Vote Then Read: Volume III

by Aleatha Romig

  “Fuck,” I hiss, cupping her face with my hands. “Please don’t cry. I’m sorry. Tell me what I can do to make it better. You want me to put an ad out in the paper? Wear a tee with an apology letter on it?”

  She sniffles but is no longer trying to pull away. I still haven’t earned eye contact yet though.

  “It doesn’t matter. It’s over with.”

  I grimace and soften my tone. “If it still hurts you, then it matters. I’m sorry, Chloe. I was a stupid little prick who didn’t think about where my actions would lead. I’m sorry.”

  She inhales a few calming breaths before releasing a nervous laugh. “Thank you. Even though we can’t go back in time, I’m glad we talked about it. It was long overdue, and I should’ve come to you about it. You also should’ve grown some balls and made an announcement or even put out a stupid ad, you prick.”

  “If it counts for anything, I broke up with Becky Binds after she wrote slut on your locker. Oh, and I punched Daniel Moore for asking me if I’d put in a good word with you for him to get into your panties.”

  “Wow, that makes sense now. While I appreciate the attempt and your intentions might have been pure, you breaking up with her made her hate me more.”

  “Shit, that sure backfired on me, didn’t it?”

  She nods.

  “I can still put out an ad now, you know?” I stretch forward and grab my phone from the nightstand. “Let me call Melanie and see who’s in charge of advertising in The Blue Beech Register. I’ll ask them to draft up something.” I hold my phone up. “Do you think we can have it in this week’s paper?”

  She snatches my phone from me. “Oh God, no! I was kidding!” She points it at me. “Swear to God, if there’s anything with my name in the paper tomorrow, I’m killing you. I can see Melanie being sneaky and allowing you to do it.”

  “So, you’re done hating me now?” I attempt the best look of innocence I can manage.

  “No matter how I feel toward you now, I will always hate you for it.” A smile plays at her lips, and she pinches two fingers together while shutting one eye. “A little less now.”

  I grip her waist and draw her toward me. “Let me fuck all that hate out of you, and you can work on loving me.”

  We both flinch at my words.

  Oh fuck.

  That was the worst thing to say.

  I have feelings for her but can’t love her.

  We hardly know each other.

  I’ve never been in love with a chick.

  In high school, I thought I was in love a few times, but again, I was a dumb fucking teenager.

  I act like the words never came out of my mouth and kiss her, hoping my dick will help her forget them.

  15

  Kyle

  “What are you doing here?”

  I turn around to find a woman I vaguely recognize. I know her from somewhere but can’t pinpoint exactly where. Her blonde hair is teased, her top is low-cut enough to show me her push-up bra, and hints of red lipstick decorate her front teeth.

  “And you are?” I question.

  “I’m Claudia, Chloe’s sister,” she answers with a snarl.

  Ah, yes.

  I’ve arrested her a few times. She’s called me every name in the book and then some I’ve never heard before. Chick might be a junkie, but she’s creative as fuck with her insults.

  “You need to leave,” she demands with a hostility I don’t understand.

  Chloe said her sister hated my guts, but damn, this is overboard.

  We’re in a crowd of people, and my hands are full with concession stand snacks. This isn’t the best place to hold this conversation.

  “I’m here for the same reason you are,” I answer. “To watch the football game.”

  Her shoulders slightly relax, but her tone is still louder than necessary. “Trey said you got him off the hook for stealing from that Garfield bitch.”

  People stop at her words, and they glance at us with curiosity, some even with disgust.

  I lower my voice, hoping she’ll do the same. “I helped him out, yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I like to help people.”

  She takes a step toward me. “Is that what you’re doing? Helping my sister like you’re goddamn Superman? Do not use my children as a pawn to fuck her.” She shakes her head. “I know your type. Your stuck-up wife who can’t suck dick properly bores you in the bedroom, so you come to us trash to entertain you instead. When you’re finished getting your rocks off, we get thrown away.”

  Fuck, the shit Chloe has to put up with from this woman.

