11. Jax #3
It doesn’t matter. Chloe is safe and on her way home.
I’ll find out what happened from her when they call me.
I quickly rattle off texts to my parents and friends with the good news and tell them I will update them when I know more.
Needing privacy and eagerly awaiting their call, I excuse myself once again from the table and go back to the dressing room.
I sit in my stall to wait for their phone call, but sitting still is making me stir crazy.
I do laps around the locker room and fifteen minutes later, my phone vibrates with their call.
“Hi Daddy,” Chloe greets in a wobbly, sad voice. Her tone is remorseful, and I try to remind myself not to show my emotions of fear and anger until I hear her reasoning as to why she would run away.
“Chloe,” I sigh in relief just hearing her voice. “Thank God you’re okay. You don’t understand how relieved I am to hear your voice.”
“I’m so sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to scare anyone.” Her voice breaks, and she starts crying.
“It’s okay, Chlo.” I try to use a soothing voice so she can calm down and explain her thought process. “You’re safe, and that’s what matters, but I need to know what happened at volleyball practice that made you feel the need to run away.”
She sighs, and the silence on the other end tells me she’s reluctant to reveal the incident.
“Lori and her mean friends said I was fat and that I’m bringing the team down by being so slow.
” She pauses and then releases a shaky breath.
“They said I only made the team because I was your daughter and I served no purpose.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, hating that the world is so cruel.
“Chloe, you know that isn’t true, right? You’re extremely talented and you made the team all by yourself—not because of me.”
Her crying gets louder, and listening to those heart wrenching sobs without being able to hold her has me weak in the knees. I slide down the wall next to the door until my ass hits the floor. I rest my elbows on my knees and hold my head in my free hand.
“Chloe, baby, you’ve got to believe me when I tell you that you made the team on your own.”
“I-I just don’t want to be here anymore,” she stammers and my head shoots up in fear as to what she means.
“What do you mean by ‘here’, Chloe?”
“I don’t want to be in Kelowna anymore. I-I want to move to Chicago and live with you.”
My eyes go wide and I tilt my head back against the wall.
Now it makes sense as to why she went to the airport, although I don’t know how she thought she was going to pay for a flight when she has no money.
“That’s something your mother and I need to discuss, but I’ll be honest with you, I just don’t see how that’s going to work.
” My answer makes her cry harder, and I realize I should’ve kept my mouth shut.
“Let me talk to your dad.” I hear Gretchen demand in the background. Either she takes the phone out of Chloe’s hands or Chloe voluntarily gives it to her because the next thing I know, Gretchen is on the line.
“She can live with you until your season ends or school is finished, whichever comes first,” Gretchen announces, leaving me speechless.
“Gretchen, you need to think about this. I go out of town for days on end, sometimes close to two weeks. She can’t be home alone when I’m gone.”
She scoffs. “I don’t care how you figure this out, but you’re going to make it happen, Jax.
If she feels safer being with you for right now, then we’re doing it.
You aren’t the one who is dealing with the daily crying, meetings at the school, asshole parents not caring about their kid’s behavior.
” Gretchen is getting riled up, and I let her vent it all out because I know she’s been keeping this bottled up inside.
“I’m sick of this bullshit and no one is helping us.
I refuse to watch our baby continue to suffer.
” Now Gretchen is crying, and the guilt I feel inside makes me sick to my stomach.
I know there’s no reasoning with Gretchen at this point and I do agree, we need to just remove Chloe from the school.
But I was thinking more like moving her to a different school — not to Chicago with me.
“I’ll figure it out,” I tell Gretchen to pacify her for the time being, “but what about next year for high school? It’s going to be the same kids going to the same school. ”
“I can’t worry about next year right now. We have to live in the present and worry about today.” She pulls herself together, and her tone gets firm. “Get your shit together, Jax, and figure out a game plan because I’m pulling her from this hellhole of a school tomorrow.”
My mind is racing on how I’m going to make this work because I know I don’t have a choice.
It’s not that I don’t want Chloe here with me; I always want her with me, but I’m in the middle of my season and travel a lot.
My parents and sister can’t come with her because they have their own lives and jobs.
“The first items you need to secure are a new school and a new therapist.”
“I need to secure more than that, Gretchen,” I respond dryly. “I need to find someone who can watch her when I’m on the road.”
“Surely she can stay with one of your teammates' family?”
I try to think of the guys who are married on the team, and all of them have little kids. “I don’t want to impose on a teammate’s wife who has their own children to raise.”
“We don’t have to think about this tonight. I’m handing the phone back to Chloe. I expect to hear from you with some answers in the next couple of days.”
I lock my jaw in annoyance at her dismissive tone, but I’m not going to argue with her tonight. I don’t say anything more and wait for Chloe to get back on the phone.
“Hello?”
“Chloe, are you one hundred percent sure this is what you want?” I ask gently. “You want to come here for the next five months, maybe even longer, and go to a new school for the rest of eighth grade?”
“Yes, Dad,” she confirms with no hesitation.
I guess it’s settled then. “Alright, I’ll pull my resources together and see what I can come up with. Get some sleep, honey. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“I love you so much, Dad.”
“Chloe,” I warn in a stern voice. “Please don’t ever do this again. Something bad could’ve happened to you tonight while you were out walking the roads.” I don’t even let my mind wander at what could’ve happened. I’m just so damn grateful nothing did.
“I know, Dad, and again, I’m really sorry. I just needed to get away from those girls. I promise I won’t ever do this again.”
After telling her I love her and hanging up, I sit on the floor for a couple minutes longer to let the totality of what’s going to happen settle in.
Chloe is moving to Chicago, and I’ll need help making this a smooth transition for her.
I don’t even know where to begin to look for a temporary babysitter or even which schools to check out.
Then the light bulb goes on in my brain, and I know exactly who I need to call and talk to. I find his name in my call log and press “dial.”
He picks up on the second ring, and I waste no time. “Hey, Killian, I need your help. Do you have a second to talk?”