Chapter 2
“You want me to act,” I say. “Pretend she’s not helping.”
“You won’t be acting. Ms. Adams is incapable of helping you. She’s too inexperienced. I just need you to communicate that to Principal Edwards, after a couple sessions, of course, so it looks like you tried.”
“And what if I don’t like the next counselor? Can I quit?”
“We’ll see. I want you to at least give it a chance. What Principal Edwards said is true. You’ve been through a lot the past few weeks. The loss of your mother alone is enough reason for you to talk to someone.” He reaches over and pats my hand. “Just try it. At least give it a chance.”
I nod and try the door handle again. Brock clicks the lock open, and I hurry to get out.
As we’re walking into the house, Brock says, “We’ll leave at seven.”
I turn back. “The game starts at seven. We’ll miss most of the first quarter if we leave that late.”
He smiles. “I didn’t know you were so interested in Braden’s game.” He checks his watch. “It’s almost six. I suppose we could leave at six thirty.”
“What about dinner? Can we go out?”
He eyes me like this is some kind of trick.
I never want to be around him, and now I’m suggesting we go to dinner?
I think this acting thing is starting to come naturally to me now.
Act to get what you want, and right now, I don’t want to be punished for hitting Kristen.
The school punishment is bad enough. I don’t want another one from Brock.
If I get on his good side, maybe he won’t punish me.
“Where would you like to go?” Brock asks.
“The taco place?” I say with a smile.
“What taco place?”
“The one that looks like a metal shack. It’s not much from the outside but the food is good.”
“You’ve been there?”
“I went with some people from school,” I lie, knowing he’d yell at me if he knew I’d gone with Jackson and Shayla, the two people he doesn’t want me around.
“I’m not sure why I’m going along with this after what happened today,” he says, rubbing his jaw, “but yes, we can go.”
“Great! I’ll go change and meet you back here in ten.”
I hurry off before he changes his mind. He’s going to hate the taco place, but we don’t have time for the fancy restaurants he likes.
We need to get to the game. I don’t even like football, but I want to see Braden play.
I want to see if he’s as good as everyone says.
I’d rather see Jackson play, but since I can’t, I’ll settle for Braden, cheering him on as I play the role of supportive cousin.
I have so many roles I can’t keep track of them all.
After changing into jeans and a t-shirt, I meet up with Brock in the living room.
He’s wearing jeans too, which look strange on him.
I’m used to seeing him in nicer clothes.
Not that his jeans aren’t nice. They’re a dark denim and look brand new.
I’m sure they’re designer. He paired them with a white button-up shirt, rolling up the sleeves for a more casual look.
Instead of sneakers, like I’m wearing, he has on tan leather loafers, which match the tan leather coat he’s putting on.
“You think it’ll be cold?” I ask.
“It can get chilly at night. I’d suggest you bring a jacket.”
Running back to my room, I grab a hoodie and meet him at the door.
“Have you heard from Trystan?” I ask as we walk to the car.
“No, but I’m sure he’s with his friends.”
“I’ll text him.” I get in the car.
Brock smiles at me as he puts his seatbelt on. “You two are texting now?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“No reason.” He pulls out of the driveway. “I’m glad you two are getting along.”
“He likes me now that I punched Kristen. If I punch her again, I might be his new best friend.”
Brock glances at me, his eyes narrowed. “Rumor.”
“I’m kidding. Geez, lighten up.”
As he drives down the street, I text Trystan.
Where are you?
Out with the team, he texts back. You still going to the game?
Yeah. With your dad.
My phone rings.
“You’re joking, right?” he says when I answer.
“No. We’re going there after we eat.”
“What the hell? I thought he was going to LA tonight.”
“He couldn’t.” I glance at Brock. “We had a meeting with the principal.”
“No shit?” He laughs. “What happened?”
“Your dad got a bill, and I got sent to counseling.”
He laughs again. “I knew it. They send everyone to counseling. Gives Ms. Adams something to do.”
“Did they make you see her?”
“Hell no. They know better than to try that shit on me.”
“Why?”
“I’m too much of a challenge. She’d be the one needing counseling after a session with me.”
“Do you know anything about her?”
“I know she shouldn’t be a counselor. She’s barely older than us. Just graduated college. Went to high school at Twisted Pine.”
A guy yells something in the background.
“Shut the hell up!” Trystan says to him. “I’m on the phone.”
“I’ll let you go. We’re almost there.”
“Why are you going so early?”
“We’re having dinner first at that taco place in the green shack.”
“Yeah, right.”
“No, really. We’re going to the taco place.”
“What the fuck? Did you drug my dad?”
I look over at Brock. “He thinks I drugged you.”
