The taunt left her angry. They were in this mess together. He should be helping instead of using her phone as leverage.
She needed to get out for a while. She thought about asking Nicky to the movies, but remembered she was in class. Instead she sent her two long voice mails, venting about Talon and Zach. Then she took Tucker to the park. Not that it made her feel any better. She had no solution about Talon, Zach was still mad at her, and she hadn’t finished a single summer assignment. All in all, a crappy day.
That night she was in her room rereading one of her favorite books when she heard her brother. She rushed to the hallway, but he brushed past her and slammed the door to his room. Enough was enough. She’d never gone to bed angry at him, and she wasn’t about to start now.
When she went in, Zach was on his bed, scribbling on a pad of paper. Diving right in, Keeley said, “Zach, I’m sorry about last night. I know you’re mad, but I didn’t miss your calls on purpose.” There was a small hesitation in his writing so she took it as a good sign. “I guess you’re working on the plays for tomorrow’s scrimmage. Always Mr. Prepared,” she joked, peeking at the paper. He angled away so she couldn’t see. “Okay. Um, do you think you can drop me off at the library tomorrow on the way to your game?”
“It’s not exactly on the way,” he pointed out.
She was trying to be nice and he couldn’t bother to do the same? “You really going to keep this up?”
“Keep what up?”
“Zach, I didn’t get those calls last night. If I did, I would have picked you up. You know that.”
He thrust his chin out. “I wasn’t planning on drinking last night, but I did. And I thought it was okay because you promised you’d drive me home. You didn’t. End of story.”
She understood why he was upset, but he was acting like it was all her fault. “I’m sorry I missed your calls, and it sucks that you got grounded, but you chose to drive. No one forced you.”
“Whatever. I need to finish this.” He went back to his notepad.
She stood there awkwardly, staring at his back. “Okay, well … good night, Zach.”
His silence followed her back to her room.
Talon’s refusal to forward texts bothered her. She spent two days trying to think of something to force his hand but she had nothing. To make it worse, he kept texting her articles like “Twenty-Five Compliments for the Man You Love” and “Ten Ways to Say You’re Sorry.” More like ten ways to get his ass kicked.
“Hey, kiddo. What are you doing out here?” her dad asked, opening the screen door to the back patio.
She lifted her head from the hammock. “Just thinking.”
He sat under the umbrella that was giving her shade. “And how’s the homework coming? You going to finish before school starts?”
“I’m getting there,” Keeley hedged. If he knew the truth, he wouldn’t let her out of the house. Not that she had anywhere to go, but still.
“I know it’s a lot of work, but these advanced assignments are getting you ready for senior year. And not only that, they’ll look good on your transcript. Colleges love challenging coursework.” College was a sore subject in her family. One that had her sweating. Keeley threw a toy for Tucker, hoping to distract her dad, but he asked, “Are you still set on going to the East Coast?”
“And if I am?”
His disappointment was obvious. “Zach’s applying to West Coast colleges.”
“Zach’s applying to football colleges,” she corrected. But she knew his number-one choice was a school three hours away, known for its football program. Many players got drafted after graduating.
“He wants to go to the same school as you.”
Zach took her need to leave personally. He didn’t understand it wasn’t about him. It was about her. She loved this beach town, but she wanted to see what else was out there.
Her dad continued. “I’d feel better if you two were together.”
“Dad, I can handle myself.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about,” he confessed.
She was surprised. Everyone viewed her brother as the more capable twin. “Zach will be fine. He always is —”
“I’ll be fine with what?” Zach asked as he came outside with a bag of chips. He’d just gotten back from football practice. His clothes were stained and his hair was dripping with sweat. When he got near her, he shook his head, getting her wet. Judging by the smug look on his face, he knew it, too, but she didn’t care. It was the first real emotion he’d shown her in days.
“You’ll be fine if Keeley goes to a different college,” her dad told him.
Zach wasn’t happy to hear that. “You still in that East Coast phase?”
“It’s not a phase.”
“It’s stupid. No one picks a college based on location.”
“You’re picking solely on football!”
“That’s different. I’m getting a scholarship for that.”
“You don’t have any offers yet,” she pointed out.
“I will. And when I win the state championship this year, I’ll get even more. Probably a full ride.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her dad turn hopeful. Their family wasn’t rich by any means, but they weren’t poor either. Was money a concern?
“You don’t think I can do it?” Zach asked, taking her silence the wrong way. There was a flash of hurt in his eyes before it flickered away.
“I didn’t say that.”
“Yes, you did. How can you think —”
She interrupted, knowing her brother wouldn’t shut up once he got started. “I know you can win. You’re the best quarterback out there.” Of course, she had no idea if that was true, but it was her sisterly duty to say it.
“Keeley, there’s no harm in applying to multiple schools,” her dad insisted. “Besides, you might not get into one back east.”
“Hey! I can get in.”
“Not with those SAT scores,” her brother mused.
“They’re not yours, but they aren’t terrible either.” Her reading and writing were fine, and there was still time to get up the math.
“I offered to study with you,” Zach reminded her. It was a nice offer, if she wanted to get yelled at.
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to live somewhere else,” she insisted, refusing to feel bad. Why did people act so surprised when she wanted to try something new? “And Dad, weren’t you the one who told me to step out of my comfort zone?”
“I guess I did,” he relented. “You’re just going to have to let your old man sulk over losing you.”
“You are pretty old,” Zach said playfully.
“And your knees creak when you get up,” Keeley added.
“And to think I wanted children,” her dad grumbled, going back to the house.
When Zach didn’t follow, she tossed him a tentative look. “So …”