Garrett was coming more and more unraveled by the second. His wild eyes were unnerving at best, and a bad omen at worst. Whatever it was that he knew or heard or thought he’d figured out had rocked him to his core.
“What do you know, Garrett?’ I asked, my words barely a whisper.
“That Donovan Shipman is above the law in this town.…”
Silence.
“Come again?”
“I said, he’s untouchable.”
I thought back to the conversation Donovan and I had shared in the boys’ locker room. He’d said something to that effect about assaulting me. Something that, in retrospect, seemed like ’roid-induced bravado. Hearing that very same sentiment from Garrett, however, altered my perception of his words significantly. “There’s something else, isn’t there? Something you’re not telling me?”
His jaw tensed as he led the way into the house, closing the door behind us.
“When I overheard him in the hallway, he was talking about paying back some bitch tonight. That he was going to screw with her for a while before really sticking it to her. One of his buddies asked what the plan was, and Donovan told him not to worry—that nobody could do anything about it. He sounded as though he knew that for fact. That he had diplomatic immunity as far as Jasperville County was concerned.”
“That can’t be true,” I replied as I flopped down into the armchair not covered in glass and tried to steady my breathing.
He simply shrugged, unsure what to say.
“Listen, I want you to sit tight for a minute,” Garrett said. “I need to go find something to board this hole up with and then I’m going to call my dad and have him send someone out here to file a report. Even if Donovan is telling the truth, we need to go through the motions on this or it’ll seem weird. We didn’t see the vehicle. There probably won’t be prints on the brick, so they don’t have much to go on anyway. At school tomorrow, I want you to play scared around Donovan, okay? Let him think that he’s got the upper hand.”
“So far, it seems like he does, Garrett.”
“I know that, but you need to let him know that you know it, too.”
I could feel the fury rising up in me at the thought of giving him exactly what he wanted. Few things bothered me more than giving in to “the man,” regardless of who “the man” was. At Jasperville High, Donovan Shipman was just that. And letting him beat me just wasn’t an acceptable option. I wanted to rage against the hand that tried to hold me down.
Actually, I wanted to chop it off and shove it up Donovan’s ass.
“I don’t know if I can.” The words tumbled out of my mouth absentmindedly, a reflex I couldn’t shake.
“Kylene,” Garrett said, kneeling down in front of me. That look of fear was in his eyes again, and I hated seeing it there. It looked so wrong. “I don’t give a shit about your pride right now. I do, however, give a shit about you not getting hurt. Understand?”
“There’s got to be another way.…”
“If you have suggestions, I’m all ears, but I can’t think of any.” I thought for a second, then shook my head. “Let me go board this thing up,” he said. “I’ll be right back.”
He smiled, then gave me a hug before making his way to the back door off the kitchen. He was on a mission to secure the broken window. I, however, was left plotting how I was going to get to the bottom of the photo scandal and the Donovan steroid mess without pissing off everyone in town. Possibly without much help from the cops. I was smart, but even I had my doubts about my ability to pull it all off. I needed advice. I needed wisdom. I needed my father. He’d know how to navigate the situation.
While I figured out how to break the news to him, I saw the brick lying in a pile of broken glass, and went over to pick it up. In the light of the moon, it looked like something was written on it. I bent down to see, not wanting to touch it, and found my suspicion to be true. One word was written on it in black marker, the letters angry slashes across the hard clay.
LEAVE
Adrenaline shot through my veins as doubt flashed through my mind. Why would Donovan have written that on the brick, especially if I posed no threat to him? If he was above the law like he insinuated, then there was nothing I could do to stop him. Whoever heaved that brick through Gramps’ window wanted me gone for another reason altogether.
While Garrett was outside in the shed, looking for plywood, I snatched the brick up with my sleeve-covered hand and ran down the hall to my room. I stashed it under the bed for safekeeping. At the time, I wasn’t even sure why. Maybe it was Donovan’s declaration combined with my general distrust of the police, but something in my gut said not to turn over that evidence. That I might need it one day.
My dad’s blind trust in the justice system was what had landed him behind bars.
And I wondered if my reckless attitude might one day land me somewhere even worse.
SIXTEEN
One of the deputies came that night and took our statements about what had happened. When it came to how the window broke, I cut Garrett off and said that we hadn’t found what did it. The officer made a confused face, and I shrugged. Garrett didn’t say a word but shot me a sideward glance.
Once all the questions were answered, which weren’t many, the deputy came to the conclusion that it was likely a random act—but Garrett and I knew better. We kept that tidbit to ourselves.
The cruiser pulled away, and I turned to head back inside but ran in to Garrett instead. He looked down at me with demanding eyes. I sighed before I explained.
“I just thought that maybe it would be best not to hand the brick over. I know,” I said, throwing my hands up in defense, “it was probably stupid. We can always take it in and say we found it somewhere in the house later. But I just—”
“I’m glad you kept it,” he replied, cutting me off. “I just wish you’d told me the plan. I don’t like feeling blindsided.”
