Frayed: A Small Town Sports Romance (Willow Springs Series Book 1)

by Laura Pavlov

  My father glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening before facing me again. “Boone is using his legal expertise to make sure that Alec’s blood alcohol report never sees the light of day. There’s only one reason he’d be doing that.”

  “Can he do that?”

  “If he has a legal reason for having it locked and sealed, I suppose he can. It sure as hell doesn’t sound legal to me, nor is he doing his son any favors by not holding him accountable for his actions.”

  I shook my head and squeezed my eyes closed. How did we get here? Alec had just come out of surgery after being in a terrible accident that he’d actually caused.

  “They can’t hurt Jett, can they? What if they lie about what happened and he loses his scholarship?” I whispered.

  I expected my father to say that it wasn’t a possibility. That the Taulsons would never do such a thing. That doing something like that would never be okay.

  But he didn’t.

  “They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with doing that. But I don’t know at the moment how far they would be willing to go to protect Alec.”

  I choked back the sob in my throat as a nurse opened the double doors to take us back.

  “Come on, Addy. He’s going to want to know you’re here for him. He’s been a mess since you broke up with him,” Mama T said.

  I heard my father call out for my mother, and they said they’d meet us in back shortly.

  When we stepped in the room, Alec was lying in a bed with both of his legs wrapped in casts, his neck was strapped into some sort of contraption, and his face was cut and bruised.

  I wondered if my tears would ever stop coming. I’d never cried this much in my life, but seeing Alec so helpless and hurt was difficult. Worrying about how this happened and what the Taulsons would do, made things even worse.

  And worrying about Jett made me sick to my stomach.

  Maisie sobbed and held on to her mother as Alec struggled to open his eyes. When they met mine, his lips turned up in the corners the slightest bit.

  “Addy. You’re here.” His words were rough, as if someone had dragged sandpaper along his throat.

  I moved toward him and gently placed my hand over his. “Of course, I am.”

  “They don’t know if I’m going to walk again for sure,” he said, and I could still smell the booze on his breath. “But we’ll get through this together, right?”

  I nodded. “Yes. You’ve got this. I promise.”

  I didn’t know what else to say.

  “I love you. Thanks for being here,” he said, and his eyes fell closed. Mama T grabbed a chair for me to sit in, and she wrapped her hand over mine and Alec’s.

  “I told you. You two can get through anything together,” she said as my parents entered the room.

  “How is he?” Mama asked, and for the first time since I’d arrived at the hospital, she looked at me with a little bit of empathy.

  “He was happy to see Addy here. She promised him they’d get through this together. Just like I knew she would,” Mama T said, moving over to drop down in the chair on the other side of Alec. That wasn’t exactly what I’d said, but I wasn’t about to call her out.

  My mom nodded, but she looked hesitant. Maybe Daddy had told her what really happened.

  We spent the rest of the day listening to a few different doctors and specialists come in to give us their input. Mama T had called everyone she knew for guidance, and Boone had been on the phone with specialists all over the country over the past few hours. The bottom line was that Alec was going to have to work hard if he wanted to recover. There were a lot of unknowns right now, and it was a waiting game.

  “Okay. Addy, I have you covered for school. Obviously, Boone knows Principal Horton, and we spoke to him an hour ago. Seeing as it’s your senior year, and you only have three days of class left, they’ve excused both you and Alec under these circumstances. I knew you wouldn’t want to leave him. He’ll start physical therapy this week if he’s up for it, and he’ll need you by his side.”

  Alec was awake but hadn’t said much. But I’d sat there beside him, just as I’d promised I’d do. My heart sank as I thought about Jett. The night we’d shared. This was my own private hell. I’d experienced the most amazing night of my life, only to be followed by absolute devastation. I didn’t know how to feel. My phone was filled with texts from Jett and my best friends, and I hadn’t responded to a single one in hours. I didn’t even know what to say at this point, and now I’d just learned that I wouldn’t be finishing my school year. It was a lot to process.

  “Thanks for being here, Addy,” Alec whispered, catching me by surprise.

  “Of course.” I smiled, and my gaze searched his. The Alec I’d known my entire life had to be in there somewhere. And I owed him some loyalty, didn’t I?

  “Have you accepted yet to attend State? I know the deadline is coming up,” he asked, and everyone in the room went silent, putting their attention on me. Clem was there now, and her eyes danced between me and my parents as if she were hoping they’d rescue me. Alec was lying in bed after drinking and driving and nearly killing himself, unsure if he’d walk again, and he wanted to know if I’d made my decision about college? Yet I felt as if my answer held as much importance as his recovery did.

  I cleared my throat. “No. I hadn’t made my decision yet. I was planning to talk to my parents about it this weekend.”

  “Well, you know where your mama wants you to go. And now, with Alec’s situation, he’s got a long road to recovery, and he’s going to need you if he hopes to get there,” Mama T spoke as she tucked the blanket in around his chest.

  I nodded, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall. I looked up to find both of my parents staring down at their feet. It was unbelievably awkward.

  “Yep.” It’s all I could say. I was drowning in guilt and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know who to turn to or if anyone was actually looking out for me anymore aside from Jett and my friends. And then I felt incredibly selfish for thinking of myself when Alec was lying there completely unsure of what his future held.

