by Laura Pavlov
“You’ve been warned.” He stormed away.
“That fucking kid is such an asshole,” Shaw said, shaking his head. “What’s he talking about? Are you hanging out with Addy?”
“No. She was fighting with him yesterday and she asked for a ride. He’s just a jealous little bitch.” I rolled my eyes, shoving my hands in my pockets.
“She’s so hot, dude.” Jax looked off in space as if he were daydreaming about the girl.
“There’s nothing going on. I’ll see you later,” I said as Coach Peters shouted for them to get a move on.
Things were falling into place for me and it was a lot to digest. I’d always worried something would get in the way of me getting a football scholarship, and I’d be stuck in this shit town forever. But I’d done it. I’d made it four years without any serious injuries, and not only had my first-choice school made me an offer, but I would most likely have options. I’d never had options in my life, and for the first time, I felt a shift. I drove out to the lake because that’s where I always did my best thinking. When I pulled down the dirt path, I stiffened when I saw the white convertible VW Bug parked off to the side.
What the fuck?
No one knew about this place before yesterday.
I parked my bike and walked toward the hammock to find Adelaide sprawled out with her eyes closed and earbuds in her ears. I touched her foot, and she screamed out a high-pitched noise that could shatter glass before flipping out of the hammock and falling to the ground.
Jesus.
“Oh my god, what are you doing?” she asked, pushing to her feet and yanking the earbuds out of her ears. Her jeans were covered in dirt now, and she brushed it away before tucking her hair behind her ear.
“That’s what I was going to ask you.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Oh, right. This is your spot. Sorry, you just startled me.” She shook her head and chuckled. “Um, well, Jett, here’s the thing. I needed somewhere to get away where no one would find me. Aside from you, of course.”
“Why is that?”
“I quit cheer. My mother is going to be very angry about it. But I’ve never felt better about a decision in my life.”
I narrowed my gaze. “Well, aren’t you the little rebel.”
“Never have been, but it feels good. Why would I want to stand next to Karina and cheer for a boy who cheated on me? I don’t even like cheer. I don’t know why I’ve done it for so long,” she huffed, sitting back down on the hammock.
“Well, good for you then.” I dropped to sit beside her, and my weight caused her to slide closer to me. Oranges and cinnamon engulfed my senses, and I didn’t mind it at all.
“Yep. Good for me is right. And I did something else. Something crazy,” she said just above a whisper, placing her hand between us to keep from tipping into me. Her fingers grazed my thigh, and desire coursed my veins.
What the fuck was that about?
“What did you do? Leave class five minutes early? Break curfew?” I teased, because I knew the girl had never done anything bad in her life and I doubted this would be any different.
“I started the application process for my dream school last night.”
“Why is that a bad thing?” I asked.
“Because Mama expects me to go to State. Hell, everyone expects me to go to State. I’m supposed to be a teacher, not a journalist. I’m also supposed to be a cheerleader for the next couple months, so, I’m on a real roll. Trust me, Savannah Edington is not going to be happy about this at all. So, I’m going to keep this one to myself for now until she digests the fact that I just quit cheer.”
“That’s crazy. It’s almost like you have no say in what you do.” I couldn’t relate to that shit. I’d been planning my future for as long as I could remember. My mom was just always proud of me for it. She never forced anything on me. I couldn’t imagine living my life that way.
“Well, when I say it out loud, it does sound a little crazy. And then I got stuck on the essay question, so I came out here to think about it.”
“What’s the question?”
“They want to know about an experience that was negative and how I worked through it. And I realized that I don’t even know what negative experiences I’ve had because I’ve always done what I’m told to do. Obviously I could tell them that my boyfriend cheated on me. That he went behind my back and made me look like a fool. But in the end, I realized I wasn’t even happy with him. I probably sound crazy.”
“You don’t sound crazy. It’s all you know, so all you can do is try to take control of your life moving forward. And it sounds like that’s what you’re doing.” I glanced over as she tucked the hair behind her ear and smiled.
“Yep. I could make something better up, you know? I doubt a college application wants to hear about a teenage breakup. But they don’t know how twisted the whole thing is. How involved our parents are. I could just make something up, tell them what they want to hear, but I’m just so tired of playing by the rules. And it seems disingenuous to write an essay about something that isn’t true.”
“Then tell the truth. Tell them what you just told me. Hell, I doubt many kids tell the truth on those fucking essays. They’d probably find it refreshing.” I laughed. “Maybe you could explain why your cowboy boots end at your ankles? What’s the story with those?”
Her laughter shook the hammock, and she kicked up her feet. “They’re shooties. You know… shoes and boots mixed together. Cowboy boots make my legs hot. So, these are my favorite.”
“Never heard of shooties before. See, I learn something new every day.”
“Stick with me, kid, I’ll teach you all the things. I call them booties because it’s easier.” She smiled. “So, what are you doing out here, Jett Stone? Do you train for your fights?”
I pushed to my feet. I was fine talking about her, but I wasn’t in the mood to start sharing my shit. “Nah. I just come out here to think.”
