by SM Olivier
Peyton’s Path:Fighting Fate
Book 2
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SM Olivier
Title: Peyton’s Path: Fighting Fate
Series: Peyton’s Path Book 2
Peyton’s Path
S.M. Olivier
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2019 by S.M. Olivier
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. No part of this book can be reproduced in any form, or by electronic means or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.
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1
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Rumors
“Come on, Ladies and…Gents,” Coach Carson called out before he started blowing his whistle. He paused noticeably as he eyed the guys on our squad who were taking their time walking to the bus.
I was near him, so I winced when he blew the whistle near my ear. He smiled at me apologetically, and I gave him a faint smile in return and shrugged. I knew he hadn’t seen me there initially, since I’d come from the front of the bus. I shifted my bag to my other shoulder, trying to see if I could see Zane or Crew. They had already boarded over fifteen minutes ago.
Coach liked having his players on first so they could have the prime seats. We got what was left. I didn’t care. A seat was a seat.
We were headed to our first away-game. Crew and Zane played football, and after years of fighting the dark side, I had joined the cheerleaders. When I moved here, I had registered for a dance class only to realize it was a cheerleading class. I stayed to tick off Leah, my half-sister, then stayed to get an easy A. Plus, I had made a commitment to Freddy.
“Hold up, Peyton,” Freddy called to me, running forward, as if conjured from my thoughts.
I stopped with my hand on the handrail and looked at him with a raised brow.
“Can I sit with you?” he asked.
“Of course.” I smiled at him. “If you dare the wrath of half the squad,” I teased.
Since the first day of school, over three weeks ago, we had become fast friends. Admittedly, Paxton went through a couple of days where he didn’t like the mini Mack truck, AKA Fantastic Freddy, but he soon realized that the other guy had his eyes set on Heather, the captain of the cheerleading squad. Freddy had zero interest in me, which suited me just fine, because not only was my plate full, it was overflowing.
I already had six guys that had captured my attention. We had come to an understanding that we were going to try and make it work. It helped that three of them were “brothers,” and the other three were their lifelong friends. It was weird and slightly unnerving how it came about and how it worked for us…for now. Part of me still thought it would crash and burn, but then again, I was used to disappointment.
Freddy and I got on the bus. We were already given the lecture this afternoon that the cheerleaders were prohibited from sitting with the football players. Which, in truth, made no sense, since they had no such qualms if the male and female cheerleaders sat together. Even if two of the six guys preferred guys over girls, it still was utterly inane. Then again, since starting a new school six hours from “home” my senior year, I wondered if I had entered the Twilight Zone at times.
I had already realized the double standard and hypocrisy that ran rampant in this school. For instance, they had dress code regulations that the cheerleaders didn’t have to adhere to. Or like the fact that my half-siblings, Dylan and Leah, were supposed to be suspended for two weeks for indirectly harming me a couple of games ago. Yet, here Leah sat.
They had paid a friend to tackle me, and even though Jose was still out, somehow my sperm donor—AKA David Delaney, AKA the father who never wanted me—had called in his lawyers. Their suspension hadn’t even lasted a full week.
What further infuriated me was that they were permitted to come back on the teams they were kicked off of. The school board decided they couldn’t ban them from school sports without a proper hearing being held. Ultimately, it was up to the coaches if they allowed the players back onto the teams. I had been given the chance to press charges, and I should have. I had feared I would live to regret giving them grace, and I did.
Selena, our coach/teacher, had no backbone, and I was pretty sure she despised me, since she suspected that I had a hand in her breakup with Mr. Isaacs. She also cared more about being friends with each member of the squad than actually doing her job. Needless to say, my half-sister and adversary were back on the team.
I may have been one of the reasons for Selena’s breakup with Mr. Isaacs, but it wasn’t the most compelling reason. The most substantial reason was her inability to accept the children in his life. Mr. Isaacs and I haven’t acted on our attraction to each other, but we had acknowledged it. She only had herself to blame for the demise of their relationship, regardless if I was in the picture or not. She tried to get the kids taken away from Mr. Isaacs, Golden, and Paxton all because she didn’t want to date a man that had children.
Maisie and Clay were left in their brothers’ care after the death of their parents. It was a tragic accident that took five of their family members in one day. Not only had they lost their parents, but they had also lost three of their siblings. The brothers had taken the responsibility of the two youngest seriously; nothing− and no one− could convince them to discard the kids like unwanted pets taken to the pound.
Unlike Selena, Coach Carson had a spine, and after reviewing the video that had been circulating, he had said the only way Dylan could ever get back onto the team was if he became the water boy and equipment manager. Of course, that had been below my spoiled half-brother, so he refused to return to the team in any capacity. David had tried to strong-arm him, but Coach Carson refused to budge.
“That queen will only sit on her throne for so long before the rightful heir takes it,” Freddy teased in return.
I knew he was talking about Leah’s position as co-captain of the squad. She was quickly losing half of the team due to her power trips, and truthfully, she wasn’t the greatest cheerleader.