  “We’re going to take Addy and Clem and head home and give you all some time together. We could all use a shower and some dinner, and we’ll check on you in a little bit,” my father said, and I pushed to my feet, desperate for some space.

  Some air.

  Some room to think.

  “You’ll come back tonight, Addy, right?” Alec asked.

  I nodded. “Yes. Of course.”

  “We’ll be waiting for you, sweetheart.” Mama T pulled me in for a hug. It didn’t feel the way it used to. It didn’t feel safe or genuine anymore. Maybe I was just tired. But when she pulled away, the way she looked at me felt more like a warning.

  Her love came at a cost, and she’d just let me know what her price was. And I hadn’t forgotten her threat against Jett. I didn’t know if she’d just been emotional when she’d said it or if she meant it. But they were obviously willing to cover up the fact that Alec had been driving drunk, and it made me wonder how far she’d go to get what she wanted.

  My father stiffened as he placed a hand on the small of my back to lead me toward the door. Clem intertwined my fingers with hers and we all four walked out to the car in silence. The drive home was the same. Maybe we were all exhausted. Maybe we were just all at a loss for words. We pulled in the driveway and my father turned off the car, but no one got out. He turned in his seat to look at my mother and then glanced at us in the back seat.

  “It is not okay for anyone to ever put their hands on you. I don’t care whose son he is. Nor is it okay to get behind the wheel of a car drunk,” my father said, and Clem gasped.

  “Who put their hands on you? Alec drove drunk?”

  “I’m fine. Alec was drunk and acting erratically. But it doesn’t matter now. He’s sitting in
a hospital bed and we need to focus on his recovery.” I opened the back door and stepped out of the car. I was on overload. And now that it was actually out there, it felt like a betrayal to Alec with all he was going through. I went straight to my room and walked to the bathroom, turning on the water to run a hot bath.

  I’d skinny dipped in the lake, lost my virginity to the boy I loved more than life itself, slept on the ground, and spent half the night sitting beside my ex-boyfriend who didn’t know if he’d walk again. A woman I considered a second mother had gone all gangster and was threatening to destroy Jett and disown me if I didn’t do what she wanted. And Alec was desperate, and he needed me, and we didn’t know what his future held.

  I tore off my clothing and quickly wrapped a towel around my body when someone knocked on the door, just as I’d done less than twenty-four hours ago with Jett, and now I was here.

  “Come in,” I called out.

  My mother stepped in and closed the door. “Daddy’s right, you know.”

  “About?”

  “About no one ever laying a hand on you.” Her gaze moved to my shoulders and she gasped. “Oh my gosh. Did Alec do this?”

  I looked down to see the bruising on my upper arms and silently cursed myself for letting her see this. Would it even matter? She’d always be loyal to Mama T and Alec, wouldn’t she?

  “Yes. He was drunk and stupid. It’s fine. Jett pulled him off of me, and we left.”

  Her eyes welled with emotion as she rushed toward me and studied the bruises. “Mama T shouldn’t talk to you the way she did. I know she’s upset, but it’s not her place to tell you what to do. She shouldn’t have called the school on your behalf, that should have been your decision.”

  “Is anything my decision?” I walked into the bathroom and turned off the water, as it was dangerously high and threatening to overflow.

  “It should be.” She brushed the hair back from my face, and her fingers skimmed the bruising on my shoulder. “And you obviously know more about Alec than I do. I never thought he would touch you or hurt you physically. I never thought he would get behind the wheel of a car drunk. My god, Addy, you could have been in that car with him. I’ve messed up so much, baby girl. I guess in a way I thought you and Alec being together made me a loyal friend to Mama T. I think I’ve always felt like I owed her something… but not at the expense of my own daughter’s happiness. I’ve just gotten so lost along the way.”

  Tears rolled down her face and she covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head with disbelief.

  “Yep. But it still doesn’t mean that I don’t want him to get better. Even after everything that happened, I still care about him. I care about their family,” I said as I fell into Mama’s arms and sobbed. She wrapped her arms around me and hugged me so tight.

  We sat there crying together for what seemed like forever.

  Because we both knew nothing would ever be the same again.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Jett

  I hadn’t heard from Adelaide, but Shaw and Coco had spent the day at my house talking all this shit through. Coco informed me about Alec’s mother’s threats, and I needed to let Adelaide know that I didn’t care what she tried to pull. I didn’t buy in to emotional blackmail. Coco said none of the girls had heard from their best friend, but they’d talked to Clem who’d said her sister had finally gone home to get some sleep and would return to the hospital in the morning. I knew I was taking a risk coming here, but I needed to talk to her.

  I threw a rock at her window. Her room was dark. There was no response, so I chucked another rock up, just as a light turned on in her room. The window opened, and Adelaide looked down at me. She held up a finger to her lips and the light went out again. I stood beneath the oversized tree, wondering if she was coming down, or if she was just going to call me.