  No wonder she’s always stressed the fuck out. This chick has raised my blood pressure after a five-minute conversation. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live around her. I need to help Chloe remove some of her sister’s weight off her shoulders, maybe help out with the kids.

  “Sorry to burst your bubble, Claudia, but there’s no boring housewife sitting at home, so I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” I reply with a smile. “And I doubt I’ll ever grow bored with her.”

  She winces and takes a moment to come up with a response. She didn’t expect my answer. “You’ll have one eventually and then throw my sister away. I’m here to stop that.”

  “It won’t happen, so do yourself a favor and stop worrying about Chloe. Pass your worries onto your children. Now, let’s go enjoy your son’s game.”

  I walk away before she can respond and head toward the bleachers where Gloria and Chloe are waiting. I hand them their goods and take a seat next to Chloe. Minutes later, Claudia and a man sit down in the row behind us.

  “Kyle,” Chloe says, gesturing to them, “this is my sister and her friend—”

  “My boyfriend, Roger,” Claudia corrects.

  “Right, Roger,” Chloe replies.

  I give them a nod. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  Claudia gives me a cold glare. “Really, asshole? You going to act like we didn’t share words back there?”

  Chloe earmuffs Gloria with her hands.

  “No, I wasn’t going to mention you going nuts on me, but fine.” I move my gaze from her to Chloe. “Your sister is convinced I have an imaginary wife and need to stay away from you.”

  Chloe’s face shades in embarrassment. I didn’t need to say her sister’s words for her to understand.

  “Claudia,” she warns, “this is not the place for one of your scenes.”

  Too late for that.

  “I don’t want him or his stuck-up family around my children,” she snarls.

  “Relax. He wants to help Trey stay out of trouble. Trey didn’t get a shoplifting charge because of Kyle. You should be thanking him instead of giving him a rough time.”

  “Roger can help Trey stay out of trouble.”

  I can’t stop myself from laughing, and I hold my hand over my mouth to hide it. I don’t do it well though. I can tell Chloe is biting her tongue from doing the same. Roger is the last person I’d want as a role model for my son. I’ve picked him up for petty crimes. Dude also has sticky fingers.

  Claudia leans forward and sticks her head between Chloe and me. “He thinks he’s better than us.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” I correct.

  “He doesn’t. Kyle is trying to help,” Chloe says. “Like I said, this isn’t the place.”

  “It’s never the place to state my opinion with you. No one is allowed to embarrass precious Chloe and her perfect reputation.” She lets out a sarcastic laugh and fixes her attention on me. “Oh, wait, some asshole already tarnished your reputation. Now, you’re fucking him and making a fool of yourself. Don’t come running to me when you find out he’s using you for pussy.”

  She sure puts a somber mood on shit.

  Claudia was kind enough to raise her voice louder than the announcer, so all eyes are now on us. Chloe is pulling her jacket tighter around her body, and her eyes won’t meet mine—no doubt, out of embarrassment.

  I stand. “I’ll go.” />
  Chloe brings her hand up to stop me. “No.” She glances over at Claudia. “Trey wanted Kyle to come. Let’s not disappoint him more than we already have, okay?”

  “Wanted him to come?” Claudia says, appalled. “Okay, whatever.” Her glare turns to me. “Stay away from my children. This will be the last time my son will want to hang out with you after I tell him what you did to his aunt.” Her glare goes back to Chloe. “Here I am, trying to show up and be a good mom, and you do this.”

  I ignore Claudia and focus on Chloe, forcing a smile before leaning in so that only she can hear me. “I’ll stay, but I’m going to watch from somewhere else.”

  “Thank you,” she whispers.

  I ignore Claudia’s shit-talking as I walk away. As I’m looking for a new seat, I spot Gage and Lauren in the stands. They exchange a confused glance when I sit down. I failed to tell them I was coming.

  “I see you party animals are enjoying your Friday night,” I say. “What are you guys doing here?”

  “Dude, what better way is there to spend a Friday night than watching high school kids kick ass in football?” Gage replies with a grin.

