“Geekett!” The shouts of outrage made their way across the cafeteria. Several students stood on their chairs to get a better look as the officers read Garrett his rights and handcuffed him.
When the officers began to escort Garrett from the cafeteria and students started throwing food at him, Peyton buried her head against Cameron’s shoulder and sobbed. She wanted Garrett to face the consequences of his criminal hacking of No BS, but the students’ reactions went against everything she’d wanted No BS to accomplish within their school.
“Peyton.” Addison rested her hand on Peyton’s back. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be better now.” But Addison wasn’t sure that was true.
Nari and Avery grabbed Peyton’s hands as the four of them huddled together to comfort her. But they were still missing one. Addison searched the sea of faces for Julian but couldn’t find him anywhere.
The cafeteria was a madhouse after the police perp-walked Garrett from the school, but when Principal Stevens walked in with a bullhorn, everyone quieted down.
“Everyone will report to the gym for fifth period. Anyone not there will be suspended, no excuses. If I hear one more slanderous word or vicious verbal attack, those involved will be suspended, no excuses. We have a hate problem in this school that will end immediately. Now, clean this mess up and get to the gym. Peyton Callahan, come with me.”
“Will you be okay?” Cameron asked. “Maybe she’ll let me come with you?”
“No. I’ll be okay. I need to do this on my own.” She squeezed his hand and left with the principal.
Addison walked with the others to the gym, looking for any sign of Julian.
“He’ll be here,” Cameron said.
“He’s avoiding me.” Addie frowned.
“He won’t leave his sister to face this alone. He’ll show for Peyton.”
But Addison wanted him to show for her as much as for Peyton.
* * *
“The hate has to stop, you guys,” Principal Stevens addressed a near silent student body, sitting quietly in the gymnasium. “High school is hard enough. I get it. The labels we get stuck with as kids are stifling, but in the real world they don’t mean anything. Whether you’re the all-American jock with a bright future, struggling alone with family problems, and just trying to keep it together. Or the wealthy cheerleader who’s smarter than she thinks, but her violent home life makes her feel insignificant so she turns that vitriol on others because it’s all she knows. Or maybe you’re the popular girl with the bad reputation who just has trouble trusting the right people. Or you’re the nerdy girl with a heart of gold and one hell of a singing voice but not the best GPA. Or the It Girl who fell in love with the loner, crossing the social barriers keeping them apart.”
Addison reached for Nari’s hand. Principal Stevens wasn’t sharing their secrets. With Garrett’s hack, everyone knew everyone else’s business.
“Or maybe you’re the girl who created something beautiful to help us bridge the barriers tearing us apart.
“Peyton Callahan is not at fault for the unfortunate events that led to the broadcasting of everyone’s most private thoughts and fears. Her app, No BS is a wonderful tool that has helped every student in this school feel a little less alone.
“Garrett is not to blame either. Yes, he took matters into his own hands when he should have asked for help. He will pay for the crime he committed. But the true culprit of this mess is hate. And right now, hate is winning.
“I watch over all of you. I’m like the mom you didn’t know you had. I’ve watched friendships blossom among you, and I’ve seen quarrels break you apart. I’ve seen what you guys go through. And this year, I’ve seen some of you grow and heal in ways that are astounding. Don’t let what Garrett did in a desperate moment set us back. Let’s keep moving forward. And I, for one, believe we still need No BS. So, I’ve asked Peyton to share some wonderful news with you.” Principal Stevens stepped aside for a nervous Peyton to address the student body.
“Um…hi.” Peyton waved, her tearstains still evident. “So, it’s been an emotional day for me. I hate what Garrett did, but I understand that kind of desperation. I hate that I wasn’t—” Peyton’s voice shook with tears as she covered her face. “I’m sorry. I just hate that I wasn’t able to protect you.” Her tears fell, and Addison wanted to go stand with her just so she wouldn’t be alone in front of all these people. “I promised you anonymity, and I wasn’t able to keep that promise.” Peyton took a deep breath and choked back her tears. “I created No BS at one of the lowest points of my life. My brother Cooper had just died. My other brother, Julian, Coop’s twin, left town to mourn our brother in his own way. And my best friend left for reasons I didn’t understand at the time. When Coop died, my whole world fell apart, and it’s only just now starting to make sense again. I was just so alone. So, I created No BS because I knew there had to be others right here at Twin Rivers High who felt just as alone as I did. But I had no idea how many of you there were or how many ways No BS could help you cope with the shit we all deal with every day—sorry Mrs. Stevens.”
“You get one,” Principal Stevens said.
“I’m proud of what I created,” Peyton continued. “But I have to earn your trust again. I never wanted to sell No BS. I wanted to keep it small enough so I could continue to manage it. I just didn’t want to give up control to a bunch of strangers. But if No BS is going to continue to help the kids of Twin Rivers High and so many other schools across the state—and as recent events have revealed, the whole country too—we need better security. I can’t guarantee we will never have another security breach, but I can promise you that, moving forward, No BS will have the highest security measures available for networks of its kind. I haven’t sold the app, but I have taken on investors who have arranged a partnership with Google, Apple, and Android to take No BS to the next level. When you update the app from the beta version, you will find No BS has a great new look with the same level of security as Facebook and Instagram. I hope you’ll stick with me and keep sharing your stories so we can empower each other, lifting each other up rather than tearing each other down.”
