“What are you talking about?” I was trembling all over. “What do you mean he was with Claudia and Taylor?” I demanded, my voice quivering.
“Not was … is!” She kicked the sheets off her legs. “He’s seeing both of them. Of course neither knows about the other, and why would they? They go to different schools and hang out with different friends. He’s a lot like Gary. Gary used to tell me how he loved me and that nothing would change that, not even if we slept together. Look what happened. He got into my pants and moved on to another girl while the whole school thinks I’m a slut because I was stupid enough to tell him about Zach, because I believed him when he said he loved me, because I’m desperate and stupid … and lonely…” Her voice broke. “But I can’t trust anyone. They all just use me.”
Ignoring the slow disintegration of my heart, I shuffled over to her and pulled her into my arms. “You can trust me,” I told her. “I would never hurt you.”
She pushed me away. “I don’t believe you.”
She was hurt, was all I could tell myself as I left my friend curled up on the bed and walked quietly downstairs. She didn’t really mean the things she’d said. They weren’t true. Adam wasn’t like Gary. I had to believe that. I needed to believe it. Yet I kept thinking about the way Taylor had wrapped herself around him on the mountain the afternoon we’d gone skiing and more vividly than that, I remembered Claudia and her remark to me that last time we’d spoken.
“We’re going out this weekend. I guess you didn’t steal his heart quite as thoroughly as you thought.”
I hadn’t believed her because she was Claudia and I wasn’t stupid enough to believe anything she said. But what if she’d been telling the truth? What if he’d gone from learning my secret to jumping into bed with her?
No! No, Adam wouldn’t do that! He wouldn’t!
I slid down on the first step of the stairs, not wanting to go back into the bedroom with Nessie, but not relishing the thought of joining her parents downstairs either. In reality, I wanted to leave. I wanted to get out of that house and run, which was a big deal for me as I hated running.
The most logical solution in a situation such as this was to confront him, to ask him for the truth, but if he was as Nessie painted him, could I believe him? She was his sister after all. Who knew him better? And it wasn’t as though I could ask his parents. Then there was Kenny. I could ask him. But he was Adam’s best friend. It was his job to cover for him as I would cover for Nessie. I could confront Claudia, but that would do no good at all. She’d say yes just to hurt me. And then there was Taylor. I had no idea how to get in touch with her and even if I did, I probably would have just hit her.
I dropped my face into my hands, torn between two possibilities, two harsh realities. I could ignore Nessie only to find out later in a much crueler way that she’d been right, or I could believe her and … what? Leave? Let Adam go? That seemed to always be the play—letting Adam go. Truthfully, I was getting severely tired of always making the decision.
My hand went to the swan pendent tucked away beneath the collar of my t-shirt like a dirty secret and I wondered if the cosmos was trying to tell me something.
Nessie stayed in bed for the rest of the day. Mrs. Chaves sent me up a few times to try and wake her up, but I was told to go away and I was in no mood to argue.
I was helping Mr. Chaves with supper, a reheating of Christmas dinner when the phone rang. My heart skipped a little as I watched Mrs. Chaves pick it up. I hoped it was Adam, asking for a drive back.
It wasn’t.
“Yes, she’s here. Of course. Is everything all right? Oh my! Yes. Yes, we will. One moment.”
The concern and sympathy in her eyes had my heart wedging up into my throat. I took the phone and pressed it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Kia, it’s Mom.”
“Hey. Everything okay?”
“There’s been an accident. Joanne’s in the hospital.”
“Oh my God! Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She has a broken arm and some bruises.”
Exhaling in relief, I closed my eyes. “Do you want me to come home?”
“Would you mind? Nessie’s mom said she’d drive you if you—”
“I’ll get my things.”
I hung up and hurried upstairs. Nessie was asleep—or doing a great imitation of sleeping—as I packed. I tried to wake her, but she nearly punched me in the eye so I left her alone. Downstairs, Mr. Chaves was waiting for me, car keys in hand. He smiled at me kindly as he opened the door.
