“I called Rob last night while you were talking to the cops,” Kayla said. “He’s going to represent you for free, so don’t worry about getting a lawyer.”
Both my parents exhaled with relief, because that was one less thing they had to think about.
“Thank you,” I told her, truly grateful. “That’s a huge help.”
“Would you like us to pick Pierre up for you?” Dad frowned down at my leg. “It might be a good idea for you to rest today.”
I nodded. “That would be great.”
I would’ve liked to tell them I could handle it, but I was beginning to come to terms with my limits.
Sometimes I would have to rely on others, sit down when I take shower, use a cane, and cuddle with a body—Kayla’s body—at night. Maybe I wasn’t like everyone else, but that was okay because I had an amazing group of people who accepted me for who I am.
As I looked at the faces of my loved ones, the tightness in my chest eased. They were here for me, and they were enough.
Linda and Matthew had just left to pick up Pierre when Ezra excused himself to take a shower. If Jimmy hadn’t been lingering, I probably would’ve joined him.
Discreetly sniffing my shoulder, I wrinkled my nose. I’d worked two shifts at Rocky’s without showering. Yuck.
My stomach growled, reminding me that none of us had eaten breakfast, so I went to the kitchen to make something. I’d just gotten out the eggs when Jimmy sidled up next to me.
“I’m glad you stuck around today. Thought I was gonna have to track you down to smooth things over for my bro.”
“Always trying to protect him,” I mused with a smile, setting the pan on the burner. “You’re a really good brother.”
“You know, I used to think you didn’t deserve him.”
“Ouch.” Chuckling, I cut him a look. “Is that your idea of smoothing things over?”
“I said used to. I don’t think that anymore.”
“No?”
“Ezra’s the best man I know, and he deserves someone equally as amazing. I didn’t know about what was going on with you and Gavin in high school, but now that I do… I respect the hell out of you.”
“How much did Ezra tell you about Gavin?” I asked, and I wasn’t mad. Jimmy wouldn’t say anything to anyone.
“Everything. What you did and what you’ve gone through… I feel the need to apologize for the things I thought about you. You’re brave and kind, and I couldn’t think of anyone better for my brother.”
My eyes got misty again, but this time it was from happiness. That was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to me.
“Thanks.” I sniffed.
To hide my emotional display, I cracked several eggs into the pan and scrambled the hell of them with the spatula before dumping some cheese on top.
“He’s liked you for a long time, but you already know that,” Jimmy went on. “How about I tell you something you don’t know?”
All I could do was nod, swallowing hard around the lump in my throat.
“His leg injury was my fault.”
My head whipped toward him, and I saw a pained expression on his face. “What?”
Leaning against the counter, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I dared him to climb that tree. And when he got higher than I’d ever gotten before, I felt the need to show him up. You know, brotherly competition and all that. I started showing off by walking the limb like a balance beam, but my balance wasn’t that great. I almost fell off, but Ezra jumped up and rammed into me. He knocked me back against the tree trunk—safe—and he plummeted fifteen feet to the ground.”
“He never mentioned any of that,” I said quietly.
“Of course he wouldn’t. Because he doesn’t blame me at all. He’s too good for that.”
“What is it with you Johnson boys thinking everything is your fault?” I speared him with a look. “I don’t blame you either. Sometimes things happen for a reason, and I love everything about Ezra. I wouldn’t change one thing about him.”
“See?” Jimmy grinned. “You’re way better than I thought.”
I laughed, but then I cringed when I realized I was burning the eggs. “Now if only I could make a decent omelet.”
Jimmy took off shortly after politely choking down the awful breakfast I’d made. While I was in the shower, Ezra’s parents brought Pierre back, and when I came out into the living room and saw him on his dog bed, I let out a happy screech.
Ezra was sitting next to him with a bag of treats.
“Pierre!” I ran over to him. His tail thumped on the floor and he tried to get up, but Ezra waved another treat in front of his nose.
“Reste,” he ordered softly. “Good boy.”
My lips turned down at the sight of the bandages on his leg and paw, but he didn’t seem to be in much pain as he happily panted up at me.
“Why don’t you go lie down on the couch?” I suggested to Ezra, knowing he needed to elevate his leg. “I’d be happy to pamper the crap out of Pierre.”
He hesitated, clearly wanting to argue, but relented because he knew I was right.
“Thanks, baby.” Slowly getting up, he handed me the treats. “Don’t give him too many. The vet said we have to take it easy on food for today because of the anesthesia.”
After feeding Pierre two treats, I decided to pamper him in a different way.
Petting his head and rubbing his belly, I quietly praised him with the kind of embarrassing baby-talk people always used when talking to furry animals. I told him he was the best dog ever and that he was a hero. I thanked him for being such a good companion for Ezra, and I promised him we would do everything to make sure he was good as new in no time.
He totally soaked it up, letting his tongue hang out of the side of his mouth and kicking his back leg when I scratched a particularly good spot under his ribs.
The sound of soft snoring drew my attention over to the couch. Ezra was zonked out, his leg propped up on the back cushions, the cold pack askew. Some of the ice had melted, so I got up to get a fresh bag from the kitchen.
