Blue Love : Blue Valley High — Senior Year

by Mj Fields

  Squatting down beside him, I scratch behind his ear. “Neither of us got much sleep it seems, huh?”

  I hear someone pulling into the driveway and stand up. Chewy, however, does not.

  Looking out the window, I see Jade jump out of Uncle Jack’s truck, slam the door behind her, kicking stones as pushes up her sleeves and stomps toward the house.

  As soon as she walks in, she demands, “Tell me what that idiot did now.”

  So, I do, and I do it holding back tears, because she said, “He gets no more of those, okay, Tessa? You are going to be fine. I’m here, and we’re going to be okay.”

  When Becca and Phoebe arrive, Jade fills them in on the audio recording.

  “Road trip?” Phoebe asks, and we all laugh. “I’m not joking. I wanna kick his ass.”

  I walk over to the cupboard, open it, and grab a bottle of Dad’s whiskey. Holding it up, I say, “No, but Becca, you’ll have to excuse me because I’m going to drink my face off tonight.”

  “Tessa, that’s not a good idea,” Becca says.

  “I think it is,” Jade says as I twist off the cap and take a drink. “Whatever Tessa needs. Bonus, we have the house to ourselves, a hot tub, and music.”

  “Yeah, let’s rock this joint!” Phoebe yells.

  They all laugh, and I grab a bottle of wine.

  “On the menu tonight is whiskey and wine, ladies.”

  Chapter Twenty Six

  I wake and the anxiety hasn’t dulled, so I take another hit and wait for the chill to kick in. It doesn’t. And realization hits that I’m not going to let this go until Monday. I shower, brush my teeth, and throw on some clothes. Then I decide fuck it and take a couple more hits for courage before shoving Mom’s pipe under my sink. Then I jet.

  Heartbeat heavy, but slow against my chest, I anticipate how this is going to go down. Telling her the truth is going to suck, but knowing how hurt she is sucks worse. And if I wasn’t so chill, I’d be all fucked up, overthinking what I’m doing. Letting people in, past the façade, is never easy, but neither is caring about someone enough to chance the embarrassment. Which is why it doesn’t happen. But, with her, there is no other way. I want her. Hell, I love her, and I know it, because I’ve never felt it in my entire life.

  I need things to move forward, and I need to take it at a pace set for a marathon, not a fucking sprint.

  I reach down to grab my bottle of water when my wheel jerks and my tires hit stone. Then everything around me turns in a circle. Not gonna lie; it’s kind of cool at first. It’s guardrails, trees, lights … pain, and then it’s black.

  “Son. Son, wake up. Open your eyes.”

  I wake to a pounding head, metal scraping, and old man Whitman wrenching open the door.

  “Just sit back, Lucas. The ambulance will be here soon.”

  When they arrive, I’m already standing outside my car.

  “Get him on a stretcher,” Sadi’s cousin, Jeremy, says to his partner.

  “You tell her anything about this, and my father’s lawyers will have your license.”

  He nods, and I’m guessing by the look on his face that he’s pissing a little.

  At the hospital, after my vitals are taken, and a CAT scan of my head is done, the sheriff walks in the room and administers a breathalyzer. I pass. Of course I pass. I’m just hoping they don’t ask me to piss in a cup.

  “You’re Lucas Links, the QB who’s been in the papers?”

  “Yeah, that’s me.” I smile big, knowing that it may be lost on a male, but hey, you never know.

  “You have someone to call?” the sheriff asks.

  “I can get a ride, yeah.”

  “An adult, Mr. Links.” He looks up from his clipboard. “One I can lay eyes on and speak to.”

  “Can you give me a minute?” I ask, pulling my phone out of the plastic bag that they have my clothes and belongings in.

  He nods and walks out into the hallway.

  Tommy is my first call. I know before I even ask that his parents are not going to let me stay with them, but I try, anyway. He suggests I call Alex and tells me that he’s on his way.

  “Really no sense in it, man. I’m fine.”

  “You and I, we’re brothers. We’re ride or die.”

  “Piss poor choice of wording, wouldn’t you say?” I chuckle. “And seriously, don’t bother. I don’t want your parents being pissed off at you because of me.”

