Falling for the Wrong Guy

by Sara Hantz

  “Yes, I know. We’d talked about it often enough. But Blake is my son, and while he’s going through this pain, I have to be there for him.” She frowned.

  Ruby understood exactly why her mom was conflicted by all of this. Just like Ruby herself had been. And still was. “I get what you’re saying, Mom. But all I’m saying is that Drew has suffered, and probably more so than Blake. I really like Drew, and I don’t want to stop seeing him.” She slumped in defeat against the closet door. “Not that we see each other much. He wants us to keep our relationship a secret. He doesn’t want Blake to find out.”

  Ruby saw from the softening of her mother’s face that she was beginning to understand. “He always was a considerate boy.” Her mom paused for a few seconds. “Why don’t you invite him over tomorrow? He can have some pizza with us. Blake won’t be here. I’d like to see him again.”

  Well, that was a surprise. And she had no idea how exactly she would broach the subject with Drew. It certainly wouldn’t be easy. “I don’t know. He might not agree.”

  “Well, it’s up to you. Try to persuade him.” Her mom smiled and then walked toward the door.

  “Okay. I’ll ask him and see what he says.” To be honest, it didn’t feel right to her. Almost like a betrayal to Blake. Then again, if he didn’t know, it would be okay. If her mom wanted to check out Drew’s motivations first, then she ought to try to get the two of them together.

  “Tell him I’ll bake his favorite chocolate cake.” She opened the door and left.

  “You don’t have to do that,” Ruby called out just as her mom closed the door, so she didn’t know if she’d heard. If she was going to go to all that trouble, maybe her mother missed having Drew around. Just a little.

  Chapter Twelve

  As Drew pulled into the curb, where Ruby stood waiting for him on the sidewalk, his heartbeat quickened. Every time he caught sight of her it happened, with no let up. It didn’t matter where they were, it still hit him. He couldn’t get used to the depth of his feelings for her, and how he had gone from thinking of her just as his friend’s little sister, to someone he wanted to be with as much as possible.

  He knew she didn’t like all the cloak-and-dagger stuff he insisted on, like them having to leave school separately, but he still couldn’t deal with the thought of them being seen together. As deep as his feelings were for her, it didn’t seem right for him to be in a relationship with anyone. Especially not Blake’s sister.

  She opened the car door and hopped inside.

  “Hey,” he said, leaning across to kiss her. Heaviness formed in the pit of his stomach as she briefly returned his kiss and then pulled back. It wasn’t like her. He knew instantly that something was wrong.

  “I’ve got something to tell you and something to ask you.” Ruby bit down on her bottom lip and seemed very uneasy.

  He knew it. He could read her like a book. Reasons for her behavior raced through his head, but all he could think of was that she’d finally realized she couldn’t carry on and was giving him an ultimatum. Bring their relationship out in the open or forget it. He had no idea how he would respond. “What?” He forced his voice to sound light and not betray his worry that they would soon be over.

  “Don’t answer right away. Well, I need your answer now; just think before you decide, that’s all.”

  Drew ran his fingers through his hair, wondering what the hell she wanted him to do. He probably wasn’t making a huge leap by thinking it would be something he wouldn’t be thrilled about. He shook his head in frustration. “I don’t like the sound of this.” He paused a moment. “Come on then, get it over with.”

  “Don’t be mad, but my mom knows about us.”

  He hadn’t expected that. “What? How?” He really didn’t need this.

  Ruby cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable. “She overheard me talking to you yesterday. Anyway, I told her about us, and she wants you to come back with me for pizza today.”

  “You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Drew spluttered. He couldn’t believe Ruby had told her mom about them. She could’ve said that they were talking about their project or something. Anything. Just not that they were seeing each other. Because as much as it derailed him, what the hell would it be doing to her mom? What the hell would it do to everyone he’d hurt if they all found out?

  “Blake won’t be there. She wants to see you. She cared about you before, you know.”