“Oh, Freddy.” I sighed fondly at his typical dramatics. “I don’t want the throne. You know if it weren’t for you, I would have already quit.”
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t,” he confided. “My dad and mom will be at tonight’s game. They’ll be recording our routines. They already sent off the video from our first game to a few schools. Promise me that you’ll wait until I’m accepted to a school with a full ride before you quit.”
I laughed. “I’ve already given you that promise.”
I spotted Crew and Zane sitting in the seats closest to the cheerleaders. They were immersed in a discussion, so I wasn’t going to be that needy girlfriend demanding their attention. I knew how important this game was to them, and I knew how they liked to focus before a game. It was the same way I got before a competition, so I completely understood.
Zane and Crew were two of my…boyfriends. I still didn’t know what I should call them. When I brought this up to Golden, he had laughed and asked why we should have to put a label on us, and I had readily agreed. It was confusing enough as it was.
I couldn’t help but admire them today, especially. They were required to wear suits to the away-games. I got to see them dressed up, and I had to say, they filled their suits o
ut rather nicely. Who was I kidding? I wasn’t the only one to notice. They got an inordinate amount of attention from the other girls in our school today, more than other days. I didn’t blame those girls, though. Zane and Crew were both…hot.
Zane was my Greek god, although technically, he was half Russian. He was about six-foot-two, and between football and dance, he was muscular without being bulky. He had dark, almost black hair, with a deep tan and dark chocolate brown eyes. When he smiled, he had these beautiful dimples.
Crew was the offensive tackle and built like one. He was a little over six-foot-five, and between helping at his brother’s construction company and football, he was huge. His features reminded me of Taylor Kitsch in Friday Night Lights. Like the actor, he had chin-length brown hair, well-defined facial features, and charcoal-gray eyes that held a look of apathy, unless he was looking at the people he cared about.
I chose a seat near the front with Freddy. Even though there were seats near the guys, it was too close to Leah and the Bobbsey Twins. I’d already heard enough snide comments and evil digs during practice and didn’t need to subject myself to any more. I chose to remove myself from situations they would put me in.
I could be mature like that…sometimes.
Knowing the guys, they probably had tried to save the seat in the front of them. However, I knew Leah and her manipulative ways, too; she would have insisted on sitting there. For someone who told Zane to forget about her almost two weeks ago, she didn’t seem to want to follow the same advice. If anything, she got worse since returning to school. Her obsession with Zane was quite alarming, actually.
Casey with a C—not to be confused with Kasey with a K who sat nearby—was sitting next to Leah. Yes, we had two Caseys on our team, and both were best friends with Leah, which they made sure to clarify all the time. They both assisted and encouraged Leah’s pursuance of Zane. It was actually pretty pathetic how far they went to help her.
I turned to Freddy. “Do you think it’s possible that David wasn’t the only one dipping his quill in two inkwells approximately eighteen years ago?” I asked tongue in cheek as I looked back at them.
I wasn’t a naturally catty person, but since moving here, I found out I could be. I’d dubbed Kasey and Casey the Bobbsey Twins for two reasons. Their nearly identical blonde hair and blue-eyed looks, and because I could’ve sworn they shared the same brain. The same one they let Leah control.
“Well,” Freddy said with a conspiratorial smile before stashing our bags above us. “My dad did say that Kasey with a K’s mother always wanted what her best friend, Casey with a C’s mom had, if you know what I mean.”
“Shut up!” I exclaimed. “You’re screwing with me, aren’t you?”
Freddy shook his head and gave me a wicked grin. He looked around with great exaggeration before he leaned forward. I had to smile sadly since he reminded me a lot of Lucas at that moment. Lucas had been my best friend back home for thirteen years. Since finding out he slept with a girl that had hurt me, and possibly my career, I haven’t spoken to him. It had been over a week since we had communicated. I couldn’t. Not yet. It still hurt.
Like Freddy, he was worse than a girl when it came to gossip. They both also seemed to know a lot more about everyone else’s lives than I thought possible. Since Freddy and I lived in a small town, though, it wasn’t as impressive as Lucas’ snooping abilities had been.
“Neil Perri, Casey with a C’s father, was hooking up with Kasey with a K’s mother at the same time he was married to Casey with a C’s mother,” Freddy whispered. “Kasey with a K’s mother was the other woman. She was shacking up with her best friend’s man. However, she ended it about two months after she started dating Kasey with a K’s alleged father. My dad used to do business with Neil. He told me Kasey’s with a K’s mother had been Neil’s secretary. Dad saw her leaving Neil’s office several times adjusting herself, if you know what I mean.