“Thank you, Peyton,” Principal Stevens said. “I’m sure everyone here is anxious to download the new app.” She draped her arm around Peyton’s shoulders. “Moving forward, all the drama caused by the hack will not be tolerated. Find a way to move past this. Any arguments, fights, or excessive drama will result in severe punishment. Now get back to class, and let’s put this business behind us.”
* * *
Addison sat in her car, parked in the driveway at home. She stared at the phone in her lap, so tempted to open Julian’s email. He’d sent her the final chapter of his book, and she was desperate to read it, but she didn’t know where they stood now. She’d thought she was done with him. That it was all just too difficult. And then he changed her entire world with just one sentence.
Cooper Callahan never raped her. Part of her was afraid to believe it could be true.
Addie hadn’t let herself think about it all day at school. It was just too much with everything going on with Peyton and the hack. But she’d looked for Julian all day. Either he was avoiding her or he’d skipped again.
“Loving someone shouldn’t be this hard.” She closed her eyes, letting her thoughts drift back to that night. She could still feel Cooper’s hands on her. The way he’d pinned her down. His laughter. The way he’d shoved her dress up—the dress she’d selected with him in mind. He violated her with his touch and assaulted her with his intentions, but Julian stopped him before he acted on those intentions. He’d saved her from the worst thing that could happen to any woman. Had she been sober, Addie had no doubt she could have saved herself. But Cooper had poured her drinks all night, making them stronger each time. He’d set out to take what he wanted, one way or another.
“How could I have been so blind not to see the better man was Julian all along?” Making up her mind, Addison gathered her things and opened the car d
oor. She had a chapter to finish reading and a future she needed to figure out. A future she wanted with Julian Callahan.
“Addie! I’m so glad you’re home.” Her mother rushed to greet her at the door.
“Hi, Mom, why so excited?” Addison set her things down on the kitchen counter. Her mother was positively giddy.
“You have some acceptance letters to open.” She held three fat envelopes in her hands.
Addison stared at the envelopes containing a part of her future she really wasn’t ready to consider yet.
“Open the good one first.” He mother shoved the envelope from her alma mater into her hands.
The sigil for the University of South Carolina stared back at Addison. With shaking hands, she opened the letter. “Congratulations, you have been accepted—”
Her mother’s ear-splitting scream of triumph interrupted her. “Oh, Addie, I’m so proud of you. I’m going to call the sorority alumni tomorrow, and I’ll twist some arms to get you an early interview. Oh, honey, you’re going to love rush week. And you’ll make so many new friends you won’t ever want to come home to visit your crazy mom.”
“I have two more letters to open.” Addie sank down on the barstool.
“You don’t need those others, you got into your top pick.”
“Mom, we talked about this. Your plans might not mesh with my plans. I’m still not sure what I want yet.”
“Oh. I didn’t realize you didn’t want to go to USC.”
Addison couldn’t handle the disappointment on her mother’s face. “Let’s just see what the others say.” She reached for her mother’s hand, giving her a gentle squeeze. “I didn’t say I don’t want to go to USC, I just want to see what my options are.”
“I didn’t even look at the other two. Where else did you apply?”
“NYU.”
“New York? Lord, Addie, are you trying to give your momma a heart attack?”
Addison smiled as she tore into the envelope. “Oh, wow. I’ve been accepted to NYU and they’ve offered a partial scholarship too.”
“Honey, you don’t need a scholarship. We can send you wherever you want to go. But why New York?”
“I looked into their creative writing program. It’s one of the best in the country, and New York is the hub of the publishing industry. If I want to pursue a career in publishing, that’s where I need to be.”
“Okay, then, where was your third choice?” She stared at the third envelope like she feared her daughter might end up going to Mars for college.
“This one wasn’t my third choice, Mom.” Addie held the envelope in her lap, the first twinges of excitement bubbling up inside her. The thought that she might actually get into her dream school had her hands trembling in earnest now.
“Oh, this one’s your top pick?”
Addie nodded as she slit the envelope open. As her eyes scanned the first few lines, she saw her future unfold. She hadn’t let herself want this, not until this moment. “I got in!” She leaped out of her chair. “Mom, I did it—I didn’t think I was good enough. My test scores were just within the margins.”
“Where, honey?” Her mother smiled, catching her daughter’s excitement.
“Do you know how hard it is to get in? Their acceptance rate is only twenty-five percent, one of the lowest in the whole country.”
“Where, Addie?”
“Right here in Twin Rivers, Mom. I’ve been accepted to Defiance University.”
“Defiance University?” Addison’s mother grabbed the acceptance letter, reading the news for herself. “Sweetheart, that’s where all the smart people go!”
“I know!” Addie threw her arms around her mother. “Are you disappointed? I can’t say no to this, Mom.”
