Trish. Sorche. Even Milo.
And most importantly of all, Dad’s behavior.
I heard him walk away then, and the door shut behind him. Well, then, if that’s the way he wanted it—a summer to himself—I wasn’t about to deny him his wishes.
I opened my eyes slowly, blinked the sudden rash of tears away, and began to get dressed. At some point in the night, Trish had brought over a fresh change of clothes along with a baseball cap, and I wasted no time slipping into my yoga pants and tank top, pushing myself through the twinges of pain movement beyond blinking caused. Using the mirror in the tiny bathroom to gauge my appearance, I quickly grabbed a couple of JT’s Band-Aids and covered up the plain, beige hospital-issued ones.
I took my purse and cell phone from the corner cabinet and peeked out the door, finding the hall absent of relatives. I just needed to escape.
I slid the baseball cap on and checked the butterfly bandage I was sporting on the side of my cheek and realized it could have been a lot worse. The ‘overnight for observation’ had been enough of a hospital stay for me.
But that was the least of my worries at the moment. At least, the cap would help disguise me, and I’d tucked my hair up underneath. Hopefully, I could get through the front doors of the hospital without attracting too much attention.
One last deep breath, and I stepped out into the hall and hurried to the elevators
Once I got in, I hit the button to go down to the lobby and opened up my cell phone, texting a 9-1-1 to the only person I figured could help.
***
I was surprised when Milo peeked around the corner a few minutes later. One look at my tear-stained face, and I heard him swear under his breath.
“What do you need?” he asked quietly.
“I need to go home, but you can’t tell my parents where I’m going.”
He rubbed his face tiredly as his gaze darted around. “Chey…”
I knew he was going to say this was how this little accident mess of mine started, but I spoke before he could voice that thought.
“Just please, do me this favor?”
“I thought you weren’t going to ask me for anything else?”
“So I lied.” I looked at him pleadingly. “Please? Before they realize I’m not where I should be.”
“You’re breaking out of the hospital?”
I nodded.
He sighed and rolled his eyes skyward. Somehow, I didn’t think he was praying.
“Come on.”
We slipped out a side door, and I kept my head down as he hurried me past a few people outside and towards the parking lot. It surprised me when I heard the familiar beep and the sound of doors unlocking. I looked up to see he was driving Dad’s SUV.
He held the door open, and I slipped inside, quickly doing up my seat belt. I figured I had an hour before anyone noticed I wasn’t where I was supposed to be and that maybe, I’d taken off.
Waiting for Milo to get in, I finally noticed the darkly tinted windows of the Escalade. Were those new? Or had I just been so excited to be here, I’d never really noticed what was going on around me?
Milo pulled out of the parking lot in silence and stayed that way ’til we were halfway to Dad’s.
“Do I want to know where you’re headed?”
“It’s not JT’s,” I said briskly, wishing I’d thought to grab the teddy bear. I’d been so determined to get out of there, I’d thrown on my clothes and put the pink bandages over the hospital-issued ones, not thinking about anything else.
I caught a hint of a smile on his face.
“Okay, good.”
He pulled up in the driveway about five minutes later and parked near the front door. “You’re not doing something stupid, are you?”
“No.” I could tell he didn’t quite believe me. “I’m going home, Milo.”
“You are home.” He motioned to the door.
“I meant the permanent one, back in Buffalo. This whole summer has been a mistake of epic proportions.’
“Now you’re exaggerating.”
“Uh, my car?”
“Not quite totalled.”
“My life?”
“The same.”
Evidently, Milo didn’t see things the way I did.
“Look, it’s seriously complicated, but the best thing for me to do is to get on the next flight out of here.”
“Without anyone knowing?”
“Exactly.”
He gripped the steering wheel even though we were in park. I had a feeling he wanted to give me a ‘big brother’-like pep talk, which was stupid, because he wasn’t exactly big brother material.
“And I can’t talk you out of it?”
After what I’d overheard that morning?
“No,” I replied firmly, my hand on the door handle.
About to push the door open and run inside the house, I leaned back and, for the second time in my life, kissed Milo’s cheek. “Thank you.”
That said, I slipped out of the vehicle and let myself in, running straight upstairs to my bedroom. I tried not to look at anything that would make me overly emotional. But in spite of myself, I sank down on the bed and grabbed my pillow and hugged it tight to my chest. Okay, eavesdropping was so out of my life. I couldn’t take hearing things like that again. He hadn’t meant to invite me out for the summer. A few days, maybe? What would he have done in a few days? No wonder he had orchestrated that invite to the party—how else was he going to get me out of his hair?
