Chapter 14
ZOEY
I can’t believe Dad’s being such a dick.
Seriously. Treating me like I’m a toddler.
I’m not old enough to have a valentine?
Whatever!
I got like five today, but Curry’s was the only one that mattered. He’s a senior, and I noticed him the first day I started school. Trying to get into his line of sight has been my mission for the year, and it’s taken me months.
But finally, about two weeks ago, I caught his eye and he smiled.
Right at me!
I nearly died.
Ever since then, every time we’ve passed in the hallways, he’s given me a little smirk or a wink. My friends are now speculating about whether he’ll ask me to prom or not. Holy shit! If he does, I’ll probably be the first freshman in the school to ever attend one.
I can’t believe it.
When I opened my locker and found his card waiting for me, I swooned. I couldn’t help it. My knees turned to jelly, my fingers shaking as I reached in and pulled out the card.
It has a printed love heart on the front, and then inside, he wrote…
Time to be my valentine, girl. Let me drive you home after school. And maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll score myself a kiss. Because you’re the only one I want.
The squeal that came out of me…
I actually scared the guy taking something out of his locker next to mine and had to apologize.
After school, I loitered in the parking lot, and he found me, asking for my number.
My number!
And then he introduced me to two of his friends, who giggled and smiled, treating me like I was cool and not some nerdy freshman.
And no one mentioned my dad once, so I knew they weren’t just being nice so they could meet an NFL star.
They seem to genuinely like me. Just me.
Not because I’m Zander Donohue’s daughter, but because Curry Mulholland likes me.
Me!
The ride home was all things bliss.
And just before I got out of the car, he whispered, “How about that kiss?”
I’m still reeling that he wanted to kiss me.
Me!
There was no way I wasn’t delivering. His lips were soft and sweet, and I’m so looking forward to a repeat.
Just as I pulled away, he smiled at me, his blue eyes sparkling. “I’ll see you on Monday, Zoey.”
“See ya.” Trying to keep my cool was impossible.
Well, until Dad went and shit all over my love parade.
Seriously!
What the hell is his problem?
He doesn’t even know Curry. And if he did, he wouldn’t be getting all pissy that I was kissing him. Curry is the most popular guy at school. He’s so freaking hot, and all the girls like him.
But he likes me!
Dad is so fucking clueless!
Staring down at my phone, I brush my thumb over Curry’s name. I love how unique it is. Curry Mulholland.
Zoey Mulholland.
I grin. Yes! That has a nice ring to it.
OMG! Swooning again!
I bite my bottom lip, wondering if I should text him.
I told him I had to go away this weekend. That’s why he asked for my number, so we could keep in touch.
So… should I text him?
Or do I wait for him to text me first?
No guy has ever asked for my number before, so… what do I do?
Quickly firing a text to my bestie, Bex, I ask for some advice. The little gray dots appear seconds after I send my message, but I don’t get a chance to read her reply because Mom takes a seat right beside me.
We’ve been at the airport for about forty minutes now. Our bags are all checked in and we’re just waiting on the boarding call, which should be coming through the speaker any second now.
As soon as we made it to the gate, I found the seat farthest from Dad, who’s being a grumpy asshole, barking orders at us while we got ready to leave. Seriously.
Mom’s been all weird too, and I so don’t want to deal with her right now. But she’s just sat down and is giving me her I’m a cool mom and I want to understand you smile.
Ugh!
Does she not get how creepy that is?
“What?” I whisper, tucking my phone under my leg so she can’t see what I just wrote to Bex.
“Hey, uh… so… I was talking to Dad.”
Oh shit, here we go.
“And he was telling me some guy dropped you home from school today.”
“Yep.” I nod, wishing like anything that Dad hadn’t been standing in the kitchen in that exact moment. Talk about the universe working against me.
“Who was he?”
I swallow. Do I really have to say?
“He’s a guy from school.”
“Okay.” Mom nods, so obviously trying to play it cool. But she’s failing. “And he was driving?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Legally?”
“Mom!” I whip a horrified look at her.
“What?” She smiles. “I’m just trying to work out how old he is.”
“Why? So you can go on about how I’m just a freshman and I’m not old enough to have a life yet?”
“I never said that.” Mom shakes her head, but yeah right! She was about to say it. And now she’s going to tell me not to put words in her mouth. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
See!
It’s always the same with these two. One of them gets upset, and then the other backs them up without ever siding with us kids. They’re an unbreakable team. A force to be reckoned with, and I’m so fucking sick of it!
“You are growing into a beautiful young lady.” Mom touches my arm. “And we want to make sure you’re being safe and making smart decisions.”
I huff, angling my body away from her.
“I’m not trying to upset you, Zo. I just want to have a conversation. Tell me about this guy. Why do you like him so much?”
Great. Now she’s trying to get all chummy with me. Do the smiley, “I remember what being a teenager was like” thing and then nicely tell me that I’m playing with fire and to stay away from him!
