Chapter 18
“Dead?” I shove away from him. “Why would you even say that?”
“It’s a possibility. I didn’t say it was true. But addicts don’t typically have a long lifespan. Every time they overdose could be the end.”
“When’s the last time you talked to him?”
“It’s been weeks.”
“So it’s possible . . .” I don’t even want to say it. My dad’s a shitty father but I don’t want him to be dead.
“I’m sure he’s fine. Devon’s disappeared before and found his way back. Just give it some time.” Brock turns and walks back to his office, closing the door.
Going back to the kitchen, I grab my plate of lasagna and go to my room, shutting and locking the door.
I text Jackson. Can you talk? My phone rings, and I go into my closet to answer. “Hey, are you home?”
“I’m at the gym, but I went to my car so we can talk. What’s going on?”
“Brock said my dad might be dead.”
“Dead? How?”
“From drugs. He didn’t actually say he’s dead. He just said he hasn’t heard from him in weeks and that he could be dead.”
“Just ignore him. You can’t trust Brock. He lies for a living.”
“But why would he say that?”
“I don’t know. To make you stop looking for your dad?”
“I guess that’s possible. And Brock’s really drunk right now so . . .”
“Then I definitely wouldn’t trust anything he says. Why is he drunk? Did something happen?”
“Maybe. His lawyer showed up at lunch today and took Braden away. I don’t know what that’s about, but it had to be important if he showed up at school. Oh, I have some news. Two other football players are injured. Dante hurt his shoulder and Kade hurt his wrist.”
“After the first game.” Jackson laughs. “Their season might be ending sooner than I thought.”
“Braden went back to practice today. I saw him limping when he was home, so his knee definitely isn’t back to normal, but he refused to miss practice.”
“He’s going to make it worse by not giving it time to heal. That’ll work to our advantage. Any other updates on the team?”
“They were talking about their field being torn up. They said they checked the security cameras and didn’t see anyone on the field the night it happened. They think someone messed with the video.” I pause, not wanting to accuse him but wondering if he was involved.
“You think I did it?”
“No. Well, maybe.” I chew on my lip. “Did you?”
“It wasn’t me, or anyone else on the team. Some other school did it.”
“Everyone thinks it was you.”
“That doesn’t surprise me. But if I did it, why would I do it now? We don’t play them until late in the season. If I was going to do it, I’d do it right before the game.”
“How were they able to erase that part of the recording? Is it that easy to do?”
“The guy I hired did it for a lot of people. But he’s fired now so it won’t be as easy to do anymore.”
“Hey, going back to my dad, do you think we could go to LA this weekend? See if he’s at his apartment?”
“I don’t know if this weekend will work. I have two-a-days for football and I promised Kristen I’d—”
“Kristen?” I sigh. “You’re doing something with Kristen this weekend?”
“It’s not what you think. I’m helping her with something. That’s it.”
“What are you helping her with?”
“I can’t say.”
“Jackson, I’m really getting tired of this.”
“Tired of what?”
“You hiding whatever you’re doing with Kristen. Why can’t you tell me?”
“Because I told her I wouldn’t.”
“That was before you had a girlfriend. It’s different now. You and I can’t have a relationship if you and her have all these secrets I’m not allowed to know about.”
“It’ll be over soon. I promise.”
“That’s not good enough,” I say, getting angry. “I want it to end. I want you to stop seeing her and stop letting her come over.”
“I can’t. Not yet.”
“Then at least tell me what this is about.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”
“Then don’t call me again until you can.” I hang up on him, furious that he’s being so stubborn about this yet being so loyal to Kristen. I’m giving him all this information about Braden and his team, and he can’t even give me a tiny clue about what’s going on with him and Kristen.
I finish my lasagna, then try to do my English homework, but end up falling asleep. I wake up at midnight and check my phone, assuming Jackson would’ve tried to call me back, but he didn’t. There isn’t even a text from him.
Maybe I took it too far. Maybe I should’ve respected his privacy, and I would have if it didn’t involve Kristen. I don’t trust her. She wants Jackson for herself, and she’ll do anything to get him.
* * *
In the morning, I go out to the car early, so I don’t have to deal with Trystan yelling at me. He does it anyway.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were out here?” he asks, getting in the car. “I was searching the whole damn house for you.”
“You keep telling me to get out here early and now you’re yelling at me?”
“Because you never actually do what I say.” He speeds out of the driveway and down the street. He’s a horrible driver. I can’t believe he hasn’t had an accident.
