I’d suddenly lost my appetite, so I stuck my plate in the dishwasher and headed back to my apartment. I hated that everyone just assumed I was guilty. There was only one person that could prove my innocence, but I’d already burned that bridge. The last thing I wanted to do was get her into trouble after I’d crushed her spirits. I would get through this alone, like I always did.
I waited all day and night for the police to put my face to the mug shot in the data base that they had of me. I watched the clock, wondering what was taking them so long. Finally when I had exhausted myself with anticipation, I fell asleep on my couch.
Loud knocking woke me up.
I stood up and stretched before heading to open the door. Two uniformed officers stood on the stoop. “Good evening, Mr. Avery. We were wondering if we could have a word with you.”
I held my hand up and pointed inside. “Sure come on in.”
The officers sat down on the couch that thankfully was laundry free. “We’re sorry to bother you tonight.” He slid a picture in my direction. “Our system got a hit on you being at this bar last night. Since you’re in the national database we were wondering if you could confirm that you were in fact there.”
“That’s right. I had dinner with my sister and her boyfriend. When it got late, I headed home.”
“Were you alone, Mr. Avery?”
Damn.
“Yes.” I lied.
“Sir, we have you on the outside surveillance cameras leaving with someone. The footage is not very good, but it was clearly a woman. Would you like to tell us what really happened?”
“A girl asked me for a ride home. I dropped her off outside of her community. It was around ten-thirty.”
They looked at each other and began writing down information. “Where was this community you dropped her off located?”
“It was off the main highway. I can’t be certain. She told me where to turn.” The lies kept on pouring out of my mouth. I was burying myself again.
“I see.” He snatched something out of his uniform pocket. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“No. Am I being charged with something?”
“A local woman went missing last night. Just keep the card, kid. We’ll be in touch.” He said as he laid his card on the table in front of me. “Here is my number in case you remember exactly where the girl lives.”
I saw the cops out, and watched my sister approaching me. “The officers said you left with someone. I knew you didn’t sleep naked. Why couldn’t you just tell us? Who was she?”
“Sorry, Buff, I need to get some sleep. It’s been a long day. Goodnight.” I said as I closed and locked the door on her.
I ran my hands over my face. I was in a heap of trouble just like last time. This couldn’t be happening to me again. Could it?
9
I hadn’t gotten much sleep, so when the alarm clock started blaring in my ear I picked it up and threw it against the wall. Immediately my mother came rushing into the room.
“Hope? Your grandmother is trying to rest. What was that noise?” She asked.
“Sorry, mom. It was nothing.” I covered my head with my pillow after answering. Once I heard my door close I lifted it away and stared at the ceiling.
I felt my phone vibrating and picked it up.
“Hope. Are you awake?”
“Obviously. What do you want, Rylee?” I was still pissed at her.
“When I got up this morning, while eating my cereal, I saw something I couldn’t believe. You’re going to shit your panties if I’m right.”
“This better be important.”
“Someone went missing at the same time we were in that bar. Can you believe it?”
“That’s horrible. It doesn’t really involve me though. I left early.”
“That’s why I’m calling you. The paper had an image of the guy they are questioning.”
“Is it the guy that you left with?” I wouldn’t have been surprised if he was some criminal.
“No, it’s the guy YOU left with.”
“WHAT?” How was that even possible?
“Yep, they don’t have a name, but I remember a hot guy when I see one.”
“It has to be a misunderstanding. He left with me. We were together until yesterday morning.”
“Do you think he returned once you fell asleep?”
“Um, no.”
“How can you be sure? You can sleep through a train wreck.” That was true, but not in this case. I was well aware of how close he was to me.
I decided that I had to give it to her straight. “Ry, he fell asleep inside of me. There isn’t any way he left me to go back and kidnap anyone.”
“Oh shit, girl! Sorry. Well I think you need to talk to him at least.”
“Forget it. He doesn’t want to ever see me again. He made that clear.” It was still hard to admit out loud. Rejection never felt good, no matter how I tried to spin it.
“Well, it would suck for a fine specimen like that to be locked away for something he didn’t do.”
“Whatever, Rylee. I’ll call you later.”
After I hung up with her I got on my lap top and read the article online. It didn’t give many more details than Rylee had already told me, but she was right about the picture. It was Chance.
My mother came into my room and I closed my computer. “Are you going to get up and help out around here, or mope in your bed all day?” She asked.
“Like I have a choice!” I announced sarcastically.
My mother wasn’t having my flip comment. She got right up in my face like she always did when she lost her temper. “Listen here, young lady. As long as you live in this house you will pitch in. I am sick of your attitude every day. I worked my ass off to give you a good life. We didn’t have much, but we made it work.”
I tried to grab her arm but she pulled away. “Don’t, Hope. You have your diploma now. It’s time for you to be responsible. What are your plans?”
“I…I have no idea, right now.”