  He scanned Ruby’s face to see if she was being straight with him. He couldn’t for a single moment imagine her mom wanting to see him. It made no sense at all. “Before I ruined her son’s life, you mean.” He leaned forward and rested his head on the steering wheel. The whole conversation was as surreal as it could get.

  “No, she doesn’t think that.”

  “Of course she does,” he snapped, then immediately regretted it. He sat upright. “Sorry. It’s just… just… I don’t understand why you had to tell her. It doesn’t seem right me going to your place, even if Blake isn’t there.”

  “Why? You spent most of your time there before.”

  “Exactly. Before.” He didn’t get it. Was Ruby being deliberately obtuse about the whole thing, or did she really think it was a good idea? He’d shared a lot of great times with Blake at his house. Tree climbing. Biking. The first can of beer they’d tasted. It had been like his second home. His sanctuary from the awful life he had with his parents. He’d have given anything to live there all the time. But now… “How can I go to your place after what happened?” He thumped the steering wheel in frustration.

  “You have to trust that Mom wants to see you. She’s made your favorite cake.”

  “Chocolate?” Everything was getting weirder by the second.

  “Isn’t that proof that she really wants you to come back with me?”

  He let out a long sigh. It sounded like her mom was being genuine. She’d always baked his favorite cake on special occasions that his own parents overlooked. “I don’t know.” He heard the hesitation in his voice. Much different from his adamant no from a few moments ago.

  “Come on; it will be fine. And if you find it too hard, we don’t have to stay. Deal?” Ruby held out her hand for him to shake, anticipation evident on her face.

  He couldn’t resist the sparkle in her eyes. “Okay. But not for long.”

  He wondered what the hell he’d gotten himself into. It seemed so wrong. And Blake might be out, but what would happen if he came back home and found Drew there? It would be a nightmare for everyone.

  “It will be fine. Trust me,” Ruby said, taking one of his hands in hers and gently stroking it.

  “Yeah. Trust you. Like the time when we…”

  “I know what you’re going to say,” she interrupted. “About the time I almost got us arrested for fare evasion on the subway. But this is totally different.” She grinned at him.

  Drew’s muscles relaxed a little. He wasn’t happy about going to Ruby’s house, but he’d do it. For her.

  He started the engine and drove in the direction of her house. Ruby talked non-stop about nothing in particular, and it suited him because it gave him the chance to brace himself for what he knew was going to be a very strange and difficult time.

  In what seemed like only seconds, he pulled up outside Ruby’s little white row house. It struck him how different their lives were. Not just because of his parents drinking, but the whole way they lived. He couldn’t care less about living in such a huge place. About the fact that you could practically fit Ruby’s entire house in the square footage of his kitchen. Even with the problems with her dad, Ruby’s home had laughter and warmth that no amount of money could buy. He’d trade his house in a heartbeat to live like she did.

  “Let’s get this over with,” he said as he opened his door.

  He leaned against the back of his car and tried to relax his super-tense muscles. The temperature had dropped, and there was a distinct chill in the air, which caused him to shiver. At least he told himself that the w
eather had caused this reaction in him, and it was nothing to do with the situation.

  “Come on,” Ruby said, taking hold of his hand and tugging him toward the footpath leading to their front door.

  Before they’d even made it to the door, it opened, and Ruby’s mom stood there with a welcoming smile on her lips. Although it didn’t quite make her eyes; the expression in them was hesitant.

  Drew’s feet seemed to be stuck to the ground, and fleetingly, he debated turning and running in the opposite direction. Ruby squeezed his hand, pulling him forward the extra few yards.

  “Hello, Drew,” Mrs. Davis said. As he got close up, he could see her staring at his neck and then tears formed in her eyes, which she blinked away.