  “Screw them. I’ll be eighteen soon. I’m coming. Call Alex.”

  I call Alex.

  Alex and John are ten minutes away and arrive before Tommy.

  My eyes are closed, and the pain pills are in full effect when I hear John Ross ask, “He okay?”

  I open my eyes. “I’m fine. Car’s not so good.”

  “John.” The sheriff holds out his hand and shakes his then Alex’s hand. “Mr. Links was in a bit of an accident and has a concussion; he needs an adult to take him home.”

  “We can do that.” John nods.

  “You sure you’re all right, son?”

  “Yes, sir.” I sit up, grab my ball cap, and put it on.

  “Well, not exactly. He passed the breathalyzer, but I’m not convinced. However, when I talked to the judge, he said he would rather not come in and deal with this on a Saturday night. He also said he wants the Saints to kick a little ass at sectionals, and from all the talk, Mr. Links is a crucial part of the team.”

  “He is,” Alex states.

  The sheriff continues. “Our problem lies here; his mother is up at Tully, in rehab for the foreseeable future, and Judge Jones says Mr. Links has to have supervision until he’s nineteen. You willing to take him on, John?”

  “Yes, I am,” John agrees to the terms of my sentence.

  I would personally thank Judge Jones, but it seems he’s not really in it for me, but rather the season and a win. I take that off my list of shit to do. And then there’s Tessa. She’s not going to be real receptive to the idea … at first.

  “He can stay with us.”

  “Mr. Ross, I appreciate it, but your daughter is probably going to be severely pissed off if—”

  “Never mind Tessa,” he cuts me off. “I’ll deal with it. Let’s go.”

  The sheriff agrees then adds, “And you bring Blue Valley a championship.”

  Tommy appears in the doorway. “That’s a guarantee.”

  Following behind Alex and John, Tommy and I pull into the driveway of the farm, and Tommy asks, “You good?”

  “I’m exchanging my freedom for a chance to right some wrongs, Tommy. I’m not just good; I’m a fucking superhero.” I laugh. “Or a villain. Time will te—what the hell?”

  “Holy shit.” Tommy barks out a laugh as we watch Chewy run to the farmhouse with something hanging out of his mouth, tail just a-wagging.

  I’m about to go all angry fur daddy when I see who my boy is running from.

  “Fuuuccckkk.” I jack my hat down when I see four naked bodies, and there is only one my eyes lock on, the one leading the pack, Tessa Ross. She’s mostly legs, killer tits, and then there’s that tiny peach that’s utterly delicious-looking.

  As quick as they appeared out of the darkness, they disappear inside.

  I chuckle. “Gonna be an interesting night.”

  A sharp rap on the window has me jumping to attention, and the voice following that sharp sound reminds me there’s a new sheriff in Links Land.

  “You boys forget what you saw, you hear me?” John barks.

  I see Alex behind him, sucking in his lips, biting back a laugh, as I open the door to Tommy’s parents’ SUV and nod. “Yes sir.” Then I look down at my feet as I follow John and Alex into the house.

  Inside, I see two empty bottles of wine and half a bottle of whiskey on the kitchen table.

  John shakes his head and yells, “Tessa Ross, get your ass dressed and get down here now! The rest of you, too!”

  I sit my ass down between Tommy and Alex at the Ross’s kitchen table. Not one of us da
re say a world; me because I know damn well I’m probably going to bust up laughing as John slams a cupboard and pours himself a cup of coffee from his thermos.

  I hear feet pounding down the stairs, and then all four girls appear in the kitchen, this time dressed in PJs.

  “What the hell is he doing here?” Tessa looks at me and slams her hands on her hips.

  “Tessa, sit your ass down and keep your mouth shut,” John snaps.

  “No! Why are you home, and why is he here?” She stomps her foot like a toddler throwing a tantrum, and not a teenage girl who was just busted drinking and running naked through the backyard.

  Tommy is the first to break, and then I can no longer fight my grin as she throws me a pissed off glare.

  “Tessa, you are to sit now!” John yells as he slams his hand on the worn wooden table. “I am going to talk, and after that, you have a lot of explaining to do, so I certainly won’t start sassing me, young lady.”

