CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE #2
“And thank you for not making it a big deal about showing up unannounced. It’s not normal for me to chase so hard, but the day sort of shook me up.
After you left, I worried you might have gotten lost or suffered another attack.
Then I worried you might have been driving.
” He hit the nail on the head with that one, for the most part.
“So I was beating myself up for not taking you myself, and I just couldn’t wait until school on Monday to see if you were all right. I mean—”
“Manuel? Manuel!” He cut off, looking at me, so I continued, “I’m sorry. From your perspective, it must have been torture. After your house, I should have… I’ve been asleep since I got home. Between the black truck and my parents’ fight and—”
“Black truck? What black—”
“What the fuck?” a muted voice seethed.
We turned, spotting Kolton. He’d circled the house because we would have noticed if the front door opened, no matter how absorbed in our conversation we were.
“You ditched school to hang at Cortez’s house all day?” Kolton hopped onto the porch, moving into the glow of the light spilling out from inside. He stood at the wrong angle for the dying sun to reach him, but that small amount was enough to highlight the fuming clench of his fists and jaw.
Like at dinner, my memories whispered.
Manuel straightened. “Look, it’s not what you think.”
Kolton scoffed. “Oh, I’m sure you’ll tell me all about it, right?”
“Really, Kolton,” I added, stepping forward. “Manuel helped me get out of school. That was it. I couldn’t drive on my own, and I wasn’t the most coherent, so he drove us both to his house. He did nothing wrong. I asked him for help.”
My words went in one ear and out the other. Were those tears flashing in his eyes. Kolton blinked and looked away. “Are you cheating on Ben?”
I froze. Goosebumps rose along my skin, and a faint buzzing energy coated me.
“Cheating? What the hell? That’s out of line.” Manuel shook his head. “Look, man, I get it that you two were close—”
“Close? We were brothers!”
“Fine, but that doesn’t change facts. Ben Pierce is dead. Is she supposed to press pause on her entire life because of that?”
“Yes—no, fuck.” Kolton began pacing. “I don’t know, but you can’t just move in. It’s too soon. Willa hasn’t—she hasn’t—”
“Given you a chance?” Manuel prodded.
It was Kolton’s turn to freeze in place.
The front entrance burst open at that point. Light bathed us, revealing the odd standoff we’d stumbled into.
Lo and behold, Dad stood there, and Hunter and Ralph hovered above his shoulder, not far behind.
The weird buzzing energy stole most of my attention, but not entirely. My heart had been tuned in enough to produce tears. They hung there at the brim, waiting to spill over the second I blinked. I wiped them on my sleeve.
It didn’t matter. Dad already saw the evidence of my distress.
“I don’t know what is going on out here, but I’ve already seen my daughter cry enough today. If you aren’t here as a solution, then you’re part of the problem.”
The next beat of my heart cleaved it in two. “But, Dad—”
“No buts, Willa. You could barely walk through the front door, you were so distraught.” His voice almost shook.
Manuel, who as far as he knew, had sent me on my way mostly calmed down, turned to me. “Did—” He cut himself off, remembering the mixed company. “Sorry. Never mind, sir.”
Dad studied us as if he could pinpoint the problem by staring long enough, but none of us were forthcoming with answers. He sighed. “Don’t take this the wrong way. No one’s in trouble. I know you all are good friends.”
“But?” Ralph prompted, because we all heard the incoming contradiction.
“But it would be better for Willa if you guys went home for now. I’m sure she appreciates that you showed up here for her, but I think a little space would help everyone.”
I didn’t necessarily disagree.
When no one argued, Dad added, “Tomorrow too. We should probably cancel the camping trip we planned to take.”
Oh, that I disagreed with. “Dad—”
“No,” he cut in firmly. “You aren’t in trouble.
However, we still need to have our talk about ditching.
Without knowing everything, you either had a reason to skip school for the day, in which case you aren’t fit for company anyway, or you skipped for no reason.
If that’s the situation, consider yourself grounded.
It’s one or the other, but the outcome is the same, kiddo.
” He lowered his voice to soften the sting. “Okay?”
I nodded, staring at the ground.
Manuel nudged me with his elbow, sending me a small, reassuring grin before he turned. “Hey, Ralph, do you mind if I catch a ride with you?”
“No problem,” Ralph agreed easily.
“You don’t have to—” Dad pinched his nose. “I’m sorry, Manuel. I forgot you didn’t come with them. You arrived about the same time. Ralph, if it’s too much out of your way, Manuel is more than welcome to wait until his ride gets here.”
“Not at all, Rob.” Ralph patted him on the shoulder. “I don’t mind the company. It’ll give us a chance to talk.”
Why did that make me nervous?
The guys cleared out shortly after that, and Dad sent Nick upstairs so we could have the living room.
“Okay, Willa. Let’s talk,” he said, sitting catty-corner but near me on the sectional. He perched on the edge of his seat, his hands clasped between his knees.
“Are you and Mom divorcing?”
He paused long enough to send my eyebrows disappearing up to my very short hairline. “I don’t know what to say to that, Willa. If you’re looking for a promise that things won’t change, it’s not something I can give.”
Breathing grew difficult with the growing lump in my throat. “Why not?”
“Is that why you skipped school?”
I didn’t answer.
He sighed, taking one of my hands. “I can’t make that promise because I don’t know.
The decision isn’t mine alone, and Willy, despite how much I hate it, you aren’t a little kid anymore.
You’re growing up, getting interested in boys, and facing things I never had to face.
I can’t keep you tucked inside a bubble. ”
That tore my frayed emotions. I didn’t want to have to deal with murderers and conspiracies and cover-ups and the FBI and ghosts and… death.
“Can we pretend, just for tonight?”
His expression softened. “Of course. Come here, princess.”
I flew over, curling into his side. He pulled the blankets up, and we watched movies.
He didn’t ask me about why I’d ditched class.
Maybe he assumed my silence about the divorce was answer enough, or maybe he thought it was boy problems after the showdown between Kolton and Manuel.
Then again, maybe he figured my behavior was out of the norm enough that I had multiple reasons, and he was trusting me to approach him when I was ready rather than pressing for answers.
It made me feel worse, because in a lot of ways, I hadn’t earned that trust.
My life had devolved into secrets and death.
I miss you, Ben, I thought as I drifted off to the upbeat music of Dad’s favorite family movie while tucked into his side.