by A. M. Brooks
“Everything. I lost it,” I respond, rubbing my fingers against the tension building behind my eyeballs.
He smirks. “Like that wasn’t going to happen?”
“He said he wasn’t the one I need to worry about. That she messed with something larger than me, the crew, or King Corp.”
“Rom talks a lot of shit, Cuz,” Elijah reminds me. He seems relaxed with the information I’ve just given him. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, we’ve been guessing for weeks there would be some backlash with Nora coming back to Araminta. And yeah, Roman usually talks a lot of shit.
“There was just something different this time,” I say, the unease still weighing in my chest. “He was way too calm. He wasn’t even bothered that he was there.”
“Probably because he knows he violated his parole. He wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon anyway.”
“No.” I shake my head. “It was weird. Something isn’t right.”
“Well, we can talk about it with Ethan when we get back and make some plans, okay?” He tries to appease me. I can’t help the nagging feeling our plans won’t matter. Still, I nod my head before resting it back against the headrest.
As I expected, Ethan is a little more frustrated with how the meeting went like I am. Again, he claims it’s because Nora is his friend too and he feels responsible for her. If I didn’t know how crazy he was about Lily, I’d have a problem with his attachment to Nora. As it is, I feel thankful he understands where I’m coming from now.
“He didn’t get mad at all when you threatened him?” Ethan asks again. He started pacing in the living room the minute I first told him the story.
“No,” I say, throwing the basketball up in the air and catching it over and over again.
“Not even when you called him a drug dealer…in jail?” Ethan’s eyebrows hitch up further.
“No,” I repeat, my jaw clenching. Elijah watches us from the chair across the room.
“I don’t like it,” Ethan announces, sitting down.
“He could just know he’s already fucked and trying to get under D’s skin,” Ethan says, holding out his left hand. “Or there really is something going on we don’t know about and Nora is a sitting duck when she gets back.” His other hand comes up as he weighs them back and forth.
“I don’t know why, but something doesn’t feel right,” I repeat myself again. “You guys weren’t there, the look on his face, he just looked like he had no problems at all.” I close my eyes, sensing they’re doing the twin thing again having their own silent debate. Ethan clears his throat before turning to me.
“You know what you have to do, right?” he asks. And I do. I’ve been avoiding it for as long as possible hoping I’d never have to touch this option.
“He’s right, D. Nora won’t even talk to us right now. We can’t exactly force her to spend time with us in school to watch her back,” Elijah states. Voice of reason again. I know he’s right.
“Yeah,” Ethan agrees. “I mean, we’ll be there whenever we get the chance. I asked for our scheduled to be split so we each have three classes with her, but then we couldn’t get into the same lunch. We’ll need help.”
“I know,” I grit out. The entire situation, the irony, is pissing me off. I crack my knuckles to relieve the tension coiling in my muscles. I could go for a hit, the stress from this situation is finally getting to me. Brown curls, hazel eyes, a small freckle high on her left cheekbone, smells like vanilla cookies. I can picture the way her lips would pull up in disgust right now. I know how she felt about Roman and I still made her go to his house. I know she was drugged, and I did nothing.
“I have class ‘til two tomorrow and then dinner with Mom at five.” My fingers tighten around the ball I’m still holding. “Find out where he will be in the evening.” I meet Elijah’s stare as I relay the information. Turning to Ethan, I can see he is less than thrilled about this option as well. “I’m going alone,” I tell him. He frowns but doesn’t say anything. “It’s about time he and I talked anyway.”
The smell of burning rubber, gas, and dirt makes my nose tingle the minute I step onto the practice track. All the information I had gathered on Trent Nichols runs on repeat in my head as I walked closer to where the practice bikes were lined up. Only one was still racing the clock on the track, the yellow Hyundai. I watched from under the flat bill of my black cap as he pushed his bike past its limit to complete his time. He was gutsy. Something I never liked about him but admired to some degree. Despite the crowd waiting for him, I knew he saw me the minute he took his helmet off. He knocked fists and shook hands with the small crowd, ignoring me while I waited. I smirked before cupping my mouth.
