Tiffany pauses for a beat.
She leans her body against the sink and glances at her feet before asking the question I know everyone has been thinking. “Do we need to call a doctor? Do you need to go to the hospital and get checked out? They can do things there, but we have to go tonight, and you shouldn’t shower or change if that’s what you decide you want to do.
“My mom is the Chairman of the Board for the hospital back home. If you want, I can call her. I’m sure we can drive there tonight. I know she could pull some strings so that everything can be kept quiet and out of the news.”
Oh. My. God.
I hadn’t even thought about the press getting wind of any of this. I know what Tiffany is trying to ask without coming straight out and saying it.
“Thanks. I think I’m alright. I stopped him before he got what he wanted. It scared me, but I think I did more physical damage to Darby than he did to me. My knuckles hurt worse than anything else. And maybe my pride. I guess I was lucky. Tonight could have been so much worse.” I’m trying to hold back the tears now, but a few slips down my cheeks.
“I’m so sorry, Nat. I should have told you not to go to the beach by yourself with Darby. I heard he was a player, but I would never have thought he was anything more than that.” Chloe is crying now too. She pulls me into a big hug.
Tiffany raises her voice, sounding annoyed. “Chloe Ryan, do not take any of the blame here. This is not your fault, and it is not Natalie’s fault. This happened because Darby Stafford is an overgrown toddler in a grown man’s body who does not know what the word no means. No one should be taking any ownership of what happened tonight besides him.” She sounds like a pissed off schoolteacher, and I feel bad for judging her when we first met. I hold my arm out for Tiffany to join our girl hug, and the three of us just stand there for a few minutes.
Unsurprisingly, Chloe has to try to break the silence with laughter. “Ladies. As much as I love a good girl hug, I think if we are going to touch each other at all, we should at least do it in front of Murphy. It would be the highlight of his night.” Her words hang dead in the air for a minute. “Too soon?”
Tiffany looks from Chloe to me. Her eyebrows wrinkle, and I think she is trying not to smile. “Well, maybe?” It comes out like a question instead of a statement, and I can’t hold it back anymore.
I start to laugh.
We all do.
We laugh hard and long.
I let the laughter outweigh the tears. It’s cathartic. We stay in the bathroom for a while before deciding it’s time to face my brother and the guys.
Tonight could have been so much worse than it was.
I refuse to let this moment define me.
I will not give him that kind of power.
This is my year of growth.
My year to find myself and the person I want to be.
I am stronger than I knew I was a day ago, and I refuse to let Darby Stafford ruin me.
16
Brady
I’m watching Nat walk up the stairs with Chloe following behind, and it is physically hurting me not to follow her just to make sure she’s is safe. I can hear Cooper roaring outside at Tiffany. She is trying to calm him down, but it doesn’t sound like it’s working. Looking up, I see Murphy and Sebastian come in. The two of them are leaning against the half-wall, separating the kitchen from this room.
No one makes any move to talk. We all stay quiet, stuck deep in our thoughts.
After a few minutes Tiffany walks in and stands in the middle of the room. She looks around at the three of us, before settling her eyes on Bash. “Cooper isn’t ready to come in yet. I want to go upstairs and check on Natalie and Chloe. Can one of you guys please talk to him? He’s not listening to me. He’s too angry right now, and he’ll feel awful later if he upsets her even more. He has to get it under control before she walks back down those stairs. I’ll make sure she stays up there for a few more minutes.”
With the orders given, she nods her head and walks away.
Sitting on the couch, I’m leaning forward with both elbows resting on my knees and my head in my hands when I hear Murphy. “You know something isn’t right with the world when that girl is the voice of reason.”
Bash and I just look at him.
Then we all hear Tiffany’s voice floating almost musically, back down the stairs.
“I heard that, Murphy.” No one laughs, but it lightens the air a bit.
Standing up, I move to talk to Cooper, but Bash pushes off the counter first.
“I’ve got him, QB. Go change your shirt before your girl gets back downstairs. It’s got blood on it, and she doesn’t need to see that shit anymore tonight.”
Murphy’s looking at Bash like he sprouted another head. “His girl?”
Bash is walking out of the door but turns his head back. “Yeah. His girl. Pay attention, Murph.” Then he walks out.
“What the hell is he talking about, man?” Murph’s question is directed at me, but I’m already halfway up the stairs and don’t bother answering him.
Bash is right. That girl is mine, and I’m a fucking idiot for not realizing it sooner.
The door to the girl’s bathroom is shut as I walk past. I can hear a burst of subdued laughter inside and hope to God that’s a good sign.
I head into my bedroom, ripping off my shirt as I go. Walking into the bathroom, I throw it on the floor. Reaching into my bag, I sort through the clothes I packed until I find my favorite white Kroydon Prep shirt. It’s soft and old and might possibly be the most comfortable thing I own.
After I change and wash my face, I flex and stretch out my right hand a few times to make sure I didn’t fuck up my throwing hand by hitting Darby. I wouldn’t regret it if I did, but it would complicate my season and possibly my scholarship and position next year. I hadn’t thought about that as I was about to beat the life out of that fucking piece of shit.
I wasn’t going to stop.
