by Naomi Niles
It was too complicated. My father drove up and I gave him a big smile.
“How was it, kitten?”
“It’s was good, Daddy.”
I sounded too cheery to myself.
“Where’s Dylan?”
“Some idiot got drunk and Dylan is making sure he gets home safely. He didn’t want you to wait for him. He said he’d be a little late and he was sorry.”
My father pulled out of the lot. “No, that’s a good reason to be late. If he’s doing a good deed, I can forgive him.”
“The guy was falling down. It was stupid.”
“I’m glad you feel that way about drinking to your age, pumpkin. It’s best to wait.”
“Sure, Daddy.”
I stared out the window, willing Dylan to please come home tonight.
PART 2
Chapter Eleven
Taylor
When Daddy pulled into the garage, I was hoping with all of my will that Dylan would be home before us. I didn’t want him wandering around, and I didn’t want him screwing this up. He’d back in that trailer if he did. I hadn’t even seen the thing, but it made me shudder, anyway.
He’d once said that the trailer he lived in would fit in his bedroom in the house. I couldn’t imagine living in that, but he’d had no choice. Now, he did, and I wanted him to make good ones. I was rooting for Dylan.
I entered the kitchen to see my mom there. “Where’s Dylan?” she asked.
My father spoke. “He had to take a friend home who got drunk.”
My mother eyed both of us. I’m sure that she didn’t think we were telling the truth. I kept my gaze steady. Any sign of weakness and she would know that I was lying. I didn’t want to lie, but her scrutiny of all of Dylan’s actions made it that way.
Besides, I couldn’t tell her what really happened. I couldn’t even tell my father. That was new. I could tell him a lot of things, but I didn’t think Dylan would want me to. I had to respect his privacy, even if I hadn’t felt I should earlier.
“Okay, I guess that’s a valid reason for being late.” She was in her pajamas. She waved at us. “Going to bed.”
“Good night, Mom.”
I looked in the refrigerator for something to drink. My father sat himself at the island as I grabbed the orange juice. “Pour me some of that, kitten.”
“Sure, Daddy.”
I set a glass in front of him and then sat next to him, drinking my own. He turned to me. “Are you going to tell me what’s really going on with Dylan?”
I almost choked on my juice as I coughed a little. “What do you mean?”
“Is it a teenage thing? Or is it a Dylan thing?”
“Still not sure what you are talking about,” I said.
I tried to play it cool, but it was hard to lie to my father. He knew when I was. My mother was easy to lie to because sometimes she didn’t want to know the truth. My father always did. He faced life head on.
“Is Dylan coming back tonight?”
“Of course he is, Daddy.”
“Are you sure?”
I crossed my fingers where he couldn’t see them. “Yes. He likes it here.”
“Good because I can only make excuses for so much behavior. He’s been great, but if he slips up, your mother will want to throw him out. I want to see him succeed.”
“I do, too.”
“You two have become friends. It’s nice to see.”
“We have. He’s really helped me with my math.”
“I’m glad to hear it. We have so much. It’s good to help someone who needs it. We can’t just give a hand out. We need to show them how to be successful.”
“Right, Daddy.
I wanted him to go to bed. I wanted to see Dylan when he got in, just to know he was safe. He was pretty pissed when he ran away from me. I finished my juice and decided I need a snack.
“You want some potato chips, Daddy?”
“Sure.”
I went downstairs and grabbed a small bag. Barbecue was my father’s favorite, and he smiled when he saw it. They were just okay to me, but there was no reason not to soften him up. I wanted him to be okay with what Dylan had done. Or what we’d told him Dylan had done.
Well, I had started the lie. It was me lying. Hopefully, Dylan didn’t have an attack of conscience and want to tell the truth. I’d be screwed. The car wouldn’t come back to me any time soon.
“You ended up not going to the dance with anyone?”
I shook my head. “Sometimes there is too much drama when you have a date. It was more fun being just me.”
“That’s very mature. How do you think you did on the SATs?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I tried.”
“You really should have applied to colleges by now.”
“I know.”
That was hanging over my head. We had visited many of them, but I still couldn’t decide. Well, I could, I just knew the answer wasn’t going to be one that anyone else liked. I wanted to go to community college to study nursing.
Not that I really wanted to stay home, but I didn’t need to go away to college. My mother insisted that I should, though.
My dad patted my shoulder when I yawned. “Go off to bed, kitten. I’ll wait up for Dylan.”
Shit. That would mean that I couldn’t warn him. A text it was, then. I kissed my father on the cheek and climbed the stairs. Before I did anything when I reached my room, I sent a text to Dylan.
“I told them you were helping a drunk friend get home. Please come home, Dylan.”
I got no reply. I didn’t expect one. He’d been pretty mad about the situation and maybe it was even a little embarrassing. As I got ready for bed, I jumped every time a car went by.
Not that he would be in a car. He’d probably be walking, unless someone gave him a ride.