  We’d had an amazing night together, if you ignored the fact that her ex-boyfriend had physically attacked her. We’d had mind-blowing sex, and seeing as it was her first time, I knew that wasn’t the norm, yet everything was different with this girl. We just fit. And now I didn’t know what the fuck to think. Was it all going to be thrown away because of Alec fucking Taulson’s accident?

  Did I want him to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair? Hell no. I didn’t wish that upon anyone. But everyone in town was talking about the accident now, and everyone knew the asshole had gotten behind the wheel drunk. He’d made a choice, that once again his daddy would cover up, and he’d get away with it. If this were me or Jax or Shaw, we’d be locked up right now. The selfish prick had put others’ lives in danger, and he’d hurt himself. It was a tough lesson, but maybe it was time the dude started accepting some responsibility for his fucked-up choices.

  Don’t even get me started on the fact that I’d found him shaking Adelaide against a brick wall. He’d marked her arms and scared the shit out of her. All because she didn’t want to be with him anymore. He’d had another damn temper tantrum, and now he was playing the victim as he lay in a hospital bed. He’s lucky he didn’t kill anyone.

  Adelaide emerged from the window and made her way down the tree as I stood beneath it, ready to catch her if she fell. Hell, I’d always catch this girl if she fell for as long as she’d allow me to.

  When her feet hit the ground, she turned immediately into my chest and my arms wrapped around her, and she cried. We just stood there for a few minutes so she could let it all out.

  She pulled away and looked up at me. Her eyes were puffy and swollen as if she’d been crying since I’d last seen her nearly twenty-four hours ago. So much had changed in such a short time.

  “Jett. I’m so sorry. My phone died. My life is a mess. Things are so bad.” The tears started to fall again as she spoke. Her voice trembled, and I could hear all the sadness in her words.

  “I’ve heard some. What’s the prognosis?” I asked, knowing that she needed to talk about it.

  “They’re hopeful that he’ll walk again. He had surgery and it’s a waiting game now. It’s going to be a long road. I mean, what if he can’t leave for school in the fall? What if he’s in a wheelchair forever?” she said, covering her mouth to muffle her sobs.

  “Then he’ll work hard to survive. He’s alive. He’s speaking. He’ll get the best medical care out there. He’s going to be okay either way.” I reached for her hand, intertwining our fingers.

  “He can’t do it on his own.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

  “He has a family, Ace. And they have all the resources, so he’ll get the best care out there.”

  “His mom is threatening to call the dean at TU and tell him that you punched Alec before the accident. She’s going to try to blame you if I don’t do what she wants me to do.” The words came out like she’d been holding them in for far too long and she just needed to say them. The hurt in her eyes caused my breath to catch in my throat.

  Jesus Christ. She wanted to protect me.

  “Listen to me. Let her make the call. I will not be yet another person who lets you make a decision based on me. Let her give it her best shot. I don’t give a shit. I pulled that son of a bitch off you, and unless he wants his family to know the truth, he won’t let this go that far. Because I’ll tell the fucking truth. He hurt you. I saw the bruises. And I didn’t put him drunk behind the wheel. I’m sure his rich daddy is going to get away with covering up what he did, but Alec knows the truth. He made choices that he has to live with. And he can blame as many people as he wants, but it won’t change what he did.”

  “They don’t care, don’t you get that? So, what, they just cause you to lose your scholarship and he wins? No. You’ve worked too hard for this. I won’t let that happen. I don’t care what I have to do.” She looked up at me and I saw it all right there.

  Her need to do what she thought was right. Her need to do for everyone else but herself.

 
But I also saw the fear. She was afraid of the Taulsons and fuck them for doing that to her.

  “No, Ace. You don’t get to use me to take the easy road. Fuck that.” I crossed my arms over my chest and studied her.

  “What do you mean?”

  “It would be easy to just do what everyone wants you to do. To go to State. To help Alec. To make your mother happy and Alec’s crazy-ass mother happy. And for what? Life is short. Stop living for everyone else. What do you want?”

  “You know what I want.”

  “I do. I think you’re the only one who needs convincing. But don’t leave here thinking you’re doing me a favor. I don’t need a favor, Ace. I only need you. I can handle whatever they want to throw at me. I have a good relationship with the coach at TU. There are several witnesses that saw Alec last night, the state he was in. They may be able to bully the doctor, but everyone in this town knows what went down. I have the truth on my side.”

  She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. “I know, Jett—I’m scared, I don’t know what to do.”

  “Yeah, you do. Trust yourself.” I pulled her in for a hug when the sound of a door opening startled me from around the corner.

  “Adelaide Charlotte, get inside,” her mother said, standing there in a long dark robe looking at her daughter like she’d just committed the cardinal sin.

  She pulled away, and her gaze locked with mine. No words were said. But we both knew how we felt without speaking a word.

  I walked to my bike and fired up the engine, not knowing where to go or what to do. There was a good fucking chance that she’d do what was expected of her. Hell, she’d been doing it her entire life. The thought of losing her left me feeling gutted. I pulled into the motor club and sat on my bike until a light came on upstairs. Wren lived in the apartment above the shop and he pulled the door open.

  “Heard a lot of shit is going down with that asshole that used to date your girl. Come on up.” He held the door open, and I made my way up the stairs and inside.