Well, it’s not gonna work, Mom! Curry likes me, and there’s nothing you can say or do that will make me stay away or stop kissing him!
An announcement comes over the airport speakers before I can answer her, and I breathe a sigh of relief when our flight is called and we can start boarding the plane. I jump up, distracting myself with my boarding pass and carry-on luggage.
Mom does the same while Dad grabs Olly’s hand before he can cut the line.
We move toward the onboarding doors, and Mom sidles up beside me.
“At least tell me his name,” she whispers.
I roll my eyes and mutter, “Curry.”
“Curry?” Her eyebrows wrinkle, and I go on the immediate defensive when she fights a smile and asks, “Like butter chicken curry?”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Yes, Curry. It’s a cool name, okay? Everything about him is cool.”
“And he’s noticed you, huh?” Mom tries to look impressed, but it’s so freaking fake.
Whatever, Mom. You don’t have to do this, you know? Nothing you say will change my mind about him.
“Is he a senior?”
We inch forward, and I end up hissing, “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”
“A little.” She tips her head. “That’s kind of a big age gap.”
“No, it’s not,” I bite back. “It’s four years. That’s nothing.”
“When you’re older, sure. But right now, you’re fourteen and he’s eighteen…”
“And what?” I snap, glancing at her before scanning my boarding pass and following Dad and my brothers down the concourse.
“Well, he’s legal. You’re not.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” I frown at her.
“I just want you to be aware of the dynamic here. And I want to make sure that Curry is aware of the fact that you’re an underage girl. An inexperienced one.”
“Well, maybe I’m lucky, then, because he can give me all of the experiences I need.”
“Excuse me?” Mom balks. “Zoey, no. I’m saying that you don’t need experiences yet. You need to be careful about what his expectations are. I don’t want you getting into a situation that you’re not mature enough to handle.”
“Oh, so you’re saying I’m immature now?”
“No.” Mom closes her eyes, looking worn out by this conversation already.
Good. Maybe we can stop having it, then!
I move ahead, flashing my boarding pass at the flight attendant before walking down to my seat with a huff.
God, please don’t let Mom sit next to me for the flight!
Reaching my business-class row, I check my ticket again, then pull off my bag, placing it in the overhead bin. Dad’s just in front of me, organizing the boys, and Mom comes up behind me, relentlessly continuing her stupid lecture.
“I know you might not like it, but you are only fourteen. And I’m not saying you can’t hang out with this guy.
I’m just saying you need to check yourself before you go kissing him.
You need to be mindful of the impressions you give and the expectations you unwittingly set.
He might think you’re offering him a lot more than you’re actually willing to give.
Mindless flirting can be fun, sure. And it’s all well and good until he thinks you mean more and then things get out of hand. ”
“Oh, please. Just stop!” I spin around, my voice rising for a second before I quickly lower it and bark at her, “I’m not stupid, okay?
As if I would let some guy cross a line that I don’t want him to.
What the hell do you think I’m gonna do?
Get myself knocked up in high school? What kind of idiot would do that! ”
Okay, so my voice has risen again, and now Mom’s going really pale and… oh… oh shit.
What did I just say?
I just…
Oh fuck me!
Mom’s blue eyes glass, and she can’t hide her wounded expression fast enough.
Instant regret washes through me, but I don’t have a chance to say anything, because Dad is grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face him.
His look is so freaking thunderous it’s actually kind of terrifying.
His nostrils flare as he glares down at me and whisper-barks, “That is enough! You do not speak to her that way. Give me your phone.”
“What?”
“Give. Me. Your. Phone.” Each word comes out as a tight, seething syllable, and I have no choice but to comply.
Dammit!
My nose starts to tingle, my eyes burning as I slap my phone into his palm.
He tucks it into his back pocket and gruffly informs me, “You can have it back when you start acting like you’re old enough to own one. Now sit.” He points at the seat next to Olly.
I stand my ground, a last-ditch effort to hold on to my dignity, but he takes a step closer and makes it abundantly clear that I better do as I’m told.
“Sit down. Right. Now.”
With an aggravated huff, I plunk into my seat while Dad puts a protective arm around Mom’s waist. “You okay?”
She nods, still looking wounded and upset. Great, now I feel like total shit. But she shouldn’t have been hassling me! It’s my life! I should be able to live it the way I want to.
Dad kisses the side of her head and guides her to the farthest seat away from me.
Really?
Well, fine, then! I don’t want to sit next to either of them!
“You okay, Zo?” Olly asks me in a tiny voice.
“I’m fine,” I mutter, buckling my seat belt and checking his is secure before angling my body away from him.
Okay, so I hate that I hurt Mom. The words just popped out before I could even think about the fact that she had me in her senior year of high school.
It’s not like I meant to insult her.
But screw Dad for taking my phone away!
Who the hell does he think he is!
You know what? If he’s gonna confiscate my most precious possession, then he can just go this weekend without me. We might be in the same house, but I will not be speaking to that man!