“Sorry about that.”
He gave a nod, then made his way down the hall and grabbed the vacuum cleaner.
“Guess I should clean up my bed for the night.”
After he vacuumed the glass off the couch, Garrett made himself comfortable. He seemed unwilling to leave me alone. It was almost midnight by that point and we were both exhausted. I gave him a hug and said good night, then made my way down the hall to my bedroom.
I closed the door and collapsed onto my bed. I fell asleep not long after. I didn’t remember sleeping for long when a rather upset Gramps stormed into my room and flipped on the light.
“You wanna explain why I’ve got a sheet of plywood the size of Texas boardin’ up the front picture window?”
I glanced at my phone to find it was already six in the morning. With a heavy sigh, I hauled my butt off the cot and walked over to Gramps. I could see that he was trying to control his anger, but he was pissed. I’m sure that was quite a sight to come home to.
“I meant to call you last night—”
“And why is Garrett Higgins sleepin’ in my living room? I was unaware that I sanctioned opposite-sex sleepovers.”
“Gramps, it is soooooo not what you think. I promise.”
“Then best you start explainin’ it to me.”
I took a deep breath and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his surprisingly fit midsection. Hugs always were his Kryptonite.
“Garrett came over last night to study. While we were doing our homework, some jerk in a truck chucked a brick through the window, then sped off.”
Gramps’ expression turned grim. I prayed he wouldn’t start interrogating me. I never could lie to him. And the truth would have knocked the world right out from under him.
“I was afraid somethin’ like this might happen eventually. People ’round here … some of them ain’t real happy to have you back in town. Think you and your daddy reflect poorly on Jasperville.”
That was so not where I was expecting the conversation to go, but I was ecstatic about it nonetheless.
�
�We filed a report with the sheriff’s office. I don’t think they have much to go on, though. It was dark. I didn’t get a plate number. We couldn’t even make out the color or model of the truck.”
“That’s okay,” he said, hugging me back. “My insurance should cover gettin’ it fixed up. I’m just glad you all are okay.”
“Garrett wouldn’t leave me by myself. That’s why he’s sleeping on the couch.”
“I’m up,” Garrett called from the far end of the hall, heading for the bathroom. “Morning, Mr. Johnson.”
“Good morning to you, too, Mr. Higgins. Thanks for watchin’ over my girl last night. And I presume I have you to thank for coverin’ that window up with plywood.”
“Happy to do it, sir.”
“You’re a good egg, Higgins. Stick close to my Kylene, will ya? I’m worried ’bout her.”
The look Garrett flashed me said I am, too, but he kept that to himself. Instead, he nodded at Gramps, then pushed open the door to the bathroom and closed it behind him.
“I should get ready for school,” I told Gramps, turning away from him.
“The warden told me you’d been down to see your dad a couple times now.” I stopped dead in my tracks. There was something in Gramps’ voice that was unsettling. Something serious. A hint of warning.
“Yeah,” I said, looking over my shoulder at him. “I miss him.”
“Course you do, Kylene. But, in light of what happened here last night, I don’t know that you should be goin’ there on your own.”
“You think someone is trying to hurt me specifically?” I tried to sound surprised.
“Nothin’ like that. I just think ’til the sheriff knows more ’bout what happened last night, you should be careful. Not sure the prison is the best place to find people of high moral character.”
I bit my lip to keep the words “neither is school” from coming out.
“Okay, Gramps. I’ll bring Garrett with me next time.”
“Good idea. Now go get yourself cleaned up. You got them damn raccoon eyes your mama used to have when she didn’t take her makeup off.”
I laughed.
“Not a good look for me?”
“That ain’t a good look on nobody,” he replied, heading back down the hall to the kitchen. “Go get ready. I’m gonna fix you two somethin’ to eat.”
I smiled to myself as he walked away. He was old but strong. Hard yet soft. And I loved him completely.
If anyone hurt one hair on that man’s head in order to get to me, I’d skin him alive.
* * *
Garrett drove to his house so he could change his clothes, then we were off to school. It was supposed to be unseasonably hot, so I was grateful for his operational air conditioner. I was also extremely grateful for him, too. As much as I liked to think I was tough, a brick through the window in the middle of the night might have made me crap my pants for a second. I didn’t like being caught off guard.
He parked his truck at the front of the lot and hopped out. I joined him around the front of the vehicle, and we walked into school together. We got plenty of looks on the way: riding together in a car appeared to mean something far more than just needing a lift or trying to reduce your carbon footprint. I was pretty certain that by the end of the day, the rumor mill would have Garrett and me sleeping together. Hell, he might have even been my baby daddy. Only time would tell. I was morbidly curious to see just how ridiculous the gossip would get.
“You remember what I said last night?” he asked, opening the door for me.
“I do, indeed.”
“Good. Try your best to give Donovan what he wants. It’ll buy us time.”
