Chapter 28
AGE 18
I push through the flimsy screen door, leaving Jacob and Max inside, joining Kyleigh on the porch. She turns as soon as she hears me and smiles up at me.
“Did the dipshits fill you in?” she snickers.
“Enough. What do you want, Kyleigh? I don’t fucking owe you anything.”
She scoffs. “You actually believe that, don’t you?”
“It was one goddamn night. We were both drunk. I told you the next morning how sorry I was. I’ve never even drank like that since.”
“You took my virginity, King.”
I sit down and blow out a breath. I’ve felt like shit about that for two years. It’s one of the reasons why I’m taking things so slow with Violette. I would never want to take that from a girl again without it meaning something.
“You didn’t tell me you were a virgin, Kyleigh. I barely even remember that night, but what I do remember is that I told you I just cared about you as a friend, but you were adamant sex was a good idea. You lied, You said you didn’t like me that way either, that it was a one-time thing, that we were friends with benefits.”
“Yeah, well, I figured you would change your mind,” she says quietly. “We could’ve been great together, King.”
“Why would I change my mind? All you did after was cause drama. You called my friends, my job, Kyleigh. You took it too far. You told people you thought you were pregnant when you weren’t.”
She looks down and tucks a lock of her long blonde hair behind her ear, and I grit my molars to calm down. I need to refocus here.
“This ancient history doesn’t matter. I was honest with you, if you had told me you were a virgin, or that you wanted more with me, even as drunk as I was, I never would’ve slept with you.”
I look up at the rotting wood ceiling of Max’s porch. “Look, I can’t take back that night. So what does any of this have to do with me? Why am I here?” I ask.
“When we hooked up it humiliated me, everyone knew we slept together that night, and I guess I forgave you, sort of, for a while.”
“Well, you dated someone else for six months, so yeah, I assumed you were over it.” I retort.
“I had to act like I didn’t care. But then you started bringing Violette Taylor everywhere, and I don’t fucking get it, King. She’s bland. She’s a fucking science nerd and she’s fat.”
I’ve never in my life, wanted to hit a woman, but I wish I could just reach across the space and give her a smack for talking about Violette like that.
“I don’t want to hear you talk about Violette,” I say through gritted teeth. “I can’t believe you’re making some sort of fucked up jealousy a part of this. And you still haven’t fucking told me what you want!” My voice booms as I spit my words at her. I’m losing my fucking patience—fast.
“You want to keep this our dirty little secret? You’re mine now,” she says, leaning forward in her chair. “You’re making up for all the times you ignored me, after we were together. You’re going to go to prom with me . You’re going to show the whole school that in the end, you chose me . I’m going to tell everyone that you came groveling back to me.” She folds her arms across her chest. “If you do, I’ll keep my mouth shut and after you keep up your end of the bargain, the video is yours.” She shrugs. “It’s that simple, and no one will ever know how fucking stupid your lowlife friends are.”
“Not a fucking chance in hell, Kyleigh.”
She shrugs, unbothered, and stands.
“Then I give the video to my dad, and oh... here he comes,” she says, nodding down the street where headlights shine toward us. She leans down and tries to tweak my chin. I push her hand away. “I’m finishing my senior year with a bang, King,” she says smugly. “I won’t be the girl you stepped over anymore.”
I just look at her, trying to understand how someone could possibly be so manipulative and so fucking bold as to try to blackmail me into dating her. For no reason other than to hurt Violette and prove something to friends that will probably mean nothing to her by this time next year. How fucking shallow is this girl?
I watch her walk down the porch. Her father’s eyes land on mine when he pulls in the driveway. I stand. She smiles at her dad as he cuts the engine. The thing she doesn’t know is that all my friends told me to date her. But she just has no substance. I didn’t connect with her, or any other girl, the way I did with Violette. Kyleigh isn’t brilliant and cool, she doesn’t listen to my kind of music or kick my ass at cards. She’s the one who’s bland.
“Hi, Daddy, you remember Rowan?” she asks as her father gets out of his truck. My name on her tongue is like poison.
Jacob and Max push open the screen door and bring with them the heady scent of weed. Fucking Christ, I was gone for ten minutes.
“Deputy Miller,” I say, extending a hand to distract him from my two obviously high friends.
He takes my hand in his. “Rowan, hell of a game you played last week”
“Thank you, sir,” I answer as he looks around, taking in the surroundings his daughter is being picked up from.
