Текст книги "In Pieces"

Автор книги: Gia Riley

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

“Then what’s going on? Talk to me.”

I sigh, wishing it didn’t have to be like this. It’s a risk even bringing it up, but if I plan to get through the night in one piece, with Mandi nearby, he’s the only one I want by my side since Rhett can’t be there. “I want to ask Carson to be my escort.”

Rhett blinks a couple times, but doesn’t respond right away. When he does, his voice sounds like I knocked the wind out of him. “Why would you ask him?”

“Because I don’t have anyone else,” I whisper.

“What if I don’t want you to ask him?” His words are soft, not at all mean or spiteful like I was expecting—only vulnerable.

“Then I won’t go.”

He stands up, and pinches the bridge of his nose. Now that I’ve stressed him out, I expect him to reach for the latch and leave, but he doesn’t. He waits me out.

“It’s just one night. It won’t mean anything, Rhett.”

“If it doesn’t mean anything, then why does it feel like such a big deal?”

“I don’t know. I’m not trying to hurt you, but I don’t want to look like a fool, either.”

“How would you feel if I was escorting Mandi for the whole school and town to see? They’d think we’re a couple. Is that what you want people to think about you and Carson?”

“Of course not. Everyone in this school knows I’m with you. They see us together every single day.” My chin quivers as I try to spell it out for him. I don’t want to cry, but on top of being confused, I’m angry. It’s not Rhett I’m angry with though—it’s my dad.

“That’s not how it’s going to look Friday night, Sunny. They’ll see my girlfriend with another guy—a guy that she lives with.”

“You know what I want?” I try to hold it in the best I can, but my body doesn’t let me. Hot tears spill from my eyes, leaving a trail down both my cheeks. It’s been awhile since I cried like this—let it all go without caring who sees or hears me.

“Sunny, please don’t cry.” Rhett kneels down beside me, reaching for me, but I stop him before he can touch me. Right now, I don’t want to be comforted. I want to feel the anger inside me because it only hurts more to act like it doesn’t exist. I’m tired of pretending I’m a normal teenager with normal teenager problems. What other girl on the court has to deal with this?

I choke out a sob, “I need my dad to come back, Rhett. That’s what I want. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about finding a replacement for him. I shouldn’t need a replacement for a man who’s still alive. He’s supposed to be here.”

“I’ll figure something out. I’ll talk to Coach and see if I can leave the locker room at halftime to be with you. I want to be with you, Kinsley. Okay?”

I swipe my tears off my cheeks before reaching for some toilet paper to blow my nose. It’s not the least bit attractive, but I don’t really care. “Don’t worry about it,” I tell him. “I didn’t want to go in the first place. Betty has me on the schedule anyway. It’s a really busy night for the diner.”

I lie about the last part. Betty insisted I take the weekend off to do normal high school activities. Little does she know, now that I’ve made the homecoming court, I’m planning on staying home.

“Don’t lie to me, Kinsley.”

I push Rhett out of the way, but he doesn’t budge. “What is your problem?”

“I’m not going to let you do this. You deserve to be on the court, whether the crown ends up on your head or not. I already know you’re not working. You have no reason not to show up to the game.”

“And how would you know my schedule?”

He turns his head away from me, and I know this next part is going to be interesting. “Because I’m the one who made sure it happened. I went in there the other day and asked Betty to give you the time off. With Fall Fest the following weekend, I figured you’d try to work through homecoming to make up the difference.”

I’m shocked—completely and utterly shocked. It’s a sweet gesture, but he has no right going behind my back like that. He doesn’t understand how much money I’m losing by taking two weekends off in a row. Not to mention I’m spending a lot of the money that needs to be put towards bills on two outfits to wear to some stupid football game and dance.

I was defeated when I left the cafeteria, then sad when I came in the bathroom stall, but now I’m just pissed off. I’m over it. I’m over the idea of being queen of a school that never accepted me until I started dating their star athlete. “I’m going home.”

“You just got here.”

“And it was a mistake coming in.” I push around him, realizing we have an audience as at least ten other girls listen to our conversation while they pretend to fix their hair in front of the mirrors.

“Sunny, wait. Please.”

“I can’t.”

“Stay here, then. Talk to me. You know I can’t leave. I’ll get benched if I skip.”

Right now, I want to be far away from him. I’m mad at him for not accepting Carson when I need him, and I’m mad that I even have to choose Carson in the first place. But the one I’m the most angry with could be almost anywhere in the world right now—my father.