I’d just placed it on the right spot above his knee when there was another knock at the door.
“Reste,” I told Pierre gently, because he tried to get up from his bed again.
I was halfway across the room when Ezra’s voice stopped me.
“Wait.” He blinked sleepily as he stood. “Let me get it.”
He grabbed his cane from where it was propped against the wall next to the couch, and he leaned heavily on it as he limped in my direction.
Recalling what he’d said about being cautious of angry students, I let him step in front of me but whispered, “Be careful.”
I highly doubted we were going to encounter a mob with pitchforks, but then again, I didn’t think the hazing would happen either.
When he peered through the peephole, his shoulders relaxed. “It’s your parents.”
Ezra opened the door, and John and Rob stood there, looking regal in their sleek black designer suits. Rob carried a briefcase, and John held a brown bag from the one of the cafés in town.
“Dinner.” He handed it to me before engulfing me in a hug. Rob followed suit, so I had four arms wrapped around me.
“Thanks,” I wheezed out. “It’s so good to see you guys.” As they released their hold on me, I noticed their distressed expressions.
“We wish it wasn’t under these circumstances,” John said regretfully, flashing a sympathetic smile at Ezra. “But we’re willing to help in any way we can.”
“Rob Walsh, at your service.” Rob extended his arm toward Ezra, and they shook hands.
“I appreciate it more than you know.”
A dull thumping sound interrupted the conversation, and we all looked over to see Pierre happily wagging his tail as he stayed on his bed. Both of my dads wore the same tight frown when they saw the bandages on Pierre’s leg.
On cue, Rob sneezed, his allergy acting up. “Don’t worry about me.” He chuckl
ed. “I already loaded up on antihistamines.”
“I would represent you if I could,” John said to Ezra. “But family law isn’t exactly the right field for a lawsuit. I’m just here for moral support.”
“Lawsuit?” Ezra sounded surprised. “For what? I thought we were just pressing charges.”
“We are.” Setting his briefcase on the kitchen counter, Rob continued, “But I understand your service animal was stolen and injured, and that you’re looking at a couple thousand dollars in vet bills and repairs to your broken door. Not to mention Pierre will be out of commission for a while, leaving you without help.”
Slowly, Ezra nodded. “That about sums it up.”
“Don’t forget about the hazing,” I added.
“We’ll get to that, too. One thing at a time.” Bracing his hands on the counter, Rob directed his hard stare at Ezra. “Have you spoken with the dean yet?”
“No. I’m not in the best shape to be getting out today.” Ezra motioned toward his leg without one hint of shame, and I was proud of him. He was slowly letting go of all the years of embarrassment he’d held onto.
“That’s good, actually,” Rob responded. “Because I want to be there for that meeting. We need to make sure the university is serious about taking action against any organization participating in hazing. Do you think you’d be up for it on Monday?”
Ezra nodded. “I’m sorry you’re having to come all this way for me.”
“Don’t apologize. Not now and not in the courtroom. And are you kidding? We couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see our baby girl.”
“Just gives us reasons to hover like the helicopter parents we are,” John quipped.
“Now, before I get completely professional on you—” Rob leaned forward a fraction. “I’ll say this—we’re going to take these fuckers down.”
Ezra barked out a laugh, cracking a real smile for the first time in days. I hadn’t realized how much I missed his grin until just now. Seeing him happy, combined with having my dads with me, made emotional tears well up in my eyes.
Quickly, I blinked them away. I’d done way too much crying lately and it needed to stop.
“What’s going on here?” John asked, waving a finger at my face.
Ezra put an arm around my shoulders, drawing me close to his warm chest. “This has been hard on her, too.”
“No.” Tapping his chin, John shook his head. “No, there’s something else. Anything you want to tell me, Kay Kay?”
He was doing that bloodhound thing again, sniffing out the problem I was trying so hard to conceal. Ezra peered at me expectantly, because he knew John was right. Rob looked confused, because he and I just didn’t have that kind of connection and he was easier to fool.
And I knew it was time to spill the beans.
Taking a deep breath, I confessed everything about the mother I never knew.
“No one has even looked twice at us yet.” I stole a glance at Ezra, who looked a little ridiculous wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a hoodie as we walked through the hall of my dorm.
Maybe he was overreacting about possible angry students recognizing us. Either that, or people just hadn’t heard about last night’s events yet.
Even though the sun was going down, it was eighty degrees outside, and I probably looked equally silly in the beanie and oversized leather jacket. When I’d told Ezra I needed to come here to get the information on Melanie, he’d insisted on going incognito. He had his cane, and he wasn’t even trying to hide his limp, because most people didn’t know about his leg issues. For once, it was working in his favor.
Still, I didn’t like that he was out and about when he should’ve been at home, resting. “I could’ve done this on my own, you know.”
“Not a chance. Just be quick,” Ezra whispered as I turned the key to my room. “I don’t want to leave Pierre for too long.”
I nodded, because I completely agreed. Hiding out with them at the apartment for the rest of the weekend sounded like heaven.
As soon as we got inside, Ashlyn jumped up from her bed.