I thanked Mrs. Chaves for having me and for all the awesome gifts. She hugged me, which was weird because I’d never been hugged by someone else’s parent before.
“It was wonderful to have you, Kia. You’re practically part of the family.”
I said nothing, but smiled at her before ducking through the door after Mr. Chaves. At the car, he loaded my bag into the back. We climbed in and left.
I arrived home almost two hours later. Truthfully, I couldn’t have been happier. The Chaves family was great, but they were just too much to take in a single gulp. It was nice being able to finally breathe again without worrying about offending anyone.
I thanked Mr. Chaves and hurried inside with my bag in tow.
Mom and Joanne were already home when I jogged upstairs to their room. I stopped in the doorway.
She sat on the bed, her right arm encased in a white cast. She was unharmed otherwise. I scuffed into the room, alerting the two of my presence.
“Kia!” Joanne beamed when she saw me. “You didn’t have to come home.”
I snorted. “Of course I did. You were hurt.”
She smiled tearfully. “Aw, I love you.”
I looked between them. “So are you going to tell me how it happened?”
They exchanged embarrassed looks and I realized I just did not want to know.
“How was your Christmas?” Mom asked, tactfully changing the topic. “Did you have fun?”
I exhaled, dropping into the chair next to the bed. Without hesitation, I told them everything from the moment we got there until the time I left. I even told them about the things Adam and I shared. That was the beauty of my mom and Joanne, they never judged.
“I thought he wasn’t going to be there,” Joanne said.
“He wasn’t, but apparently he decided to just show up in the dead of night and try to crawl into bed with me.”
“Would you have minded?” Mom said, folding her arms. “It didn’t certainly seem like it.”
I rolled my eyes. “The fact that I said no should get me points.”
“Well, we’re proud of you for keeping your ground,” Joanne said. “From what you’ve told us, he’s one hot cookie to ignore.”
I thought of a cookie, warm, delicious and so very bad for me and had to agree with the comparison.
“Well, him being a cookie doesn’t help me decide what to do now.”
“I would think talking to him would be the next course of action,” Mom said, but she didn’t sound happy about.
Joanne nodded. “You can’t take what Nessie said seriously about relationships when she just had her heart broken. I would talk to Adam.”
I shook my head. “Not that. I don’t care about that right now. What about Nessie and those horrible text messages. I know she told me not to tell her parents, but … I should tell someone, right? I mean those were serious.”
Mom and Joanne exchanged glances.
“I think you should absolutely tell someone,” Mom said at last, turning back to me.
“I don’t know,” Joanne murmured. “I think it’s up to her. It’s not like anyone was threatening her. I think drawing even more attention to it will only make matters worse.”
“And how is anyone supposed to know if someone does start threatening her?” Mom demanded. “It’s not like she’s doing anything about it.”
“I think she needs to handle this on her own,” Joanne countered. “I’m sure she’
ll go to someone when she feels she needs to.”
“Will she, or will she become like one of those girls who do something horrible because they feel trapped?”
I lunged to my feet, unable to sit still any longer. “Nessie wouldn’t do that,” I said, realizing with some surprise that I was trembling.
Mom hurried over to me and put her arms around me. “Of course she wouldn’t.”
“I’m going to call her,” I said, pulling away. “I think I can talk her into telling someone.”
Mom kissed my cheek. “Okay. Let us know if you need help.”
I didn’t like that Joanne had been hurt, but it gave me a reason to come home. Maybe it was the isolation of the cabin and the close contact with so much drama, but my Christmas with the Chaves family had been interesting, if not a bit frustrating. There was something to say about distance clearing a person’s head. It didn’t help that I didn’t see Adam for almost two weeks. I wasn’t sure if that was something deliberate because he was still upset with me, or because he’d been too busy, but I hoped the latter had nothing to do with Taylor.