Rhett continues to plead with me the entire way to the lobby, but nothing he could say would ever convince me to stay—not when I feel this low. When I glance back at the school, he’s still there watching me leave with his hands against the glass of the door. I don’t have a good view of his face, but even from here, I can tell how disappointed he is.

By the time I get home, I’m still trying to calm myself down. Carson’s getting out of his car, and I quickly check to see if my red eyes are still puffy. He catches me looking in the mirror, even though I try to hide it. He taps on the window, nodding his head toward the house—my signal that he wants me to go inside with him.

“Where were you?” he asks, as I get out of my car.

“School. It was a big mistake.”

“Still not feeling well?”

I shake my head. “I’m okay. It’s been a bad day though—they nominated me for homecoming court. Now I have all these responsibilities and outfits to buy. It’s ridiculous.”

“Don’t most girls go ape shit for that stuff?”

“I’m not most girls, I guess.”

We walk up the stairs to the apartment, side by side. He unlocks the door, and pushes it open, allowing me to go inside first. After we dump our stuff in our rooms, we both end up on opposite ends of the couch, like usual.

“Wanna tell me about it?”

“Not much to tell.”

He raises his eyebrows, not buying my answer at all. “You don’t cry unless you’re upset.”

I grab the throw pillow next to me, hugging it close to my body. “Rhett and I argued after Mandi said some stuff at lunch. Long story short, it was one giant disagreement and here I am.”

“What did you argue about?”

I chew on my lip, not sure I want to open this can of worms, but it’s Carson, and we’ve had talks like these so many times before—even if he wasn’t normally part of the problem. “You mostly. I told him I was considering asking you to be my escort.”

“I don’t imagine that went over well.”

“It didn’t,” I tell him, still able to hear Rhett’s disappointment as he spoke to me in the bathroom stall.

He taps my leg with his foot, forcing me to look at him. When I do, his warm brown eyes swallow me up when he says, “You know I’ll do it. If you want me there, all you have to do is ask.”

I look away, suddenly interested in the stitching of the pillow I’m holding. “Thanks, I haven’t decided what I’m going to do yet. I told Rhett I wasn’t going to go if you weren’t with me. He didn’t like that either.”

“Wow, you did have a rough afternoon. Why don’t we go to the mall? Retail therapy always helps.”

I’m hesitant, but I do need a dress at the very least. “You actually want to go shopping? Isn’t that torture for you? Wyatt used to moan and groan when I’d ask him to take me.”

He stares at me, rolling his eyes. “Wyatt’s high maintenance, but I’m here to help you. You need clothes don’t you?”

“Yes, I need a dress for the dance and a business suit for the game. I still don’t know why we have to look like a bunch of secretaries at a football game, but it’s tradition.”

“See, you need shit. So, if you want to go, lets do it.”

I smile, thankful he volunteered himself. Chances are, I wouldn’t have ever gone on my own. “Okay, but when you’ve had enough, just say the words, and we can leave.”

“I promise I’ll survive.”

The mall is pretty empty considering it’s only one o’clock in the afternoon on a school day. We even get a parking spot close to the main entrance. “Where do you want to go first?” Carson asks, as he walks around the back end of his car.

“I have no idea. First place we come to, I guess.”

We cross the parking lot, and walk with purpose down the corridor inside the mall. Carson laughs when the first store is in front of us. “I’m not sure this is going to cut it.”

“Okay, let me rephrase that. First store that sells dresses.” We’re standing in front of Hot Topic of all places. The exact opposite of what I’m looking for.

After walking for a couple more minutes, we’re inside Macy’s, heading toward the juniors’ department. I browse the racks, and once I have three choices in my hands, we find the nearest dressing room.

There’s a chair next to the entrance, and Carson plops into it. “Go for it,” he says. “Toss’em out to me if you don’t like them.”

“How are you so good at this? It almost seems like you like shopping.”

He smiles. “I like shopping with you, Kins. There’s a difference. Plus, you forget I have three older sisters. I’ve been through this show more than once.”

“I’ll hurry,” I tell him, as I slip inside the first dressing room. I wish I had enough time to make something of my own, but with work and school, plus my assignments, I’ll never get it done in time.

I unzip the first dress, a bright blue taffeta with a halter style neck. Stepping into it, I pull it up and over my hips, but when I pull the zipper up, it’s a little too snug.

A full-length, black satin dress is next. The fabric is cool against my skin, even giving me goosebumps as it trails down my legs to the floor. Right away I know it’s not the one. This too, goes back on the hanger.

They say the third times the charm, and I think it might be when I slide into a white dress with three-quarter length sleeves, a cut-out back, and silver, sequin scrollwork. The hem hits mid-thigh, and though it’s shorter than I imagined myself wearing, it’s my favorite.

