Fallen Crest High

chapter THIRTY ONE





I rolled out from underneath Mason's arm that he had thrown over me. One of his hands cupped my breast and I fought back a snort. Of course he'd fallen asleep cupping a feel. After I snuck to my room and got ready for school, I headed downstairs. Moustefff always had a lunch bag ready for me, but I was surprised to see my mom behind the table. The lunch bag was plopped in front of her and she had a steaming cup of coffee beside it.

"You're drinking coffee again?"

She snorted and picked it up. "I hate tea. I tried it, but I hate it." She took a big whiff of the coffee. "And this stuff, it's so addicting."

I eyed her up and down. "Are you feeling okay?"

She gave me a polite look and pulled the ends of her robe tight. "I went to your room earlier, but you weren't there. I guess you went for a run, huh? Anyway, I owe you an apology. Hell, I owe you a lot of apologies."

"Mom?" I glanced around. "What's going on?"

"I was completely wrong about everything." And she brought out a manila folder.

"What's that?"

"It's a tentative deal with David." She took a deep breath. "It says that he has rights to you as a father and you can live with him, if you'd like…or you can visit him…whatever's your choice. I can't keep you from him anymore."

"Anymore?" I picked up the folder, but hesitated to open it. "What are you talking about?"

"He got a lawyer, honey, and that lawyer said he had rights to you. Plus, with everything you've said to me and how I seem to be the worst mother in the world, I didn't fight it. It's the right thing to do. He raised you. He's your father, not some hotshot lawyer out in Boston."

"My real dad's a hotshot lawyer in Boston?"

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. I contacted him last night and told him about you. So you might be having two fathers to deal with."

"And the change of heart came because…?"

"Because I was wrong." She looked up. My heart skipped a beat. She seemed so earnest. "I do love you and I haven't been the best mother to you. I've put myself first. I've continued to do so, but you were right last night. I saw that I lost you. Losing your respect, when it's spoken to you from a seventeen year old who's looking at you like they're thirty-that said a lot to me." Her laugh sounded hollow. "It said a whole hell of a lot."

I fingered the edge of the packet and glanced up. "You told my dad about me?" I was breathless, though I didn't know why I should've been.

She took a big sip of coffee. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, hon. He's a big arse."

"No, I know, but…um…" I looked at the manila folder in my hands. "So I could live with David if I really wanted to?"

She took another deep breath and nodded. Her head moved so slowly. "You sure could…you could be there tonight even."

"Really?"

"He's been fighting for you since day one."

"He has?"

"Yep, he has." She looked away and wiped something away from her eyes. When she looked back, she gave me another bright smile. Her lip trembled. "I wanted to keep you all to myself. I didn't want to share you or lose you, but I can't control that. I see that now. You told me that last night. But, honey, I love you so much." She lurched forward and grabbed my arm. "You know that, right?"

"I know, mom."

It felt right to call her that. She'd been Analise so much, but she was my mom at that moment. I gave her another smile. "I'm not going to leave, mom. I'd like to see David, but you're my mom. This has become my home."

I glanced up and saw Mason. He hesitated on the stairwell.

When I gave him a small smile, he came into the kitchen. His eyes fell on the folder in my hands. "You want a ride to school?"

"Sure." I tried to say it brightly, but my life had just been spun around. Two dads… I couldn't get that through my head. What did that mean?

Mason grabbed something from the kitchen and started for the door. I turned to follow and my mom shot up from the table. "Honey, are you okay with this?"

"Yeah." I beamed back at her, or I tried to. "I'll be fine, mom."

"Are you sure? I could call in for you. You don't have to go to school today. I'm sure it's a lot to take in…" She seemed timid as she stood beside the table. Her steaming coffee cup was forgotten behind her.

I waved as I went through the front door. I heard Mason get into his Escalade. "I'll be fine, mom. Promise. Have a good day."

"You too, honey…"

He pulled out of the driveway and waited until we'd gone a block. "So what was that about?"

I still held the manila folder in my lap. "She gave rights to David. I can see him if I want to and she called my real dad last night. I guess he's some hotshot lawyer in Boston."

After a few blocks, Mason wheeled into a fast food drive-through. "You want anything?"