“Ready for your date tomorrow?” I ask, laughing a little.
“Why is that funny?” He slams on the brakes as we approach a stop sign.
“I’ve just never heard you talk about girls.”
“You’ve only known me a few weeks. And I keep that shit quiet. I don’t go around telling people who I’m with.”
“Have you had many girlfriends?”
“I’ve had girls, not girlfriends. There’s no way I’m having a girlfriend after the shit Braden’s been through.”
“You mean with Andrea?”
“Andrea. Kristen. Alyssa.”
“Braden dated Alyssa?”
“He was going to, until she started accusing him of shit. I swear all those bitches want to do is bring him down. They go after the most popular guy in school, then try to be the girl who’ll destroy him, like it’s a fucking challenge and there’s a prize for the winner.”
“I don’t think that’s their intention. Braden is still the most popular guy in school.”
“Only because he got rid of them.”
I look at Trystan. “He got rid of Andrea?”
“Not like that.” He glances at me. “What the hell? You think he killed her?”
“No, it’s the just way you said it . . . never mind.”
“If you think he did it, you need to get the hell out. We don’t need a fucking traitor living at the house.”
“I never said he was guilty. Have you heard anything new about the case?”
“Yeah, but I’m not telling you. And I’m telling Braden not to tell you either. You’re probably just like those girls, wanting to take Braden down just to prove you could do it.” He shakes his head. “I could totally see you doing that.”
“Why? I didn’t do anything. Where is this coming from?”
We’re at school now, and he parks the car and shuts it off. He takes off his seatbelt and turns to me.
“Someone messed with the video,” he says.
“What video?”
“Don’t do that shit where you pretend not to know what I’m talking about. I know you did it, or found someone who would.”
“Trystan, I really don’t know what you’re talking about. You mean the video of the football field? The guys were talking about that at lunch yesterday, but that happened before I moved here.”
“The video at the house. The cameras along the back. The video was tampered with.” His eyes lock on mine. “Who would want to mess with the video?”
“I don’t know,” I say, staring back. “Who would sit for hours and watch them? Only someone who doesn’t have a life.”
“Or someone who doesn’t trust the girl who just showed up one day claiming to be a relative.”
“This again? I’m leaving.” I get out of the car, slamming the door shut and walking fast toward the school. When I look back, Trystan is standing by his car and talking on the phone. Is he talking to Braden? Did Braden hire him to spy on me?
I need to be more careful. I thought Trystan was starting to trust me, but if anything he trusts me less now than when I moved here.
The morning goes by slowly. I keep checking my phone for a text from Jackson, but he still hasn’t sent me anything.
He’s mad at me, which isn’t fair. I’m his girlfriend, and he shouldn’t be keeping secrets from me.
I’m the one who should be mad, and I am.
But I also miss him. We usually talk before school and text throughout the morning. I miss that.
At lunch, Braden isn’t there and none of the guys ask why, which I find odd.
“Where’s Braden?” I ask.
“Physical therapy,” Kade says. “They brought someone in to work on us. I saw the guy this morning. He’s really fucking good. I can finally rotate my wrist.”
“They hired someone?” I ask. “For the team?”
“Just for the season,” Dante says. “Coach didn’t like us having to wait for an appointment, so he got Principal Edwards to hire a physical therapist for the team.”
“That must be expensive.”
“It is.” Dante smiles at Wyatt. “Tell your dad thanks.”
I turn to Wyatt. “Your dad’s paying for this?”
“Not directly. He just made a donation.”
Another advantage over the Legion team. Legion parents couldn’t afford to hire their own physical therapist. Jackson could, but the rest of the team couldn’t.
Jackson. I can’t stop thinking about him. I can’t even concentrate today. Everything reminds me of him.
After school, I wait for Trystan, but he doesn’t show up. Then I notice his car pulling out of the parking lot. I run to catch up with it before he drives away.
“Trystan, stop!” I yell.
He stops the car, and I get in.
“You were just going to leave without me?”
“You weren’t here.”
“I was waiting outside the school for you.”
“And I was waiting in the car.”
“Why didn’t you text me and tell me that?”
He answers by turning his music up.
When we get home, I hurry to get out of the car, wanting to get away from him. He’s so moody. One minute he’s nice and the next he’s a total ass.
He races in front of me into the house, not even leaving the door open for me. As I walk in, Brock comes up to me.
“The Driver’s Ed school you contacted just called,” he says. “They said they could fit you in for a lesson today if you’re able to make it.”
“How am I supposed to get there?”
“Trystan could take you.”