by Jo Cassidy
I nodded. "Yes. Daddy . . . Dad said I could. If I went with Jenna."
Jenna clapped her hands. "Yay! I finally get you out of the house." She glanced around Brendon's room. "And not in your boyfriend's room."
My cheeks warmed. Boyfriend. Such a strange word to me. One I thought would never be used regarding me. He wasn't my boyfriend, but Jenna thought he was.
"You're so cooped up at home," Jenna said. "You take homebody to a whole new level." She pulled out her phone, and her fingers went to work. "This will be so much fun. I'll invite some of my friends. We can grab a bite to eat afterword."
"I can only go to the game," I said.
Jenna stopped typing long enough to gape at me. "Why?"
"School night," I said, forcing a smile.
Rolling her eyes, Jenna went back to her phone. "Your dad is like a freaking Nazi, I swear. He won't let you do anything. You should seriously call child protective services because it's so wrong."
I froze, holding tight onto the cell phone band I was currently working on. Fear worked its way through my bones, latching on. Jenna knew more about me than I thought.
Brendon placed his hand on my knee, making me look at him. He gave my knee a little squeeze and smiled at Jenna. "Very funny, Jenna."
Jenna waved her hand. "I can be funny, you know. It happens."
She had been joking. A joke that rang so true.
Brendon didn't move his hand, and I didn't stop him. It calmed me, having him there. He helped me be normal. Guided me through things I didn't quite understand. Having friends was foreign territory I never thought I'd roam.
It was a little after two in the morning when I completed number twenty.
"I'm so done," Jenna said, standing up. "I'm freaking tired and want my bed."
Brendon stood. "We should get you home, too, Cora."
They helped me gather everything together. Brendon put all the completed bands in a bag. As Jenna went out the door, Brendon pointed at the bag on the floor. "I'll keep these here and bring them Tuesday night."
I threw my arms around his neck. "Thank you. You've helped me more than I deserve." Lowering my arms, I kissed him on the cheek.
Brendon smiled at me. "It's worth it just for that." He took my hand. "Let's get you home."
Darkness surrounded my home when we reached my window, which I hoped was a good sign. Sweat slid down the small of my back. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if Daddy was in my room. I wouldn’t put it past him to sit in the dark and wait. I almost told Brendon to leave, but he reached out and rolled down one of my sleeves. My breath caught in my throat. Once he buttoned the cuff, he lifted my other arm and softly kissed the inside of my forearm before he pulled down the sleeve. My stomach fluttered in the most perfect way.
Going onto my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to his. It was starting to feel natural, expressing my feelings like that. And if Daddy were waiting for me in the room, it might’ve been the last time I ever got to kiss Brendon.
Brendon put his warm hands around my waist and helped me back into my room.
"See you tomorrow," he said.
I smiled. "Thanks for your help. Goodnight."
I waited until he was out of sight before I put the bar back in place and closed the window. One scan of my room showed no signs of Daddy. Everything remained still in its place, neat as always. The night had been a success. We'd gotten a lot done, which gave me some relief. I changed my braid back to the normal three-strand way and rested it over my right shoulder.
Sitting down on the bed, I took Noah into my arms. "Maybe having friends won't be so bad after all."
“I’m not so sure about that,” Noah said.
The lock on my door clicked, and the door swung open. Daddy turned on the light in my room. "Who are you talking to?"
Storms flashed in his eyes. He stepped into the room, his eyes darting everywhere, his hands in fists.
"Myself," I said, holding onto Noah. I made sure he covered the area below my neck so Daddy wouldn’t see that the top button of my shirt was undone.
His eyes shot toward me. "Why are you still dressed? Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I wasn't tired." I rubbed Noah’s fur, willing myself to stay calm. He’d only know I’d done something wrong if I let him know.
He moved toward my bed, bending down to look under it. I took the moment to fasten my top button. He stood and walked to the other side. In my pocket, my phone vibrated. I didn't know how to turn it off, and I hoped he wouldn’t hear.