I shook my head. I couldn't believe this was happening. He ordered me a coffee anyway.

He handed it over. "So are you going to stay with him now? That's what you wanted, right?"

I shot him a look and sipped my coffee. I hissed when I felt how scalding it was. "Yeah, but there's…" I glanced at him warily. "That's not in the cards."

He grinned from the side of his mouth and eased his Escalade into my school's parking lot. "You snuck out of bed this morning. I was hoping for a morning ride."

I grinned as memories from last night sent a surge of heat through my body. Need started to throb between my legs again and I clamped them together. I couldn't go to school hot and bothered, and aching all over…again. Last night had passed from one sensual moment to another. Mason had taken me on an insatiable journey and every time I thought I was done, he slid back in and started it all over again.

We'd slept for two hours, tops.

As he parked front and center, I spotted Adam at his car. He was with Mark Decraw and Peter Glasburg. Everything sexual left me and I tightened my hold on my coffee. "Yeah, well, we'll have to do it another time."

He nodded in their direction. "You want me to stay for awhile?"

"No." I did. "You have to get to your own school."

"Alright. I can't run you home after school."

"Why not?"

He grimaced as he stretched back in his seat. "I'll have enough time to come get you and head back for my practice. Can you hang out there for awhile? I think Logan would love it. He can show off his throwing arm for you."

"Sure. See you." As I reached for the door, the first warning bell went off and everyone started to head inside. Our eyes met and held as I walked around the front to the door. As I neared it, I expected to hear him zoom off. It never happened and I turned around.

A blast of cold air hit me. It drenched me.

Mason was out of his car and he was face to face with Adam. Peter and Mark were behind him. All three of them had fierce expressions on their faces and firm jaws, but Mason looked relaxed as he eyed each of them up and down.

My stomach dropped. This was not good.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I ran back and shoved between them. Not good. Not good. That kept going through my head.

"Where's your little bitch boy now?" Adam tried to reach around me.

Mason smirked. He looked calm. The other three were shifting on their feet, but he never moved, not an inch. He drawled out, "Bitch boy? That was a bitch move. You waited until a girl stepped between us?"

Adam flushed, but snarled. "One swing, Kade. One swing. Isn't that what they say about you?" His lip curled up. "It only takes one punch for Mason Kade."

"Stop!"

"Usually." He shrugged and as he lifted a hand to scratch his chin, all three jerked in reaction. Mason's smirk grew wider at that.

"I mean it!" I turned around and around.

"Is that right?" Adam tried to push at him again. Mark and Peter both grabbed him as they got in front.

I surged forward and tried to help, but I was bumped backwards. I skidded from the movement, but Mason caught me. He slid an arm around my waist and lifted me to the side. "Trying to hurt a girl?"

Adam growled and lunged again. "Let me go. I can take him."

"Come on, man. Think about this."

"Adam, please. Don't do this." I started forward again. Mason caught me and held me in place. His hand stayed on my hip. "Just stop, Adam. This won't do anything."

Adam choked out a hoarse laugh. "Are you kidding me, Sam? Someone needs to knock 'em down a step, him and his bitch boy. They think they're gods around here. I don't think so. I don't think so!" He spat on the ground. "He's got nerve to show up on my territory. This is mine, Kade!"

Mason lifted an eyebrow. "She yours too?"

"Mason!"

His eyes went wider and he choked back his retort to lunge forward again. His friends grunted and strained to hold him back. Peter snapped at him, "This is what he wants. You're playing into his hands."

Mark was whispering something to Adam while Peter kept a wary eye on Mason.

"I don't care," Adam ripped out. "I don't care one bit. I want this done. This has to be done. Someone's gotta do it. Everyone else is too scared so I'll do it. Let me do it!"

Mason's soft chuckle enraged him further.

A knot of dread and fear expanded from my stomach. It was crawling all over me. My legs started to shake, but then I caught movement around us. People were starting to congregate towards us. I cringed when I heard someone yell 'fight' and then a bevy of lockers slammed shut from inside.

"Your sidekick's not here. What are you going to do, man?" Both of Adam's arms were lifted up and pushed backwards by Peter and Mark. They continued to hold him back as they leaned all of their weight on him.