Please come home, Dylan, I thought. I knew I’d done the right thing, even if he was mad at me. I hoped he wouldn’t stay mad at me forever.
I was beginning to like Dylan a lot. Not in a romantic way, I didn’t think, but he was a friend. Maybe a brother I never had. To think that I’d been afraid of him in the beginning. He was a good guy and I just wanted to make things right for him, kind of how my dad was doing it.
But in my own way.
I snuggled under the covers in the dark.
Please come home, Dylan.
Chapter Twelve
Dylan
I’d been impulsive. And stupid. And now, I was a little lost. I could use the GPS on my phone, but I was afraid the battery wouldn’t last.
Home. What a concept. When had I started to think about the Dean house as home?
Then a text came in. I looked down at it to see it was from Taylor. She clued me in on what she’d told her father about my absence. She had lied to her father for me. I knew how close they were, it must have killed her to do that.
I rubbed a hand down my face. She’d been trying to protect me. She cared about me. And now, she’d covered for me.
Taylor Dean had my back. I stopped walking for a moment. No one had ever had my back. In my entire life, no one had had my back.
Taylor did – at a great personal risk to herself. I couldn’t let her down. I couldn’t be the old Dylan that just ran away from things. I had to go back. I had to apologize to Taylor, too.
She’d been right about Barbie. The text conversation had said it all. Barbie hadn’t sent a text to cover my butt. She hadn’t even sent me a text to see how I was. Bitch.
I turned on the GPS and realized how far away I was. I’d never make it home in the next half hour.
Should I call Mr. Dean? Or should I call Cole?
“Hey, Cole,” I said when he answered. “I need a favor.”
“Sure, bro.”
“I need a ride.”
I told him where I was. I sat on a bench, hoping no cops came by. I thought about what Taylor had done. She might have risked her standing in her social group. She might have risked her father’s trust.
Her dislike of me had been consistent.
A cop car rounded the corner. I wanted to run. I might have in any other circumstance, but I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong. There was no curfew. I had a ride on the way.
So I sat, looking at my phone, praying the battery would last.
I stared at the text from Taylor. She cared and it warmed me.
The cop parked his car then climbed out.
“Good evening, officer.”
He put his hat on while he looked at me. I couldn’t see his face, but I’m sure he was taking in my appearance. I should look respectable. My tattoos, which seemed to mark me as bad news in this neighborhood, were covered.
“Evening. What are you doing?”
“Sitting here waiting for a ride. I went out for a walk and got lost.”
“Oh?”
He leaned in, probably to smell my breath. I didn’t drink. I’d seen what my mother did when she was drunk. That’s how I came along, after all.
“Yes, sir. I called a friend and he’s picking me up.”
“Can I see some identification?”
I pulled out my wallet and gave him my license. I was eighteen, so there wasn’t much he could do if I hadn’t committed a crime. Loitering was the worst thing I was doing tonight.
He handed it back. “Okay, Dylan. How about I wait with you until your ride gets here?”
“Sure, officer. It should only be a few minutes.”
He sat down next to me. “Did you go to the dance at the high school tonight?”
“I did.”
“Was it fun?”
“Not as fun as I thought it would be,” I said.
He chuckled. “Yeah, teen girls are tough. I have a daughter who is twelve and she’s already starting.”
“I just know them from school, and I don’t understand them.”
“You never will, son. Sorry. Been married fifteen years. Still don’t understand my wife,” he said. He thrust out his hand. “I’m Officer Kenney.”
I shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Cole pulled up at that moment. “Is this your friend?”
“Yes, sir.”
I stood. Officer Kenney spoke to Cole, then let me slide into the car. “Have a good night, son.”
I waved at the officer then Cole drove away.
“Was he hassling you?” Cole said.
“No, just chatting. I didn’t run since I wasn’t doing anything wrong. And, I am eighteen.”
Cole dropped me at the front door to the Dean’s house. I thanked him before he drove off. I took a deep breath before I walked into the house. The only lights on were in the kitchen. I needed food anyway.
Mr. Dean was perched on a stool. He turned to me with a smile.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
“Taylor told me. You were helping a friend home? He or she?”
Shit. Taylor hadn’t specified. “She. It was a little sad. Her boyfriend left her there,” I said as I headed to the refrigerator. My stomach was empty.
I found some leftovers and reheated them in the microwave. Mr. Dean sat with me while I ate, making small talk. I was glad he didn’t press me for further details on my story.
He seemed to believe what I had to say, probably because of Taylor.
“How was the dance?”
“Too much drama. I’m sort of ready to be done with high school.”
“Yeah, I remember fourth quarter was tough. I didn’t want to concentrate. I was accepted to where I wanted to go to college. There wasn’t any reason to go to class. “
“Did you?”
“I did even if I didn’t want to. What are your plans?”
“After high school? I don’t really know. I guess I’ll have to get a job. Maybe go to college online.”
He nodded. “Well, let’s see what I can do for you.”
