I’m herded along, his sweaty palm on my back, still trying to understand. Dad didn’t mention getting a message, but he’s been distracted by Mum and me and Sean. ‘Wait, I need to talk to you, sir.’
He opens the door and I step out into the sunshine. ‘We don’t have time.’
I have to run to keep up as we cross to the hall. The cars and extra people I saw earlier now make sense. The side doors of the hall are open and when I follow Mr Anderson inside it seems we are the last to arrive.
And just like that I find myself in the same room where I stood at the edge of the dancefloor on Friday night. But now it’s filled with chairs and chatting students, while parents and teachers line the edge of the room.
Mr Anderson smiles down at me. His cloud of sickly musk aftershave almost drowns out the smell of sweaty socks and liniment. ‘Please take a seat at the front, Miss Jones.’
I nod. I sit. Because what else can I do?
Dad is at the back of the room. He meets my gaze, a question in his.
I shake my head.
‘After,’ he mouths.
Standing a few feet away from him is Sergeant Peters. My belly contracts. What is he doing here? What’s going on? Is he looking for Rhett?
Mr Anderson taps the microphone to get everyone’s attention. He rambles on about school values and then, ‘Callie Jones, please make your way up to the stage.’
Everyone is looking at me.
I try to stand but I think my knees are missing. I’m numb. I imagine collapsing, hitting my head on the chair behind me. Then maybe I won’t remember any of this.
But I push the fanciful thought aside. I’m tired of pretending. I square my shoulders and lift my head high—the picture of the good little class valedictorian and scholarship recipient. I catch Bree’s eye and she gives me the thumbs-up sign. It’s good to have her on my side. Whatever I do I’ll still have one friend here.
And really, it doesn’t matter that Rhett’s gone. I was never doing this just for him.
I straighten my glasses and stride forward.
For so long I’ve been trying to be what everyone wanted me to be. I thought becoming a doctor and getting perfect grades would fix Mum and the guilt from my past, but it hasn’t. I’ve been aiming for this scholarship from the moment I started school. Not really for the money, at least not back then, but for the step it would be on the path I had chosen.
As I climb the stairs to the stage, I know at last what to do. Each step takes me higher but my feet are sure. I am not afraid of falling now. I still have a choice.
I can still be free.
CHAPTER
22
Rhett
Sweat drenches my T-shirt, giving the dust from the road something to stick to, and by the time I reach the school I’m damp and dirty. There’s not a cloud in the sky and the sea breeze barely teases my heated skin.
I hesitate at the gates. They’re way more majestic than the buildings they guard. All wrought-iron magnificence protecting ordinary concrete.
This is a place I thought I’d never see again, and truth is, I wouldn’t miss it. But I’m going to claim my future, and facing up to what happened here on Friday night is the first step.
The number of cars around the grounds tells me something is happening, but there’s no-one in sight. There’s a sinking feeling in my gut. I’d forgotten the scholarship award assembly was today.
No-one notices me slip into the back of the hall. This is the oldest building on campus and there are huge curtains back here from long-forgotten school plays, and an overhanging balcony that allows people to watch basketball games from above. The seats are packed with bored students and townsfolk. There’s someone from the local paper in the far corner. Are they here for the scholarship?
Ando is droning on up on the stage about school activities. He’s talking about a fine academic record and representing the school and he’s building up to the scholarship announcement. It will be Callie and I can’t blame her for taking the out that I offered.
I shift in the shadows. I’m too late. Maybe if I could have talked to her before … There has to be a way to clear my name without hurting the girl I love.
There’s a rustle from behind me and Timmy enters the same way I did. He stops when he sees me, then leans back against the wall and folds his arms. ‘Heard you’d skipped town.’
I shrug. ‘Seems you heard wrong. Sorry to disappoint. I know it would make things easy for you.’
‘None of this has been easy.’
‘Sure looked that way Friday night. Easy to corner my sister. Easy to blame me for something I didn’t do.’
His gaze shifts past me to the stage.