“Put him on speaker.”
“Your dad wants to talk to you,” I say to Trystan.
“No! Don’t—”
“You’re on speaker,” I tell him.
Trystan sighs. “What do you want, Dad?”
“I need to know where to sit. I haven’t been to one of these games since they built the new stadium.”
“Just sit in the parent section.”
“With Rumor? Shouldn’t she be with the other students?”
“Not after what she did.” He chuckles. “Nobody’s gonna want to be seen with her. Will Kristen be there tonight?”
“She’s home healing from her wounds.” I roll my eyes. “She thinks she might need surgery.”
“She was barely bleeding.”
“I think it’s just an excuse to get a nose job. She’s going to her mom’s plastic surgeon tomorrow.”
“If she’s not gonna be there, you can probably sit wherever you want, although people still may not want to be seen with you if they think it’ll get back to Kristen.”
“I think that’s a little extreme,” Brock says.
“Believe me, it’s not,” Trystan says. “People are fucking scared of her because of her dad. And then my cousin goes and punches her in the face.” He laughs.
“She deserved it,” I say, smiling, because Trystan finally called me his cousin. He keeps denying that I am, refusing to even call me that.
“What time will you be at the game?” Brock asks.
“I don’t know. Probably around six thirty. Why are you going? Why didn’t you drive to LA?”
“I want to see Braden play.”
“Since when? You didn’t go to his games before.”
“Trystan, we’re not going to start arguing about this. I’m going. We’ll see you there.” He motions for me to end the call.
“Will you be home tonight?” I ask Trystan, taking him off speaker.
“Not sure. I might stay over at Porter’s.”
Porter is one of his soccer player friends.
He’s gorgeous, but has a girlfriend. Not that I’d date him if he were single.
I have Jackson, who’s even hotter than Porter, and an amazing kisser.
The kiss we had earlier was supposed to lead to more later tonight, but now that plan is off because of Brock.
Because he decided to stay here because of Kristen.
If Kristen had just kept her mouth shut, everything would’ve gone as planned, and I’d be spending the night with Jackson.
“I gotta go,” Trystan says. “We’re leaving.”
As I put my phone away, Brock pulls up to the taco place.
“You sure you want to eat here?” he says, eyeing the place.
“It’s good. And it’s fast and we don’t have much time.”
He sighs as he gets out of the car. “I think I’ll pass.”
“C’mon,” I say, motioning him to the door. “Trystan and Braden eat here. They like it.”
“I didn’t know they came here,” he says as we go inside.
We order our meals and sit down at a table. Brock gets his phone out and ignores me, as usual, but I don’t mind. It gives me a chance to text Burt, my code name for Jackson.
Can’t meet tonight, I text.
He immediately responds. Why not?
Brock is staying here. We’re going to the game.
He never goes.
He has to.
I glance up at Brock. He’s swiping through his phone, totally clueless that I’m talking about him.
The principal guilted him into it.
He talked to the principal? About Kristen?
We both got called into his office. I have to go to counseling.
I wait for his response, but he doesn’t text back.
“Halliway,” the guy at the counter yells out.
“Uncle Brock?” I say.
He looks up. “What?”
“Could you get the food?”
“They don’t bring it to us?”
“Never mind. I’ll get it.” I go over there and bring the food back. Brock’s still scrolling through his phone.
A text finally pops up from ‘Burt.’
You gonna do it?
Counseling? I don’t have a choice, I text back.
I have to go. The guys are leaving.
Good luck at the game.
I set my phone down just as Brock sets his down, too. “Who is he?”
“Who? What are you talking about?”
“The boy you were texting.” Brock takes a taco from the tray. “Anyone I know?”
“It wasn’t a boy. It was a friend from back home.”
He laughs a little. “I’m not that na?ve, Rumor. I have two other teenagers. I’ve learned to know when they’re lying.”
“I’m not lying. I’ve only been here a couple weeks. How could I meet someone that fast?”
“You’re a pretty girl. You go to school with plenty of good-looking young men. It’s quite possible you’ve met someone by now. Is it one of Braden’s friends?” He grabs a napkin from the dispenser. “You can tell me. I won’t tell Braden, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
I pause to think about this. If I told him I was dating one of Braden’s friends, Brock would stop questioning me every time I text someone or talk on the phone in my room.
“Okay, yeah,” I say. “It’s one of Braden’s friends but I don’t want him to find out. He hasn’t fully accepted me being part of his group, and until he has, I don’t want to tell him about this.”
Brock nods. “I understand.”
I bite into my taco, hoping that’ll make him stop questioning me.
“Is it the Stevens kid?” he asks.
“Stevens?”