The Truth About Us

by Tia Souders

  “Don’t even try to deny it. No boy would just randomly invite himself to dinner and lie about it,” her mom said.

  Abby quirked a brow at Kaden. If they only knew.

  Kaden stood and reached out, placing a hand on her mother’s arm, playing the part of a dejected dinner date like he might win an Oscar. Her mother’s smile warmed, an almost instant response that pricked at Abby’s nerves.

  “It’s okay, Mr. and Mrs. Bridges,” Kaden said, frown in place. “I knew Abby asking me to dinner was too good to be true. I guess I shouldn’t have accepted. I can just go.”

  “Nonsense.” Her mother turned to Kaden. “You’re such a sweet boy. Clearly, she just lost track of time like she said, but she’s here now. And I’m sure she’s thrilled to have you.” Her mother glanced at her with probing eyes. “Isn’t that right?”

  What the heck did he say to them in her absence? Whatever it was, he had won both of them over in record time.

  “Uh, yeah. Of course,” Abby said.

  “After her grandmother’s passing, she’s been distracted. They were very close, and Abby has trouble processing her feelings. Ever since she was a little girl, she—”

  “You want to go up to my room?” Abby’s eyes widened as she glanced at Kaden, imploring him to say yes before her mother could continue to provide him with too much information. Who knew what she already shared with him.

  His lips twitched like he was fighting off a smile. “I don’t know. I rather enjoy your mother’s company. Before you came home, she was telling me about the invisible friend you had growing up. What was her name again?” He glanced at her mother, who returned his smile with adoring eyes. “Lilly Lollipop?”

  Oh my gosh. Forty minutes late and he already had her mother wrapped around his finger, telling him stories about her childhood.

  Abby narrowed her eyes at him, then moved forward and placed her hand under his elbow, pulling him away from the table.

  “We’ll be upstairs working on calculus,” she said to her parents with a smile.

  When they burst into the hallway, she pinched his arm.

  “Ouch! That hurt.”

  “Serves you right.” Abby shot daggers at him with her eyes. “Acting like I invited you to dinner, then stood you up, and getting all buddy-buddy with my parents.”

  Kaden’s lips curled. “They’re nice people. And you kind of did ask.”

  “I did not!”

  “Kinda.”

  “Because you tricked me into it.”

  Kaden ignored her and rounded the corner to the stairs.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, exasperated.

  “Up to your room. To work on calculus.” He stared at her wide-eyed and innocent.

  “I just told them that so I could get you away from them.”

  “You want me all to yourself. I get it,” he said, taking the stairs two at a time. “All you had to do was ask.”

  “I do not...” Abby trailed off as she hurried after him, huffing as she reached the top of the stairs.

  “Bedroom door open!” her father’s voice boomed from below, and Abby wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

  “Absolutely, Mr. Bridges,” Kaden called back. He chuckled as he took in Abby’s red face and winked. “Which room is yours?” he asked, peering into the open doors.

  He was either oblivious to how annoyed she was or enjoying it, and Abby was willing to bet it was the latter.

  “Ah, gotta be this one.” Kaden entered her room. “All neutrals, except for the lavender bedspread and pillows. Oh, and a furry desk chair. Nice touch.”

  Abby followed behind him, flabbergasted at his audacity.

  Kaden plopped down on her bed, bouncing on the mattress like he was testing its firmness. “Soft.”

  He took another glance around her room, taking in the abstract prints on the walls, the giant bookshelf flanking the bed, and her marble chess set on the small table by her desk.

  “I didn’t take you for a chess girl.”

  “My grandfather and I play,” Abby said, running a hand through her hair. As an afterthought, she turned and closed her bedroom door.

  “Oh, a rebel, ignoring your father’s wishes.” Kaden wiggled his brows. “I like that. I can appreciate wanting me alone.”

  Abby rolled her eyes. “Would you cut the crap already?”

  Moving over to her desk, she took a seat.