“Well after the conversation I had with your asshole of a father yesterday, I would say you better decide fast.”
“What do you mean? Why did he call?” I started worrying Chance had spilled the beans about our night together. Or worse, maybe someone had told my father he saw me running down the road.
“I had a bad day at work. I got laid off last night. When I got home I called your father and gave him a piece of my mind. He’s living in that fancy community, but has never made an effort to pay me a cent in child support.”
“Oh, so what happened?”
“He thinks it would be a good idea for you to move in there for a while.”
“What? No way, mom! No way.”
She sat down on the bed beside me. “Honey, your grandmother is not doing well. She needs to go into a home; and in order for me to afford for her to do that, I will have to sell the house. I don’t have a choice.”
“There has to be another way,” I begged. “Please, mom. Don’t make me do this. Don’t make me leave. I hate it there. I don’t want to go.”
“Hope, your father has a huge house. I’ve been in the neighborhood. He has plenty of room for you. He seemed excited about you coming to live with him.”
I started crying. The first reason was about my grandmother. The second was the fact that my mother had no job, and the third…well that was the fact that I would have to see Chance again.
“Please don’t do this.” I fell into her lap.
She stroked my hair. “When you turn eighteen you can live wherever you want, honey. It is just until the end of the year.”
“Where will you go?”
“While the house is for sale, I’ll stay here. Once the sale is finalized, I’ll find a place to rent. I’ll find another job, even if it’s cleaning hotel rooms.”
My mother held me while we both cried. This was so sudden. It had to be a nightmare.
“Chance, wake up.” I heard my sister say as I looked around the
living room.
“What?”
She threw me a pack of cigarettes. “Here, I know you want one.”
“Thanks.”
I started opening the wrapper while she sat down in front of me. Instead of the chair she sat on the table.
“Tables are made for glasses not asses, Buff.”
“Shut up and listen to me, Chance. I need to talk to you about something really important.”
This was it; Mark was making her kick me out. He didn’t want a suspected felon living on his property. I would be homeless and jobless.
I lit up the cigarette in the house, which was something I never did then I took in the biggest drag.
“Mark’s daughter is coming to live with us.”
The smoke attacked my lungs and I began gagging. I hunched over trying to get myself to breathe. “What did you say?”
“His daughter. I should have told you about her sooner. Her mother is having financial difficulties. She and Mark discussed it last night. It’s best for her. We have plenty of room here at the house. She just graduated high school, and she’s such a nice girl. Maybe she even has some older friends you could get to know.”
“Did you just say high school?” This couldn’t get worse.
“Yeah, Mark said she’ll need to stay with us at least until she turns eighteen.”
I froze in place. It just got worse.
“If you’re worried about the police… don’t. Her mother has no idea what happened to you. Everything will be fine,” she assured me.
“Maybe I should just start making my own meals out here, and keep to myself,” I suggested.
“Don’t be ridiculous. We can all eat together, as a family.”
Buffy leaned over and gave me a kiss before walking out of the pool house.
I was in deeper shit than I ever could have imagined. Hope was only seventeen. I didn’t need to worry about going to jail. Her father was going to murder me.
I slept with a seventeen year old girl. How could I have been so careless? We didn’t even use protection.
I didn’t know what to do. I was panicking. I even considered turning myself into the authorities, confessing to something that I hadn’t even done. It would have been better than Mark finding out I had slept with his underage daughter.
I’d dug myself in so deep that there was no escape. I couldn’t live with Hope. I couldn’t be near her. I’d been horrible to her. She hated me.
I was probably the biggest regret of her life, besides the fact that she was a MINOR.
I snatched my keys and helmet and headed out of the house. Even if my sister started chasing me down the driveway, I wasn’t going to stop.
10
For the next week I begged my mother to reconsider her arrangement with my father. I could tell that it was the hardest decision she had ever made, but she wouldn’t budge on the outcome. I’d even asked Rylee’s parents if I could live with them, but my mother refused the offer when they made it, claiming I needed this time with my father.
I attended my high school graduation with my head held high, even though the world was crumbling amongst me. My life was about to become a disaster, and I wasn’t even sure how in the world I was going to manage to get by.
Once my vehicle was filled to the brim with all of my belongings, I hugged my mom a final time. We’d shed enough tears in the last week to fill a river. When I got into the car and pulled away, she waved until I could no longer see her in the rear view mirror. She was only a phone call away. I could visit her whenever I wanted.
Why did this feel like forever?
I couldn’t be mad at her. My grandmother’s Alzheimer’s had gotten so bad that she didn’t know us anymore. She needed to be under full-time supervised care.
My mother had managed to get a job at the front desk of the nursing home. She said the hours were crappy, but the pay was good. She would be able to easily afford a one bedroom apartment on her own. That put my mind at ease for the time being.
When I finally arrived at my dad’s house, the welcoming committee had come out to greet me. Buffy and my father stood in the driveway.