“Nichols!” I shout, waving my arm excessively as if I was a fan girl. It worked. He stopped short, excusing himself from the group. Even as he walked over, I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves.
“What do you want, man?” he asks, stopping a few feet away from me. We both are sizing each other up. I see the way his right fist clenches as if he wants to punch me but decides against it. I think back to all their stupid posts and pictures over the summer and would like nothing more than to hit back if only he would throw the first punch. That isn’t Nichol’s style though.
“We have a problem. Just need to talk to you before she gets home.” I spread my arms out in a non-threatening gesture. He shakes his head.
“I don’t have a problem. Nora doesn’t have a problem. That’s all on you, King.” He sidesteps around me.
“Nora’s in real danger,” I say out loud for the first time. My skin crawls just hearing the words roll off my tongue. It works though because I hear his boots stop in the dirt. “Look,” I tell him. “We aren’t going to get along and we will always be on opposing ends. You want her. If it hadn’t been for that sexy little bumblebee last year maybe she would be yours—”
“Fuck you, Darrian.” He turns around to face me again. I smirk knowing I hit a nerve, but I need his undivided attention.
“I know she had the best intentions when she went to DTF, but she messed with some really bad people. This isn’t just a couple high school kids bringing supplies to a party. Cody, Roman, Pierce…they’re in with a bad crew. Gang level. They know it was Nora who narced. They know what she means to me, Ethan, and Elijah. King equals power in this situation. Leverage. She needs to know, and she also needs to watch her back.”
“So, what?” he challenges, stepping closer now. “You’re the one who fucked up. This shit is on you and now she’s in danger. That’s messed up. Just stay away from her.”
“If it was that easy, I wouldn’t be here right now,” I almost yell at him. My eyes dart around to make sure no one is within earshot. “I don’t like you, Nichols. You want what’s mine. But the real issue here is that Nora will be here in a few days and there is more or less a price on her head the minute she steps off that plane. And yeah, I fucked up. I know that. She won’t talk to me or the guys. Apparently only you can be within two feet of her right now.”
His lips turn up in a smirk.
“I don’t like this,” he says.
“Neither do I,” I tell him. “But you can be with her. You need to know. You need to have her back if anyone tries anything.”
“I will, but there are lots of times I can’t be with her either. We don’t have all the same classes and I have racing. She can come with me, but she also has a life and friends.” His frustration is finally cracking the surface.
“I have those times covered,” I advise, tipping my hand. His eyes shoot to mine.
“Are you stalking her?” he asks jokingly, but if he only knew how desperate I’ve become to save her, he’d know it wasn’t a joke.
“I have classes too,” I remind him. Neither confirming nor denying his accusation.
“Whatever, man,” he says, shaking his head. “So I’ll keep an eye out when I can. Then what? Are you telling her about what’s happening, or am I?”
“She won’t talk to me r
ight now,” I repeat, again. “She trusts you.”
I hear him exhale. “What about the cops?” he questions quietly. I can tell his brain is racing trying to determine how much help it will be when we’re up against some heavy hands.
“Not a good idea right now. Roman is sitting pretty comfortable in prison. That doesn’t feel right to me.” I shove my hands in my pockets. I’m disclosing too much yet there is no clear line on where to cut it off. If he knows too little, that could be worse.
“Well, fuck.” His hands run through his hair. “Okay. Fine. I’ll tell her when she gets in. We’re having dinner with Lily and Olivia that night. This is messed up, King.”
I nod my head in agreement. Guilt slams into me again for putting us all in this situation. “Just watch your back,” I say before turning to leave. I hear a loud crack which I only assume is his helmet hitting the ground as I walk out the doors.
I can’t go back to my house because it’s too quiet. My parents are gone at a fundraiser and I know from being at enough meetings you tend to use when you’re alone, feeling guilty, feeling hopeless, having opportunity, or feeling grief. Being alone while the guilt eats at me is a recipe for disaster. I’m also not in the mood to throw a party. I pull up Ethan’s number in my phone.