I think I was ready to kill him.
If it hadn’t been for Nat’s hand wrapping around my wrist, I might have killed him. It was like her touch grounded me from the electricity coursing through my body, reminding me it was more important to take care of her than it was to kill him.
I’m usually better at seeing the big picture than I was tonight.
I’m the guy that thinks everything through.
I always have.
I don’t act on impulse or emotion, and I’m never reactionary.
I didn’t even see Nat walk down to the beach with him.
Darby’s had a shit attitude all summer. After he got bumped from tight end and moved to left tackle, he started gunning for Coop, but it his attitude started before that. He’s had issues with Coop since he joined the team. Thought it was unfair that the new kid was going to steal someone else’s playing time.
Is that what this was? Did he retaliate against Cooper by hurting his sister? We’ve never been tight, but I wouldn’t have expected this from him. This mother fucker is supposed to be protecting my blindside this season, and there is no way I can ever trust him now.
If he can even show his face at practice next week.
I stare at my reflection in the mirror. I’ve got to pull the insane amount of shit I’m feeling together, but my brain is running in a million directions.
Could I have stopped whatever happened from happening?
Is Nat okay?
Did my entire season just get fucked up the ass?
Will this affect my future?
Is Natalie my future?
How will the team survive this?
The only thing I know right now is that I can’t get answers to any of these questions by standing in my room.
Stepping into the hall, I see Chloe shutting the bathroom door behind her. Tiffany is walking down the stairs, and there is no sign of Natalie. I walk over to Chloe just as she notices me. Leaning forward, she rests her forehead on my chest. “Nattie is still in the bathroom. She asked us to give her a minute. Said s
he’d be right behind us.”
“How is she?”
Shrugging her shoulders, Chloe looks back at the bathroom door. “I think she’s going to be okay. But I don’t know if the shock of it all has worn off yet. Should we have called her dad?”
“Why don’t you head downstairs. See if Sebastian needs help with Cooper. I’ll wait here for Nat. Only Nat can decide if she wants to call her dad. That’s not up to us.”
“Yeah. I guess. Are you alright, Brady?”
“Nobody hurt me, Chloe.”
“I don’t believe that for one second. This hurt all of us. Maybe not the same as Nat, but that was some crazy stuff happening downstairs.”
“Go ahead downstairs and help with Cooper. I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Brady.” She lowers her voice. “Be careful with her. She’s really upset.”
“Yeah. I got it. I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Okay. Let me see what Tiffany is doing with the guys. Did you ever think she would be the one to keep it together in a crisis? Because it shocked me. I always figured she would cause the crisis or be stuck somewhere in the middle of it. She impressed me tonight.”
“Maybe we all underestimated her.”
“Guess so.” She looks so unsure of herself right now. So unlike my sister. “See you downstairs. Love you, big brother.” She gives me a tight hug, then leaves me alone with my thoughts.
I stand there, leaning against the wall, staring at the bathroom door. I’m starting to think I should just go downstairs when it cracks open. Natalie is there, in the doorway. She hasn’t looked up yet, and I watch as she takes a deep breath before lifting her head. When she sees me, those baby blue eyes are big and surprised. They are rimmed red from crying, and my beautiful girl looks pale.
“Sorry. I thought I was alone up here.”
“You were alone in there. Chloe said you needed a minute, but I wanted to make sure you were alright when you were ready. You want to go downstairs?”
“Not really.” She laughs. It’s tight and forced. Then wraps her arms around herself. “I kinda just want to go to bed and sleep until I wake up and realize this was all a bad dream. But that’s not going to happen. So, I might as well get this over with.”
She takes another deep breath, then continues, “I feel so stupid.”
“Nat, you have nothing to feel stupid about. None of this was your fault. We’re all on your side. Just tell us what you need from us.” Pushing off the wall, I offer her my hand.
She takes it without hesitation.
It feels so small and delicate, and I wish more than anything I could wrap my arms around her right now and tell her everything was going to be okay, but none of us can know that.
Not without knowing what happened.
I shudder thinking about how easily Nat could have been hurt tonight. “Come on. Your brother is ready to run through us all to get to you.”
“I’m surprised he hasn’t forced his way up here.”
“Bash was with him when I came up. I don’t know how much longer he’s going to wait.”
She leans into my side, like she needs my support.
I wonder if she senses how much her touch is calming me?
Feeling her here, next to me. Reminding me that she’s okay.
We head downstairs, and to our surprise, there is no one in the kitchen or living room. The glass doors and windows are open, causing the curtains to blow all around. The rain is back and drowning out the voices outside.
As I guide us to the doors, Natalie pulls back on my arm. “The storm sounds angry. I don’t know that I want to go outside.”
“Maybe it’s not angry. Maybe, it’s washing away the day. Giving us all a clean slate for tomorrow.”
“I guess I need to go face everyone now, don’t I?”
“Yeah, Sweetheart, you do. But I’m with you. If you need me, I’m here.”
Leaning against me, she wraps her arms around my waist. “Thanks, Brady. I wish I could go back to sitting on that couch with you. You know, before everyone came over. I wish I could have a do-over. I would have never left with him.”