He must have been ecstatic when I made friends with Sorche. Not to mention that convenient gig with Rico. That had taken up more of my time.
With a shaky hand, I wiped the tears from my eyes and headed to the closet, grabbing my suitcase and tossing it on top of my bed. I had a feeling I needed to work fast, before they realized, a) I was out of the hospital and, b) I was probably already at home. Or even worse, Milo sold me out.
I made two trips back to the closet, yanking out my clothes—the ones I’d brought with me—off the hangers and tossing them haphazardly into my suitcase. Everything he’d bought me was staying behind; I didn’t care what he did with them. Hell, sell them on eBay or give them to charity, I really didn’t give a damn. I was finished with everything to do with him.
I slammed the lid down and snapped the locks in place. I turned on my cell phone and called for a cab as soon as possible as I glanced out the bedroom window and thought I saw the gates starting to open. I slid my phone in the pocket of the jeans I’d changed into, and my fingers wrapped around the familiar, crinkled paper.
I yanked it out and laughed bitterly as I saw the scrap that had at one time meant so much to me. However, that naïve Chey was long gone, and the one that stood there now knew too much about her father to care about anything to do with him ever again.
I crumpled the paper in my hand until it was nothing more than a small, crinkly ball and tossed it on my bed just as I swore I heard a car door slam in the distance. I pulled my two bags off the bed, causing a sharp intake of breath as I was suddenly reminded by my body of that wonderful collision with the airbag. One more deep breath, and I hurried downstairs, hoping I could be up front and in the cab before anyone came in through the back patio doors.
***
If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all.
Dad was coming down the hallway when I stepped off the last stair.
“Chey!” His voice was full of relief as he saw me.
“Don’t!” I put my hand up to keep him from coming anywhere near me.
He hesitated, confusion clearly etched on his face.
“What…” He looked at my luggage behind me, the wheels of my suitcase bopping off the last stair and running into the back of my legs, but I didn’t flinch at the sudden jolt of pain.
“I’m leaving.” So I was stating the obvious, but what else was there to say?
I saw Trish walk up behind him and Mom behind her, both looking at me in a mix of awe and relief. Awe that I was ready to go,
and relief for finding me safe and sound, I guess.
“Chey, what are you doing, honey?” Trish squeezed past Dad to look at me. I hoped Milo hadn’t filled them in on my plan.
“Leaving,” I said plainly.
“Why?”
I let out a pained laugh that I put a stop to before it could turn into uncontrolled sobbing. “Ask Dad.”
They looked at him, and he shrugged cluelessly before they all stared at me again.
“I think the ‘best by’ date on my summer passed a long time ago,” I said, shifting my carryon bag to my shoulder.
“Chey, where’s all this coming from?” He took a cautious step towards me.
As I stood there staring at him, I suddenly realized my father wasn’t the most important person in my world. He actually never had been. He was just the one whose attention I kept trying to attract. Maybe that was my sole reason for agreeing to the job with Rico.
“You don’t get it, do you?”
I took a deep breath, but it wasn’t helping. It was all about to come pouring out, whether I wanted it to or not. I didn’t care Trish and Mom were there. I didn’t care if Milo was within hearing range, either. This was between me and my father, and he was going to hear it for once in his damn life.
“This whole summer was supposed to be about spending time with you. I didn’t give a damn about meeting anyone or making new friends or having my face splashed on billboards. I didn’t need a so-called bad boy boyfriend. I didn’t need some jealous eighteen-year-old out to make my life miserable. I didn’t need a damn single one of those things. I needed my father. But he was too busy chasing some project, he didn’t even get to see that.”
I hoisted my bag higher on my shoulder, lifting my chin as I tried to control my emotion.
“So you know what?” I fished the keychain out my pocket and tossed it his way.
He caught it, keeping silent. The sound of the keys jingling echoed through the oddly silent house.
“I don’t need you. I never have.” I gave a pitiful little laugh that sounded awful sad. And warbled. Great. Now I’d have to fight back tears on top of it all. “And this summer just proves it all.”
He stepped forward, but I put my hand up.
“Don’t bother. I know you’ve got a meeting somewhere…about some part…some…” I shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t even care anymore.”
I took a bit of a shaky breath but pushed forward. The faster I was out of there, the faster the tears could fall and I could realize the only thing that this stupid trip had brought me was palm trees and broken dreams.
Lifting my chin, I headed for the front door and stepped out into the suddenly bright L.A. sunshine. I heard someone’s footsteps, but I didn’t dare to look behind me, afraid I might lose all control if it was Dad. Or Mom.
Trish appeared beside me and wrapped her arm around my shoulders. “I’m not letting you go to the airport in a cab.”
