Chapter Four
Thomas
My arms shake as I push through the last rep of my set. My teammate Jackson steps forward to help, but I huff out a no, using all my strength to lift the bar onto the rack.
The second I’m done, I blow out a breath and cover my eyes, knowing Jackson’s about to throw a towel in my face.
“You killed that session, Kelly,” he says as the towel hits me. “Got something to prove?” He laughs.
“Nope.” I shake my head as I stand. “Just showing you how it’s done.” I’m lying. I have a hell of a lot to prove if I want the starting quarterback position when Cooper graduates in two years since I’m not the only one vying for the spot.
Jackson laughs again as he rolls his eyes. He knows.
“Alright man. Come on, let’s go cool down.”
We move into our cooldown session and chat about our plans for the weekend. There’s a huge party at the Ball House tomorrow night—where some of the football team live—so most of the guys are having a quiet night tonight to prepare.
Hence why I’m hanging out at the team gym. I don’t love quiet nights. I prefer being busy.
I’ve just grabbed my bag when my phone rings and Luke’s name lights up my screen. I ignore it at first and head off to the showers. He’s most likely calling about a party. Again. And at some point I have to cut the cord. Not from Luke, but from the high school scene in general. It’s been close to nine months since I graduated, and while I love my high school teammates, it’s time to move on. I’ll be able to hang out with some of them in a few months anyway when they start at Heartwood U. Luke being one of them. It’s the only place he applied.
I’m on my way home when I finally listen to Luke’s voicemail, and the sound of his booming voice through my truck speakers makes me cringe.
“Tommy!! This party is epic. So many babes. You should be here.”
Tommy?His parents must be turning a blind eye to the alcohol again because I don’t think he’s ever called me Tommy.
I try calling him back but he doesn”t answer—which is lucky for me because it shows I tried—and I”m pulling into our long driveway as I hang up. My headlights illuminate our front porch and the hunched-over figure sitting on the steps immediately distracts me from Luke. Summer shields her eyes as she lifts her head, and a feeling of dread flows through me.
I hate this scene. Something is going on between her and my parents, and none of them are talking about it. If Summer’s home, she’s moping around, but most of the time, she’s MIA.
Without speaking, I lock my truck and walk her way, sitting down beside her. She sighs before letting out the smallest laugh.
“What’s so funny?” I ask to break the silence.
“Your truck. No matter how many times I see it, I’ll never get over it.” She throws up a hand toward her old beat-up Honda and laughs again while my stomach sinks.
“I’m sure they’ll get you a new car when you head off to college,” I say, even though I doubt that’s true. They bought me my brand-new top-of-the-line Ford the day I got my license, so it’s hard to justify the college excuse. But I keep holding out hope.
“I don’t even want a fancy car,” she says with a scoff. “I’d much prefer the cash.” She turns to me with a sassy grin, and I can’t help but laugh.
“You and me both, Summer. Your car still gets you from A to B. What do I need the fancy truck for?”
“To get the girls?”
I fake a gasp before winking. “You got me. And it works.”
“I know. We share a wall.” She rolls her eyes and pretends to gag, but I know she’s joking. I’ve only ever snuck one girl into the house, and Summer wasn’t even home. She’s never home. Either way, I usually use my truck and—on that note…
“I just figured out what my truck is good for.”
“Oh yeah?”
“The back seat.”
“Ew. Thomas!” She punches me in the arm and stands up, her expression full of disgust while I burst out laughing.
“You brought it up.” I shrug before changing the subject. “What are you doing at home on a Friday night, anyway?”
The words barely have time to leave my mouth before headlights flash in my eyes. “I’m not,” Summer says as she shields her face again. “Logan’s back for the weekend and we’re going out.”
Logan.One of Summer’s best friends. She may have known him since she was a child, but I’m still not sure if I can trust him. We’re almost the same age and yet… he befriended Summer not me. I’ll never understand that. And he knows how I feel. Even now I can guarantee he doesn’t get out of his truck.