I follow it. Callie. My heart flips. I must have missed Ando calling her name. She hasn’t seen me but I can’t look away from her. She’s so self-assured and every step is full of purpose.
‘I’m sorry,’ Timmy murmurs. There’s genuine regret in his voice. ‘I was ashamed of being there at all, and I panicked when Hayden wasn’t moving. I guess I thought if I backed him, Sean wouldn’t rat me out. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. We all make mistakes, you know?’
‘I know.’
The applause dies down and Callie steps up to the microphone with a regal nod to Ando. Now that I know she’s human underneath, I can admire her poise, and the elegant length of her neck and tilt of her head. She doesn’t need her glasses to look smart but they don’t hurt. I know there’s a tiny butterfly on the side of them, waiting to fly free.
I used to think she believed she was smarter than everyone else. Better, because of her perfect life. But now I know the truth. She’s just clinging on like the rest of us, as life sends yet another tsunami at her.
She clears her throat. ‘I’m glad to have this opportunity to speak to everyone because there’s something I need to say.’
I can’t breathe.
She waits for silence. ‘Most of you know something happened here during the dance on Friday night, but only a few of you know the truth.’
‘I don’t think we need to hear any more,’ Ando stands and interrupts, but Callie stops him with a look.
‘Unlike you, I was there.’ She swallows. The nervous slide of her hands over each other is missing. She’s sure. ‘A terrible incident occurred on Friday night only a few metres from here. Someone innocent has been blamed.’
Holy crap, I think I’m going to cry. I press my fists as hard as I can into my thighs.
She’s telling.
Even though she believes I’ve run, she’s still telling.
I think for a second my chest might burst open with the wonder of it and I have to bite my tongue to stop the whoop of glee. She’s telling.
There are murmurs from the crowd, but Callie ignores them, standing tall on the stage, never more beautiful. ‘Mr Anderson will tell you that there was a fight between Hayden Chapman and Rhett Barker. That’s his first mistake. Rhett wasn’t fighting, he was going to the aid of … an innocent victim.’
I see Scarlett’s red hair in the crowd and I’m thankful Callie chose to keep her name out of it. There are enough rumours about her already.
‘When he tried to help,’ Callie continues, her audience spellbound, ‘Rhett was attacked by Hayden and his friends. One of those friends threw the punch that felled Hayden. It was an accident.’ As she speaks, she’s looking towards the side doors and I recognise Hayden’s dad, who’s just come in. ‘A terrible accident. And Rhett was the one who attempted first aid.’
Mr Chapman’s glare takes in the whole room. ‘I couldn’t stand in that hospital, doing nothing, a minute longer. Someone needs to pay for what happened to my son. And you are standing up there saying this is somehow his fault?’
And then I get it. Hayden’s dad is here looking for me.
Well here I am.
I force my legs to move. One step, two, and then people are turning towards me, including Hayden’s father. I dare to look at Callie then. Her small smile gives me the st
rength to stand tall before the hate in Mr Chapman’s eyes.
I take a deep breath. ‘I didn’t throw the punch.’
Man, it feels good to say it aloud. To stand up in front of all these people and tell my side of the story. For a second I believe I deserve this moment of truth.
Then Mr Chapman speaks. ‘You’re lying.’
The whole room seems to freeze. I would swear that not a single person breathes or shifts or turns away from the drama unfolding in front of them. My heart thumps and I can’t think of a single thing to say. Everything is in balance.
‘He’s telling the truth.’ Callie’s voice from the stage doesn’t register with Mr Chapman. He’s looking at me and there’s rage in every tense muscle.
‘They’re telling the truth,’ Bree calls from the stage, where she’s now standing with Callie. I blink. I didn’t even see her move.
‘They are,’ Scarlett shouts.
‘It wasn’t Rhett,’ says Timmy, from where I left him at the back of the hall. Sorrow and shame deepen his voice. ‘I lied. It wasn’t him.’
People are talking. The room buzzes.
It’s not enough. I’m grateful to all of them, but it’s not enough because Hayden’s father is shaking his head. ‘I don’t care what they say. You better hope the sergeant takes you away fast, son, or I’ll deal with you myself.’