He stared at the floor on the other side of my bed for a moment before he went over to the closet. "You aren't lying to me, are you, angel?"
"No, Daddy," I said. "I couldn't sleep, so I was talking to Noah, and . . .”
He whipped around, the storms in his eyes exploding. "Noah?" He rushed to my side, taking me by the arm. Noah fell from my arms, landing softly on his head.
I pointed at the stuffed elephant on my bed. "Noah. Remember? You gave him to me?"
He slowly loosened his grip. He stared at the elephant. "Yes. I remember." He let go of me, and my anxiety fluttered away. "Get in your pajamas and go to bed, now. No more talking with Noah."
"Yes, Daddy."
He glanced around the room once more and stormed out, slamming the door closed and locking it from the outside.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, I sat down on my bed and pulled the phone out of my pocket.
I had fun tonight, Brendon wrote.
Me, too.
Sleep well.
I was about to put the phone in my backpack when the screen lit up again.
P.S. I love when you blush.
For the first time, I didn't blush. Instead, I fell onto my bed with the biggest smile on my face.
Chapter 28
Tuesday night Daddy dropped me off at the school in front of the gym. I shut the passenger door and waved goodbye, thinking he would drive way, but he waited, his unsure eyes staring at me. With a forced smile, I turned toward the gym and calmly walked inside, knowing he watched me the whole way.
The second I walked in the door, I forgot about Daddy. The place was packed. It was a sea of black and gold shirts and uniforms, the colors of our school. A few maroon shirts weaved in between the crowd. I assumed it was the color of the other team. I pulled a little on the bottom of my light blue shirt. I wasn’t aware I was supposed to wear school colors.
A lady bumped into me, sending me forward. The next thing I knew, I was standing in front of a table.
“Ten dollars,” a guy said. He looked maybe a year older than me. He had black and gold paint on his face that looked rather silly. I couldn’t peel my eyes off it. His eyes widened in annoyance, and he held out his hand. “I said that will be ten dollars.”
I licked my lips. “What?” I didn’t realize I had to pay to get in. No one had mentioned that to me.
The guy let out a deep breath. “If you want to watch the game, you gotta pay. Otherwise, get out of the line. You’re holding it up.”
I had no money to give him.
“Excuse me.” Brendon’s friendly voice came from my right. He pushed himself between an elderly couple, offering an apology as he did. He held out a five-dollar bill to the guy at the table. “She’s a student, so it’s five.” He was wearing his black shirt with the bat on it.
The guy stamped my hand with a basketball in black ink.
Taking my hand, Brendon tugged me out of the line and away from the crowd. I had a second to peer inside the gym. Brendon wasn't kidding about it being an important game. I'd never seen so many people crammed in there, even during an assembly. The players were warming up on the court while the cheerleaders waved their pom-poms and chanted at the crowd in the stands. I stared at their shiny, smooth legs and all of a sudden, the hair on mine weighed me down. Maybe I could sneak one of Daddy’s razors. But he’d be so mad if he ever caught me shaving my legs.
Someone waved from the crowd, and I looked over to see Jake sitting with all his friends, his smiling eyes on me
. I waved back before I turned to Brendon.
He wrapped his arms around me, but quickly released me. "Sorry. Is it okay if I hug you?"
We’d done more than that. It was all happening so fast, but I felt so comfortable with him. I smiled. "Of course."
"Thank goodness." He pulled me close.
I sank into him, letting the warmth embrace me. I didn't want to let go. He felt safer than Daddy, which took me by surprise. It was a blanket of security, like nothing could ever hurt me again. It was overwhelming. Pushing him away, I dropped my arms and looked around. "Where's Jenna?"
He pointed his thumb behind him. "We have a table set up over here. Hope you don't mind, but we already opened shop." He had a fresh Band-Aid covering his thumb. I wondered if he’d ever stop cutting his fingers while he folded pizza boxes at work.
"Really?" I couldn't see the table from where I stood. There was a long line blocking it from view.
