Val snickers. “You realize this is a convertible, right? I can just climb out.”
“Well, you’re not going to.” I give her a stern look. “Not until you tell me what’s up.”
“Nothing’s up.” She sounds exasperated. “Wade is…Wade. We’re not together.”
“But do you want to be?” I press.
She heaves a huge, exaggerated sigh. “No, I don’t.”
I narrow my eyes. “Really?”
“Yes… No… Maybe. I don’t know, okay?”
I sigh, too. “Are you pissed at him because he hooked up with someone else?”
“Yes!” she bursts out. “Which is so stupid. It’s not like we were even going out in the first place. We just fooled around a couple of times in the bathroom. But…I was having fun again, you know? I wasn’t obsessing over Tam anymore.”
Sympathy tugs at me. Val took her breakup with Tam, her old boyfriend, pretty hard. I was so happy to see her finally getting over it.
“And then Wade asks me to hang out one weekend,” Val goes on, “and I was busy, so he was like, okay, rain check. So I get to school on Monday and find out he made out with Samantha Kent on Sunday at the golf club! That is so not cool.” Her expression clouds over. “It reminded me of Tam screwing around on me and…” She trails off.
I reach out and gently squeeze her arm. “I get it. You got burned and you’re not looking to get burned again. You were too good for Tam. And you’re too good for Wade.” I hesitate. “But for what it’s worth, Wade seems to feel really bad about everything.”
“I don’t care. I told him before we hooked up that I wanted it to be exclusive. If he’s with me—even if it’s just casual—then he’s just with me.” She stubbornly sticks out her chin. “He broke the rules.”
“So I take it you’re not coming to the game tonight?”
“Nope. I’m staying home and waxing my legs.”
I laugh.
“Want to come over?” she asks. “We can make it a spa night.”
“I can’t,” I say glumly. “Unlike you, I don’t have a choice about going to the game. Callum told us last night that the whole family is going—no exceptions. It’s a show of force.”
Val’s lips twitch. “I didn’t realize we were at war.”
“We might as well be.” I shove a strand of hair out of my eyes. “You’ve heard all the whispers at school. People are saying the most terrible stuff about Reed, and apparently some of the Atlantic Aviation board members are giving Callum grief about it, too.”
“Are there reporters camped out in front of the mansion?”
“Shockingly, no. Callum must have thrown his weight around or something, because any other case like this would cause a huge media storm.” I slump down into the seat. “Reed’s lawyer wants us to act like Reed did nothing wrong. We’re supposed to stand together as a family and all that.” Only I’m not supposed to stand too close. Reed didn’t tell me that, but Callum took me aside the other day and suggested that we cool it on any PDA.
She rolls her eyes. “And going to a football game will convince people that Reed is innocent?”
“Who knows.” I shrug. “Plus, Callum thinks it’s a good time for Steve to ‘come out’ to the other families. He’s hoping maybe it will cause enough of a stir and take the heat off Reed.”
Val’s dark eyes probe my face. “How’s that going, anyway? You and Steve.”
A groan slips out. “Not great. He keeps trying to spend time with me.”
She mock gasps. “How dare he!”
I can’t stop a giggle. “Okay, I know that sounds crazy. But it’s weird, okay? He’s a total stranger.”
“Yeah, and he’s gonna stay that way as long as you keep avoiding him.” She wrinkles her nose. “Don’t you want to get to know him? I mean, he’s your dad.”
“I know.” I chew on my bottom lip. “I tried to be open-minded when he showed up at school on Monday and insisted we spend the day together, but all he did was talk about himself. For hours. It was like he didn’t even notice I was there.”
“He was probably nervous,” she suggests. “I bet this is hard for him, too. He comes back from the dead and finds out he has a kid? Anyone would have a hard time with that.”
“I guess.” I unlock the doors. “Anyway, you may leave now, milady. I need to head home and get ready for the game,” I say in a tired voice.
Val snickers. “Careful, girl. Your enthusiasm is so contagious I might do cartwheels all the way to my front door.” She pulls on the door handle and hops out of the car, then taps the doorframe and grins at me. “Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks,” I answer.
I have a feeling I’m going to need it.
* * *
There is an ocean of space around us. An ocean.
All week, I’ve seen kids at school whispering about Reed, but I didn’t think those whispers would extend to Callum. Callum Royal has always seemed untouchable to me—confident and in control, a captain of industry who everyone sucks up to. The last time he came to a game, there was a ton of sucking up. Every other second, a parent stopped him to chat about something.
Tonight, Callum is getting the silent treatment. We all are—me, Steve, and the twins. We’re sitting in the stands in the row right above the home team bench, and everyone around us is sneaking peeks in our direction. I can feel their accusatory gazes boring into the back of my head.
And as uncomfortable as it is for me, it’s a million times worse for Reed. He can’t play tonight because he still has stitches in his side from the stabbing orchestrated by Daniel Delacorte. He’s benched for another week, but he’s still expected to stand on the sidelines.
I wish he could sit up in the stands with us. I hate how alone he looks right now. And I hate that people keep whispering and pointing at him.
“That’s the Royal boy,” some woman hisses loud enough for all of us to hear. “I can’t believe they let him come here tonight.”
“It’s shameful,” another parent agrees. “I don’t want him around my Bradley!”
