by Holly Hood
If Dad was going to ruin my life, I was going to show him that Slade wasn’t the only boy out for one thing. I was going to prove to him that Tucker was just as bad as all the rest.
I threw open my closet, pulling out a little black skirt and a black tank top. I swiftly changed into the new outfit, shoving my feet into the chunky heels Karsen had left behind. I shook my hair free of the rubber band, letting it fall skillfully around my shoulders. And last but not least, I spritzed on some Love Spell and swiped on a red lipstick. I was ready for combat.
“Hey, Hope,” Lynette said with a smile. She was sitting at the kitchen table with Tucker. Dad was nowhere to be found.
“Hi, Lynette. So nice to see you,” I said, grinning ear to ear. Lynette on the sly evaluated my outfit. I knew I was working my magic, she clearly was shocked that Dad’s sweet little angel would ever be so scantily clad.
“Hey, Hope,” Tucker said. He smirked, checking me out.
“Hey, Tucker,” I said back, giving him an enticing smile.
“Nice skirt,” Tucker complimented.
Lynette placed a hand on his wrist. “Tucker, that’s quite enough.” I eyed Lynette. Was she really that uncomfortable staring at my navel?
Dad came from his bedroom, working his belt through the loop of his shorts. I put both hands on my hips, waiting for him to stop fiddling with his clothing and look at me.
“Sorry for the wait. I wanted to make sure I looked halfway decent this time,” Dad said to Lynette. As soon as he brought his eyes to me he all but fell backwards, his face turning red.
Dad swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. His eyes grew dark and it was obvious from the bulging veins in his temple that he was close to screaming at me in front of Lynette and Tucker. I wished he would.
“Hope, go get your sweater, its frigid by the water,” he said, nodding in the direction of the hall.
“It’s probably ninety degrees outside,” Tucker informed him.
Dad gritted his teeth. “Hope said she wasn’t feeling good.”
I nodded my head, my bangs falling against my cheek. “Yeah, so maybe I should just stay home. Then we wouldn’t need the sweater.”
“Are you okay, Hope?” Lynette asked, immense worry overflowing her features.
“She’s fine. Let’s get going,” Dad said, finally realizing he wasn’t winning the battle. I trailed behind him. Watching as he locked the doors to the house. “You might have won the battle. But not the war,” he informed me, shaking his head as he looked at my short skirt and tight fitting tank top. He tugged the fabric down, trying to shield my navel.
“Whatever do you mean, daddy?” I asked, grinning. I batted my eyelashes.
“I mean I’m a lot more badass then you think I am. I know all and I see all, and you’re not going to get what you want.” He headed down the staircase.
“Way to parent!” I said, cheering him on. He shook his head, taken aback. It wasn’t a regular thing that I acted like a spoiled little brat. I never defied him. But it felt a tad good to do so now.
Lynette stood with her arms crossed at the passenger side of our beat up van. Her eyes showed apprehension. Uncertainty. She gnawed at her lip.
“Um, why don’t we take my car?” she said, looking away from the van. I smirked. Dad dropped his jaw, scrubbing at his chin.
“Yeah, I hate riding in it too,” I said to her, making my way to her sporty SUV. Tucker stood next to me.
“I didn’t mean that. It’s just the four of us. I figured it was more economical,” she stammered, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of red now.
“That’s fine. Hope, get in the car,” Dad told me, shaking his head as he passed by me and my colossal smirk. She had shot him down in front of us all, and he was dreadfully self-conscious now.
“This is an SUV, Dad. All the rich folk have them,” I said in a phony hillbilly drawl.
Dad shot me a warning glare. I looked out the window, concluding my snide behavior. My head pounded a little harder.
“What has got into you, Hope?” Dad asked from the front seat. “I am sorry, Lynette. My daughter typically isn’t this uncouth.”
I crossed my arms, feeling sick. “I apologize, that wasn’t me. Something overcame me, a ghost, a spirit…or honesty.”
Tucker laid a hand on my leg, looking concerned. “Are you alright?”
“Just peachy,” I said under my breath, my heart pounding in my chest.
