“Not the point, girly,” I say in an attempt to redirect.
“You’re not going to tell my dad, are you?” she asks. I’ve tried twice now—unsuccessfully—to “break up” with him, but somehow, despite my attempts, Cheyenne says he’s told her that we’re still together. I think she’s starting to realize that something is rotten in Denmark, but she’s still asking these kinds of questions. I have no clue if I’m lying to say we’re still in a relationship or if it’s ended, and things are just messy. When asked, I try to play aloof and act like he’s in the doghouse—and really, if I could shove his ass in one, I would.
“You gonna behave?” I ask. She’s not my kid so I don’t want to be the one to tell her that nothing is going on between her dad and I, but eventually I’m going to have to draw a line in the sand with this stuff.
“You gonna tell him?” she asks with her eyebrows raised. She’s getting a little too high and mighty for my taste so I mean mug her until she backs down and sighs in defeat. “You know, my dad’s dated a lot of women, and I mean a lot, but they usually try to suck up to me so I’ll like them. I’m just saying.”
A slow smile spreads across my face and I point in the direction of the English class she’s supposed to be in right now. “Careful, kid. You’re starting to sound like an extortionist. Now go to class before you get in trouble.”
“Dad’s right. You are a ball-buster,” she says. The smile on her face is blinding when she says, “You’re awesome, Holly!” She throws her hands up in the air and backs away towards her class. When I’m confident that she’s actually going to class now, I head for my car with my own huge smile on my face. Her father may be a Grade-A asshole, and he’s certainly a very troubled human being, but I was most definitely wrong about at least one thing about him: he’s loves his daughter. I might not like him very much, but I can definitely respect a guy who manages to raise such an awesome kid.
Chapter 10
IT’S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE that my headache has disappeared because I’m no longer hearing Mr. Beck’s voice. The last I remember the dull thumping in my brain was before I walked out of the office and saw Cheyenne and Jeremy talking at the lockers. Even both of them giving me attitude didn’t bug me, and by the time I was in my car on the way to the pharmacy, my shoulders had relaxed and I was able to take a deep breath without regretting it from the pressure in my skull.
Still, while I’m here, I pick up some ibuprofen, just in case. After my conversation with Mr. Beck today, I foresee many more headaches in my future. I’m not entirely sure what it is about Cheyenne Grady, but after the talk we just had, I’m more determined than ever before to help her succeed in school. I just have to figure out how to do that without taking Grady’s money, and that means avoiding him and his guys as best I can. It’s not been easy these past few weeks, but I’ve successfully ditched the two guys who, in addition to Grady, have tried to hand me a thick manila envelope. I know Lisa Grady told me to just take the money, but it’s just not something I’m comfortable with. I mean, they can’t chase after me forever, right?
After I grab the extra strength 60-count bottle of ibuprofen from the shelf, I head straight for the refrigerated foods. I'm overdue for lunch, exhausted, and willing to try anything that I don't have to make myself. The pharmacy isn't very big, but it's grown in the last few years in order to keep up with the national drugstore chain that moved into town. I know for fact that the 24-hour chain pharmacy has better prices, and probably better food judging by the selection that they have here, but I like my money to go to local businesses whenever possible.