The fact that I knew Nessie was still up in the mountains and hadn’t returned a single one of my calls made me also wonder if maybe he’d talked to her and she’d shut him down as I had already guessed she would, especially after what she’d told me about Taylor. Her disapproval for Adam dating her friends made perfect sense after that. But I’d been her friend since before I knew Adam and even after. Nessie was like a sister to me. Who her brother was had nothing to do with it. Yet I hated the idea that Adam would give up so easily, even if I couldn’t say I was surprised. I just wished I’d been there when … if he’d talked to her, so I could at least know if that was the reason she wasn’t speaking to me. The whole mysterious vanishing had me worried that I might have accomplished what I feared the most—losing my friend.
Aside from the ancient Christmas decorations that needed taking down, work hadn’t changed in the slightest. Angel greeted me with his usual cheer and left me to man the front while he did a stock check in the back. It was kind of nice getting back into the routine of things. Not working for a week hadn’t really hurt me financially. The money I made usually went to buying books anyway, but I had missed the predictability of it. Dare I say it, I even missed the hat.
It was snowing, the world outside the windows a snow globe of excitement. People were hurrying by, heads ducked against the fat little flurries. Oddly enough, despite the weather, people were actually piling into the restaurant. Most of the tables were, but I only recognized two faces.
Gary Hines.
He had his arm draped around the girl I’d seen in the picture, a pretty thing with soft alabaster skin and big brown eyes. She wore a pink toque that matched the scarf around her neck. Brown curls hung around her shoulders and down her back. She was snuggled into Gary’s side as though parting with him was just unbearable. I wanted to pitch a napkin dispenser at their heads.
Behind them, two girls scurried in, shaking the snow from their scarves and jackets. They were part of Gary’s group and I wondered if he was sleeping with all of them. Unlikely, but I couldn’t help it. The urge to march over there with a frying pan was a little hard to overcome. The guy had some nerve using Nessie that way and then shacking up with another girl without even telling Nessie. He had no right to be there, smiling and making kissy-face when my best friend was miserable. I knew, despite Nessie’s words, she had really cared about Gary, which made my need to pound into him a whole lot more bloodthirsty.
“Um, excuse me?”
I blinked and looked down into the faces of the two girls Gary had brought in with him. It wasn’t the pretty brunette he was steadily trying to smother with kisses, but her friends.
“Yeah, hi. Sorry. What can I get you?”
“Um, we’d like the number two, eight and…” She turned to her friend, pert nose wrinkled. “Did Gary say he wanted a nine or a three?”
Her friend shrugged. “I don’t think he said at all. He was too busy trying to get into Steph’s pants.”
The first girl turned back to me. “A three and a one, please.”
I punched it in, stabbing the keys a little harder than was necessary. Part of me wondered if I could budge my morals just that once and get Jerod to spit in Gary’s meal.
“God, does he have to do that everywhere we go?” the second one muttered, folding her arms.
“I know, right? I don’t even know why Steph invited us along if she was just going to make out with him all night.”
“I think she feels sorry for him because of what happened with his ex.”
The first girl made a face. “Ugh, right? What a bitch.”
“Do you mean Vanessa Chaves?” I blurted before I could stop myself.
The two looked at me.
“Yeah, do you know her?” the second one asked.
I shrugged, trying to come off nonchalant about it. “Kinda. What about her?”
The first one leaned in before the second one could speak. “You know she was dating Gary, right?” At my nod, she continued. “Well, he found out she’s been sleeping with the entire football team behind his back. Apparently she did the same thing at her old school. Gross, right?”
“Plus, Gary says she’s a spoiled, whiny bitch.”
The first one nodded in agreement.
That urge to beat my fists into Gary’s face intensified, but I smiled pleasantly at the two watching me and gave them their total. I told them I would bring their tray out, which was something we didn’t normally do, but I was willing to make an exception.
When their order arrived, I picked the tray up and made my way around the tables to stand over theirs. The two girls spotted me immediately and straightened in anticipation of their meal. Gary and Steph were still lip locked, until I set the tray down.