  Tessa scowls and sits as far away from me as she possibly can without leaving the room, which happens to be on Jade’s lap, which also makes me silently laugh.

  “Jade, should I call my brother?” John asks.

  “No, Uncle John, please don’t,” Jade whispers her plea.

  “First of all, Lucas will be staying with us for a while, possibly for three months until his mother is out of rehab.”

  Rehab. I sigh and close my eyes, wishing I had been given the chance to tell Tessa about Mom, but understanding John may not know that she wasn’t aware, and even if he had, in light of the situation, he might not have even given it thought.

  John lays down the law. “He’s been in an accident and was released with conditions; one of them being that he has supervision. Tessa will have to deal with it. I’ve already given my word.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Daddy.” Tessa sneers at me. “I might kill him in his sleep.”

  To that, I can’t hold it in. I laugh, and so do Tommy and Alex.

  John raises his voice. “You were both fine at the game. What the hell has changed?” He looks between us. “You know what? Never mind. Who the hell knows what tomorrow will bring? Lucas will sleep—”

  “Speaking of sleep, what kind of sleeping arrangements will we have? Because, trust me, Daddy; you shouldn’t want him under the same roof as me.” She glares at me.

  “Tessa, shut up,” Alex warns her.

  “No!” Tessa yells at her brother.

  John then yells, “Tessa, enough!”

  “No.” She starts to cry.

  A million times over, I’d rather see her pissed, because it hurts to see her cry. “Tessa, don’t cry—”

  “Shut up, Lucas! Just shut up!”

  “Both of you, knock it off. You need to make a phone call to your dad, Lucas. I will have some explaining to do with Maggie in the morning.”

  I stand up, thankful for the opportunity to get the hell out of the room. “I’ll make that phone call.”

  Outside, I dial Audrianna.

  “Hey, Audrianna, this is Lucas. You still with Dad?”

  “I am. Is everything okay?” she asks.

  “Yeah, but I kind of need a favor.”

  “Of course, what is it?”

  “I kind of got in an accident tonight and—”

  “Oh my God, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I already went to the hospital and got checked out. Tessa’s father came and picked me up. Apparently, the sheriff and the judge are both football fans, so I got out of a lot of trouble.”

  “Were you drinking?”

  “No, it wasn’t alcohol.” I sigh. “Hit Mom’s pipe.”

  “Lucas, your sisters—”

  “Won’t happen again.”

  “You need to promise me that you don’t do that again. Ever,” Audri says with such a motherly tone that it makes me smile.

  “I promise. Do you think you could have Dad call his insurance agent in the morning?”

  “Of course,” she says kindly.

  “Another favor?”

  “Lucas …” she sighs.

  “Could you call Tessa in an hour?” I rattle off her number. “Let her know what I told you about Leah. She’s calling it quits on us and needs the truth. I will explain … tomorrow?”

  “Of course. We’ll talk in the morning.”

  When I walk back in, John points to the empty chair, and I sit.

  He then looks at Tessa. “Now, what the hell are you four thinking tonight?”

  “Well, I thought I was in love with that boy over there. I forgot his name, but the one right there,” she slurs, pointing and scowling. “And the night I saw Mom at dinner, I got drunk on our date. It wasn’t the stomach bug. I was a bad girl—”

  “Tessa, enough,” Alex cuts her off.

  “Lucas, is that true?” John asks.

  “Yes, sir, but I got her home to Alex.” I give Tessa a look, basically asking her what the hell are you doing?

  “Tessa, is that true?” John asks.

  “Yes, but there’s more, Dad. I kiss him a lot, and I like it,” she says obnoxiously.

  John looks at her in confusion, and I sit back in the chair and pull my hat down.

  “And when I wanted to go out with my friends, he was pissed, and we brought him dinner, and Sadi’s head popped out of the water because she was giving him a blow job,” Tessa snarls at me.

  “Is that true, Lucas?” John asks me, and I wish I could disappear.