“Yo,” he answers after the first ring. Should have figured he’d be waiting by the phone to hear about how the meeting with Trent went.
“Want to meet at Papa’s in twenty?” I ask.
“Elijah’s out, but I’m leaving now,” he answers. I can hear his house door shut and the sound of the car door unlocking in the background.
“See ya then,” I say before pushing the end button. Thankfully I hit all green lights as I head out of the city again and I make it to Papa’s in fifteen minutes instead. I get our usual booth and order a large everything pizza. If I didn’t have training, I’d be concerned about all the food I’ve been eating in place of smoking. Couple minutes later, I see Ethan’s spiked hair bobbing through the crowd until he gets to the booth.
“I just ordered,” I tell him as he slides in across from me.
He nods. “Sounds good.”
I tap my fingers against the table. “It went better than I expected I guess,” I inform him. His body visibly relaxes.
“That’s good.” He blows out a breath. Our food arrives and I tell him everything that happened.
“You just had to bring up Halloween, didn’t you.” He shakes his head, fighting a grin.
“He was acting cocky.” I shrug not giving a fuck.
“So he knows you set that up?” Ethan asks.
“I don’t know. Probably. You helped too,” I remind him.
“I know.” He holds up his hands. “I just didn’t think it would be that easy. Now though, I don’t think he would go for it.”
I clear my throat before answering. “Doesn’t matter. She isn’t his.”
“She isn’t yours right now either, Cruz,” he reminds me before taking a drink of his water. I know he’s right and it doesn’t sit well with me. We finish off our pizza and finalize our plan to keep Nora safe. Ethan swears he will fill Elijah in on everything we talked about as we pay our tab and head in different directions for the night.
On my way home, I cruise by the smaller two-story on Hillside Avenue. Her dad is at the fundraiser with my parents tonight so no one is home. After the incident last year with Anders, and Mr. Sutton being wrongfully fired, my dad has gone beyond lengths to make sure the Sutton family is as comfortable as possible. Mr. Sutton has access to all the best clients now and could probably afford an upgrade to this house if he wanted. As far as I know though he hasn’t taken full advantage of everything Marcus King has offered him. It makes my dad nervous that he’ll lose a valuable employee. I secretly admire Mr. Sutton for it. After everything Nora had once said about her dad, it appeared he was turning a new chapter.
I slow by the curb, my eyes fixated on the front door I know she’ll be walking through in a few days. Anticipation heats through my chest and the need to run practice sprints hits me hard. I need to get out on the court instead of sitting idle the next couple of days. I decide the guys don’t need to know the extremes I’m willing to go to in order to keep an eye on her. Trent had it right earlier when he threw the term stalking out there. Even to me, it was desperate. A year ago if someone would have told me I’d be this far gone over a girl, I’d have laughed and continued to party. That was all before Nora. The girl who is just as beautiful on the inside as the out. She’s a little damaged and will do something random every time I think I have her figured out. She’d never hurt anyone, and I’ve hurt her the most. I’d give my life to protect her. Just another thing no one else needs to know about, not even her.
The minute I stepped out of AAL, all I can feel is the hot, humid air engulf my whole body. My skin is used to damp weather and mostly cloudy days. I missed the sun. Planes continue to soar above me as I wheel my two suitcases across the cement toward the new, shiny Lexus waiting by the curb. I’m back in Araminta. Back in the same town where my heart had been shattered and my confidence destroyed. I take another look at the airport still unsure I made the right decision to finish my senior year at Araminta High School. My aunt’s promise that I could move back at any time echoes in my mind. Instead, I quickly make my way over to the man in the light grey suit casually leaning against the car. He opens his arms wide as I get closer. Never had I ever thought I’d see the day Mark Sutton, my dad, would look this professional and put together. Jodi, his girlfriend, was doing wonders for him. I feel less guilty for having stayed the extra week in Seattle now that I know he is surviving just fine without me.