  “The better question is, what are you doing here?” Lauren says. “Normally, you spend your Fridays at Down Home with the guys.”

  I nod toward the field. “Chloe said Trey asked for me to come.”

  “Trey as in Chloe’s nephew?” Gage questions, the words slowly leaving his mouth.

  “Yes.”

  “You’re so damn screwed,” he mutters.

  “She agreed to a double date,” I inform them. “So, please act normal for once.”

  Lauren fakes offense. “What? I’m always normal.”

  Gage snorts while I chuckle.

  She rolls her eyes and slaps Gage on his shoulder, resulting in a laugh and kiss from him.

  I sit back and watch the game.

  Trey is the JV quarterback and has talent. I watch him play while also keeping my eye on Chloe. She’s trying but not doing a great job of hiding how miserable she is with her sister and Roger.

  “Pizza! I love pizza!” Gloria sings while skipping into the pizza shop with Chloe at her side.

  Trey’s team won. After the game ended, Chloe texted, saying Gloria was hungry and cranky, so they were leaving, and she thanked me for coming. As soon as I saw them get up, I jumped up from my seat and followed her down the bleachers.

  Not in a stalker way, I swear it.

  I stayed to the side while Chloe and Claudia talked near the entrance, but Claudia’s loud mouth made it possible for me—along with everyone around—to hear her every word. From what it sounded like, she was skipping out on Trey’s celebratory pizza dinner in exchange for having a drink with good ole Roger. I’m a drinker. I don’t care who else drinks, but don’t ditch your kid who played his ass off for a few beers.

  Because crazy Claudia bailed, I had the opportunity to invite myself.

  So, here we are.

  Pizza-ing it up.

  Gloria and Trey squeeze into one side of the booth while Chloe and I do the same across from them. I rub my hands together after ordering drinks and study the menu even though I’ve eaten here hundreds of times. It’s the only pizza joint in town.

  “So,” I say, setting the menu to the side, “your aunt Chloe said we’re getting extra anchovies on our pizza.”

  I’m good with kids. We hold events and fundraisers at the station all the time, and when my siblings and I were growing up, my mom insisted we do our fair share of charity, most of them involving children from bad upbringings.

  “Heck no!” Trey exclaims, shaking his head. “I’m not eating that nasty crap.”

  Gloria peers up at me, her blonde hair back in French braids and finished off with red bows. “What are anchovies?”

  “Dead Nemos,” Trey replies.

  “Trey!” Chloe warns. “Not funny.”

  “What?” Trey questions. “I’d prefer not to enjoy Nemo with my extra cheese.”

  Gloria appears close to tears.

  Shit. Maybe I’m not good with kids anymore.

  She’s thinking we’re devouring cartoon characters tonight. “But … but I love Nemo.”

  Chloe shoots Trey a stern look. “Your brother is kidding, honey.” She slides crayons to her. “Now, show me how well you color.”

  Chloe’s attention moves to entertaining her niece and taking her mind away from eating striped fish.

  “You played a good game tonight,” I tell Trey.

  He grins and perks up in his seat. “Thanks, dude. I’m hoping they move me up to varsity. It’d be awesome!”

  “Kyle played varsity,” Chloe says, bumping my shoulder.

  Whoa. Is this about to finish with a compliment or a smart-ass comment about jocks?

  “Cool!” Trey says with wide eyes. “What position did you play?”

  I scratch my neck. “Quarterback.”

  “I bet you got laid all the time,” Trey comments.

  “Seriously, Trey,” Chloe says, gesturing to Gloria.

  He shrugs. “It’s the truth. Dudes on varsity get so many chicks, and considering there’s not much else going for me, I need all the help I can get.”

  Chloe flinches next to me at the same time I frown.

  “What does that mean?” she snaps.

  Uh-oh.

  Trey plays with the straw in his drink and looks down in shame when answering, “Come on, you know our family and where we live. Girls don’t want to date guys who come from the trailer park or ones with no money. So, if I make it to varsity, they’ll like me more.”