  His breath hitched in the back of his throat. He couldn’t believe that she’d felt moved to tears by seeing what had happened to him. No one had done that before. Apart from his mom in one of her drunken moments when it first happened, and he didn’t count that because he wasn’t 100 percent convinced the tears were for him anyway.

  “Hi, Mrs. Davis.” His voice sounded forced and awkward, but he didn’t know how to change it.

  In the past, she’d always given him a hug. He didn’t expect that now, and that suited him fine. He didn’t do hugs now, apart from Ruby, who knew how to give them without causing him too much pain.

  “Come in.”

  They followed Ruby’s mom through to the lounge, and Drew sat on the dark wooden upright chair in the corner. Ruby and her mom sat on the brown leather couch. He glanced around the room. On nearly every surface there were photos of Blake. Blake playing football. Blake receiving a medal. Blake in the school play. It seemed like Blake overload, and it took Drew all his strength to not jam his hands over his eyes before his head exploded.

  “Drew?” Ruby’s voice distracted him from his thoughts.

  “Yes?” Ruby and her mom both stared at him with similar expectant expressions on their faces. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed before how alike the two of them were.

  “Mom asked you about being in hospital.”

  “Sorry, I was miles away. I don’t want to talk about being in hospital.” He waved his hand dismissively.

  All he remembered about his time in hospital was going between losing all sense of what was happening when they administered his morphine, to the excruciating pain as the drug gradually wore off. He’d been more lucid in those latter moments, and it was then that he remembered what he’d done to Reese. At those times he begged the nurses to let him suffer because he deserved it. Of course, they didn’t listen to him. And so the cycle went for many days. He couldn’t remember how many.

  He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and stared at the carpet, in particular on a dark stain that looked like ink.

  “That’s okay,” Ruby’s mom said. “How about I get some cake and a drink? Homemade lemonade?”

  “That’s great,” Ruby said.

  “Yes, thanks,” Drew said. Mrs. Davis stood up and headed out of the lounge.

  After a few moments of silence, Ruby jumped up from the couch and stood in front of him with her hands placed on her hips. “I know it’s hard, but there’s no need to be rude.”

  He sensed her attempting to remain calm, even though he could see by the way her eyes flashed that she was really mad at him.

  “What do you mean?” he replied, feigning ignorance. He didn’t know why he pretended because his actions spoke for themselves.

  “You are making it very hard for Mom. It’s not easy for her either, you know. She’s making a huge effort, and all you are doing is throwing it back in her face.”

  Yes, he knew that. He knew he was acting like a child, but at that precise moment, he was unable to do anything about it. “So why did she invite me? I knew it was a stupid idea agreeing to come here. It’s served no purpose at all other than winding all of us up. I’m sorry, Ruby. I know you wanted us all to be back to how we were, but that’s a ridiculous wish. It’s never gonna happen. Say good-bye to your mom for me. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Without waiting for a response from Ruby, Drew left the house without a backward glance.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “He’s gone,” Ruby said, running into the kitchen in time to see her mom taking plates and glasses out of the cupboard, the cake and lemonade sitting on the counter.

  She hadn’t known whether to chase after Drew or to let him go. As it happened, he had been so fast, she wouldn’t have made it to the car before he’d gone, anyway. She’d made it to the front door just in time to watch him take off down the road at what looked like ninety miles an hour. She felt so angry at his behavior. Just like with her father, everything was always about him.

  Him. Him. Him.

  She didn’t know why she bothered. Actually she did. She loved him. For all his faults. And that meant she had to try to understand he wasn’t the way he was through choice.

  He never used to be so angry. He’d always been more considerate of her needs than Blake, even. Blake would often joke that Drew would have been a much better brother. At the time, Ruby had just laughed. She loved the pair of them in that brotherly way. She wished Drew could be like that again. Not that she wanted him to act like a brother now.

  “Don’t worry, love,” Ruby’s mom said. “He’s going through a bad time. It’s not something he’ll be able to get over quickly.”