“Four months later, Kasey with a K’s mother was getting married at the Justice of the Peace− with a very noticeable baby bump− to Lee Drummond. Five months later, a month after Neil’s wife had their daughter, Kasey with a K’s mother had her daughter. No one believed the names were coincidental back then. The affair was brought to light a few months after the girls were born. The Perris and Drummonds were at a function together, and Neil’s elderly grandma got the babies confused. Claimed they had to be twins. Everyone else saw it, too. The likenesses were uncanny. She asked Perri why he wasn’t claiming his other child. To this day Kasey with a K’s mother will deny an affair with Neil, and Casey with a C’s mother will deny that her best friend would sleep with her husband.”
I gasped. “You are such a liar! There is no way.”
“Oh yeah?” Freddy smiled smugly. “Next time I see their parents at one of our games, I’ll point them out, and you be the judge.”
I laughed. “Okay. However, can we come up with some nicknames? Kasey with a K and Casey with a C is a bit of a mouthful and can be confusing at times.”
He laughed but then gave me another superior smile. “How about Thing 1 and Thing 2, or…Nan and Flossie?”
I began giggling. “Should I find it alarming that you know the female characters names in the Bobbsey Twins books? You do know that Nan and Flossie were fraternal twins with boys, not each other, right?” I pointed out, despite the fact I had been calling them the Bobbsey Twins for some time and had been correlating the wrong series as well. Come to think of it, they were more like the twins in the Sweet Valley High books.
He gave me a smile with no shame. “I’ll have you know that one of my best friends is my sister, and she loved that series. I was only being a good younger brother and listening to her. I knew there were twins in that book, I just never retained all the pesky little details.”
I laughed once more. “Wow, just wow. But yeah, there are these books called Sweet Valley High. The main characters are blonde twins. We could look up their names,” I suggested before pulling out my phone.
“Nah.” He dramatically waved his hand. “We’ll go with Nan for Casey with a C, and Flossie for Kasey with a K.”
“Okay,” I agreed with a grin. It really didn’t matter all that much to me.
“Peyton Delaney?” I heard Selena call as she was coming onto the bus.
I popped my head up and looked over the seats. “Yes?” I asked, still smiling from Freddy’s knowledge.
“Can you come with me?” She looked a bit smug and uncomfortable at the same time.
“Um, sure.” I shrugged.
“What’s going on?” Freddy asked in a scandalized whisper.
“I don’t know,” I told him with an exaggerated eye roll.
I climbed over Freddy’s lap and noticed how the bus had gotten quiet. I looked down at my phone and saw the time.
We should be leaving here in five minutes. What the heck was going on, now?
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As I got off the bus, I noticed Principal Reynolds standing next to a couple of women and Selena. I then noted that Catherine and Diane Delaney were standing not too far away, also with smug smiles on their faces. Why were they here? I knew Catherine, my stepmom, despised my existence. I was proof her life wasn’t as perfect as she wanted others to believe. I was the reminder that she was “the other woman;” that her husband had deceived her. I was a symbol of her humiliation.
However, Diane Delaney’s presence mystified me the most. Her daughters and I went to dance class together. I had inadvertently made enemies with Bailey, her oldest, as well, but she didn’t even attend our high school. It was no secret Diane wanted to live vicariously through her daughters, so they were privately tutored at our studio.
I heard the distinctive sound of bus windows sliding down. Great, now everyone can witness the show. I had no doubt it was going to be a good one—insert sarcasm here. Since I’d moved here, it seemed I was a magnet for… trouble. Seriously, I didn’t go looking for it.
“Yes?” I asked as I braced myself. No
good would come of this conversation, this I knew.
I looked up and saw Leah staring at me from inside the bus, with the biggest wicked smile on her face.
Nope. Not good at all. Not even a little.
“It’s been brought to our attention,” Vice Principal Reynolds said, clearly troubled as she cleared her throat, “That it might not be wise for you to participate in tonight’s routines.”
She was currently a stand-in until the school board could hire a new principal. Mr. Boyd was our principal until a few weeks ago. He had been fired for his stunt with me, physically touching me in a locked, closed office. Then he had covered for Dylan by hiding my half-brother’s drugs from the authorities.
It was clear that Mrs. Reynolds didn’t have the right authoritative power to be principal. None of the staff respected her, let alone the students. She was a lovely woman, but she just wasn’t strong enough to hold the position.
“Why not?” I asked in confusion. “I was cleared to return at the beginning of the week.”
“Well, yes…” Principal Reynolds shifted uneasily once more. “But that was for a concussion. In your condition, you should have waited longer.”
“What condition?” I asked, truly mystified.
“You were pregnant and lost, or got rid of, your baby,” one of the parents said self-righteously. With brown hair artfully styled up in a French twist, she looked like she’d had one too many surgeries to her face. She wore a fitted red blouse, tight black slacks, and expensive black stilettos. Her whole looked screamed Money!
I heard several gasps coming from the bus. I looked up and saw the thunder in Crew’s eyes. In the other window, Leah kissed her fingers before blowing them at me. She was kissing me goodbye, as if she believed all this was a done deal. Cute.
I looked behind me and noticed all eyes were on me. I noted Freddy hanging out the window with his cellphone. I would have laughed at his intrusiveness if I wasn’t so…pissed.