“There you go,” I said, dusting my hands. I looked at Gary and let my eyes go wide. “Oh my God, Gary! Hey!”
Gary blinked. His eyes widened. “Kia … hey! I—”
I cut him off quickly. “Wow, how great is it to run into you here? How’ve you been? How’s the rash? It hasn’t spread, has it? I hope you’re using the cream twice a day as prescribed. But you’re sitting again and dating so I guess it’s working, or at least the blisters are all gone.” I laughed lightly. “Anyway. It was so nice seeing you again. Enjoy your meal. Bye.”
I hurried away before the shock could wear off his face. The scuffle of feet and squeal of chairs being shoved back had me glancing back once to watch as the three girls leapt away from the table, ignoring Gary’s sputters of protest and bolted for the door. I smirked inwardly. Take that, jerk!
“Kia?”
I spun around at the sound of my name. My surprise and delight built when I spotted Adam cutting his way across the room towards me.
“Adam, hi!”
He stopped in front of me, his hair littered with melting fluffs of snow. They clung to his lashes, making them shine. I had to resist the urge to run my fingers over him, brushing away each flake.
“What are you doing here?” I asked instead.
“I wanted to come sooner, but—”
“You stupid bitch!” Gary charged his way towards us, his face a scary shade of red.
Uh oh…
“Adam, you have to g—”
Adam wasn’t listening to me. He’d turned his body and stood like a wall between me and Gary. Tension rippled along the width of his shoulders and coursed down to the tight fists at his sides.
“Is there a problem here?” he said with an eerie calm.
“Yeah, there’s a problem,” Gary barked. “You’re standing in my way.”
Adam didn’t move. “You need to walk away. Now.”
Gary squinted at Adam as though he’d just spoken Klingon. “Excuse me? Who the hell are you?”
“I’ll be your worst nightmare if you don’t leave,” Adam replied with that same evenness.
Gary straightened to his full height, whic
h wasn’t much taller than Adam. “Listen, I don’t know who you are and I don’t give a shit, but this isn’t your problem. Get out of my way.”
Adam’s eyes narrowed. “Get out of my face.”
I touched Adam’s arm. “Adam—”
“Adam?” Gary’s eyes hazel eyes narrowed. “Vanessa’s brother, Adam?” He didn’t wait for a response. His eyes sparked. “Did she put you up to this?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Adam muttered.
“Well, it’s not going to work. She was fun and, yeah, she’s super-hot, but that’s all she’s got going for her. She’s as shallow and stuck up as a stick. Plus, we all know about Vina and why she got kicked out. Your sister is a whore. I didn’t go anywhere half the men in Mayferd haven’t already gone.”
Adam hit him. It was a quick, hard jab straight in the jaw that sent Gary’s head snapping back and blood bursting from his bottom lip. He staggered beneath the blow, colliding into a table and sending chairs crashing to the ground. The other customers gasped and I swore inwardly.
“Adam!” I hissed, grabbing his arm before he could think about hitting Gary again.
“You don’t deserve my sister.” He shook me off and closed the space separating him from Gary. “If I see you anywhere near her or Kia again, I’ll do more than bruise your ego. Now leave.”
Gary straightened. He tugged on the collar of his jacket as he glowered at Adam. He ruffled a hand through his hair.
“If you knew your sister, you would agree.”
With a glower at me, he turned and stomped out, leaving behind a gust of cold air from the door. The other customers went back to their meals, no longer interested now that there didn’t seem to be a fight.
Adam turned to me, rubbing his knuckles. “I’m guessing that was Jerry?”
I chuckled despite everything. “Gary, and yes.” I reached for his hand. “Are you okay?”
He waved my concern away. “Fine. What was that about?”
I grimaced. “Well, I…” I cleared my throat and walked over to the register. “I might have said something not nice in front of his date. What are you doing here?”
Revealing Kia (The Lost Girl Series, Book 2) Page 13