“Rowan came by while I was tutoring Max.”
If this situation wasn’t tragic, I would stifle a laugh. Kyleigh tutoring anyone is just insanity. “And he just asked me to prom!” Kyleigh says excitedly, putting me right on the spot.
Deputy Miller gives me the once over. I know he’s a single dad, Kyleigh’s mom split years ago, and he gives Kyleigh whatever she wants.
“Well, I know Kyleigh will be pleased with that, seeing how you treated her less than favorable last year.”
The fuck?
“I tell my dad everything,” she says, looking at all three of us. “He’s my best friend.”
I repeat. The fuck?
“Lucky young man you are, son, taking my princess to the prom. And you’ve done good to not disappoint her again ,” he says, looking between Jacob, me, and Max. “I don’t take lightly to anyone who disappoints Kyleigh.”
“I’ll text you, King, can’t wait for the next two weeks,” she says happily as she gets in the passenger side.
I look back at Jacob on the porch, he gulps. I flex my fists. I’m ready to fucking pummel him.
“You’re putting me in the worst fucking situation possible!” I yell at Jacob as I drive his high ass home. “The fuck are you doing right now? I feel like I don’t even know you. My friend would never risk his future, my friend would never risk his sister’s future!”
“This is exactly why I didn’t want to tell you!” Jacob says, his knee is still bouncing in my front seat as he looks out the window. “I know. I need to get my shit together,” he adds.
“I could’ve helped you. I’m fucking great at trig, I have a ninety in that class.” I look over at him in the dark. “Or was it just easier to steal it? Take the easy way out?”
My brain is going a hundred miles an hour. I will find a way out of this. I will get that video.
“I don’t fucking know, man,” Jacob says quietly. “I need help.”
“You need to stay sober and stop hanging around Max. You need to let me help you study so you can pass, the honest way.”
Jacob scoffs. “It’s in two weeks.”
“We can do it,” I tell him, “I can help you if you straighten your shit out and you fucking let me.”
I pull over as we near his street. I need to set this straight before I drop him off and I can’t risk running into Violette right now. The thought of going to prom with Kyleigh makes me feel fucking nauseous. But the thought of Violette caught up in all this makes me feel even worse.
“I’ll stop hanging around him, but I need you to do what Kyleigh wants. Please, man, did you see her dad? He knew. She said she told him everything . I’ll be expelled, he could charge me! I’ll have a record and Violette could get in so much trouble. What a fucking fuck up I am.” He smacks a fist against his thigh as tears well in his eyes. He’s paranoid, but he could be right.
“You don’t understand,” I tell him. “I care about Vi, Jacob,” I say. “I’d be giving her up.”
Jacob looks up at me like he had no idea I had real feelings for his sister. He’s been oblivious.
“Fuck, man, I need you. I don’t know what else to do.”
We sit in silence for a beat, both of us catching our breath from this bullshit night.
“Look, even if you could just go with Kyleigh, get her alone and get her to delete the video. But for now, please you have to agree. You know Violette. She could never hate you, but, fuck, I don’t want her to get in trouble. Please. ”
I hit my steering wheel, once, twice.
I look over at Jacob—my best friend, my brother— crying now in my front seat, and I know I have no choice. I have to help him and stop Violette from being dragged into this.
“No more drugs. You focus on rugby, school. We study—every fucking day—until the final.”
He sniffs. “Okay, yea.”
“I fucking mean it, Jacob, you have no fucking idea what I’m giving up here.”
I’ll think of something. I’ll win her back.
“I didn’t know you felt like that for Vivi, I thought you guys were just friends…” His face is contorted like he isn’t sure how he feels about it, but I don’t even give a fuck. My feelings are honest. Right now I’m so angry at him, but I don’t want to see him get into real trouble regardless. I lean my head back against the seat and blow out a breath.
“I’ll go in a group to prom, I’m not going alone with Kyleigh. I’ll get the phone. I’ll make sure she gets rid of any copies. But if you let me down after this I swear to fuckin?—”
“I won’t, man, this is rock bottom. I promise.” Jacob sniffs again and swipes his tear-stained face.
“This is your future, man, and Violette’s…” I tell him, hoping I’m making the right choice.
I look toward his house, knowing Violette is in there, knowing this is going to break her damn heart and praying with everything in me that one day she’ll understand and forgive me.
“There’s one more thing.” Jacob adds “You can’t tell Violette. Not yet.”