There’s no way I’ll be able to hear him if I try to call, so I’m praying he gets my text.
Olivia: Hey I’m at club Pécher and Flynn is here with some guy.
I tap my toe as I wait and pray for him to respond. I breathe out a sigh of relief when I see the three little dots appear.
Lucas: I’m on my way.
Butterflies invade my stomach at the single text.
I know he’s coming for Flynn but maybe—just maybe—I’ll get my New Year’s kiss after all.
Twenty-Seven
Lucas
When I saw Liv’s name pop up on my phone, two things crossed my mind. First, I’d hoped she was forgiving me and wanting to start the New Year off together. Second, I’d considered it could be a drunk text of expressing her feelings, good or bad.
I never expected her to tell me she saw Flynn at some bar with some douche.
Well, that’s not entirely true. Where my baby sister is concerned, anything is possible. Especially if it involves her getting into trouble.
The roads are packed and the Uber I’m taking isn’t winning any world records for speed. You’d think we were in the center of New York City with the crowds out tonight, not in North Carolina.
It takes me twice the amount of time to get downtown and when I get to the club, there’s a line wrapping around the building. I approach the bouncer, hoping my explanation is good enough. He puts up a beefy hand to stop me and I do.
“Look, man, my sister is inside and she’s only nineteen. She’s with some creepy dude and I just want to get her home safely.” Considering she is underage, the bouncer lets me slide by with concern etched on his face. The line behind me yells profanities, but I don’t care. I only have five minutes until midnight; I need to find my sister and make sure this dude doesn’t hurt her in any way.
The place is loud and dark. There’s a TV on the wall behind the bar which is streaming New Year’s Rockin’ Eve live from New York. I push my way through the crowds. I find a group of five women standing together on the dance floor and as luck would have it, one of them is Olivia.
I stride up to them and a group of nearby dudes all but make grunting noises and whip out their dicks to mark their territory. I scoff and roll my eyes and that’s when Liv turns and sees me.
“Hey, I didn’t think I’d see you.” She’s yelling over the music. Her hair is matted at her temples from sweat. Her cheeks are rosy and her dress is a tiny scrap covering her body. She’s distracting and my mind wanders to taking her home and fucking her instead of focusing on the problem at hand.
“Where’s Flynn?” My eyes trail down her body and I hope she’s drunk enough to not notice my ogling and how my gaze continues to find her cleavage.
“I thought you already left with her. I don’t know.”
Fuck.
Liv offers to help me find her and I take her up on it. Not only does it allow me to spend time with her, but two people are better than one.
“There’s the guy she was with.” Liv points out this dude who has to be in his forties leaning against the bar. He’s a creep of epic proportions and I’m ready to smash his face in for taking advantage of my sister. But she’s not with him which means we still need to find her.
I scour the bar area and she takes off toward the women’s restroom. Another minute passes and as time ticks by my nerves and anger grow. To the left is a set of stairs to a VIP entrance. I climb the stairs and another security guard stops me.
I explain the situation once again to him and first use the stairs to leverage my view. I’ll wait until Liv comes back from the bathroom to see if my sister is with her before entering the private, enclosed area.
Olivia appears across the room, a look of irritation marring her face. Her arm is extended and yes, she has a hand on Flynn’s arm. She’s tugging her down the hall though I can see my sister wanting to fight her.
If I don’t get down there soon, that’s exactly what will happen.
I push through the masses and they start counting down from sixty. When I finally reach Flynn and Olivia, there are only thirty seconds to go before the New Year commences.
My sister swipes at her nose, dragging her pointer finger across a nostril. My blood boils at the meaning. When I see a droplet of blood on her hand, I’m devastated. When did things get this bad?
Flynn’s pupils are pinpoints since she’s as high as the goddamn space station. I want to yell at her, but that won’t do me any good right now.
“Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen…” The crowd around me chants. I pull my sister as far away from the guy she was with as I can. If she keeps fighting me I’m going to pick her up and carry her out of here.
Liv doesn’t follow up at first, but I wave for her to come with us. “Thank you,” I call to her.
“Of course.” She shrugs and a smile pulls at her lips. She’s a little drunk and her eyes flit from my eyes to my mouth.
“Six. Five. Four…”
Fuck it. I keep one hand on Flynn’s arm and the other I reach out to Olivia. She takes it, thank fuck.
I pull her to me and as the countdown ends and people yell “Happy New Year!” I plant my lips on hers. She tastes sweet, like alcohol and candy.
“Did you really come here for me or just to get your rocks off with this one? At least man the fuck up and admit why you’re really here. I don’t know why you get to have all the fun.”
Liv and I part and I close my eyes and take a deep breath so I don’t snap at my sister. “Because you’re underage, Flynn. Let’s go.” I push my sister out the door as I glance over my shoulder at Liv. She offers me a small wave and I can’t read the emotion on her face. I hope I didn’t just somehow make things worse between us.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
My sister slumps in the back of the Uber. I told the driver to take us to my apartment. My parents don’t need to see her this way.
“What’s the big deal? The phrase sex, drugs, and rock‘n’roll didn’t get coined for nothin’.” She brushes a hair out of her eye and leans into the window, angling herself as far away from me as possible.
