“What about Ash? Is he really going to stay with the Weldmans?” I don’t know their family very well, but Dad always says he’s a nice guy. And their kids are older than me, so I never went to school with them.
“I think it might end up being a better atmosphere for Ash there. No other kids to deal with, and Weldman’s wife is retired, so she’s home all day. She’ll make him homecooked meals and fuss over him, help him with his homework. Give him some motherly attention, something he’s been sorely lacking the last few years.” Dad offers me a small smile. “And after a while, when I’m not so mad at him, Ash can come over and hang out with us.”
“How long will that take?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he answers truthfully. “You’ll have to be patient with me. You two will also have to work hard to earn my trust.”
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” I whisper, gazing at him. “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”
“It’s not the end of the world. We’ll work through this.” He squeezes my chin gently before he releases it. “Now I have to go put a call in on an insurance claim. Looks like we have a couple of rooms we’ll need to redo.”
I’m thankful my parents believe me. I’ve never really lied to them before, not like this, and I’ve given them no reason not to trust me up until now.
Stupid boys.
Stupid hormones.
I love that boy, though. So much, I’ll do anything to make sure he’s safe. I told the truth even though it got the both of us in trouble. It’s okay.
He’s worth it.
Thirty-Nine
Ash
My girl is a blubbering mess.
“I don’t want you to go.” She flings herself at me and I have no choice but to hold her tight, not that I’m protesting. Honestly, I don’t want to let her go, though I have to.
“I’m only a couple of miles away,” I murmur into her hair, breathing deep the sweet fragrance of her shampoo. “And I’ll see you every day at school.”
“Thank God. My parents have turned this place into a jail.”
Exactly what Fable wanted to avoid has now come true. Oh, they didn’t put the cameras in the house, but Autumn is on lockdown for the next two months. We’re not allowed to go on dates on the weekend or see each other after school. We can hang out during school hours, and we can give each other a quick hug after the games, but that’s about it.
Two months. Two long months.
I guess we deserve the punishment.
I’ve already spent a little time with the Weldmans, who I’m going to live with for the rest of my senior year. They’re nice people, much older than Drew and Fable, and Mrs. Weldman—Laura—has a grandmotherly vibe. She’s already baked me a giant plate piled high with chocolate chip cookies and they were fucking delicious, but I told her I couldn’t indulge too much since it’s still football season.
The lady just laughed at me, which says she’s going to keep on making cookies, and I’ll probably keep on eating them.
I’m going to miss living with Drew and Fable. They took me in, they listened to me, and they tried to help me. They’re still helping me, but at a distance. I guess I deserve that, since I had sex with their daughter and they found out in the worst possible way.
“The two months will go by fast,” I tell Autumn, clutching her tight. I’m grateful they allowed us a little alone time before I left. Most of my stuff was ruined by the fire—which Rylie most definitely set—and I was left with pretty much nothing. Not even a phone.
Fable took me shopping and bought me new clothes. They also gave me one of the latest iPhones and set me up on their plan. They may be disappointed in me, but that doesn’t mean they stopped caring about me. That’s the difference between Autumn’s parents and my mom.
She hates me and is disappointed in everything I do. She doesn’t love me either. I will never make that woman happy no matter what I do, so fuck her.
Fuck her.
Fuck Rylie too, though Autumn says I shouldn’t be so hard on her. But I can’t help it. Turns out she came to the house, broke into the side door and went to my room. How she figured out that was my room, I don’t know. We can only conclude that she’d been spying on me, on all of us, for a while. When she discovered I wasn’t there, she set the giant candle she brought with her on the bedside table and lit all three wicks, then promptly fell asleep while waiting for me. The candle knocked over, and whoosh. A fire started.
All that nonsense about us being together and her being pregnant with my baby? All untrue. Her parents said that she was acting more and more unstable this school year, and when I broke up with her, that’s when she seemed to snap. Her erratic behavior concerned them, and they started taking her to a psychologist, but I guess it wasn’t enough.
Last I heard, they put her on medication and she’s going to start seeing a counselor twice a week. I hope it helps her.
“Two months is going to be an eternity.” Autumn glances over her shoulder real quick before she returns her attention to me. “Kiss me before they come over here.”
I do what she asks with no hesitation, sealing my lips to hers, parting them with my tongue. The kiss turns deep in an instant, and I know I shouldn’t do this, but damn, it will be my last time kissing her like this until…
Tomorrow, when I see her at school and we can leave for lunch. Thank God we’re seniors and haven’t lost that privilege.
Hey, I might not sneak around at the Callahan house, but no one said we can’t sneak around off campus and find a private spot so we can spend our lunch hour doing…other things.
I’m going to hell for my dirty thoughts, I swear.
Autumn pulls away, a reluctant noise sounding in her throat. “We should go to the front. I think I just heard a car pull up.”
I follow after her as she leads me to the front of the house, her fingers entwined with mine. We don’t hide how we feel about each other to her parents, but we are respectful. No obvious displays of affection. I’m not about to piss off Drew Callahan again.
The Weldmans are standing outside of their car, a silver sedan, and when they spot me, they both smile. “There he is,” Laura says, beaming at me. I think she’s happy to have someone back in the house, someone for her to take care of.
And I’m not going to turn her down. It’s nice, having someone treat me like they actually care. Now that I’ve witnessed what a real family is like at the Callahan house, I don’t ever want to lose it.
I’ve already started on my community service, volunteering at the local Boys and Girls Club. I hang out with the kids and play games with them, or just listen to them talk. It’s fun. And…enlightening. Some of them remind me of myself when I was that age. A little lost, a lot pissed off. All I wanted was for someone to believe in me back then. While I know I can’t offer too much to these kids, I’ll do what I can to help out.
It’s kind of nice, to feel wanted. To help someone who didn’t ask for it.
All the Callahans are out in front of the house, ready to send me off. I hold out my hand and Beck slaps it, extra hard. “See ya later!” he yells, beaming up at me.
Damn, the kid can pack a punch. That kind of hurt.
Ava gives me a shy hug, keeping her gaze averted. Shit, Drew is in trouble with this one. She’s going to be beautiful. Not as pretty as my girl, though.
Jake and I do some complicated knuckle shake we all made up at football camp over the summer, his expression impassive. We’ve come to a sort of peace, though I know he’s not my biggest fan. But he’ll get over it.
I’m not going anywhere.
Fable wraps me up in a hug, holding me tight, and whispers in my ear, “Don’t fuck this up, okay?”
I start to laugh as I pull away from her. “I won’t.”
Nerves make me jittery as I approach Drew. He watches me, a serious expression on his face, his lips thin, and I wish I could rewind time and fix all of this.
But I can’t.
“I’m sorry I disappointed you, sir. I hope I can one day earn your respect and trust again,” I tell him, sounding like a complete suck-up.