“Are you planning on showing me any of the dresses?” Carson asks, as he sticks his head around the corner so I can hear him.

I open my door, running my hands down the front of the dress, making sure the sequins are lying flat against the material of the dress. “The first two didn’t work, but I think I like this one.”

“Shit,” Carson says, catching my attention.

When I look at him, his eyes are fixated on my legs, and they slowly work their way up the rest of my body. He says nothing, just continues to stare at me with a nearly blank expression. “It’s too short, isn’t it? I can try on another one. Just let me get changed.”

He shakes his head, words failing him. “No,” he mumbles.

“Tell me the truth. I want your honest opinion.”

Finally, he says, “You look amazing, Kinsley. That’s the one.”

“Really?”

He holds out his hand, and I walk toward him. “You want the truth?”

I nod my head. “Always.”

“Okay, the truth.” He pauses for a moment, and I have no idea where his mind is. Wherever it is, it looks pretty serious. “Rhett’s a lucky guy. I hope he knows it.”

I take my hand out of his, letting it drop to my side. “I hope so too, Carson.”

Like he’s trying to pull himself out of a fog, he blinks a couple times. I catch my reflection in the mirror once more before walking back into my dressing room. Closing the door, I lean against it, needing a second to shake off whatever just happened out there.

I take my time getting changed. I even fiddle with my phone for a couple minutes, but reception is spotty inside the store, and my wi-fi doesn’t even work. When I can’t stall any longer, I leave my safety net.

“Carson?” He’s no longer sitting in his chair. In fact, I don’t see him anywhere. Where’d he go?

“Over here.”

I follow his voice, and find him with a pair of shoes in his hand. “What are you doing?”

“This is always the next stop, right?”

I look at what he’s holding and realize they’d match my dress. “I was going to borrow a pair of Kate’s.”

“Na,” he says. “Pick out ones you want. They’re on me.”

“No, Carson. I can’t let you do that. You bringing me here was enough.”

He pins me with his stare. “Tough. I’m buying.”

I don’t bother arguing, considering he doesn’t look like he’s going to budge. I browse the rest of the shoes, but end up coming back to the ones he showed me first. They’re perfect—and now it’s really obvious he’s done this before.

We go to one more store, The Loft, before I leave with an outfit so sophisticated, I’ll probably wear it to a job interview someday.

“We make a good team, Kinsley. I’m just sorry I won’t get to see you in any of this.”

“You won’t be here this weekend?”

“I was planning on leaving Friday afternoon for Penn State to watch Wyatt play on Saturday, but if you need me, I’ll wait and go on Saturday.”

“Oh. That’ll be fun.” I try to hide my disappointment that he’s not going to be around, but he sees it, even if he assumes it’s because I’m not going to get to see my brother.

“Maybe one weekend you don’t have plans, we can go up together and catch a game.”

“Really? I’d love that.” It’s been Wyatt’s dream to play for Penn State since we were little. Being able to see that for myself, would be amazing. Especially since I know how much it bothers him that his parents aren’t there to see his dream come true.

“You got it, we’ll figure out which game when we get home, and then make it happen.”

“You’re the best, Carson. Seriously.”

“I’d do anything for my best friend.” He accentuates the friend part of his statement, reminding me the friend zone is the last place he wants to be; let alone stay.

Rhett’s not going to like it if I go away with Carson for even an hour. Which is why I panic a little when we pull into my driveway, and he’s sitting on the stairs leading to my apartment—waiting for me.

I EXPECTED TO find Kinsley asleep when I got to her apartment. What I didn’t expect, was to find her car sitting in the driveway while she’s nowhere to be found. She hasn’t answered any of my texts since she left school, and my calls went straight to voicemail.

It’s not like her to ignore me.

All I can picture in my head are her tears, and the way she fought to keep it together, even though she was out of breath, and practically hiccupping. When she told me all she wanted was for her dad to come home, I hurt for her. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to be in high school without parents. Mine may drive me crazy sometimes, my mom over-protective, and my dad always expecting the best from me, but to not have them—it’s unimaginable.

Most days, she hides her pain well, but today, it came tumbling out of her—and it killed me. Though I don’t feel quite as torn up when Carson’s car pulls in next to Kinsley’s and she’s in the passenger seat, laughing at whatever he’s saying to her.

Suddenly, I’m more possessive than I ever thought possible, cracking my knuckles and grinding my fist into my palm. She’s my girl, and he’s testing my patience. I’ve tried my best to overlook their roommate status, even told myself I was overreacting or making something out of nothing, but this is proof that Carson has an agenda of his own that has nothing to do with honoring my relationship with Kinsley.