“My soul will likely die in the process, but I’ll do it. For you.”
Garrett ran past me on the stairs, flashing a mischievous grin over his shoulder.
“What soul?”
His laughter rang through the stairwell, drawing even more attention to us as we raced to the third-floor physics room.
“Ouch. That hurt, Higgins.”
“Truth cuts deep, Danners.”
I joined in his laughter as I chased after him up the steps. I didn’t care who stared at us. What people were saying. For the first time since my father was incarcerated, I had a moment of not giving a shit. Since I knew it would be fleeting, I tried to hold on to it as long as possible.
Then I crested the final stair to find Mr. Callahan glaring at me, and that moment faded. I had no idea why that man had it in for me so badly, but it was clear that he had his thoughts on my father, and, because of them, had particular thoughts about me as well.
I looked over at Garrett, who shared my Who ran over his dog this morning? expression. Together, we walked past Mr. Callahan to enter the classroom.
“Ms. Danners. A word—in the hall.”
Garrett looked concerned but went in without me.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Callahan?” I asked, staring up at him with the same disdain he showed me. When the moment became awkward enough, he spoke.
“Have you finished your assignments yet?”
“Um, no. Because I have until the end of next week to do it.…”
“They’re due by the end of today, or you can be expecting a failing grade this term.”
I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks in anger, but I managed to curb it so I didn’t say something to make the situation worse.
“I believe Mr. Thompson—you know, the principal—said that I had two full weeks to get caught up without penalty. If you don’t care for his policy, I’m sure he’d be happy to discuss it with you.” Callahan’s expression soured, but he remained silent. “Should I go down there now and get him? Have him clear this whole thing up for you?”
The bell rang while we stood outside the classroom, neither one of us willing to make the first move. Like with any good standoff, the first to flinch is the loser. And I had no intention of losing that particular showdown. Callahan was way out of line, and I’d had too long and stressful a night to put up with his shit.
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” he replied, his expression so sour he looked like he was in physical pain.
“Great. Then I’ll have those to you as per Principal Thompson’s instructions and not a day before.”
With no other power card to play, he told me I was late and ordered me to take my seat. I entered the room with a smug smile on my face. Garrett gave a quick nod, acknowledging what he correctly assumed was my win, and my smile widened to a grin. I’d managed to put one enemy in his place, and we both knew it. If only it were so easy to take all the rest of them down.
SEVENTEEN
My morning classes went by without any Donovan sightings. He wasn’t in gym, which was both a relief and also unnerving. I wanted to just get it over with—show him how terrifying I thought he was so he could think he was getting the better of me. I still wasn’t convinced that was the best plan of action—letting a bully know he was winning—but I’d agreed to do it. I trusted that Garrett knew him well enough to know how to best navigate the situation.
I had to stop by my locker on the way to lunch, so I sent Tabby ahead to nab a seat. In the interest of speed, I unlocked it and just started tossing in books that I was done with for the rest of the day. I found the notebook I needed after lunch and stuffed it into my bag. When I closed the door, the metal echoing through the nearly empty hall, I looked over to find Maribel Chavez storming toward me, her brown eyes shooting daggers at me.
By the look on her face, you’d never have known we’d once been close.
“Tell me what you said to Jaime the other day,” she demanded. Her hands were firmly planted on her hips, which meant she had no intention of walking away without answers. She threw her long black hair over her shoulder for effect, cocking her head at me. She was already losing her patience.
“Good to see you too, Maribel.”
“Cut the shit, Kylene. What did you say to him?”
“Nothing. I poked fun
at him for taking Spanish class. That’s it.” Her eyes narrowed. “What? You don’t think it’s ironic that he’s in there? Your parents speak Spanish at home.…”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it. You said something to him that got him all worked up.”
“If he got worked up about anything I said, then that’s on him and his conscience,” I replied, turning away from her. She snatched my arm and wheeled me around to face her.
“He didn’t do it. I don’t care how ashamed you were of those pictures; blaming him and the others was wrong.”
I ripped my arm from her grasp and leaned in closer to her.
“I’ll let that slide because he’s your brother and I can appreciate the need to protect your family, but if he’s so innocent, then he shouldn’t be upset about anything I say. They all got away with it anyway. He should be thrilled.”
She muttered something under her breath in Spanish.
“I know he wasn’t involved,” she replied—in English this time to be sure I understood.
“Really? Could you account for his whereabouts that night when it all happened?” Her expression darkened and she shook her head. “Well, then, Maribel, you shouldn’t speak in absolutes. Tends to bite you in the ass when you find out you’re wrong. Because the truth is that whether or not he actively had anything to do with it, he tightened ranks with the others and rode it out. Lying by omission is just as bad—so is withholding the truth.”
Her hard features softened for a second. It was as though she’d never really contemplated Jaime’s involvement in their alibi, that his account of that night had been a part of The Six’s freedom in some way. The realization twisted her features into an ugly expression.
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