  I open my mouth to assure him it’s not true, but a response coming from me isn’t appropriate. I hate he’s going through it, but I’ve never experienced that struggle. The best person to tell him not to look at himself that way and ensure it gets better is the woman sitting next to me—a woman who was raised in it, struggled with it, and then rose from it. Chloe is living evidence you can’t control the cards you’re dealt, but you can control how you play them.

  Hurt and resentment are clear on her face, but her voice is soft when she speaks, “That’s not true.”

  I wait for her to say more, but there’s nothing. Maybe it’s a sensitive subject for her. Shit, maybe is an understatement. I’ve talked to children who live there, and their lives aren’t pretty.

  I point to Trey and decide to brighten the somber mood the best I can. “I’d suggest not pursuing a girl who dates you because you either made it to varsity or have money. She’s not the type who will end up being a good girlfriend.”

  “Plus,” Chloe adds before Trey can reply, “I thought you were dating a girl from the neighborhood?”

  He shrugs. “I was.”

  “And?” she questions.

  “She’s not …” He pauses to shake his head, as if he’s debating whether to continue. “People make fun of her. People make fun of me for hanging out with her.”

  I look over at Chloe in fear for myself. Her attitude is sexy but can also be scary as hell. Her eyes are closed, and a mixture of pain and fury flashes across her face. Trey’s attention goes to his drink. He’s taking loud sips, realizing it’s better to keep his mouth shut sometimes.

  “Let me guess,” Chloe finally snaps, and she peeks over at Gloria before continuing her ass-chewing. “Earmuffs, sweetie.”

  Gloria drops her crayons and places her hands over her ears.

  Chloe clears her throat, lubricating her impending lecture. “Let me guess; she’s called trailer trash for where she lives—side note, which is also where you live—and for her parents being poor. She doesn’t own brand-name shoes or have the extra funds to go on class trips, so they sneer at her in disgust, as if she were scum beneath their shoes.” She focuses on him in disappointment. “Don’t you dare judge or hurtfully treat a girl—better yet, anyone for that. Do you hear me?” She rests her elbows on the table, leans in, and lowers her voice. “Let me tell you something. I was that girl they’re teasing. Do it again
, and I will ground you for so long; you’ll be eighty before you see a varsity jersey.”

  Da-yum.

  Chloe came in with the kill shot.

  Trey struggles for a response. “I … I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “Yes, you did,” she says within seconds.

  He looks at us, embarrassed. “It’s hard here.” He shakes his head. “Forget it. Remind me not to talk about my girl problems with you.”

  “You can bring up your girl problems with me anytime,” Chloe says. “I’d prefer it, so you don’t make decisions like that again.”

  “Or ask me,” I add. “I happen to be very educated on the ladies.”

  Chloe elbows me. “He is not very educated on the ladies, hence why he’s still single.” Her eyes focus on Trey. “Don’t be an asshole to her, you hear me? I will make it my mission to check up with her regularly to make sure you’re not.”

  “I understand,” Trey says. “I know it’s wrong. I’ll talk to her tomorrow and apologize.”

  Chloe leans forward to remove Gloria’s earmuffs.

  Dinner has taken a sad turn. I frown. Chloe’s reaction hit a chord. A thickness forms in my throat for not treating her better or for not sticking up for her, so she wouldn’t feel like that girl.

  “Now that that’s over, let’s change the subject to rainbows and butterflies, okay?” Chloe says, her mood turning the opposite in seconds. She grins at Gloria and starts coloring with her again.

  We order our food. I talk football with Trey while Chloe and Gloria color until our pizza comes. Pepperoni, no anchovies.

  The mood lightens as we eat. Gloria talks about how much she loves her preschool teacher and how her class loved the pink boots Chloe had gotten her. Trey talks about his grades and how he aced his last few tests.

  They’re good kids.

  Good kids limited on opportunity because of their background.

  And that fucking sucks.

  Being a police officer has matured me and opened my eyes to how others aren’t born into privileged lives like I was. I see these kids who go without. If it looks like they need food, I’ll buy them something at the diner, or I’ll slip them some candy. But I’ve never heard their stories like this.