“Well, you’re not going to.” I give her a stern look. “Not until you tell me what’s up.”
“Nothing’s up.” She sounds exasperated. “Wade is…Wade. We’re not together.”
“But do you want to be?” I press.
She heaves a huge, exaggerated sigh. “No, I don’t.”
I narrow my eyes. “Really?”
“Yes… No… Maybe. I don’t know, okay?”
I sigh, too. “Are you pissed at him because he hooked up with someone else?”
“Yes!” she bursts out. “Which is so stupid. It’s not like we were even going out in the first place. We just fooled around a couple of times in the bathroom. But…I was having fun again, you know? I wasn’t obsessing over Tam anymore.”
Sympathy tugs at me. Val took her breakup with Tam, her old boyfriend, pretty hard. I was so happy to see her finally getting over it.
“And then Wade asks me to hang out one weekend,” Val goes on, “and I was busy, so he was like, okay, rain check. So I get to school on Monday and find out he made out with Samantha Kent on Sunday at the golf club! That is so not cool.” Her expression clouds over. “It reminded me of Tam screwing around on me and…” She trails off.
I reach out and gently squeeze her arm. “I get it. You got burned and you’re not looking to get burned again. You were too good for Tam. And you’re too good for Wade.” I hesitate. “But for what it’s worth, Wade seems to feel really bad about everything.”
“I don’t care. I told him before we hooked up that I wanted it to be exclusive. If he’s with me—even if it’s just casual—then he’s just with me.” She stubbornly sticks out her chin. “He broke the rules.”
“So I take it you’re not coming to the game tonight?”
“Nope. I’m staying home and waxing my legs.”
I laugh.
“Want to come over?” she asks. “We can make it a spa night.”
“I can’t,” I say glumly. “Unlike you, I don’t have a choice about going to the game. Callum told us last night that the whole family is going—no exceptions. It’s a show of force.”
Val’s lips twitch. “I didn’t realize we were at war.”
“We might as well be.” I shove a strand of hair out of my eyes. “You’ve heard all the whispers at school. People are saying the most terrible stuff about Reed, and apparently some of the Atlantic Aviation board members are giving Callum grief about it, too.”
“Are there reporters camped out in front of the mansion?”
“Shockingly, no. Callum must have thrown his weight around or something, because any other case like this would cause a huge media storm.” I slump down into the seat. “Reed’s lawyer wants us to act like Reed did nothing wrong. We’re supposed to stand together as a family and all that.” Only I’m not supposed to stand too close. Reed didn’t tell me that, but Callum took me aside the other day and suggested that we cool it on any PDA.
She rolls her eyes. “And going to a football game will convince people that Reed is innocent?”
“Who knows.” I shrug. “Plus, Callum thinks it’s a good time for Steve to ‘come out’ to the other families. He’s hoping maybe it will cause enough of a stir and take the heat off Reed.”
Val’s dark eyes probe my face. “How’s that going, anyway? You and Steve.”
A groan slips out. “Not great. He keeps trying to spend time with me.”
She mock gasps. “How dare he!”
I can’t stop a giggle. “Okay, I know that sounds crazy. But it’s weird, okay? He’s a total stranger.”
“Yeah, and he’s gonna stay that way as long as you keep avoiding him.” She wrinkles her nose. “Don’t you want to get to know him? I mean, he’s your dad.”
“I know.” I chew on my bottom lip. “I tried to be open-minded when he showed up at school on Monday and insisted we spend the day together, but all he did was talk about himself. For hours. It was like he didn’t even notice I was there.”
“He was probably nervous,” she suggests. “I bet this is hard for him, too. He comes back from the dead and finds out he has a kid? Anyone would have a hard time with that.”
“I guess.” I unlock the doors. “Anyway, you may leave now, milady. I need to head home and get ready for the game,” I say in a tired voice.
Val snickers. “Careful, girl. Your enthusiasm is so contagious I might do cartwheels all the way to my front door.” She pulls on the door handle and hops out of the car, then taps the doorframe and grins at me. “Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks,” I answer.
I have a feeling I’m going to need it.
* * *
There is an ocean of space around us. An ocean.
All week, I’ve seen kids at school whispering about Reed, but I didn’t think those whispers would extend to Callum. Callum Royal has always seemed untouchable to me—confident and in control, a captain of industry who everyone sucks up to. The last time he came to a game, there was a ton of sucking up. Every other second, a parent stopped him to chat about something.
Tonight, Callum is getting the silent treatment. We all are—me, Steve, and the twins. We’re sitting in the stands in the row right above the home team bench, and everyone around us is sneaking peeks in our direction. I can feel their accusatory gazes boring into the back of my head.
And as uncomfortable as it is for me, it’s a million times worse for Reed. He can’t play tonight because he still has stitches in his side from the stabbing orchestrated by Daniel Delacorte. He’s benched for another week, but he’s still expected to stand on the sidelines.
I wish he could sit up in the stands with us. I hate how alone he looks right now. And I hate that people keep whispering and pointing at him.
“That’s the Royal boy,” some woman hisses loud enough for all of us to hear. “I can’t believe they let him come here tonight.”
“It’s shameful,” another parent agrees. “I don’t want him around my Bradley!”