  “Rose, where are you?” her father called from down the hall.

  “In the kitchen,” her mom replied.

  Ruby could hear her dad shuffle down the hallway, and she watched as he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his shoulders slumped.

  “I’m out of pain meds,” he muttered.

  “I’ll get the prescription filled tomorrow,” her mom replied.

  “But I need them now.” He glanced at Ruby with the usual helpless look on his face. Would this be what Drew would turn into if he let his anger get the best of him? A sad, defeated man hooked on pain medication, who never interacted with the world or his family other than to make demands?

  “You should go, Dad. It’s a nice day out, and the pharmacy is only down the street,” Ruby said, trying to sound positive.

  He let out a long sigh. “I don’t want to.” He turned and shuffled back down the hallway.

  “Never mind. I’ll go later,” her mom called out after him.

  Ruby pulled out one of the breakfast bar stools and sat, leaning her elbows on the counter. She watched her mom pour some lemonade into a glass and cut a large piece of cake. She put it on a plate, which she then placed in front of Ruby.

  “I get what you said, that things are tough for Drew,” Ruby said. “But that doesn’t mean he has to take it out on you.” She picked up the glass and took a long drink.

  “He didn’t. It was too early for him. I’m annoyed at myself for having suggested it.” Her mom leaned against the sink, facing her. Ruby envied her ability to be so understanding and patient. Sometimes Ruby wished her mom would get angry with her dad and refuse to do things for him, until he snapped out of it and tried to live his life like a functional human being. But, of course, Mom would never do that. Her enormous capacity to take care of people was one of the things Ruby loved best about her. The trouble was it enabled her father’s unacceptable behavior, and there was nothing Ruby could do about it.

  “I should have realized, especially as we’ve been through it all with your dad.” Her mother shook her head.

  “It’s not your fault, Mom.” Ruby took a bite of the chocolate cake, but her stomach felt so churned up, she could hardly manage to swallow it. Which really frustrated her, since her mom’s chocolate cake was pretty amazing.

  “I know,” her mom replied, nodding. “But I still should’ve thought it through more. With all the experience I’ve had with your dad, there’s no excuse.”

  Ruby knew it was pointless trying to persuade her mom otherwise. And really what did it matter? They couldn’t change it.

&nb
sp; “Do you think he’ll ever get over what happened?” Ruby wiped the chocolate crumbs from her mouth with the napkin her mother slid across the counter in her direction and then took another drink.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. He reminds me so much of your father.” She leaned against the counter and looked sympathetically at Ruby.

  “No.” Ruby shook her head vehemently, even though she’d been thinking the same thing earlier. “There’s no way Drew is anything like Dad. Apart from his injuries. Obviously.”

  A nagging thought in the back of Ruby’s head kept forcing itself forward. Of course she would disagree with her mom about any similarity between Drew and her dad. Because she couldn’t bear to even think about Drew having to deal with the crap that her dad had. She wouldn’t have wished that on her worst enemy. But what if Drew did turn out that way? What if he became even more reclusive? What would she do then? Could she stay with him? Would she want to stay with him?

  “Maybe you’re right,” her mom said, smiling softly. “At least he’s going to school now, which gets him out of the house every day. That’s very important, and it’s more than your dad does. More than he’s ever done since his accident. What about when school’s out, does he take you places?”

  Ruby sighed. She didn’t think sitting in the park on their own or sitting in his car would count as taking her places, however she dressed it up. There was the time at the café, though. “Not really, I suppose,” she replied. “He doesn’t want us to be seen together because of what people would think about him dating.”

  Saying the words out loud actually made her feel a bit better. They made her realize that his reasons were much less to do with the burns on his body than being seen acting happy when Reese was gone. That was very different from why her father wouldn’t go out. His was totally because of all the staring.

  “Because he feels guilty?” her mom asked.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Ruby said. “And he doesn’t want people to think that he’s getting on with his life after what he did.”