  “What?” He held his hands out like he was innocent, but as Abby continued to scowl, his smile fell, and his expression sobered. Standing, he moved closer, taking the small chair directly beside her in front of the chess set. “So, are you going to tell me the real reason you were late?”

  “How do you know I wasn’t telling the truth?” Abby crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Because I’m good at reading people. And I happened to be at the library after school. You weren’t there.”

  Abigail sniffed. “It’s a big library.”

  Kaden cocked his head, his mouth flattening into a thin line. He stared at her wordlessly, but Abby continued to meet his gaze, saying nothing, refusing to crack. If he wanted to have a staring contest, fine by her.

  Heat bloomed in her cheeks as she took in the golden flecks in his brown eyes, the way his blond locks swooped over his forehead, and the citrus scent coming from his skin.

  She swallowed, her throat suddenly tight. “Fine! You’re right. I wasn’t at the library. Happy now?”

  Kaden grinned. “A little.”

  “What do you want?”

  “The truth. Tell me what’s going on.”

  “What makes you think anything is going on. I just forgot to pick you up this morning because it wasn’t routine, and I didn’t actually think you were coming to dinner. I thought you were joking.”

  He shook his head, eyes steady on hers. “You’re hiding something. I can tell.”

  “How? You barely even know me.”

  He reached out to her, placing his fingers on the side of her throat, then spreading them until his entire hand covered the side of her neck. An electric current zipped in her veins, and her breathing hitched. The desire to pull away and the urge to move closer waged a war inside her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “The pulse in your neck jumps when you’re nervous. I’d like to say it was just from me, but I think it’s more than that. Instinct tells me you’re hiding something.”

  She said nothing for a moment as her nerves twisted in her stomach, and the warmth of his touch seared into her skin. Her eyes locked on his, and she realized for reasons unknown to her, she trusted him. Something about him put her on edge and at ease simultaneously, a feeling she shouldn’t enjoy but did.

  The urge to share the burden of the letters and the secret placed in her lap burned through every fiber of her being. But Kaden was a huge risk. After all, what did she really know about him? She had never spoken to him until that night in the park, and their relationship—if you could call it that—had sprung up on her so fast.

  “I...” She trailed off, unsure of how much to share, unsure of where to start.

  “What is it?” He removed his hand from her neck, allowing her more space and air to breathe. Time to collect her thoughts. But the distance, the separation, knocked her back into reality. Her grandmother’s handwriting, Greg Lawson’s murder, and the old man with the journal flashed through her head like a precautionary sign. Tell no one.

  “I can’t tell you. I can’t tell anyone.” Running a hand through her thick locks, Abby sighed, stood, and stepped around him. “Yes, it’s the reason I was late today and totally flaked on picking you up for school. It’s the reason I took zero calc notes and did little classwork. I’m pretty sure I failed an elementary health quiz today. It’s all I can think about. But I can’t tell you what it is. I’m sorry.”

  She stared at him, fully expecting him to leave, but he didn’t. Instead, he motioned toward the door. “I have my book bag outside. Maybe you won’t let me help you with
your secret, but I can help you with calculus.”

  Before she could say anything, he got up and left the room, returning two minutes later with his backpack in hand. In one smooth motion, he slung it to the floor and unzipped it, then dug through the contents until he pulled out his notes.

  “I made you copies,” he said, holding them out.

  Abby blinked at him, a surge of gratitude warming her from the inside out. “Is that what you were doing at the library?”

  “Maybe.” He smirked at her, as she took them.

  Their fingers brushed for the briefest of moments; the butterflies in her stomach flew into a frenzy.

  He bent back over his bookbag, searching for something else and pulled out his calculus textbook. “I figured we could do tonight’s homework together, too. Since you didn’t do the classwork, I thought you could use the help.”

  “That’d be great.”

  Grateful and having no idea what to do with herself, she relaxed onto her bed, taking a seat in the very spot he had occupied minutes ago when they first entered her room. She eyed him on the bed as they worked. Would she smell him on her bedspread when she went to sleep tonight?