Better yet, they’re so wrapped up in their conversation, neither of them spot me until they’re practically on top of me. Kinsley doesn’t notice until she almost falls into my lap. “Rhett, you scared me. What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you,” I say, with my eyes directly on Carson’s. He gets the hint, and moves past me, carrying a bunch of bags in his hand.

“I’ll be inside, Kinsley.”

“Okay,” she responds quickly before sitting on the step below me, her body angled toward mine. “You’re mad, aren’t you?” she asks, nervously.

I think about how I want to answer her before I say something I’ll regret. The more I think about it, it’s not her I’m really mad at—it’s Carson. Considering they live together, he has so many opportunities to take advantage of her situation, and it bothers the piss out of me. Plain and simple. “I’m trying to keep my cool.”

“I had to leave school, Rhett. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t do it today.”

“I get that. We all need a break sometimes, but you ran from me to him, Sunny.”

She reaches for me, and all I want to do is hold onto her, but I can’t pretend her being with him doesn’t bother me. If I don’t speak up now, I risk losing the only girl who’s ever meant something to me because I didn’t fight hard enough to keep her when I had her.

When I don’t accept her into my open arms, she sits back down on the step, completely defeated. “Don’t do this, Rhett. I didn’t run to him.”

“I can’t help the way it looks, Sunny. Watching you run away from me today—again, hurt like hell. I wanted to be the one to put a smile back on your face. I wanted to be the one you needed.”

“You are all those things. It was his idea to go to the mall, not mine. I was content going back to bed and waiting until school was over to talk to you, but I needed clothes. Clothes for a weekend I don’t even want to deal with.”

“Then why go?”

“Because I have to. Look, Rhett. All Carson did was drive me to the mall. It’s the kind of thing my brother would do for me if he wasn’t away at school.”

Hearing her compare Carson to Wyatt, helps some. It still doesn’t take away all the time they spent together, but I can’t stay mad at her. It’s my job to build her up, not tear her down. So, I swallow my pride and get over my jealousy so we can move on. “Okay.”

“Okay?” she questions. “You’re not mad anymore?”

I only have one question for her. The way she answers will determine if I’m mad or not. “Did anything happen? I mean anything, Kinsley—no matter how big or small.”

Without pausing or thinking about her response, she gives me a resounding, “No.”

“Okay, then I’m not mad at you. I trust you.”

She stands up, and climbs into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Thank you for believing me.”

And I do believe her. There’s no proof for me not to. I only hope it stays that way. “Did you get a dress?”

Finally, she smiles. “Yes! And a suit for the game. Shoes, too.”

“Do you feel better about the court now?”

“Yes and no. I have clothes to wear, but the escort is still a problem.”

I pull a piece of her hair out of her eye, debating if I want to bring up Carson again. “Did you ask anyone?”

She shakes her head. “I told Carson about it, but I didn’t ask him. You said you’d help me figure it out, so I thought I’d wait and see.”

That’s what I wanted to hear. “We’ll figure it out.”

She glances at the time on her cell phone. “Aren’t you late for practice?”

“They think I’m still at physical therapy.” I finished my final session last week, but I didn’t tell Coach yet. As far as he knows, I’m still going a couple times a week to work on the back pain I can’t seem to shake.

“Do you have to go back, or can you stay for a little? I can make you something to eat if you’re hungry.”

I trace the outline of her lips with the tip of my finger, remembering how sweet they taste. “As much as I want to stay, I can’t. If I don’t show up, I won’t hear the end of it.”

“Will you call me later?”

“Do you even need to ask?” I can’t sleep if I don’t hear her voice. I’ve gotten so used to talking late at night, it would be weird if it didn’t happen. “Now, go inside before I toss you in my truck.”

She giggles like it might not be such a bad thing to have happen, and before she leaves the warmth of my arms, she leans in for one more kiss. “You’re killing me, Sunny.”

“Sorry, you should probably leave before we get carried away.”

I stand up and set her back on her feet. “Leaving you is always the worst part of my day. Talk to you soon, gorgeous.”

She smiles adorably before turning and walking inside her apartment. I glance at the window in the kitchen before I go, and spot Carson staring back at me. He smirks, and it takes all I have to keep walking toward my truck. I even debate going back for Kinsley, but I have to trust her—I just told her I have faith in her. Though it’s not her I’m worried about. It’s Carson.

He’ll get what he has coming—that much I’m sure of.