Once again, someone had my back.
Chapter Thirteen
Taylor
In a word: icy. That’s how everyone greeted me, or didn’t greet me Monday at school. I hadn’t spoken to anyone all weekend, only Helena. Other than her, I was friends with such bitches.
Bailey and Barbie, who had lockers across the hallway from me, turned their backs when I went by. Dylan didn’t look at either of them. I had no idea if he’d talked to Barbie at all.
I walked to my locker to find the word “Bitch” scrawled across it. Guess I was supposed to let Saturday night happen. Dylan had thanked me and we’d come to an understanding that we would listen to each other more often. I might know about some things and he knows other things.
We needed to stick together.
He put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t let them get you down. It will blow over.”
I wanted to cry at the word on my locker, but Dylan’s words propped me up. That was so sweet of him. He kept walking down the hall to his own locker. I gathered the books I needed and slammed my locker shut.
Cole walked by and gave me a small nod. Was he taking sides, too? What the hell? It wasn’t anyone’s business, but apparent the B girls were really being B girls. I sighed.
Hopefully, my whole social life wasn’t going to hell. I’d give them all a few days to let it blow over.
“Hey, girl,” Helena said behind me.
“Are you talking to me?”
She hugged me. “Of course. You know I don’t get into the drama of it all.” She looked around. “I don’t care what those bitches think of me.”
I hugged her back. “I don’t appreciate you enough.”
“No, you don’t, but I love you, anyway.”
I squealed with laughter. Everyone in the hallway stopped to stare, but I didn’t care. I still had Helena. She walked beside me as everyone gave me a wide berth. Even kids not in my social circle must have heard something.
“Okay, what is everyone saying?”
Helena laughed “That you cock blocked Barbie.”
I stopped. “They used those terms?”
I’d never heard the term before, but I got the meaning of it.
“No, I said it that way. It’s funnier. So, what really happened?”
“Barbie and Bailey were in a contest to lose their virginity to a cool person. Barbie picked Dylan.”
“Why’d you stop them?”
“Because she was just using him and that’s wrong.”
She stared at me for a moment. “Do you have feelings for Dylan?’
He chose that moment to walk past me as we stood outside math class. I guess he didn’t hear Helena’s question. If I’d been him, I would have stopped.
“I don’t know,” I said as I watched him walk away.
He did have a nice butt. I hadn’t noticed that before.
“It looks like you have a crush on him.”
I glanced back at her. “I don’t know. He’s different than I originally thought.” I shook myself. I wasn’t going to have an answer today. “You want to come over later?”
“Yeah. I actually need some help with my programming class. Dylan is really good at it.”
Another thing that boy could do well. For being a former loser, he was pretty smart. The boy had more facets than I’d ever given him credit for. I would have to give him another look.
“Will you put your tongue back in?” Helena said. “If you don’t know that you like him, then you are pretty dumb.”
I sighed. “I shouldn’t like him. He’s my father’s project.”
“He’s living with you. Just down the hall.”
“Don’t remind me.”
She was right. He was off-limits. I shouldn’t even be thinking about him that way.
At all.
“He is cute, Taylor. Just watch. You don’t know what he’s been
through. I overheard them talking in the guidance office and they said he hadn’t had a father his whole life.”
“Probably why he’s drawn to my dad. They spend time talking. I’m almost jealous. I miss having Daddy to myself.”
“Cut him a break, Taylor.”
“I know, I know. I’m being selfish.”
I was. I knew it. Dylan didn’t have a father. My father was willing to step up for him and I should be proud. I should let it happen, but I did miss things with my dad.
“Still, Taylor. Tread carefully around him,” Helena said. She waved her arms. “All this will blow over. Some other kid will do something stupid. You’ll be back with the cool crowd soon.”
The problem was, I had no idea why I was with the cool crowd. I wasn’t any cooler than anyone else in my mind, but everyone else seemed to think so. I hugged Helena again, then walked into class.
Dylan was looking at his phone. I stared at him. We hadn’t talked this morning, but I tried to get his attention. I wondered if anyone was saying anything to him. Or ignoring him. Did it bother guys when people were mad at them?
I had no idea what went on in his brain.
As the teacher came in and everyone settled into their seats, Dylan finally looked my way. I smiled. He smiled back.
“Are you ready to start class, Taylor?” Mr. Delaney said.
I’m sure I blushed. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Now stop making googly eyes at your boyfriend and we’ll get started.”
The rest of the class laughed. I blushed even deeper. “He isn’t my boyfriend. We’re friends.”
I don’t know why I felt the need to clarify my relationship with Dylan. I realized after I said it how stupid I sounded. Great. I was just making points all over the place. I hazarded a glance back at Dylan. He had that small smile on his face that said he was amused. At least, I’d made him smile. That made my day just a little bit better.
***
Helena was waiting for me after math class. I walked out with Dylan and we both stopped in front of her. I usually didn’t cross her path until after second period.