“Why did you, Nattie? Why did you go out there with him? I thought… I was looking for you but couldn’t find you.”
“You might have been looking at some point. But first, you were playing beer pong with someone else. Darby texted, and I figured why not. God, that sounds so stupid now. I’ve got about a million reasons why not.”
“Beer pong?”
“Yeah. You were playing with a pretty girl. Tall. Looked like a pink-haired barbie.”
“Kenzie?”
Natalie shrugs her shoulders. Of course, she doesn’t know who Kenzie is.
“Kenzie goes to the all-girls school in Kroydon Hills. She’s related to my Uncle somehow. We’ve just always said she’s a cousin.”
Nat’s arms are crossed protectively as she listens.
“She is tall, and she’s pretty, but I have a newfound need for someone short and gorgeous. Someone who looks like a pixie. Someone whose brother I was planning on talking to tonight before all hell broke loose. I need to talk to him so that he doesn’t kill me when I kiss his sister.”
Running both hands up and down her arms, I go on.
“I know you don’t need to hear this shit tonight, Nattie. But, when you’re ready to hear it, you let me know. I promise I’ll be waiting.”
Those big baby blues are so big and bright right now, and those pretty pink lips have formed the sweetest O.
Heavy footsteps fall across the porch, warning me that we are about to have company.
Cooper pushes ahead of everyone else, and Natalie walks right into his arms.
He’s whispering in her ear. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I can see she’s crying again.
Jesus, I can’t take this.
Quietly, I extricate myself from the room and walk outside.
From here, I can see the angry waves crashing in the distance. Their white peaks are slamming against the shore. The salty air is clinging to everything like a second skin. The fat raindrops seem almost cartoonish, they are so big and defined
I can’t help but feel like I let this happen. It was under my roof, and I don’t know how to reconcile that. I’ve always been that guy.
The one to take care of everything.
To take charge and fix the problems, organize the solution.
Keep everyone safe.
“Brady, man, don’t take this on by yourself. You couldn’t have known what was going to happen.” Sebastian walks up beside me and leans against the rail.
“Bash. You creepy mother fucker. How do you know what I’m thinking all the damn time, man? And seriously, you’re six-foot fucking six. You’ve got to weigh two hundred and fifty pounds.”
Bash laughs. He knows what I’m about to say because we all say it all the time.
“How the fuck do you manage to sneak up on all of us? Seriously man. You need to walk louder or wear a God damn bell around your neck or something.”
“Walk louder? How do I walk louder?
“I don’t know, but you’ve got to figure it out. It’s fucking creepy.” Turning back to look out at the ocean, I lean down with my arms resting on the wet railing. “How are things in there?”
Sighing deeply, Bash folds his arms across his chest. “Cooper hasn’t let her go yet. I think he is trying to convince himself that she’s alright. There’s a whole lot of whispering going on between them. Maybe it’s a twin thing. They seem like they’re in their own world. Made me feel like I was watching something private.”
“Do you think he’s going to call the cops?”
“Who? Cooper?”
“Don’t be fucking dense, man. Darby. Do you think Darby is going to call the cops? I think this could get a whole lot worse for him and everyone involved, you and I included.”
“No. He’s not stupid. He knows who my family is. He’s not calling the cops. I sent my brother a text just in case he did,
though. He told me not to worry about it. It’s taken care of.”
“Like... how taken care of?”
“Shut the fuck up, asshole. Not like that. My brother Sammy’s just gonna make a few calls. Make sure he can handle the situation if the cops get a call. You know he has connections everywhere.”
“You two love birds about done out here?” Murphy walks over to us and kicks Bash’s foot, always the jokester.
“Shut the fuck up, Murph. I was trying to give Cooper and Nat some space.” I glare at him.
His face sobers. “Yeah, me too. They are still talking, and Chloe and Tiffany have decided it’s their job to clean the mess up. They’re on Solo cup patrol. Tiffany asked Chloe for a trash bag and just started at it. I swear, man, it’s like an invasion of the body snatchers. We’ve known this girl for years. Have you ever seen her like this? She’s almost normal.”
I think about that for a second. “She wasn’t bad when we were in middle school. She didn’t get crazy until high school. But she’s been good to have here tonight. She seems to genuinely want to help Natalie. So, I’ve got her back.”
Both guys agree.
Turning around, I look at these guys, who have been my best friends and teammates my entire life. We’ve been through so much together and have so much coming still. Bash, and I already signed our letters of intent for the same Division 1 college last spring. Murphy has had interest from them but hasn’t signed anything yet. It’s always been the three of us, and in a matter of one year, we’ve added Cooper and now Natalie. Chloe has started to hang around more, and who knows whether Tiffany will stick or not? It feels like everything changed tonight somehow.
Time to face it.
Steeling my back, I blow out a breath.
“Alright, guys, let’s go find out what she wants to do.”
17
Natalie
Cooper’s strong arms are banded around me so tightly, I think he is trying to physically hold me together. Still, I’ve decided I am strong enough to hold myself together. If I am going to shatter the glass box that my family likes to keep me in, it needs to start here and now.
All In (The Kings of Kroydon Hills Book 1) Page 9
