Her hand went to her mouth. “Oh my God. Bruises, Truman? Where? We need to get you to a hospital.”
She grabbed for me, but I stepped back.
“Mom, I said I’m fine. I had a friend check me out. Everything is good. I’m just a bit sore.”
She blinked. “What friend? Your note said you were with Copper last night. Were you with him when this happened? I hope not after what I just told Lacey about him.”
Dammit. As much as I couldn’t stand the guy, I didn’t want him to get in trouble for the crap I was caught up in. I didn’t want to lie to my mom, but I didn’t have a choice. “I was with Cooper, but this wasn’t his fault. We were also out with some other kids.”
She stepped forward, hands on her hips. “What other kids, and how did this happen? The rules still apply, Truman, and you never mentioned hanging out with anyone else.”
“Look, Mom.” I let out a breath, buying me more time for a lie. “We went out and had some fun. There was a bit of an accident, and I got hurt. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I have a good reason.” Think. Think. Think.
“Which is?”
And just like that, it clicked. “I was in a car accident.”
She gasped. “Car accident? Oh, my God, Truman. Is the car wrecked? How could you not say anything?”
“My car was damaged, but it’s in the shop right now. I didn’t tell you about the accident because I wasn’t the party at fault and didn’t want to get the guy in trouble who was. The kid doesn’t want his parents to know what happened. He’s also a member at the country club and is walking on thin ice with his parents already.”
My argument may have been a stretch, but I was desperate. The fact of the matter was I was the one on thin ice with my own parents. Placing the blame on someone else would keep me in the clear of what would be far worse than a curfew and a nanny—complete house arrest.
“Well, his parents have a right to know, Truman, and it’s my responsibility as a parent to tell him. Not to mention, he affected the safety of my own child with his foolishness and needs to be reprimanded. Give me the name.”
I sighed. “Mom, I know I don’t have a right to ask anything from you after what I did, but I need one pass this time. As you know, I’m new to town, and it’s hard making friends in a new place. I don’t want this guy knowing I snitched. Please do me a solid and forget about it just this one time.”
Cementing the act, I dipped my head with my lip pouted out.
Nothing happened for a moment, but I didn’t let up the expression. Silence was good. Silence meant she was considering it.
“One time, Truman, and that’s the only time. I mean it,” she finally said.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Lacey
“Holy hell, Lacey, was she suspicious?” Margot asked on the other end of the phone.
Turning the corner, the country club came into view through the Mercedes’ window. “I don’t think so. I technically told her the truth. But God, Margot, what if we hadn’t heard her? She would have caught her son with his fingers up the personal assistant!”
My core burning from the thought of Drake’s skilled fingers, I pushed my thighs together.
“You mean, with his fingers up the nanny,” she said, with a giggle.
My expression dropped. “That sounds dirtier.”
“No matter what way you spin in, that guy has got you going in all the right ways. You two need to figure this out. It’s not right that you two have nowhere to go. I’ll talk to Ty, but I don’t know what good it would do.” She sighed.
“It wouldn’t. And your problems aren’t mine anyway. Don’t worry about it. Drake and I will figure things out.” By my statement I meant that I hoped we’d figure it out. We didn’t really seem to have many options until he left for school.
“I’m so sorry, Lacey. I can’t believe what Ty did.”
Margot was practically shouting over the phone when I called her about the fight, but there really wasn’t anything she could do. This was just, unfortunately, how the world worked. She couldn’t stop it, nor could Drake and I. We’d all die trying.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault that he’s a psychopath. Drake and I will just stay out of his way for the next month. Drake starts school soon and once he does, we won’t have to worry about being seen together.”
Pulling up to the valet at the country club, I shut off the engine, and got out of the car.
“And thank God for that, Lacey. You have a right to have some good things come your way. How’s your mama doing?”
My frown was only kept away by the smile I had to give the valet as I gave him the keys to the Mercedes. “Not good. She hasn’t been responding to her treatments, and she’s lost so much weight over the last year. She’s just so weak. She’s getting worse, Margot. She won’t let on, but I know she’s hurting.”
There was a pause on her end. “Is there nothing you can do? With the money you’re making now can’t you do anything?”
“There are things the doctor still wants to try, and she is supposed to start those soon, but it doesn’t matter how much money we have if . . . if she’s beyond help . . .” Letting out a breath, I ran a finger under my eye to catch the welling tears.
“Don’t say it. Things will be fine. Just keep your chin up, okay?”
Nodding like she was there to see, I walked out back to the tennis courts. Seeing Adele over by one of the court’s nets, I gave her a wave and bright expression when I took a viewing bench.
She waved back, then crouched low into playing position.
“So, anything else been going on? Did you hear any word for that audition you went to? You should have heard back from them by now.”
Gripping the phone, I nibbled my thumbnail. I’d purposely been avoiding this topic with her. “I did and I got a callback, but I’m not going to the next round. Mama needs me right now, and I don’t have enough money saved to go even if I got the part—”
“Wait. Back up. You got a callback?!” Her voice hitched on the end. “Squee! You’re going. I don’t care what you say. This is a sign, girl. A new opera debuts—in France—they have open castings for it here, you get a callback for it, your old job wraps up its season, and your new job finally allows you money to travel . . . Girl, it’s in the stars. Can’t you see that?”