“Flynn, do you even hear yourself? What you’re doing is dangerous. Who knows what would’ve happened to you if you went home with that guy. And who gave you those drugs? Jesus.” I shudder.
“Yes, because that forty-year-old accountant was super threatening.” She runs an aggravated hand through her hair. “God, Luke, you don’t need to pretend like you care what happens to me. A little cocaine and a one night stand never hurt anyone.”
“That is literally the opposite of true.” I don’t even know who she is. “And I’m not pretending to care about you. You’re my baby sister and you’re in trouble.”
“Only if you tell Mom.”
“No, Flynn. I mean danger. You’re putting yourself in risky situations and your behavior is concerning. I don’t even know who you are anymore. What happened to you?” Her fists curl on top of her thighs and she whips her head to glare at me.
“Me? What happened to you? You used to be fun. Now you’re too busy chasing that stuck-up school teacher around when in reality, she doesn’t want anything to do with you. I may be living on the edge, but at least I’m living. Didn’t that used to be your motto?”
In part, she’s right. I have changed in the past few months. I’ve stopped taking risks and I’ve distanced myself from my friends. I really am one of those classic pussy-whipped pansies.
“It used to be, but I grew up. Maybe you should give it a shot.”
She doesn’t respond and when we pull up to the apartment, she stomps her way inside. I’m praying Bryce is staying with his girlfriend for the night.
I’m glad to find the place quiet and empty. I plan to crash on the couch and send Flynn to my room, but of course, she puts up a fight.
“It’s not even one yet. There’s no way I’m falling asleep anytime soon.”
Note: the cocaine. I didn’t think this through.
“F
ine, but we’re not going back out.” I turn on the TV before grabbing two Gatorades from the fridge. I toss one to my sister which she catches. “Don’t even think about asking for alcohol.”
She slumps into the couch and kicks her feet up on the table.
“What’s going on with you, Flynn?” I change my tone, making it softer to try and level with her for once. I’m not angry, but I am scared of this spiral. “No judgment, no anger. I just want to know what’s happening.”
“I don’t know, Luke, okay? I don’t know why I have to do drugs and drink all the time. I don’t know why my temper flares and the thought of punching some chick in the face calms me. I get as high from fighting as I do from drugs. It’s just something I do. I don’t have an explanation for it.”
“Your therapists—”
“Are a joke. Not one of them has offered me any solution, whether I saw them one session or five.”
“You never saw any of them for five sessions.” She slaps my arm.
“Well…do you want to talk to me?”
“Unless you can untangle the web of my inner psyche, I don’t think you can help me. Maybe I can’t be helped.” The final sentence was nothing but a whisper, a confession she never intended for me to hear.
I don’t push her any further tonight. I don’t think we’ll make much more progress anyway. I focus on the TV and after several episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I must’ve fallen asleep. By the time I wake up, Flynn is gone.
Twenty-Eight
Olivia
The school year has started back up with much reluctance from both myself and my students. Caden Powell is starting off the New Year being a fucking monster as usual, and I can’t even send him to the principal’s office. I do want to sit down and have a talk with her about her son and his bullying, but that’s a task for another day.
The week drags on and I’m equal parts excited and nervous for what the weekend will bring. When Friday finally comes, I’m ready to collapse on the couch and never leave the house again.
“Long day at work?” Kenna is cooking in the kitchen. I walked right by her and didn’t even know she was there.
“Long week. How’d you get home so early?” We’re both teachers and I’d assumed her first week back would be just as trying as mine.
“I got home at a normal time. You’re just late.” She’s not wrong. The clock reads almost seven. Where did the day go? “Dinner’s ready though, so your timing is perfect.”
I reach out my hands like I’m starring in an Oliver Twist parody and she rolls her eyes, grabs my bowl and brings it to me in the living room. Creamy chicken alfredo makes my mouth water and I take a large bite. I burn the roof of my mouth which I’m sure to pay for tomorrow.
Thankfully, McKenna comes back with a tall glass of wine and a heavy hand. The cool liquid soothes my burning mouth
“What are your plans for the weekend? A hot date with Lucas?”
“I haven’t talked to him since New Year’s.” It’s a fact that eats away at me. He hasn’t tried to contact me at all, which makes me believe he must’ve changed his mind.
“What? Why?”
I shrug. She pours a generous amount of hot sauce on her food and mixes it all together. My nose wrinkles as the hot smell and the guap sound the noodles make.
“I can’t begin to understand Lucas Fletcher. I don’t know why I ever tried.”
I feel him slipping away right at the moment I was hoping to fix things. Our midnight kiss could’ve been the start of a new chapter of us, one where bets aren’t made and trust isn’t broken.
“Have you thought about calling him?”
“Of course,” I tell her. She gives me a look that pushes me to continue. “I guess I’d hoped he would put in the effort. That he would be the one to fix things since he’s the reason we went off track.”
“There’s a good chance he’s waiting for you to give him the green light. You told him you needed time and space to figure it out. Maybe he doesn’t want to push you. He’s trying to respect your wishes.”