  She wasn’t sure what to think of the charming, confident boy who teased and prodded. But the boy with the burning brown eyes, the soft smile, and the desire to help her without having to ask was a mystery.

  Who was this Kaden Oliver? And where had he come from?

  CHAPTER TEN

  Late. Again.

  Abigail floored the gas. “You have got to be kidding me!”

  At this rate, Kaden would never speak to her. All things considered, that was probably better for him, seeing as how she was turning into a complete lunatic. Might be better for her, too. He did weird things to her insides.

  Why had she agreed to pick him up again?

  She pulled up to the curb in front of Kaden’s house twenty minutes late and hopped out of the car. Rounding the front of the Beetle, she sprinted her skinny jean-clad legs up his yard, to his front door where she rang the doorbell.

  She drummed her fingers on her thigh, waiting, and when no one answered, she wondered if he left for school without her. Who could blame him?

  She waited another moment, then raised her finger to ring the bell again when she heard a man’s voice through the door.

  “Is that her? I told you I don’t think it’s a good idea to get involved with someone right now.”

  Abigail frowned, her finger poised midair.

  “It’s not like that.” Kaden’s muffled voice floated out to her. “I hardly know her. We’re just classmates. Friends, at best.”

  “Yeah, just friends.” The man’s voice continued, “That’s how your mother and I started out too. Just friends are the worst kind.”

  “Seriously? You do know there are toddlers with a better social life than me. I don’t think it’s the worst thing to have a friend I actually see on occasion outside of school.”

  “You have the rest of your life to have a social life,” his father said. “But you only have one chance to prepare for your future. Once that’s gone, that’s it. No going back. No do-overs. Girls and buddies will be there once you’re done with school.”

  A resounding sigh followed, chased by silence.

  Had they stopped arguing, or was she simply unable to hear?

  She shuffled forward until the tops of her sneakers touched the chipped paint on the front door and pressed her ear against the cool wood, straining to hear.

  “She was super tight with her grandmother. She lost her to cancer last week, just like Mom. I’m helping her since I know what it’s like. Yesterday, I brought her calculus notes and helped her with it. She’s returning the favor by driving me to school. That’s it. You need to take it down a notch.”

  “Listen, I’m sorry,” his father said. “I’m not trying to be mean. A girl just isn’t worth risking everything you’ve worked so hard for. You go to school in the fall. A relationship right now doesn’t make sense.”

  Abby felt the heat of blush rise to her cheeks, even while she knew it was ridiculous to be embarrassed. It’s not like they knew she was out there, which brought up another issue. What should she do? Knock again or bail before anyone found out she overheard them? Maybe “forgetting” to pick Kaden up was best since it was clear his father wanted him to have nothing to do with a girl. She didn’t like thinking of herself as a complication. Though, right now, complicated aptly described her life.

  Taking a step back, she denied herself the twinge of disappointment at not getting to see him this morning. Despite her better judgment, she enjoyed being around him, even if his presence unnerved her.

  With a heavy heart, she whirled around and nearly jumped out of her skin.

  A little girl stood in front of her. Her brown hair had been woven haphazardly into two braids, and she blinked back at Abby with brown eyes that could’ve been direct transplants of Kaden’s. In her hand, she clutched a piece of blue chalk.

  Catching her breath, Abby inhaled, trying to slow her racing heart. “You scared the crap out of me.”

  The little girl scratched her nose, leaving behind a smudge of blue. “Crap’s a bad word.”

  “What?”

  “Crap. It’s just a replacement for the s-word, so you really shouldn’t say it.”

  Abby crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s not that bad. Who told you that anyway?”

  “My brother.” The little girl squinted into the sunlight behind her.

  “Is your brother Kaden?”

  “Yeah. Were you evedrooping?”

  Abigail swallowed. “You mean, eavesdropping?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I said.”

  Abby stammered. “Uh, no. I, uh, I rang the doorbell, and no one answered so I was just trying to see if anyone was home.” She flashed the girl a smile, hoping she was easily fooled. How embarrassing would it be if she told Kaden she caught her listening to their conversation—about her!