"We were going to wait, but someone asked about it, and the next thing we knew, people were wanting to buy them." He shrugged. "Didn't want to turn customers away." He took my hand into his and guided me to the table. He raised my arm in the air. "The designer is here!"
A small applause broke out, more polite than anything.
"Cora, these are selling like crazy," Jenna said. She’d chosen gold as her color, which was much better than the black. Her gold, glitter eye shadow glimmered in the light. "We only have twenty left."
"What?" A guy in the line stood on his tiptoes to see us. "You only have twenty left?"
Brendon smiled at the guy. "For now. We'll be making more and selling them at other events."
I squeezed his hand to get his attention, but he just squeezed it back, smiling the whole time. I wanted to tell him that it wouldn’t be likely I’d be attending another school event. I was lucky Daddy let me attend the basketball game.
The people shoved forward, crowding around the table. Customers were pushing their money toward me, reaching for a band at the same time.
The first person handed me a twenty-dollar bill. I reached for a ten in the cash box, but Brendon put his hand over mine to stop me. He leaned in, whispering in my ear. "We're selling them for twenty."
"Why?" I asked. It seemed like a lot. Why would they want to pay that much for my bands?
"Supply and demand," Brendon said. "Besides, we can't let the blackmailer get all your money. You deserve to walk away with some cash as well. Plus, I had to buy some supplies, so this will help cover that."
I didn't understand why people would pay it, but I wasn't about to argue. It would be nice to get some money out of the situation.
"I find it interesting you've never mentioned this hobby of yours." Mr. Mendoza approached the table, his hands in his jeans’ pockets, eyeing the cell phone bands.
"Did you call my dad?" I asked.
He looked surprised by my question. "He called the school. I thought you would’ve known."
"He mentioned talking to the school, but not who made the call."
He eyed the line of customers. "He wanted to know if public school was giving you all you need."
"And you said no?" I stared up at him, trying to read his face.
Mr. Mendoza was stoic. Not the type of person I could gauge what he was thinking or feeling. He took his hand out of his pocket and rubbed his goatee. "I said you were too advanced for the tenth grade. Suggested we move you up next year."
I didn't want to tell him that Daddy had decided to remove me from public school, so I took a cell phone band from the table and handed it to him. "It can be yours for twenty dollars."
He studied the band. "Twenty bucks? What do you do with all that money?"
"Supplies. Also, investing in my future. That's what you wanted, right?"
"Saving up for college?" He rifled through his leather wallet and handed me a twenty. "I can support that. And buy my niece a birthday present in the process."
"You have a niece?"
He folded his wallet and placed it and the band in his pocket. "Does that surprise you?"
"Yes," I said with a nod. "Not sure why, though."
"Siblings," Mr. Mendoza said. "They'll give you nieces and nephews."
I rubbed my arm. "I'm an only child."
He folded his arms. "Well, if one day you get married, your spouse might have siblings, which could get you nieces and nephews." He cracked a small smile. "Easier than having your own children, if you ask me."
"I don't want kids." The words flew from my mouth.
The smile on his face fell. "Didn't even hesitate on that one. There a reason why?"
I glanced at the line. "This really isn't the time, Mr. Mendoza. Besides, not everyone has to have children."
"Or need a reason to not have them." Jenna leaned on the table next to us. "Kids gross me out." She rested her chin on her fist. "I want to travel the world. Taste different countries. Take lovers."
Mr. Mendoza took a step back. "And that's my cue to leave. You ladies enjoy your night." He left without looking back.
Jenna winked at me. "Always scares the adults off when you use the word lover."
"I'll have to try that sometime," I said with a smile. The likelihood of that happening was slim to none.
"Do you have any left in blue?" A man asked.
I playfully shoved Jenna away and turned my attention to the man before me. He had soft blue eyes, and his mouth turned up into a fraction of a smile. Something about him seemed so familiar like I knew him from somewhere, but I couldn’t pinpoint it.