Sure, I was upset, but I wasn’t ever this utterly rude. I knew I would be sorry for acting like this when I got home. Dad was going to really let me have it.
We waited in line at the trendy seafood shack on the shore, the line proving to be way too extensive for my taste. I felt awful, my head ached and I was close to keeling over from the pain in my side.
Dad and Lynette made small talk behind Tucker and me, her irritating giggle increasingly pushing me over the edge every time it hit my ears.
“Do you like seafood?” Tucker asked, trying to create small talk as he stared over all the people into the restaurant.
“I’ll try anything once,” I said.
“Oh, really?” he asked, flirtatiously. He gave a wink in my direction.
“Really.” I pushed my hair off my shoulders, moving a little closer to Tucker.
The line stirred, bringing us into the entryway at last. The stench of seafood wafting through the doorway to us. My insides soured at the thought of fish.
“What do you have in mind then?” Tucker asked. He ogled my legs. “You look really hot. Did I mention that yet?”
“Only about three dozen times,” I said, smiling at him. “It doesn’t matter. My dad says you’re the best guy ever. And we all know I don’t like the good guys,” I said, referring to Slade. The raised eyebrows proved to me Tucker understood what I meant as well.
“When did I ever say I was good?” he said, going for the bait just like I wanted.
“I don’t know. That’s what I took you for.” I shrugged him off, playing it cool.
“Table for four,” Tucker said, showing four fingers to the waitress. She grabbed four menus, leading us through the restaurant. All eyes gravitated to me and my attire. I smirked at the table of housewives as they turned their noses up as I passed by.
Dad pulled out Lynette’s chair. She gave him a satisfied smile, taking her napkin from the table. I didn’t bother smiling sweetly at Tucker as he did the same with my chair. Dad raised his eyebrow at me trying to make me see how well-bred a guy Tucker was.
“So, what’s good here?” I asked. I stared at the menu, ignoring the nagging headache, just happy to be sitting.
“Crab legs,” Tucker said, dropping his menu. “Have you ever had them before?”
“Sounds posh. Probably not,” I said with a shrug.
Dad rested his elbows on the table, leaning in as he spoke. “She’s had crab legs. And, Hope, I am telling you, one more remark and you’re really going to be sorry.”
I gave a nod. Lynette smiled compassionately at Dad. Oh, poor Dad and his rude daughter, I thought to myself.
Tucker nudged me. He dropped his phone to his lap. I read his display.
Are you wearing any panties? it read.
I bit at my lip in amusement. I shook my head yes, that I was.
Well, what good does that do me? I thought you wanted me to show you I wasn’t a good guy? He texted, busily.
I leaned closer, took one more look at Dad and Lynette before I rested my hand on his sturdy thigh, squeezing it and shooting him a demure smile.
“Can I start everyone off with something to drink?” the waiter asked everybody. He stood poised with the tablet of paper in his grip.
“Lemon water for us,” Dad said, ordering for the two of them. I questioned how he was so familiar to Lynette’s taste in beverages already.
“I’ll take a Coke,” I said with a nod. Tucker ordered the same, sliding my hand over. He smirked. I brushed my hand across the seam of his jeans, feeling the immedia
te arousal beneath the denim. I stroked him quietly, really doing my best to work him up.
To make him crazy.
Tucker jerked my chair closer. He lifted his menu, shielding his face from our parents. He gripped my wrist, egging me on, begging me to continue. His body jerked, his breathing quickened. Just as he ran a hand against my thigh, I stood up.
“Excuse me, I need to powder my nose,” I said, leaving the table in a rush.
I laughed to myself as I looked for the bathroom. I knew it was wrong to use Tucker like I was, but I needed to get my point across. I stood in the bathroom for barely a couple minutes before there was a light tapping on the door. I knew who it was. And, hopefully, Dad was smart enough to know as well.
“You can’t tease a guy like that,” Tucker said, letting himself into the restroom. He backed me up against the wall, pulling me in for a kiss. I moved away, not letting his lips touch mine.