Thanks, Milo.
“I already called.” I hurried down the steps, not bothering to look back. I wanted to put as much distance between everything as possible.
“Milo can take care of it.” She opened the passenger side of her SUV. “Get in.”
What else was I supposed to do?
Funny enough, I didn’t even feel like being alone right now. Even though if I had taken the cab, I would have been curled up in the backseat, my suitcase beside me on my way to freedom.
I opened the back door and pushed my luggage inside, before getting in beside Trish.
She blared the air conditioning as she headed past the gate, and I knew she kept watching me, but I refused to look over.
“I wish you hadn’t heard that,” I said, wiping my eyes with the piece of tissue I’d grabbed out of my purse. Out of everyone in L.A., Trish was the one who I thought was actually genuine.
“Took a lot of guts for you to get all that off your chest. You’ve been holding that inside for a lot of years.”
Again with the weak laugh. “Only about eight.”
I concentrated on shredding the damp tissue in my hand. I didn’t want to look up or even outside the window; not that I wanted anyone to see me, anyways.
“Feel better?”
“Hardly.” I leaned my head back against the head rest, wincing at a small jolt of pain. My head was starting to pound, and I was looking at a few hours of wait time at the airport.
All I wanted was to be alone with my misery.
Trish turned the radio down. “You know, I’ve never seen anyone stand up to your father like that before.”
Great, leave it to me to break new ground. “Good.”
“What prompted it?” she asked softly as we left the Hills.
I stopped my shredding and glanced at her, wondering if I should tell her the truth. Before I could stop myself, the words came tumbling out. Every word I’d heard him say, every word that felt like a knife in my heart.
“He didn’t mean it the way you’re taking it,” Trish tried to soothe me as she turned off onto a road I hadn’t seen before.
I blinked back the burning hot tears that stung behind my eyes like someone was trying to strike a match. Why wouldn’t they stop? I was used to being the last thing on his mind. Why should it change now?
“I was an idiot to come out here,” I hiccupped pitifully.
“You weren’t. Look at everything that’s happened this summer.”
“Yeah, just look at the train wreck my life’s become.”
My mother was upset. My parents were fighting like they hadn’t done in years. And I’d made an enemy out of Little Miss Hollywood. No doubt she’d love to know I was hours away from being packed up and shuttled home on a plane. She’d be the first one to break the news to JT that his little girlfriend was bye, bye, bye.
“It’s had its bumps in the road. And at times, your father’s been an absolute idiot.”
The corners of my mouth twitched up into a temporary smile. “I’ll agree with that.”
“But you should go back. At least so you don’t go on a plane as upset as you are. Did you book a ticket?”
I shook my head, wiping my nose with the remains of a shredded piece of tissue. “No, I was hoping I could get on standby.”
“At least go back to Sean’s for a bit, and if you’re really sure you want to go, let me book a ticket back. I don’t want you alone at the airport in the mood you’re in. I doubt your parents would, either.”
I bowed my head. “I don’t want to see him.”
She took a turn. “You could stay in the car, but I think it’d get awfully warm awful quick.”
I sighed, leaning my head against the cool glass of the passenger window and noticed we were headed back towards the Hills and Dad’s.
“That’s sneaky of you, Trish,” I said, tapping the window as we passed a familiar street sign.
“Just give him an hour, okay?” she asked, glancing at me, her eyes filled with a sadness I didn’t quite understand. “That’s all I ask.”
I sighed, not sure I could cry one more tear.
“One hour,” I relented.
34
Dad was standing on the front steps when Trish pulled back up, and I slid lower in my seat, suddenly wishing I hadn’t agreed to her request. I should have waited for my cab down by the gates and gone to the airport like I’d originally planned. I’d probably be halfway to LAX by now.
I watched Trish go in, but I wasn’t ready to go back inside. In fact, I really wasn’t sure I was ready to be there, period. I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes, trying to will myself to get enough nerve to go in. For some odd reason, I was a little embarrassed by what I’d done earlier. Not for getting it out—because I’d had to do that; Dad so deserved it—but doing it like I had…maybe not the wisest decision.
But what was done was done, right?
I opted to stay put a few minutes longer, maybe hoping somehow, I’d disappear.
No such luck.
There was a rap on the window, a
nd I looked up to see Milo standing there. Sorry, he mouthed. I shrugged, and he opened my unlocked door.
“I didn’t say a word,” he whispered as I stepped out, and I actually believed him.
“S’okay.”
He put an awkward arm around my shoulders as Dad headed back inside the moment we neared the steps. Apparently, he didn’t want another confrontation any more than I did.
Cruel Summer Page 36