“Eeeek! I am so excited about you staying with us,” Buffy exclaimed.
My father, surprisingly, took me in for a hug. “You’re going to love it here, honey. I promise.”
I started grabbing my things out of the car when I felt someone standing behind me. I didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. I could feel his eyes burning into my back.
“Hope, I want you to meet my brother, Chance. Chance, this is Hope,” Buffy said as she stood between the both of us.
I had no choice but to look at him. If I didn’t they would suspect something. I knew he didn’t want to see me as much as I loathed the idea of seeing him, but we had no choice in the matter. I turned my attention to his welcoming (fake) smile. He brought his hand into mine. “Nice to meet you, Hope.” That half-smile and those gorgeous eyes were irresistible.
I tried so hard not to feel something as we touched. “You too!”
Chance acted like we’d never met before, and as much as I wanted him to be that way, it made me angry. How could he be so comfortable around me after what had happened between us? Was he born without a heart?
I had to be cordial. I wasn’t eighteen, and my parents had the final say in where I lived, whether I liked it or not. I had to make the best of things. It wasn’t like I would see him all the time. I could stay in my room and he could stay out back. It would work. It was only until the end of the year.
When the vehicle was almost unpacked, Buffy and my dad went back into the house. They said they were going to cook on the grill to celebrate me moving in. That left Chance and I to grab the last two boxes from the back of the car.
He leaned in and obtained one of them. “Here, this one seems lighter.” He placed it into my arms. I started walking away before he grabbed the last box and managed to close the trunk. Once we made it upstairs I sat the box down and stared at the walls. They were white, just plain white. Chance started to say something to me, but Buffy came rushing in. “Before you get upset, your father and I decided you could choose what color you wanted to paint the room. Maybe tomorrow we can head to the hardware store and pick it up together. I think you should paint it bright pink.” She said as she strolled back out of the room.
Chance didn’t speak at first, but instead he let out a heavy laugh. “I am sure you’ll love a pink room.”
I rolled my eyes. “Asshole.”
“Look, about the other night…”
I put my hand up. “Forget it. We obviously have to live here together, so let’s just pretend it never happened.” I hated saying it out loud. There was no way I could ever forget how he’d made me feel. I’d never wanted anyone like I did him, and now I was being punished having to see him constantly.
“Fine by me.” He marched out without saying anything else. It was difficult to fathom being around him when all I wanted to do was be back in his bed, in his arms again.
I had to get out of that room. That girl should have been named Trouble, not Hope. There was no hope for me when she was around. I kept telling myself that she was a minor, but the truth was, we were only a few years apart in age. It was just another excuse I was telling myself to get past what we’d done. Things were different now. We had to act like it never happened. She must have understood, because she went along with the introduction like she’d rehearsed it. The night we spent together had been amazing. Maybe she didn’t think so, or maybe she hated me now for the way I had acted that morning.
When I got downstairs, Mark and Buffy were out on the patio. He had the grill fired up and started cooking the steaks. “Need any help?” I offered.
“Actually, Buffy can you give us a minute alone? Guy talk.”
“What’s up, Mark?”
“I wanted to talk to you about my daughter.”
Stay calm. He doesn’t know anything.
“Sure.”
“I ju
st wanted to remind you that she is my only child, and I expect you to be on your best behavior when you’re around her. I know you’ve experienced a lot in college, and I just don’t want her to be influenced into frat life.”
I had to smile at how he’d put it. I understood, but that part of my life was over. I was content with sitting home, drinking a beer and relaxing. “No problem, man.”
“And, Chance...you can look, but don’t you dare take it any further. She’s off limits.”
“Alright, no problem.” Too late!
After he said that, he turned back to his normal laid back self. I headed to the pool house to grab a cigarette while I waited for dinner to be ready.
There wasn’t any way around it. I had to ignore Hope. Just thinking about her made me crazy.
When I saw her walking out of the main house, I noticed she had changed into her bathing suit. I took a drag of my cigarette as I ducked back behind something so she couldn’t see me. She was stunning. I stood there remembering how every inch of her body felt against my skin. I closed my eyes and found myself visioning our time together.
The outdoor kitchen faced the main house, which meant that Mark’s back was turned to me. Hope looked down at her chest and readjusted her two piece bikini before diving right into the pool. It was like slow motion when her body lifted out of the water. Her skin glistened from the combination of the sun and the water as she ran her hands though her long wet hair.
The last time I’d seen her hair wet like that was when I found her in my shower hiding from Buffy. I couldn’t believe she was here. How was I going to keep pretending our night meant nothing? How could I be around her when she was almost naked?
Buffy started calling me. I took another drag of my cigarette and came out of my hiding spot. “What’s up, sis?”
“Get your suit on,” she requested. I noticed her bright pink, two piece. I shook my head and sauntered into the pool house to change, trying to come up with all of the reasons that this was a terrible idea.
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