"Blue is my favorite color," the man said. He stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets like he didn’t know what to do with them.
"Mine, too," I said. On the table, there were only a few bands left, none of them blue. "Looks like we're out of blue."
The man pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Do you mind if I take a picture of one to show my daughter?"
"Of course." I picked one up and held it out to him.
"Do you mind modeling it? So my daughter can see how it's used?"
I tugged the band over my arm, twisting it so he could get a good angle.
The man lifted his phone and snapped a picture. "Thanks. My daughter will be excited." He tucked his phone in his pocket. "When do you think you'll have more blue ones available?"
Brendon wrapped his arm around my shoulder and gently squeezed. "Our talented artist will be making more soon. Come to the next game, and we'll have lots of blue bands to choose from."
"I'd like that." The man cleared his throat. "I mean, I'd like a band. A blue one." He smiled at me. "You're very talented. Does it run in the family?"
"I don't know," I said.
The man furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't know?"
Brendon scooted closer to me, his stance turning stiff. "You have a son on the basketball team or something?"
The man tore his gaze from mine and blinked at Brendon. "Uh, a nephew."
"Who's your nephew?" Brendon asked. "I know all the guys on the team."
The man shifted where he stood, stealing a glance inside the gym. He took a few steps away from the table. "Number twelve. I better get back inside." He hurried through the doors and out of sight.
"That was creepy," Brendon said. He didn't lower his arm around me.
"What was?" I asked, pulling on my braid.
"Do you know who number twelve is?"
Of course I didn't. I didn't know anyone on the basketball team, let alone any sport teams at our school.
"It's Jamaal Howard," Brendon said. "Our star player. And most definitely African-American and that creep was definitely white."
"So," I said with a shrug. "Maybe he married into the family."
Jenna sat down on the now empty table. All the bands had been sold. Aside from the one on me. Jenna slipped it off my arm. "That man was a total perv."
"Why?" I asked.
Jenna twirled the band around her hand. "He took a picture of you."
I pointed at the band. "He
took a picture of that."
"That was just an excuse," Brendon said. "So he could snap a pic of you."
My eyes darted to the gym, expecting to see the man, but he was nowhere in sight. "Why would he want a picture of me?"
"Because he's a creep," Jenna said. "Probably some sick pedophile. I'll bet you a blue cell phone band he doesn't even have a daughter."
"What's a pedophile?" I asked.
Jenna dropped the band. "Are you serious?"
Brendon gave my shoulder a little squeeze and then lowered his arm. "How about we go enjoy the rest of the game?" He crammed the cash box in his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. Slipping his hand in mine, he smiled like everything was going to be okay. "Ready?"
"Sure," I said. I let Brendon guide me into the gym. We squeezed into a tight spot near the top of the stands.
Brendon put his arm around my back and held me close, not that there was much of an option. Everyone was packed in the gym – Jenna was practically sitting on top of me.
The excitement of being so close to Brendon vanished when my hair pricked. I had an overwhelming sensation that I was being watched. I scanned the gym, trying to find the source. On the other side, near the bottom, I spotted the man. He had his phone up but lowered it when I looked at him. He shifted his gaze to the game and clapped, pretending like he was paying attention, but I knew he hadn't been. He'd probably taken another picture of me.
Was he the blackmailer? I'd never seen him before and knew nothing about him, so why would he want to know so much about me? Unless he really was a creep like Brendon and Jenna had said.
"You okay?" Brendon asked.
I turned to him, our faces close. "That guy was staring at me. I think he took another picture." I pointed him out for Brendon.
"I'm not leaving your side until your dad gets here," Brendon said. "I don't like how interested that man is in you. Something's not right about him."
I rested my head on Brendon's shoulder, willing myself to stay calm. My life had become way too complicated, and I didn't like it one bit.
Brendon rubbed my back a little too roughly over one of my recent cuts from Daddy. My back stiffened and I winced from the pain.
"You okay?" Brendon asked. His new favorite question.