  Instead, I head down Truth Road. “Yes, sir. The night I came home and found my mom on the floor, I called the ambulance. Sadi’s cousin, Jeremy, is an EMT, and he must have called her after. They took Mom to the hospital. When I came home, I smoked a bit of pot and sat in the hot tub. I woke up to your daughter’s voice and Sadi coming up from out of the water.”

  “None of that shit goes on in my house.”

  “I understand, sir.”

  John scrubs a hand over his face. “Seeing your mom like that must have been rough, Lucas—I am sorry—but that’s no reason for you to be dipping your toe in addiction waters. Pot’s a steppingstone.”

  I feel blue eyes burning into the side of my head as I nod to John.

  I look at her, and she puts her nose in the air. “Oh, and he went to his dad’s house and had sex with Leah when he told me he loved me.”

  Tessa, quit while you’re ahead, I think, feeling sorry for her, and I try not to laugh.

  Seeing this, she snaps at me, “It’s not funny, asshole.”

  “Tessa, watch your mouth. Lucas, this is my daughter. Is what she said true?” John asks.

  “No, sir. I had sex with Leah a year or so ago. She now happens to be my sisters’ babysitter when they are at our fathers’. Audri insisted she stay since it was the first overnight they had with my father since he and Audri spilt. I fell asleep, thinking of Tessa, and woke up to someone kissing me. I stopped it as soon as I realized it wasn’t Tessa. Apparently, my phone dropped and redialed the last number I called.”

  John then looks at Tessa. “Do you have any other questions you need answered?”

  “Yes! Were you drunk or high?” Tessa snaps.

  “I had a few drinks with my dad at the country club, and he drove us home.” I shrug. “That’s probably why it took me a few minutes to wake up.”

  “Well, maybe you have a problem with alcohol,” Tessa huffs, and it’s followed by a hiccup.

  Everyone laughs, and she buries her face in Jade’s shoulder, and Jade purses her lips together, trying not to laugh as she rubs her back, comforting her.

  John sighs his annoyance at the entire situation then says, “Lucas, I think you’ve turned away more than I’ve had in a year.”

  “Dad, that’s not funny” Tessa yells at him.

  “You’re right; it’s not funny in the least,” he grumbles then looks at all of us. “No nonsense under this roof, do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” I answer.

  “Girls, why are you drinking?” John asks bu
t sounds like he regrets it.

  “’Cause Tessa was sad and wanted to, Uncle John,” Jade says, and Tessa glares up at her. “And we wanted to mark it off our senior year bucket list. We stayed here. No one drove. We won’t do it again.”

  “Why were you in the hot tub, naked?” John asks, definitely regretting that he has to address that, and we boys burst out laughing. He sighs, “Boys, enough.”

  “Mr. Ross, nudity isn’t really that bad unless it’s for sex that’s not between husband and wife,” Becca tries to explain.

  “Really, Rebecca?” John asks.

  “Jade had a point earlier; we weren’t born with clothes on,” Becca whispers her defense.

  “Alex, I’m done with this for tonight. Can you make sure everyone stays clothed and doesn’t drink?” John asks as he walks out of the room.

  “Yeah,” Alex says, and he finally looks at Phoebe, whose face has been buried in her hands since he walked out. “Phoebe, just so you know, we can still see you.”

  She whispers, “No, you can’t.”

  Tessa stands and leaves the room, and I watch as she walks away.

  Tommy whispers, “Let’s keep this party going. What’s next on that list, Jade Ross? A rated-R movie?”

  We all laugh, including Jade, as we follow Alex into the living room where there is an oversized couch, two love seats, an old wooden rocker, and a recliner.

  Phoebe and Alex take the loveseat, Tommy and Jade the other, and I sit on the couch.

  Tessa walks out of the bathroom, arms crossed, and looks around. Her eyes meet her brother’s, and he shakes his head in disappointment. This is a little bit more than wrong, since his girl, who was also running bare ass through the farmyard, is all curled up next to him, but as the newest resident here at Ross Farms, I keep that to myself, but make a promise that I’m going to get Alex to trade his tea for a shit at least once before graduation.

  I pat the spot next to me, and she walks over, shakes her head, and sits on the floor in front of the couch instead.