“Just the two of you?” I ask, as I watch Logan approach. “What about Cory?” Cory is Summer’s other best friend. The one that stays by her side whenever Logan disappears, the one that talks to me… the one I trust with Summer’s life.
“Are you worried about me or Cory?” Summer asks.
Definitely you. “Cory,” I lie. “I don’t want her getting left out because Logan’s back.”
“Aww, and they say you’re an ignorant asshole.” She pats me on the back. “You actually care.”
My eyes flash to hers. “Who? Who says that?” What the actual—
Summer laughs, cutting into my thoughts just as Logan calls out.
“You ready, Sum?” he says from his open window, proving my earlier point as he comes to a stop behind her car.
“Coming,” she practically sings with a huge smile on her face, waving my way without even saying goodbye.
A sharp pang hits as I watch them drive away before unlocking the front door and heading straight to my room. I know we’ve drifted since I left for college, and while it’s mostly my fault, it still hurts.
My bed welcomes me when I arrive, and with the comforter stripped back, pillow fluffed, it’s screaming at me to dive in. But with the pile of books haunting me from my desk, and the huge “assignment due” note on my calendar, I know I won’t be able to sleep.
Unless…
Giving up on my plans to cut the cord, I call Luke again. If I drink enough, it’ll be easier to switch off. I could even be out cold before my head hits the pillow.
Of course, now that I’ve made up my mind, he doesn’t answer. Again. But why would he? He’s got the babes.
Huffing out a laugh, I grab my phone and order an Uber, taking a chance that I’m right about the party. I text a few friends on the drive over, but as we’re pulling up, I get a text from someone I wasn’t expecting to hear from.
“Keep the change,” I joke as I wave goodbye to the driver, checking my phone as I do.
Jenna: Plans?
A smile pulls at my lips as I read the single-word text. I do now, Jenna. I do now.
Thomas: Just got to a party. Want to join me?
We text back and forth a few times and decide that she’ll pick me up in an hour so we can do our own thing. Code for…I’mgetting lucky tonight.
Damn, where’s my truck when I need the backseat?
I smile to myself as I picture Summer’s face on hearing that joke, but the second I turn around, I realize the joke’s on me. The house is quiet. No lights. No cars lining the drive. No streams of people coming and going. I was wrong. Goddammit. How the hell didn’t I notice that?
My phone buzzes with another text, and I relax when I see the screen.
Jenna: Change of plans. I’ll be there in forty minutes.
Forty minutes. I can wait.
Getting comfortable on the curb, I scroll through social media to pass the time, but it’s only been about five minutes when the front door opens and Lainey walks out, aggressively ripping a piece of paper.
She stalks over to the trash can and throws the paper in before slamming the lid down, cursing to herself as she does. Instead of walking back into the house, she pauses on her front lawn, her head moving between the door and her yard.
It’s dark out, but even from this distance, it’s impossible to miss when she wipes at her eyes, and my stomach knots.
I’m torn between calling out or leaving her alone, but as I continue watching her in silence, she seemingly makes a decision and disappears around the side of her house. I stare unmoving, but when the gate slams shut, I’m hit with the strongest desire to go after her. It’s like seeing Summer in pain. I can’t handle it. Despite having no idea what’s wrong, I can’t walk away.
The pull is too strong.
Jumping up, I jog across the yard and round the corner before I’ve had the chance to think it through, and it’s not until I step through the gate that a nervous energy hits me, made worse when I turn into the yard and Lainey comes into view.
I don’t think I’m equipped for this.
She”s curled up on their outdoor couch, her arms wrapped around her legs and her forehead resting on her knees. She’s rocking slightly, but it’s hard to tell if she’s crying.
I’ve only ever seen Summer in a similar position once, and she told me to get lost.
I barely know Lainey. She’s probably not going to want me here, and yet, my legs won’t move. I can’t leave her.
I won’t.
“Lainey? What’s wrong?”
I move closer as her gaze snaps to mine, and when she gasps, my chest tightens.
“Thomas?”
What do I do?