"I don't fight with words." The corner of Mason's lip was curled up. "I'm quite capable of handling Quinn all on my own. Let him go. Come on. That's what he wants."

"Shut up!" Mark glared at him.

The last bell rang and I glanced around. No one was in class. The crowd doubled in size and a loose circle had started to form around us. Becky dodged around a group of guys and started to come to my side. I shot my hand out and shook my head so she braked a few yards from me, but edged in closer. When she mouthed if I was okay, I shook my head.

No, I wasn't okay. Mason was severely outnumbered.

Suddenly, Adam shoved Mark aside and his elbow caught me in the face.

"Hey!" Mason barked as he caught me and pulled me behind him. "If you want to fight, fight me, not your buddies. Sam just got clipped."

Mark cried out as he caught one of Adam's arms, "I'm sorry, man. Sorry, Sam—" He was about to say more, but Adam cursed and lunged once again. "You're a piece of crap, Kade!" He continued to bite out curses.

Mason sighed and motioned for him to come forward. "Just let him go. This will get done a lot faster. I have school too."

Peter lifted his head and yelled, "If you'd shut up, man. You're not helping."

I felt Mason's impatience. The one hand he kept on me was tense, so tense I wondered if he realized he was going to leave a bruise. Then I stopped wondering. He looked like he was amused by the whole thing, but a nerve jerked under his shirt. I saw it through the opening of his shirt. It was his only tell; everything else about him was silent. He was completely still.

I knew he was ready for an opening.

And then something happened. He jerked forward, hooked an arm around Peter's neck and threw him to the aside. Adam swung, but Mason dodged and instead tackled Mark to the left. They both fell to the ground, but he scrambled back up in the blink of an eye. He turned around and it was now him and Adam, no one else.

Adam took a step forward and opened his mouth—

Crack!

Mason punched him between the cheek and mouth, one time, and then he stepped back.

It looked like it happened in slow motion.

Adam's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell with a loud thud to the ground. His head smacked against the cement twice and his limbs bounced back up before they settled down.

There was silence in the crowd.

"Oh my god!" a girl screamed. Another started to sob.

I rushed to Adam's side and patted his cheek. "Adam? Adam…"

"What's going on here?" a teacher cried out.

"Holy, man…" "Did you see that?" "Shiite." Another guy whooped in laughter and others started to yell back and forth. People were starting to push and shove against each other.

Becky's mouth had dropped open. She was frozen in place.

More teachers were starting to push their way in and then I heard my dad's voice in the background. "What's going on? Let us through."

"Oh no—" I hurried up and started to push Mason into the crowd. "You have to go."

When we got to his Escalade, he smirked down at me. "Why? They'll say it was me. I knocked him out cold, Sam."

"You can leave. You might not get in trouble."

He rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? I'm not going anywhere. I'll face the firing squad here."

I sighed. "Do you know what you did?"

He turned back to the crowd, but shrugged. "I don't care."

"You attacked a student on school grounds. They could get you expelled from your school."

"Maybe." His jaw stiffened.

"Samantha!" my dad hollered.

I jerked around, but he hadn't spotted us yet. "Go, Mason. I mean it."

He shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Samantha!" David's voice was closer now. And then he broke through the crowd to us.

I turned to face my father, but I hissed behind me, "You could have you arrested."

David stopped in front of us and he placed both hands on his hips. He stared at me for a moment and then Mason before he took off his coach's hat and rubbed at his head. "Do you know what you've done, son?"

"Yes, sir."

My eyebrows went up when didn't see a smirk on his face and heard respect in his tone.

"Basey," David hollered behind him.

One of his assistant coaches popped up. "He'll be fine, sir. He'll come around. We just gotta get him inside."

My dad took a deep breath. "Alright, well, you heard him. Let's all head inside." He pointed at Mason. "You, go to the principal's office."

He nodded. "Sure…where's that at?"

"Sam?"

"Yeah, dad?"

"Take him to the principal's office."

"Sure thing."

"And do me another favor?"

I halted at the frustration in my dad's voice. "Yeah...?"

"Call your mother and his father." He turned around, but I heard him mutter, "This should be fun."