“Oh my God. I’ve been waiting for you all day! Are you okay?” she asked me, then turned to Ezra. “And your dog?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “We’re all okay. Just hoping all this drama will blow over soon. Thanks for being there last night.”
“It’s no problem.” She shook her head. “When I saw you guys across the street, I couldn’t just do nothing. Have you seen the news? Pi Kap is imploding,” she said, dramatically throwing out her hands. “It’s all anyone is talking about right now.”
Frowning, I shot Ezra a look. Guess he’d been right after all.
“No,” I replied. “We’ve just been trying to tune everything out.”
“We’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone anything,” Ezra said. “We’re going to lay low for a couple days.”
Ashlyn gave us a sympathetic smile. “I get it. Listen… Kayla, could I talk to you for a few minutes? I kinda need to get something off my chest.” Her eyes flitted toward Ezra, obviously wanting him to give us some privacy, but he wasn’t having any of that.
Putting an arm around my shoulders, he made it clear he wasn’t leaving. His protectiveness made my lips quirk up, even if it wasn’t necessary. Ashlyn wasn’t going to beat me up or anything.
Still, I snaked an arm around his waist in a gesture of solidarity. “I’m all ears, but he stays.”
Nodding, she glanced down sheepishly. “I just wanted to apologize for being such a dick before. The first week here, I was homesick and miserable. My best friend since kindergarten moved all the way across the country, and I miss her. I guess I wasn’t really in the mood to make a new best friend. It’s a pretty pathetic excuse for acting the way I did… but forgive me?”
“Absolutely,” I responded without hesitation.
“Thank you.” Ashlyn smiled brightly, blowing out a breath like it had been weighing on her.
Now I wished I’d made more of those friendship rocks, because I would’ve loved to give her one to show there were no hard feelings.
“You want some chocolate?” I asked, moving across the room. The offer was the best peace gift I could think of. “I try to save it for emotional emergencies and today definitely qualifies.”
“Sure.” Grinning, she sat on her bed across from mine.
I opened my mini-fridge and took out two Hersey chocolate bars. When Ashlyn reached for it, she gave me a funny look. “You keep these refrigerated?”
“Yeah. My dads always kept them cold, so I got used to eating them that way.”
“Your dads?” She tilted her head to the side.
And here it was. The first awkward college conversation about my unique family structure. Coming to sit next to me on the bed, Ezra gently rubbed the small of my back.
Having him with me lent the courage I needed to lay it all out there. “They’re gay. They’re married. And they adopted me when I was a baby.”
“That’s awesome,” Ashlyn commented happily, completely unfazed. “My aunt and her wife are in the process of trying to adopt right now. Rough times out there.”
Excited, I nodded because Ashlyn understood. “Yeah. You know, my dads are lawyers and one of them specializes in family law. I can give you their office number if you want to pass it onto them.”
Now she was the one nodding quickly. “That would be great.”
I rattled off the office number to her and she wrote it down.
While I nibbled at my chocolate, Ashlyn gobbled hers in two bites before jumping off the bed and going over to her small vanity to quickly apply some red lipstick.
“Well, it’s about time for me to go,” she announced, shoving her feet into some torturous-looking high heels.
“Where are you going?”
Shuffling from one foot to the other, she suddenly seemed shy. “I have a date.”
“With who?”
“The onions and vomit guy.”
That made me laugh,
and Ezra asked, “Jeff? I didn’t expect that, but that’s great for you guys. Maybe you shouldn’t call him that to his face, though.”
“Are you kidding? I’m never letting that shit go. See?” She showed us a text on her phone. “I’ve even got him programmed in like that.”
I laughed harder, suddenly glad that I’d gotten paired up with Ashlyn as a roommate. She wasn’t so bad after all.
Grabbing her purse, she said, “See you later.”
Then it was just Ezra, me, the last surviving rectangle of my chocolate bar, and the heaviness in the air of what I needed to do. Popping the last bite of candy into my mouth, I went over to my desk and opened the drawer.
Of course, John and Rob had been totally cool with me wanting to know more about my biological parents. Deep down, I knew they would be. They’d even offered to reimburse me for the money I’d spent, but I told them if they really felt the need to shell out a thousand dollars, they could donate it to Shauna’s shelter in Melanie’s name.
Wiping my hands off on my yoga pants, I picked up the folder and turned to Ezra. “This has everything in it. Other than the letter Shauna gave me, I haven’t seen any of it.”
His eyes were soft when he asked, “Do you want to go through it alone?”
“No. I want you with me and I’d rather do it at your place.”
“Let’s go.” Standing, Ezra held out his hand and I took it. “Think we’ll get lucky enough to make it out of here without being recognized?”
I smiled. “I’m up for the challenge.”
“I can’t believe how much you look like her,” I said, staring at the eighth-grade photo of Kayla’s mother.
“You really think so?” Kayla squinted and peered closer.
“Her face.” I pointed at it. “That’s exactly how I remember you at that age.”
We were sitting on my couch, going through the information together. Most of it was just stuff the investigator had typed out: facts, timelines, and locations. But he’d been able to track down some school pictures and a couple newspaper clippings from when Melanie had made the local news in her town.
OUTCAST: A Good Guys Novel Page 24