PARKER #2
“Mr. Jones, it appears that I still don’t have your first draft that you promised you would have for me by Monday. I can’t keep giving you extra time. It's not fair to the other students. I don’t care who your father is, you are on equal footing here in this classroom, do you understand me?”
“Yes, ma’am, I understand.”
“If you get me a draft by this weekend, I will count it as your first and second draft, so it better be good. You need this paper to pass my class, as I’m sure you know.”
Taking a deep breath, knowing she was right, I had no other option but to do as she asked. “Thank you, I’ll get it to you by this weekend.”
“See that you do. You may go,” Mrs. Blackwell said, waving me off as if she knew I was a lost cause.
Not wanting her to change her mind, I raced out of the room and shouldered my backpack.
I jogged to the parking lot towards my truck—the weather was getting to the point it was too cold to ride my bike.
I grinned at the vintage Chevy twelve-valve five-nine Cummins.
It was lifted, dually, in cherry red, with stacks.
My bike was amazing, and I loved the freedom it gave me, but this baby right here was my pride and joy.
I got her out of a junkyard and had her all fixed up.
Technology and an engine had a lot of the same feel to them.
It was bits and pieces that fit together in just the right way to make the whole thing work.
I didn’t share much about my mechanical side, as it was something I did just for me.
Climbing up into the cab, I let her idle for a bit. You never wanted to rush a lady; it was better to get her all hot and ready before you demanded things from her. I checked my cell just to make sure Brayden hadn’t texted me needing anything. There wasn’t a message from him, but one from Hudson.
Hudson:
Any update?
I grinned. Looks like Hudson might have actually found a girl that would get his head out of his research for once.
Parker:
Heading back to the house now.
In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen him date.
I knew his parents split, and he took it really hard, but even knowing him as a kid, he was just so closed off from emotions.
Hudson and I got along well, and in our group, that was saying something.
If Lailah hadn’t shown up in our lives, there would be no family meals at the dining room table.
I couldn’t even remember the last time we all played video games together before she arrived.
The bigger miracle was that Micah was spending time around people other than Brayden and actually trying not to piss everyone off the moment he opened his mouth.
Thinking about him made me grip my steering wheel tighter as I made my way back home.
That bastard thought he was so much better than everyone else.
He never wanted to be a Blessed Warrior.
He resented the fact that he was forced into it and took it out on all of us.
Oh, I’d tried to play nice and win him over, but a man can only be told off so many times before he says fuck it.
If he wasn’t going to be part of the team, then fine. Who needs the prick anyways.
Just as I pulled into the garage, my phone buzzed, and I looked down to see Beth had sent out a group text.
Beth:
Meeting in the library in one hour. This is not negotiable.
Fuck. That isn’t good.
Dropping out of the truck, I made my way up the stairs into the kitchen, hanging up my keys in the lock box by the door.
I noticed Sarah wasn’t in the kitchen, and neither was Garrett.
Smiling to myself, I looked around, making sure the coast was clear before making my way to the fridge.
Sarah always had stuff in here for us to eat whenever we got hungry, but she also hid whatever delicious dessert or baked item she made on the top shelf.
I treated my body like a temple, but my sweet tooth was my downfall.
I could eat a whole cake by myself if I was allowed to.
Anything sweet was good, but if it was chocolate then it was game on!
“Parker Allen Jones, I know you’re not thinking about taking that chocolate cream pie I made for dessert tonight,” Sarah’s stern voice called out from behind me.
Cringing, I turned and looked at her over my shoulder, knowing I was not going to talk my way out of this. But one had to try, right?
“How could you think that of me?” I said, letting my face show my horror at the idea. “I was merely peckish and looking for a snack to tide me over till dinner. I was going to waste away from hunger. Would you deny me nourishment?”
I knew I wasn’t fooling her, but the twinkle in her eyes and the smile she was fighting meant she wasn’t really mad at me. I have gone many nights without dessert because I crossed her. Contrary to popular belief, I was a fast learner if the punishment was harsh enough.
“If that’s the case, you're in luck. I just finished making the power bites that Jay likes, on the second shelf in there,” Sarah offered, knowing I hated those overly healthy oatmeal balls of death.
“Yeah, great, that should hit the spot,” I said, trying to keep the grimace off my face.
Sarah started laughing at me, shaking her head, knowing that she had won this round. “Goodness, the look on your face—you would think I was offering you balls of dirt!”
“It would be about the same,” I muttered.
A timer went off on the oven, and Sarah grabbed her oven mitts and pulled out a tray of muffins. “It seems you're fortunate enough to be around when these came out. I was going to take these to the staff working in the offices below, but I suppose you can have one.”
I hugged Sarah and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I knew you loved me.”
“Now take your muffin and scat, I don’t want to hear you were lurking in my kitchen while I was gone,” Sarah said, smacking me with one of the oven mitts. I took the delicious-smelling chocolate muffin to go.
“What if I need milk?”
“Go, now, or I’m taking the muffin back,” Sarah frowned. I had reached my limit with her.
I saluted her and hastily made my way upstairs before she could follow through on her threat.
As I entered the common room that all our rooms centered around, I found Brayden sitting in his favorite chair sleeping, his head resting on his hand.
I wanted so badly to play a prank on him, to get even for the fact he was bonded to her and I wasn’t.
“Leave him alone,” Jay said, surprising me, causing me to jump and almost drop my treasured muffin.
“What the fuck, man!” I hissed, trying not to yell at him.
Jay just gave me a side glance filled with warning and headed to his room, leaving the door open a crack.
He never left his door open; he was all about security and the sanctity of his space.
I don’t think any of us had ever been in his room or seen the inside of it since he moved in two years ago.
Deciding it would be best that I hid out in my room, I left Brayden to his nap and retreated until the meeting.