Sergeant Peters steps forward. ‘Come with me, Rhett. We’ll need to speak with you at the station.’
‘But I didn’t do it.’
His eyes dart to Mr Chapman. ‘We’ll talk about it away from here.’
The room closes in around me.
‘Wait.’
There’s the sound of steps behind me and like everyone else I turn towards the desperate cry. Sean Jones stumbles past me.
His whole focus is Hayden’s father.
‘I hit him.’ Sean’s words are whisper quiet, but they’re dragged from a hell I can only imagine. Tears are running down his cheeks but he doesn’t try to wipe them away. ‘They’re all telling the truth, sir. I hit your son, not Rhett. I did it.’ His throat works like the words are stuck deep inside. His head bows. ‘It was one punch. One stupid punch. I’m so sorry.’
And it’s over.
CHAPTER
23
Callie
‘You were awesome,’ Bree whispers.
I turn to my best friend, who stood beside me when it mattered. I’ll never forget the way she ran up on stage to add her voice to mine. ‘No, you were.’
She squeezes my hand. ‘I’m happy to agree we both were?’
I chuckle, even as I wonder how I thought she’d turn her back on me after all the years we’ve been friends. I surprise her with a quick hug. ‘Works for me.’
‘Anyway, what Mr Chapman didn’t say is that Hayden has improved overnight.’
He did something despicable but I can’t help being relieved for Sean’s sake. ‘That’s good news. How did you know?’
‘I’m dumping him, but that doesn’t mean I need to hurt his mum. She texted me.’ She tosses her hair over her shoulder. ‘I’m wishing him a nice long recovery where he can think about what he’s missing out on.’
‘He’s an idiot,’ I agree, but I’m looking for Rhett.
Seeing my distraction, Bree gives me a light shove. ‘Go get him.’
Stepping down from the stage, I ignore the whispers and the murmurs as the assembly disintegrates into a hundred private conversations. There’s no sign of Rhett in the crowd.
Dad stops me as I pass. Sean is with him. Strangely, my brother looks brighter than he has all weekend.
‘I’m proud of you,’ Dad says.
I blink back tears. ‘I was so afraid you’d be angry.’
‘You did the right thing.’
I nod. My days of needing someone else to tell me that are gone, but it still feels pretty good to hear it.
Sean doesn’t offer me absolution but he doesn’t turn away when I reach out to touch his arm. ‘I’m sorry.’
Dad slips an arm around Sean’s shoulder. My brother is actually bigger than my dad now, but the action doesn’t look odd. ‘We’re heading to the police station now. Sean’s taken the first step to putting this behind him and we’ll help him do whatever it takes to make amends.’
Sergeant Peters is not far behind them. ‘I’ll need to talk to you too, Miss Jones.’
‘Now?’
‘There’s no hurry.’ He steps aside to reveal Scarlett standing behind him. ‘I’ll be taking your brother’s and Miss Barker’s statements first.’
Scarlett smiles at me as she passes. She looks like a girl who’s realised she doesn’t deserve to be treated the way Hayden treated her. At last. Her head’s held high.
Dad kisses my cheek. ‘I won’t hold you up. I’m guessing there’s someone you probably want to talk to.’
‘There is.’
As I walk through the doors, I hear Mr Anderson trying to call everyone to attention. He’ll already be trying to twist this so the school comes out looking okay, and I don’t blame him. But it’s too late to keep the truth under wraps.
I bounce a little down the steps.
I’m light.
I’m free.
My scholarship from the school will almost certainly be cancelled, and my brother is going to pay a huge price for his mistakes, but I know I’ve done the right thing, and so did Sean. He’ll get through this, and if he needs counselling he’ll get that too. I’ll be there for him.
In a way, we all needed to atone. Me for not coming forward in the first place. Timmy for backing up Sean when he should have told the truth. Bree for refusing to hear the truth. Hayden for the way he treated Scarlett. Rhett for running away.