“Disappointed? Heaven’s no, Addie.” Her mother held her at arm’s length. “I always wanted what was best for you. I had such a wonderful college experience at USC I just wanted the same for my daughter. I don’t know why I didn’t see you were destined for much greater things than your silly old mother. My girl is smart and so capable. And you’re right, you can’t say no to Defiance University, it would kill your father.”
“It’s expensive.” Addie scanned the acceptance letter again.
“We will handle it.”
“Shut up!” Addie slammed her hand against the marble countertop. “I can’t believe it. I got a scholarship offer too. It should pay for about half of the tuition, and I can just live at home so we can save on the cost of a dorm.”
“No, you won’t. You’re going to get the whole university experience, darling, and that includes living in a dorm on campus.”
“I love you, Mom.” Addie flung her arms around her mother.
“I love you too, Addie. Now go tell all your friends, and I’m going to go tell all of mine. My girl is going to Defiance University.”
Addie retreated to her room, floating on a high. For the first time in years, Addison Parker was looking forward to the future.
But before she called the one person she was desperate to tell, she had a chapter to read.
20
Julian
“Want a cold one?” Becks walked out onto the deck, stopping feet from where Julian sat with his legs hanging over the edge and his guitar perched in his lap.
“Becks.” Julian laughed at the armful of sodas and snacks his friend carried. “Did you just raid my fridge?”
Becks bent to set his haul on the deck. “The way I see it, Ju Ju, is that fridge belongs to all of us Callahans.”
“You aren’t a Callahan.”
“Yet.” Becks grabbed his own guitar and sat next to Julian.
“Dude, I’m not going to marry you just so you can eat for free at the diner. I know that’s all you really want.”
“It’s not all about the food, Julian, baby.” He reached over to touch Julian’s face.
Julian swatted his hand away, and Becks laughed. “Okay, totally about the food. But it’s fine. Peyton will marry me.”
“Before or after Cam beats you to death with his robot leg?”
“I have my own weapons.” Becks kissed each of his biceps.
“Don’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s weird.” Julian plucked the strings on his guitar. “Why am I stuck with you today, anyway? Doesn’t Avery usually babysit?”
Becks let out an offended gasp. “Babysitting?” His voice grew louder. “Babysitting? We babies take great offense at that term. There will be no sitting on babies. Take that back.”
Julian shoved him with a laugh. No matter his mood, he always found himself smiling around Becks. Life would have been a lot easier if he’d known him before this year, if he’d had the band to distract him from the rest of life.
Julian sighed and Becks lifted an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? You thinking about me leaving? I’d be upset too.”
“Well, it’s not the greatest thing in the world. It seems like everyone has a plan. You and Nari are headed to Nashville. Even Avery is going with you. Peyton will be at MIT with Cam nearby. Addison is going off to do the college cheerleading and sorority thing. And then there’s me.” He shook his head. “What am I doing, Becks?”
Becks plucked a complicated tune on his guitar, one Julian could never hope to imitate. Their skill levels were in different universes. That was why music was Becks’s future and not Julian’s. An uncharacteristic pensive look came over Becks’s face as he continued to play. “Julian, have you ever thought you don’t have to have it all figured out yet?”
“Says the guy leaving in a few months to chase the only dream he’s ever had.”
Becks shrugged. “I’m lucky, I guess, but I’m not normal. It’s okay to be a little lost.”
That was the thing, though. He wasn’t lost on what he wanted to do. Julian knew with every fiber of his being he wanted to be a writer. He just didn’t know how to make it work. He’d never been interested in college, but everyone around him was. All they talked about at school was h
ow great the next four years of their lives would be.
And Julian saw the next four years as lonelier than the past four had been. He finally had people in his life, friends, he cared about. But they’d all be gone come August.
“It’s going to be weird not playing music every weekend.” Julian ran a hand down the familiar neck of his guitar, settling it in the deep curve of the wood.
Becks stopped playing. “You could find other people to play with. As weird as that feels for me to say, you could have a new band.”
Julian shook his head. “When you leave, I think it’s time to put the band behind me.”
“But not music, I hope.”
“No.” Julian smiled. “That will always be a part of me.” A cold spring breeze whipped through the back yard. He pulled his fleece jacket tighter around him and strummed a few chords.
Becks joined in, and the two of them played as they’d done so many times before. Soon, this would be over, and Becks would head on to bigger things. He was made to be a star, and Nashville wouldn’t know what hit them.
They finished their third song, and Becks leaned back, lying flat. “Break time.” He tilted his head to let the sun hit him square in the face and closed his eyes. His hand reached blindly for the pile of snacks, latching on to a can of Coke.
Julian was watching him in amusement when a throat cleared. He jerked around, almost falling from the edge of the deck as his eyes met Addison’s.
He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when she held up a stack of papers. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Julian finally found his voice. “Tell you what?”
“That you’re in love with me.”
“Ohhh, shit.” Becks sat up, letting Addison see him for the first time. Her cheeks reddened. “Well, I guess this is my super large, planet sized cue to leave.” He hopped from the deck, guitar slung over his shoulder. Before turning away, he reached out, stuffing as many of the snacks into his pockets as he could.
The C Word: Redefining Me (Book 3) Page 15