I eye her for a long time. She doesn’t meet my gaze and instead keeps shoveling food into her mouth. “Kenna.” I have a bad feeling.
“Can you pass me a tissue?” She’s deliberately ignoring me. Still, I pass her a tissue since hot sauce makes her nose run.
“McKenna Parrish. Look at me.” She takes a sip of wine and sets down her glass, buying time before finally meeting my eye. “Did you talk to Lucas?” Her hand goes up to her heart like I insulted her with the most ridiculous accusation.
“Me? Talk to Luke? Why on Earth would I do that?” She chuckles, a fake laugh that is painfully telling. I continue to stare at her until she cracks. “Okay, fine. I talked to Lucas.”
“KENNA! What the hell?”
“See, I knew you’d react this way.” In five seconds I’m going to throw my pasta in her face if she keeps this shit up. “He called me, okay? He told me everything. I informed him that you overheard the phone call which clued you into the bet and he explained what he told you after that. He loves you, Liv. L-O-V-E. Loves you.”
“I didn’t know you were so strongly Team Luke.”
“I’m not. Of course I’m on Team Olivia through and through, but I think that reformed douchebag actually makes you happy. I will support whatever you decide but he sounded desperate, Liv.”
“So…that’s what he told you then? That he’s giving me space, waiting for me to make the next move.” She nods and an apologetic smile graces her lips.
“Yes. Call him, work it out. Trust me, I went through the whole spiel, I threatened him and his manhood should he ever even consider hurting you again. I did my duty with him, now I’m doing it with you. I want you to be happy. You were carefree with him. Even though I didn’t like it at first, I think it could be good for you. If that’s what you want. If not, we can go shopping for boyfriends another day. I’m due for a new one myself.”
I laugh and take a bite of my dinner. As I chew, I consider my options. He deserves a second chance. He made a mistake, but he’s done nothing since to convince me he hasn’t changed and regretted what happened before.
Even if I take things slow with him, I can’t deny that he’s made me happier and freer than I’d ever been before. Kenna is right. He does make me happy and I was falling for him before everything fell apart. The least I can do is stop dragging him along and give him an answer.
“Fine, I’ll call him. But not this weekend. I’m seeing my dad tomorrow.”
“How’s that going?” She places her empty bowl on the table and curls up into the chair.
“It’s good. Tomorrow should definitely be interesting.”
“Hey, Dad.” The name still feels foreign on my tongue, but at the same time, it seems right.
“Olivia, you look nice. What are the plans for today?” I thought I’d surprise my father with a day out. He met me at my apartment and I’m going to drive us to a place I haven’t been in far too long.
The drive only takes ten minutes and I catch the minute recognition dawns in his gaze. I don’t know if he’s been here before, but even so, it’s something I wanted us to do together. It’s a moment I wanted to share and to prove that we’ve made it this far.
We walk on the walkway path I could navigate blindfolded and asleep. I take my usual seat beside the headstone, my back against the stone, and my head leaned back, angled to the sky. Dad just kind of stands there, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.
“Hey, Mom,” I start. Dad’s eyes snap to mine. “Look who I found. Well, he found me, actually, thanks to you. I don’t know why you never told me about him, but that’s a conversation for another day.” I smile encouragingly, but he’s not ready to talk yet. “You see, I brought him here because I wanted to show you that we’ve made it. Everything you wanted for us has come true. He’s here, he’s my dad, and it’s more than I could’ve imagined. Thank you for showing him the way, for telling him about me, and helping him find
me. It was the right decision and he lived up to your promise. I hate that it took us so long, but what matters is that we’re here now.”
I stand and join my dad. I take his hand to encourage him to open up. We stand there, supporting one another for some time. When he finally lets go of my hand, he walks to the stone and rests a loving hand on the top. His fingers trail down, tracing the words that I slaved over perfecting.
“Hey, Anna. We’ve got a pretty great girl here.” The moment suddenly seems private. I watch as he wipes an errant tear from his cheek as I back away. I walk down the path and find a bench to take a seat on. I give him some time and space to come to terms with this moment.
I don’t know what he’s saying to her, but I can see him. One minute he’s laughing, surely at a memory between them. The next minute his shoulders shake and his hands swipe at his wet cheeks.
After another minute or so, he looks up and his head swivels as he attempts to locate me. He spots me across the way and I stand, walking back over to my mom’s grave.
Dad opens his arm and I give him a one-armed hug, a natural embrace as if we’d been doing it for years and not like this is the first time it’s ever happened.
“Thank you for this. I hope she knows—”
“She does,” I assure him.
We sit and talk for a while longer. Dad regales me with stories of their time together in college, including one time when Mom smoked pot with him. She got so paranoid she never smoked again, but it made for an entertaining story.
After we leave the cemetery, I take us to lunch. I learn that he worked in construction when he was my age, then switched it up and was a banker. He seemed to jump from job to job, which likely had a lot to do with alcoholism.
He lost both of his parents several years ago and now I’m his only family. He has a few friends, but he doesn’t work anymore. He was on medical disability for a while because of his liver failure, but now he’s retired.
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