But it’s Sean who made the biggest mistake, and now he’ll have to deal with the consequences.
I’m finally outside when I see him.
Rhett’s waiting for me under an old blue gum and I’m so, so glad to see him. He’s dishevelled and hot and when he sees me his dark eyes betray a flicker of nerves, which makes him completely adorable.
Rhett Barker is nervous to talk to me.
And I love it.
I don’t know who closes the final steps between us but suddenly I’m in his arms. It’s exactly where I want to be. Instead of claiming my mouth, his lips brush my cheek.
‘You’re crying,’ he whispers.
‘Happy tears.’ I think. Kind of. That’s something I understand better now. There’s no such thing as a single feeling—there’s always a whole lot of messy stuff thrown in.
He kisses each tear away. His forehead rests against mine. The rough skin of his thumb strokes my lower lip. ‘I missed you. It was crazy. I was only gone for an hour and I missed you like someone had cut out a piece of me. One weekend. One mad weekend has changed everything. You’ve changed me.’
His hoarse admission finds an echo inside me. ‘I missed you too. When I thought you’d gone …’
He kisses me again when my voice fails. I breathe him in. Sweat and boy and Rhett. It’s all I want. ‘I’m here now,’ he says against my lips. Then he pulls back and smiles down at me. ‘Do you remember that party I told you about? From when I was a kid?’
I nod.
‘What I didn’t say was that wonderful feeling is the same as I feel when I’m with you.’
‘Really?’
‘You’re like strawberries dipped in chocolate, fizzy drink, and party balloons on the front door. Being with you—’
I sock him lightly in the shoulder.
He rubs at his arm in mock injury. ‘What was that for?’
‘Running away, for a start.’
He offers a sheepish grin. ‘I admit it was monumentally stupid, and I suspect you’ll be reminding me of it for the foreseeable future.’
‘You suspect right. What made you come back?’
He pulls me close again and this time I don’t try to resist. ‘You.’
I fight a grin. ‘That’s a smooth line, Mr Barker, but
I happen to know I’m the reason you left.’ A misguided attempt to save me from my own decision.
He doesn’t deny it. ‘I came back because I wanted to fight. Not with my fists, but for a future.’ He shrugs. ‘I deserve a chance at one, just like everyone else.’
‘And this future, what does it entail?’
He drops a kiss on my nose and my whole body silently cheers. ‘Getting to know you better. Maybe uni, too.’ He’s a cute mix of nonchalant and excited. ‘A few people have mentioned I’d make a pretty good vet.’
‘Really?’
He grins. ‘I always thought I had to give up everything to look after my family, but I’ve realised I can have my own life without letting them down. What about your future?’
I press my lips against his, uncaring of who sees. ‘There’s kissing.’
‘I like the sound of that.’
‘And I don’t have a clue what else.’
His brow lifts in question.
‘I’m not worried. I’ve realised I can make it up as I go along. I think I still want to be a doctor, but there’s room for other things too. I do play a pretty mean guitar.’
‘I’ve always wanted to date a rock star,’ he admits.
Then there’s no more talking because of the kissing.
Encircled by Rhett’s arms and not caring who can see us, I realise that Sean throwing that punch wasn’t the only thing I saw that night. I also saw the first glimpse of a future where I can choose to be whoever I want to be.
It’s kind of scary, but it’s exciting.
I am having a good time.
And this time, I’m not pretending.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you to Sue Brockhoff and the amazing team at Harlequin Australia. You have been incredible to work with at every stage. Thank you to the editors, Lachlan Jobbins, Annabel Blay and especially Laurie Ormond who brought out the best in me and this story.
Special thanks to Ali McDonald and her team. Thanks to Julie and Lindsey for the early reads.
My writing friends keep me showing up to work at the computer every day. Sharing the ups and downs of creating a story with people who understand makes everything a little easier. To Rachael Johns, Helen Lacey and Sandii Manning, your feedback early in the writing of this story was invaluable and I appreciate it. Thanks to all the lovely people from SARA and RWAus who inspire me so often.
What I Saw Page 23