I’d be lying to say that the stars didn’t align, but at the end of the day my place was here. Mama was here. And now, Drake was here, too. Not that I wouldn’t consider leaving just because of him, but what we had was new, and I definitely wanted to explore that.
Gazing toward the courts, I watched Adele and some of the other junior members split off into pairs on the sidelines with their rackets. Adele was paired with a blond boy with a rather dashing smile. Holding out his racket in front of him, he gestured the technique of his swing to her. As she watched intently, her cheeks flushed crimson.
“Oh my God, look at Adele!” I grinned.
“What? Is she still being a little terrorist?”
I laughed at the lack of update I’d given her. “No, we’re past that now. I’m watching her practice her tennis moves. She got paired off with this little cutie, and her face went beet red. I think she likes him. Oh, wait,” I said, watching Adele come to me. “Just a sec. She’s coming over.”
“Okay. I have to go take care of some business really quickly anyway. They just knocked.”
I chuckled. “Do you want me to call you back?”
“Nope. He’s a regular. I won’t even have to open up the door the whole way. It’s a standard drop and pay. Give me two seconds.”
“Alrighty.” I put the phone on the bench and handed Adele a bottle of water when she sat down next to me.
“Hey. So did you get my message about the racket?” Unscrewing the cap, she gulped from her bottle.
I definitely did all right. My face went warm thinking about the interception I had. “I did, but I was already there. I decided to do the dishes since I had a few minutes an
d didn’t have to look for it.”
Nodding, she looked off toward the courts. The boy she was with made eye contact with her and gave her a slight wave before going back to his conversation with his friends.
Adele’s face blazed fire instead of crimson.
“Who’s the boy?” I asked, fighting a smile as I watched the two.
“Oh, that’s Pete.” Her eyes didn’t leave him and neither did her warm expression. “He’s new. They just paired us for doubles.”
“He’s really cute.”
Her eyes flickered my way. “Is he? I hadn’t noticed.”
Right.
“Well, break is done. I’ll see you.” Practically leaping from the bench, she made a beeline for Pete.
When she got over to him, they chatted, turning their rackets aimlessly on the heads as they spoke. The sight was, frankly, the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.
Almost forgetting about my call, I picked up the phone. “Margot?”
While listening for her voice, my gaze caught Adele’s friend Abby on the other side of the net. With the sourest expression, the redhead with the high ponytail watched Adele and Pete. Spinning her own racket on its head, she ignored the guy with glasses talking to her.
I guessed she didn’t like her partner as much as Adele liked hers.
“Hey, I’m back. What did I miss?” said Margot’s voice on the phone.
I wasn’t able to respond as the tennis match drew my attention. The players were Adele and Pete versus Abby and the guy with the glasses. Both teams at their positions, they bounced the tennis ball back and forth. Abby wouldn’t let her partner get in one hit, but Adele and Pete worked well together, alternating shots as the ball came to them. Abby’s technique got aggressive, and she shot the ball at Adele. The swing had so much power behind it the ball almost hit her head. To dodge it, Adele spun in a circle, catching the rogue tennis ball at the edge of her racket. The ball went back to the other side of the court with force and hit Abby in her foot. She went down for the count, and everyone rushed over to her.
Alarmed, I stood up and hurried over to the group.
“Hey, are you still there, Lacey?” Margot asked.
“Yeah, just a sec,” I said, dropping the phone to my side.
Abby lay on the court turf with the crowd surrounding her. Adele gazed over her, looking completely stricken by what happened.
“I’m so sorry, Abby,” she pleaded, gripping her racket.
With a pained expression, the little redhead didn’t respond. She just held her ankle close to her body, rocking back and forth on the ground. She acted like Adele shot her with a bullet instead of a soft tennis ball.
The club’s tennis instructor came over in his white shorts. “Hey, Abby. Do you need a medic?”
Finally getting over the drama fest, Abby let go of her ankle and leaned up into sitting position. “Let me see if I can put weight on it first.”
When the girl attempted to stand, she practically melted back to the ground like a damsel in distress.
Oh, give me a break.
“Maybe I just need to rest it.” She rubbed her ankle with a sad puppy dog expression on her face.
“I can take you to the benches, Abby.” The guy with the glasses went for her hand, and she practically fled from him with her retreat.
“That’s okay, Miles,” she said, putting her hand back to her ankle casually. “Pete can take me. Is that okay, Pete?” She beamed at him.
I couldn’t believe what was happening in front of me. Adele was definitely giving off signs of interest in Pete, and Abby had to have known since she was watching the two before the match. Why wouldn’t she back off and respect that? Wasn’t there a girl code or something? Or was that not valid amongst the North Shore kids?
Pete looked uneasy, but he held out his hand to her. “Of course, Abby.”
“Could you pick me up and take me? I don’t know if I can hold my weight on my ankle.” She batted her eyelashes.
This girl had no shame.