“How was the flight?” he asks as he maneuvers the car easily through the traffic.
I shrug. “Fine. I slept.” I’m instantly thankful I remembered my sunglasses that hide the fact my eyes are bloodshot and probably have purple smudges under them. Truthfully, I haven’t slept at all the past two days. My stomach rolls every time I thought about having to get on that plane today. Two weeks ago I made the decision to come back the day before class started. I had all my supplies and old stuff that didn’t get used last year. There was no reason to be back sooner.
“Are you still getting together with your friends tonight?” he asks.
“Yup. Trent is actually going to pick me up,” I tell him.
“Trent is a good guy,” my dad says while giving me the side-eye. I nod my head because Trent is a good guy. My face heats because I know what my dad is insinuating and I’m angry at myself for not being able to like a guy like Trent.
“He is,” I agree with him. I’ve been leaning on Trent since I left Araminta. He never pries and doesn’t push me to confront the demons lurking in my heart. He has been the warmth and sunshine every time he visited me. Which was often. Aunt Meredith started setting out an extra dinner plate for him on the Saturdays he didn’t have a practice for his races. He would show up and stay until Sunday. Sometimes he drove and sometimes he flew. He’s crazy and I was grateful.
“Jodi will be at the house tonight too. Hope you don’t mind.” I feel his eyes on the side of my face. I can’t help the smile the pulls my mouth apart. I know he’s probably worried I wouldn’t want Jodi around since she is Ethan and Elijah’s aunt. All summer I’d enacted a ‘no King’ order, now that I was back it was only a matter of time until someone mentioned any of them.
“No,” I assure him. “You kids have fun. I’ll try to be home earlier so I can see her. I miss Jodi.”
“She misses you too,” my dad answers. The smile on his face even larger. I had thought it would be weird for my dad to actually be in a serious relationship. For so long he acted like a hormonal playboy and I couldn’t keep up with who he was seeing. His lifestyle choice had been the reason for our moving and constant new adventures. All it took, I guess was the right town and the right woman to bring him back around. I liked the new improvements in Mark Sutton’s life. I just hope he didn’t mess it up.
/> Forty-five minutes later, I was standing back in my old room. The room I had left in disarray on prom night. What I had expected to see when I opened the door was not what actually happened. It was like a magical fairy had swept in and cleaned up the pieces of the life I left behind. The bed was remade with new bedding, the walls were painted a warm neutral color that reminded me of a sandy beach. The wall my bed was against was the only colored wall, a dark but rich magenta. There was no sign of the boxes that had been stacked against the wall. None of my clothes were thrown all over the floor. I tiptoe quietly into the room, feeling like an intruder in someone else’s life. I close my hand around the closet doorknob and open slowly, only to find the same as my room. My clothes are hung, jeans folded, shoes in a crate, and no sign of the awful memories from that night. Tears fill my eyes, bringing back an unwelcome burn. I slam the door shut, mad at myself.
“You okay?” my dad asks.
I look up to see him in the doorway hovering again. He’s been doing that a lot since I broke down on him after Darrian’s accident. The shock of being at the hospital and the condition he was in had added to the pile of emotions I thought I was handling. Not so much. I’ve never cried as hard as I did sitting in the parking lot with my dad outside the hospital. I told him everything. There had been no way to stop the words coming out of me. I wasn’t even able to hit pause. In the end, we both decided it would be good for me to stay with Aunt Meredith for a while. Her philosophy is that sometimes we need good, hard cries to move on. The uglier, the better. My dad, on the other hand…now he just hovers.
“Jodi thought you might like color,” he says, nodding to the magenta wall. “She wanted it to seem more like home when you came back. And you wouldn’t have to worry about unpacking your suitcase and boxes.” He looks uncomfortable again looking from me to the wall.
“I do like it,” I announce. I do. I’m upset because I wanted the powerful feeling of cleaning up the mess myself. I wanted the satisfaction of throwing away the dress. I swallow down the burn in my throat. “I’ll tell her thank you when I see her,” I tell him.