“I like it out here. I’ve never been anywhere on the lake where it was actually quiet. How’d you find this place anyway?” she asked.
“I live right up the street. No one comes out to this side of the lake because it’s a bit overgrown, but I found this little patch a few years ago and I’ve never seen anyone out here—until now.” I raised a brow and crossed my arms over my chest.
She chuckled. “Sorry about that. I just needed to figure out how I’m going to tell Mama about cheer. I knew no one would find me out here.”
“It’s fine. It’s not like I own the place.” I walked toward the water and picked up a few rocks to skip across the water. She came down and stood beside me.
“Well, thanks.”
I squinted my eyes when I turned to look at her, as the sun blazed from above. “What did your mom have to say about Alec fucking around on you?”
I didn’t know why I asked. Why I cared.
But I did.
“Pfft.” She threw her arms up in the air and shook her head. “Go figure. She didn’t think it was that big of a deal. But me dropping an F-bomb at the dinner table—that was a big freaking deal.”
I laughed. “Was your F-bomb freaking or fucking?”
“The latter.”
“You can’t say it again, can you?”
“Well, you heard it yesterday. And I certainly did the honors last night,” she said. “And she sent me to my room for it. She said that boys will be boys, and that we’d work through it.”
“That’s interesting. I would have guessed your mom would be pissed. She strikes me as the judgy type.”
“Why do you say that?” She placed her hands on her hips and faced me.
“Because she sure as shit judged my mom back in the day. Seems like she’d do the same to defend her own daughter.”
Adelaide’s head cocked to the side. “How’d she judge Mae? I didn’t ev
en know they really knew one another.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Fucking figures.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” she huffed.
“It means that your mom lived down the street from mine. They’ve known one another their whole lives. Your mom used to babysit my mom when they were young because she was a couple years older. And then my mom got pregnant with me, and your mom never spoke to her again. Hell, most of the rich assholes in this town did the same thing. Like I said. Your mom strikes me as someone who might get a little pissed about a dude who fucks around on her daughter.”
Adelaide’s mouth dropped open, and she clamped it shut and turned to look back out at the water. We stood there in silence for a while before she finally spoke again. “I didn’t know they knew one another. I like your mom a lot. She’s a really nice lady. I see her every Saturday when the girls and I meet at the diner.”
I chucked a rock across the water and it bounced and glided across the lake. “Yep.”
“You don’t have to get all quiet on me now. Seems like you might be a little judgy too,” she said, turning to face me and raising her brow.
I chucked another rock, but this time it didn’t make it very far.
“How do you figure?” I didn’t hide my annoyance.
“Well, first you barely talked to me for years because you didn’t like my boyfriend. And now you’re being a little icy because you don’t like my mom. Just because Mama and Alec are assholes does not mean I’m one.”
I grinned. “Touché, Adelaide Edington. You’re a lot of things, but I agree—you’re not an asshole. You just seem to know quite a few.”
“Agreed. And my dad and my sister aren’t assholes.”
Now we both laughed at her words. This was not how I saw the day going, but I wasn’t complaining. Hanging out with Adelaide Edington did not suck.
“That’s good to know. Then there’s hope for you.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“I heard that Clem made it to state as a freshman. That’s impressive. What does your mom think of her being a runner instead of a cheerleader?” I asked.
She sighed. “Of course, she hates it. She’ll make up some excuse as to why she can’t go to her race this weekend. But my dad and I will be there cheering her on.”
I nodded. “That’s good you’re going.”
“Yeah. I need to be there. I see your mom and Gram at all your games.”
“Yep. Ma’s never missed one in all my years playing,” I said.
Adelaide dropped to sit on a large rock next to where we stood. “How old was she when she had you?”
I didn’t answer at first. It wasn’t something I talked about often. But I knew she liked my mom, and she wasn’t coming from a judgmental place.
“She got pregnant at sixteen and had me at seventeen.”
She nodded. “Your dad didn’t stick around to help her?”
“Nope.” I chucked another rock across the lake and it glided along the water with ease.
“That had to be hard on her. Hard on you.”
“It was definitely hard on her. Doesn’t matter much to me.”
“Why’s that?” she asked, pushing to her feet, just as the sun started disappearing behind the clouds.
“Because I didn’t know any different. You can’t miss what you never had, right?”
“I don’t know. I think it’s normal to wonder about things that you’ve never had. I know I do lately.”
“Are you wondering what it’s like not to date a douchebag?” I asked, and we both laughed.
“Something like that.”
My phone buzzed in my back pocket. I glanced down to see a text from Clyde letting me know there was a fight tonight, which meant it was an opportunity for me to make some cash.
“Come on. It’s getting dark. You need to go face your mother and stop hiding.”
She rolled her eyes, but I didn’t miss the smile. “Fine. Thanks for letting me hang out here today.”
“I’ll tell you what. You get Sherman to stop texting me eight hundred times a night and throw in a decongestant for his nasally ass, and you can come out here whenever you want.”
