eyes war between anger and
hurt.
“ Of course,” she says,
hugging him tight and looking down at him. He looks up at her with
cautious adoration. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“ Missed you too, Mom,” he
says, but he doesn’t sound so certain.
Mom may not have known what the heck
she was doing with me, having popped me out just weeks after she
graduated high school, but she was at least always there, until the
very end of my high school days. But Skyler? He barely knows this
woman.
“ I’ve got some papers to
grade,” I say, my voice chilly. “I should really get back to
work.”
“ Of course,” Dick says. He
crosses my tiny apartment and gives me a quick hug. He presses a
kiss to my forehead and gives me a sad smile before looking at
Karen. She just gives him a blank look and he walks out. Finally,
Mom takes Skyler by the hand and starts for the door.
“ See you later, little
man,” I call to him. I feel bad for basically ignoring my
brother.
“ Bye,” he says quietly. I
can see on his face that he’s uncertain. But I also saw the love he
had in his eyes when he first walked in and saw Mom.
“ I’ll call you?” Mom says
as she looks over her shoulder. “Maybe we can go out to
dinner?”
“ Yeah,” I say, because I
can’t be mean to my own mother. Even when she deserves
it.
____
“ You forgot to call me
back.”
I look up from the papers I’m trying
to quickly grade before the bell for first period rings.
Drake stands in front of my desk with
a brown paper bag in one hand and an extra-large coffee in the
other.
“ Ah, I’m so sorry,” I say,
letting my face drop into my hands. I’m exhausted, my head isn’t in
the papers, and I am dreading the day that is sure to be a long and
hard one. “I just—”
“ Hey,” Drake says and I
hear him set the food and drink on my desk. His hand touches my arm
and I peek up at him. “It’s okay. It was pretty obvious you were
having a bad day.”
“ It was perfectly fine
until my mom showed up after how many months of absence? Without a
word of communication? And then Dick brought Skyler over and it was
just…” I fail to find the right words. I want to scream, or hit
something.
“ Hey,” Drake says, placing
a hand on my cheek. I put my hand over his. My eyes lock on my
desk, and the point halfway between him and me. “You survived it.
Can I make it better?”
A smile starts to form on my face, but
it’s too tired and too frustrated to make it all the way. “You
brought me food.”
“ Well, how about a date
tonight? Sort of,” he says. I finally look up at him. “Tonight’s
the homecoming football game. Lake’s starting. I wondered if you
wanted to come with me?”
At just looking into his eyes,
something in my soul lightens. I instantly feel less weighed down,
the sour taste my mother’s visit has left in the back of my throat
vanishes. “Only if we go out for Chinese after.”
A smile breaks on his face and he
gives a little huff of a laugh. “You’ve got a deal, Miss Ray.” He
leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead just as the warning
bell rings.
I can hear the pounding feet on the
stands, the trumpeting of the marching band, and the excited voices
of students the second I climb out of my Mini. I had to park out on
the street, clear across the school and on the other side from the
stadium, the lot was so crowded.
I fight my way through students and
parents and finally see the entry way to the stadium.
Leaning against the wall to the school
waiting for me, is Drake. His hands are stuffed into his pockets,
his ankles crossed.
I smile the second I see him. And he
smiles when he sees me.
I swear my body will explode from all
these things he makes me feel. I can’t contain myself. I bound
forward, closing the space between us, and press my lips to
him.
“ So I guess we’re done
hiding this from everyone?” he chuckles against my lips as his arms
slide around me.
“ I don’t care
hurt.
“ Of course,” she says,
hugging him tight and looking down at him. He looks up at her with
cautious adoration. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“ Missed you too, Mom,” he
says, but he doesn’t sound so certain.
Mom may not have known what the heck
she was doing with me, having popped me out just weeks after she
graduated high school, but she was at least always there, until the
very end of my high school days. But Skyler? He barely knows this
woman.
“ I’ve got some papers to
grade,” I say, my voice chilly. “I should really get back to
work.”
“ Of course,” Dick says. He
crosses my tiny apartment and gives me a quick hug. He presses a
kiss to my forehead and gives me a sad smile before looking at
Karen. She just gives him a blank look and he walks out. Finally,
Mom takes Skyler by the hand and starts for the door.
“ See you later, little
man,” I call to him. I feel bad for basically ignoring my
brother.
“ Bye,” he says quietly. I
can see on his face that he’s uncertain. But I also saw the love he
had in his eyes when he first walked in and saw Mom.
“ I’ll call you?” Mom says
as she looks over her shoulder. “Maybe we can go out to
dinner?”
“ Yeah,” I say, because I
can’t be mean to my own mother. Even when she deserves
it.
____
“ You forgot to call me
back.”
I look up from the papers I’m trying
to quickly grade before the bell for first period rings.
Drake stands in front of my desk with
a brown paper bag in one hand and an extra-large coffee in the
other.
“ Ah, I’m so sorry,” I say,
letting my face drop into my hands. I’m exhausted, my head isn’t in
the papers, and I am dreading the day that is sure to be a long and
hard one. “I just—”
“ Hey,” Drake says and I
hear him set the food and drink on my desk. His hand touches my arm
and I peek up at him. “It’s okay. It was pretty obvious you were
having a bad day.”
“ It was perfectly fine
until my mom showed up after how many months of absence? Without a
word of communication? And then Dick brought Skyler over and it was
just…” I fail to find the right words. I want to scream, or hit
something.
“ Hey,” Drake says, placing
a hand on my cheek. I put my hand over his. My eyes lock on my
desk, and the point halfway between him and me. “You survived it.
Can I make it better?”
A smile starts to form on my face, but
it’s too tired and too frustrated to make it all the way. “You
brought me food.”
“ Well, how about a date
tonight? Sort of,” he says. I finally look up at him. “Tonight’s
the homecoming football game. Lake’s starting. I wondered if you
wanted to come with me?”
At just looking into his eyes,
something in my soul lightens. I instantly feel less weighed down,
the sour taste my mother’s visit has left in the back of my throat
vanishes. “Only if we go out for Chinese after.”
A smile breaks on his face and he
gives a little huff of a laugh. “You’ve got a deal, Miss Ray.” He
leans forward and presses a kiss to my forehead just as the warning
bell rings.
I can hear the pounding feet on the
stands, the trumpeting of the marching band, and the excited voices
of students the second I climb out of my Mini. I had to park out on
the street, clear across the school and on the other side from the
stadium, the lot was so crowded.
I fight my way through students and
parents and finally see the entry way to the stadium.
Leaning against the wall to the school
waiting for me, is Drake. His hands are stuffed into his pockets,
his ankles crossed.
I smile the second I see him. And he
smiles when he sees me.
I swear my body will explode from all
these things he makes me feel. I can’t contain myself. I bound
forward, closing the space between us, and press my lips to
him.
“ So I guess we’re done
hiding this from everyone?” he chuckles against my lips as his arms
slide around me.
“ I don’t care
Similar Books