When Pete picked Abby up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Watching the two, Adele’s face was so panicked and flushed she looked on the brink of tears. “I’m so sorry, Abby. Do you need anything? I can get you something.”
“No, I think you did enough.” Whipping her high ponytail around, the sea of red nearly hit Adele in her face as she passed her.
Flinching, Adele stepped back and let the two go around her. With a smug look, Abby laid her head into the crook of Pete’s neck as he took her toward the benches. Adele stood stark still, watching her new friend move away from her with both confusion and hurt reflected across her angelic features.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Drake
While still inside the cab, I read Derrick’s text just one more time to make sure. It wasn’t too late to turn back, and I wasn’t about to take any chances.
Hey. Your car is ready. Don’t worry Ty isn’t around.
God, I hoped not. I was still sore, and if I went through another round with him I might end up in a body bag not the hospital. If I was at peak condition, I’d be able to take him on. Back home I used to have to deal with punk-ass dudes all the time. Ones who thought they could mess with the Asian kid who had white parents. Wasn’t long before I gained the respect, climbed up the ranks, and cemented myself at the top of the social ladder. But those fights were always one on one, and after last night I knew Ty wouldn’t fight fair. The guy was a coward, and something told me even if we did get into it head to head his weapon of choice wouldn’t be his fists. He’d be packing heat for sure.
I paid my fare, then headed into the old garage.
Hip hop charged through the room from a speaker somewhere, and a few men were scattered around the shop and underneath cars.
Assuming Derrick would be near my car, I headed to the red Jag in the corner. Derrick was rubbing down the shiny hood as I came over.
The car looked better than the day it came off the lot. No dents or broken windows in sight. Grabbing the window ledge, I studied inside the interior. They even vacuumed out all the debris. “Thanks, Derrick. You’re a lifesaver.”
Chuckling, Derrick came up beside me, wiping his hands down with a rag. “Quite a job, but I got it done.”
I rose up and studied the hood. Nothing but the red with metallic flecks in the paint was there now. “How did you get it done so quickly?”
“Worked through the night and into today. It was fun.”
Good thing this was his idea of fun. I’d never be able to repay him properly for his services. Taking out my wallet, I attempted as much as I could with the cash I had.
His eyes went wide and he lifted his hands like he couldn’t take it. “Man, that’s too much. You don’t have to do that.”
“Yeah, I do. My father would have a heart attack if he were to see this, and don’t even get me started on my mom. I owe you one seriously.”
Finally allowing himself to accept it, he took the money. After pocketing the cash, Derrick got a good look at my face and cringed. “Wow, man. Ty really got you good, didn’t he? What about his warning to not come on this side of town, and my warning to not mention you know Lacey, didn’t you understand?”
Shrugging, I leaned against the car. “I had to, man. Something happened to Lacey at my place and not coming down here wasn’t an option. I had to make it right.”
“What happened?”
“My father. He’s ignorant and hurt her feelings. I had to risk coming out here to make sure she was okay, and honestly, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.” I really would.
Whistling, he shook his head. “So you knew what could happen, but you did it anyway for Lacey?”
I nodded.
Derrick placed out his hand. “You’re good people, man, and my ‘cus is lucky to have you.”
I shook it. “I really appreciate that. Lacey and I need as many allies as we can get. We don’t really know what to do about our status at this point. She works for my parents, so
being together is going to be tough.”
As his hand left mine, he gazed away in thought. “And my side sure doesn’t make it any easier. I’m so sorry about that, man. Had I been there I would have stepped in. I was at the country club doing a shift.”
My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You would have stepped in?”
“Don’t look so shocked, man. He threatened my ‘cus last night by messing with you, and he threatened a friend.”
I gave a small smile. “Thanks. I really do appreciate that.”
“Anytime, but hey, I got to get back to work.” He held out his hand, and I shook it again. “But you keep fighting. Don’t let anybody come between you and yours.”
Dropping his hand, I snapped my fingers when he did. “I’ll remember that. Thanks again, and I’ll see you when I see you. Lacey is at the country club, so I was going to try and go see her. Maybe sneak some moments in with her before she has to head back to the house.”
“Good luck, and you do have an ally here. Remember that.”
And I would.
*
I rushed to the country club. Even though I sped, it still took forever to get there because of the city traffic. I probably missed Lacey and Adele, but I headed inside anyway to check and make sure.
I left my aviators on and the hood of my hoodie up even though I was inside. If I ran into people my parents knew, I didn’t want to start a scene. My mom may have known of my condition, but we really didn’t need talk going around. Normally, I wouldn’t care, but my mom gave me a pass, and I didn’t want to abuse that. It was funny how I was actually being considerate of her now. Perhaps, being with Lacey was the reason I wasn’t so selfish these days.
I made it out back to the tennis courts, but just as I thought, no one was out there. Not giving up, I headed back to the locker rooms, and attempted to do another check. The doors of the rooms were just in sight when Ashley popped in front of me from around the corner.
Wearing her latest cleavage-displaying top, she beamed at me. “Drake, how are you?”
The Space Between Page 17