She laughed as she continued to walk beside me.
“You’re an ass, Jett Stone. But I’ll answer his texts if you don’t mind me napping on your hammock every now and then.”
“Deal,” I said, pausing at my bike and waiting for her to get in her car.
“Are you afraid I’m going to stay out here when you aren’t here?” she teased as she opened the door to her car.
“It’s getting dark. You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
She cocked her head to the side and smiled. “Who knew you were such a gentleman?”
“No one. Let’s keep it that way. Get going.” I slipped my helmet on as she climbed into her car.
I motioned for her to pull away as I waited.
“So bossy,” she shouted out her window through her laughter, before pulling down the dirt road.
I followed her until she turned right, and I turned left.
It didn’t matter that we lived on different sides of town.
Turns out shit happened no matter where you lived.
Chapter Eleven
Adelaide
There was a knock on my bedroom door after I’d showered and dropped down at my desk to stare at the essay question again. I closed my laptop.
“Come in,” I said. My mother had house rules. You never walked into a room without being invited in. She said it was all about being proper. Coco made fun of the silly rule and was convinced my mother was some sort of haughty vampire which always made me laugh. The Edingtons respected privacy and it was one rule I didn’t mind.
“Hey,” Mama said, standing in my doorway before she walked in and dropped to sit on my bed. She smoothed my comforter with her hands because she couldn’t help herself. The woman was always tidying up and making everything look perfect.
“Hi.” My stomach twisted. Had Coach Hansen called her? Did she already know I quit cheer? Either way, I’d need to tell her myself.
“So, I wanted you to know that I spoke to Mama T, and we are both very disappointed in Alec’s behavior.” She crossed her arms over her chest and her mouth remained in a straight line. Like the fact that she didn’t approve of my boyfriend sleeping with another girl was something I should be impressed by. Seriously?
“Okaaayyy. Good to know.” I pulled my knees up on my desk chair and wrapped my arms around them.
She nodded. “I do understand why you’re angry. It’s good to make him suffer for a while.”
I closed my eyes and sucked in a long, slow breath. “Suffer for a while? Mama. It’s over. I don’t want to be with Alec anymore. Why is that so hard for you to grasp?”
“Don’t be silly. It’s a bump in the road, sweetheart. You are both going through a lot of change. Getting ready to start college, leaving your high school and your friends. But you and Alec will be together. You’ll support one another like you always have.”
I fought back the lump in my throat. She didn’t get it. “Why don’t you want more for me?”
She gasped and her hand flew to her chest. “What? Why would you ask me that? I want everything for you.”
“Mama, I don’t want to be with a boy who cheats on me. And honestly, I’m not that sad about our breakup, which makes me wonder if I was with him for the right reasons in the first place. Maybe I was with him because you told me to be with him. Because it was expected of me. I don’t know if Alec and I really even know one another. We’ve just been together for so long—and we’re changing. And that’s okay. But I want more. I want someone who only wants me. And I want things for myself that I never stopped to think about before.”
She pushed to her feet and ran a hand over her perfec
t dark chignon. Not a hair was out of place. “Tell me what you want, Adelaide.”
“I don’t know exactly, but maybe I want to go to a different school. Major in journalism or creative writing.”
She rolled her eyes so dramatically I thought they might stay stuck up on the ceiling. “Oh, please. You’re clearly just having an outburst because Alec made a mistake. Life is messy, my dear. Things happen.”
I covered my face with both hands in frustration. Had she always been this close-minded? Just then my father stood in the doorway and of course he knocked even though the door was open.
“What’s happening in here?” His smile instantly relaxed me. My anger almost dissipated. He had a way of doing that. Daddy was kind and fair. Honest and loyal.
“Well, our daughter is deciding to throw everything she’s worked for away. All because of Alec’s little indiscretion. Now she doesn’t know what she wants to be or where she wants to go to school. You can’t jump ship every time things don’t go your way, Addy.”
I stared at my mother like she had three heads. Was she actually saying this?
“I think Ladybug is seventeen years old and she’s still figuring out life, and that’s okay,” my father said.
“Thanks, Daddy.” I nodded.
“No, Ellis. We are not doing good cop, bad cop. That’s not fair to me. We had a four-year college plan for Addy, and we aren’t throwing it all away because she and Alec hit a bump in the road.”
“Mama. Are you actually hearing what you’re saying? That’s not what this is. I’m not even that upset that Alec cheated on me, because in hindsight, I don’t think we were all that happy. And he didn’t cheat on me once, he cheated on me multiple times. We never had a plan. You had a plan for me. And maybe it’s not one that I actually want. That should matter, right? What I want should matter? This is my life. I should be able to choose where I go to school and who I date and what I want to be when I grow up.”
My father nodded before Mama turned to glare at him.
“Where is this even coming from? You never had a problem with any of this before.” She paced in little circles in front of me. “I’ve already got Clem fighting me every step of the way. Can’t one of you just go with the flow?”