  “By putting your ear on the door?” She cocked her head and eyed Abigail like she had three heads. The girl was no fool.

  Abby bit her lip, readying herself for a ridiculous attempt at a counterargument when she heard the door behind her open, followed by Kaden’s voice. “Sophie! What are you doing out here? Dad’s waiting to take you to school. Come on.”

  “I was drawing since you and Dad were fighting,” Sophie said. Apparently, the girl didn’t hold any punches, even with family. It reminded her of Kaden.

  “We weren’t fighting.” Kaden caught Abby’s eye as she turned around to face him, then shifted his gaze back to his sister.

  “Yeah, yeah. You weren’t fighting, and she wasn’t listening.”

  Abby blanched. She opened her mouth to speak—to say what? Defend herself? Admit she heard them? Kaden glared at Sophie and said, “Well, he’s ready now, so go. At least one of us has a chance to be on time today.”

  “Fine.” Sophie dropped the chalk on the cracked cement walkway beside a rather crude rendition of a person and what appeared to be an animal and stomped off in the direction of the house.

  Unable to erase her smile, Abby said, “She’s something.”

  “Yeah, a handful.” Kaden grabbed the strap of his bookbag and slung it over his shoulder asking, “You ready?”

  With a nod, she turned and led the way back to the car. Once inside the small interior of the Bug, she turned to him.

  “I’m sorr—” They spoke at the same time, then laughed.

  “Go ahead,” Abby said. “You first.”

  “The stuff my dad said...sorry about that, if you heard any of it.”

  Not wanting to make the situation more awkward than it already was, Abby started the car and pulled away. “I didn’t hear much.”

  “He just...” Kaden drug a hand over his face and stared out his window as they passed through his neighborhood. “I don’t know how to explain.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  She watched him from the
corner of her eye, as tension rolled off the stiff set of his back and the tense set of his jaw. The serious side of him threw her off balance—maybe more than all the teasing and flirting.

  “He’s so obsessed with me focusing on nothing but school. I get good grades, but it’s like that’s not enough. He doesn’t want me doing anything that’ll shift my focus. I tried to get a real job last year, and he legit flipped a lid. That’s why I do all those odd jobs. I can manage those without him knowing.”

  “Him not wanting you to work doesn’t sound so bad,” Abby offered.

  Kaden shook his head. “Besides the fact I need money for college next year, it’s more than that. Every time in the past I’ve ever tried to hang out with friends outside of school, he makes it into this big thing, so that I don’t even want to anymore because it’s just not worth the effort and the hassle. It’s like, I’ve had straight As, I’m taking AP classes, and even college prep courses, but nothing is enough for him to loosen his hold. Not to mention he’s paranoid. If I do go out, the people I’m with have to practically pass a background check.”

  His words hung in the silence, heavy and thick. Abby wanted to say something, to lighten his mood, preferring the carefree Kaden to this sullen version of him. But words failed her. What could she say? She was terrible at handling her own emotions, let alone someone else’s.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured, hating the generic words even as they left her mouth.

  “Don’t be. I’m making him sound like a jerk, and he’s really not.” Kaden ran his fingers through his unruly blond locks. “He means well. The reason he doesn’t want me working and having a social life isn’t because he wants to control me.”

  “Then why?”

  “He’s scared. Of a lot of things. He met my mom when they were teenagers. They got married just after high school and had a baby. He never went to college, and he worked a bunch of crap jobs until he got a decent one, but I’m sure it was still hard. Then Mom got sick, the bills piled up, she died, and here we are. I think he’s afraid I’ll make the same mistakes, so he has this vision of me doing everything exactly right instead. College first, followed by a high-paying job, then getting my own place. Once I have those bases covered, then I can find a girl and get married and have the whole big-house-white-picket-fence-cliché. You know, everything in the right order. But it’s more than that, too. I think he just wants to save me from pain and disappointment. But life’s not like that, you know? It’s messy. And the painful parts make all the good ones that much better because of it.”