of hiding all the time. I’m sick of pretending!”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You know!” I point at him. “You know, and you just don’t want to face it! You don’t want to admit that your wife’s an alcoholic! Just like you don’t want to acknowledge the fact your father-in-law embarrasses you so much that you had to shove him into a nursing home instead of taking care of him yourself.” I throw my hands in the air.

  “You watch it!” Dad
points at me. “He’s getting better care there than we could ever give him.”

  I ignore him and surge on with my rant. “Sometimes you have to face shit you don’t want to deal with, because if you don’t, it blows up in your face. You really want to wait until we come home and find Mom dead on the floor one day?”

  “You are out of your mind!” Dad slaps the counter, his cheeks trembling with rage. “I love your mother. Why do you think I’m paying for her father’s care? Giving her everything she needs?”

  “It’s not everything she needs!” I argue back, ignoring the way Dad’s skin is mottling red.

  “I will not put my wife into some kind of rehab and make her feel like she’s failing us in some way.” Dad leans towards me, his voice harsh and gravelly. “And you will keep your mouth shut. This family needs your support, and I refuse to be humiliated by you. Just think of what it’d do to your mother. A scandal like this would ruin her.”

  “Don’t you mean you?”

  The crack across my face comes out of nowhere.

  I’m completely shocked by it. Dad has never hit me before. My fist is trembling as I resist the urge to strike him back.

  Wiping his mouth with a quivering hand, he flashes me a look of regret before gulping down his drink.

  Breaths puff out my nose. I shove my hands in my hoody pockets and keep glaring at him.

  “We are the Carters. The people in this town look up to us, and I will not let you turn us into some Mancini family.”

  I scoff and shake my head. “Things aren’t always what they appear, you know. Vincent Mancini is innocent. Luke set him up. The golden boy. My best friend. He’s currently at the police station after making a statement.”

  Dad’s forehead wrinkles, his dark eyes stormy with surprise.

  “Sorry to burst your bubble, but maybe the Mancinis aren’t as bad as we think. If someone can set up Vincent, someone could have set up his brother too.”

  Dad’s right eye twitches before he gives me a pitying look. “The evidence was all there, Holden. Nick Mancini killed Todd McCrae, and he deserves to be in jail. Vincent may have been framed by Luke this time, but that doesn’t make him innocent of every crime out there. He has a record and that infamous Mancini temper. I don’t want you associating yourself with someone like that. This family is relying on you to keep our name clean. You will not let us down.”