“Or what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s cruel.” He leaned in, going for my mouth once more. I brought a finger up, pressing it into his supple lips, stopping him.
“Do I look cruel?” I asked, staring up into his eyes. I trailed my fingers against his groin, my touch enough to excite him all over again. He unzipped his pants, holding my wrist in place, daring me with his deep stare to take him in my hand.
“You know you want to feel me against your skin. So go ahead,” he breathed, his words hot against my cheek. I closed my eyes, stroking him. Tucker moaned. He moved in closer.
“Do you like it?” he asked. I pursed my lips, fighting the urge to laugh at him for asking me if I liked what he had going on down below.
“We need to get back to the table. My dad is probably getting suspicious.”
Tucker pushed the door shut, his big frame barricading me in the small bathroom with him.
“Are we going to finish what we started?”
I turned to face him, my skin crawling with anxiety. I only had one thing on my mind and that was getting back to the table. “I don’t know. Now let’s go.”
He took hold of my chin, his fingers pressing roughly into my skin, stirring up a peculiar feeling in my stomach at his touch. “Hope, don’t be a tease. After lunch, let’s go back to my dad’s beach house. We will have the entire place all to ourselves. I can make you feel amazing.” He twirled a strand of my hair around his finger, staring me down, his charisma becoming arrogant and unpleasantly intimidating.
“Just say yes, and we can go back to the table.” Tucker no longer had those warm eyes of sympathy, or that genuine smile. It was all replaced with a weird need for control and raging hormones.
“Yes,” I whispered, my stomach ill at the thought of what I just agreed to. Scared of what I agreed to, but it was the only way to get back to the table.
“Great.” Tucker smiled. This time he took complete control, planting his lips against mine before I could think to oppose. His skin hot to the touch, his heart thrashing against my chest as he sucked in my bottom lip, biting it a little too roughly before he shoved his tongue deep in my mouth, the sweetness of his kiss sending shockwaves of panic through me. I couldn’t explain it or understand why.
I struggled for air, his mouth drawing me in greedily. Not at all concerned I wasn’t into his touch. I pushed into his chest and he finally broke our lip lock.
“Did I ever tell you you’re beautiful?” he whispered into my ear.
I balled my fist. “No.”
“Well, you are.” He touched my hair, ran a hand down my arm, reveling in the feel of my skin. I tried to tell myself it was attraction. That his eyes were boring holes through me out of physical attraction. That my head was pounding because I was catching the flu. And that this throbbing jolt in my side that seemed to continue on in intensity was just a pulled muscle.
“Well, come on. We don’t want your dad thinking something else. I don’t want you getting in any more trouble than you already are. We have an amazing night ahead of us.” Tucker pulled the handle and ushered me out.
I nodded my head in a cloud of confusion. What had I just gotten myself into? I had promised him something I couldn’t go along with. No matter how cute he was on the outside, this sick vibe flowed through me whenever I was around him. He found a way to hide it the day he weaseled his way back into a friendship with me. But now, everything just felt strange again.
I rubbed my temples, sitting at the table. Our drinks were sitting before us. Dad was too into Lynette to have noticed we returned. I took a sip of my drink, staring around the restaurant, my body aching with every movement I made.
Suddenly the coldest chill skittered up my legs, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake. I shivered, hugging my arms to my body, a jolt of energy starting at my toes and racing up to the top of my head. A prickly feeling nipped at my scalp. And then my eyes warmed, causing my vision to blur and then go instantly back into focus.
I lifted the Coke to my mouth, the glass shaking in my grasp. My eyes darted from one table of people to another. Over and over again. I felt out of place, and I desperately wanted to know if anyone else noticed.
And then I saw her. Lucy. Our eyes met immediately. Her lips curled into a calming smile and she pushed her fingers through her hair, lingering at the ear.
Lucy jerked her head to the bathroom. I raised my eyebrows. She jerked her head once again. I coughed, bringing a hand to my lips. “I need to use the bathroom. Not feeling very good.”
Dad and Lynette both nodded, going back to their chat. Tucker gripped my hand, stopping me in my tracks.
“Do you need anything?”
I pulled away from his grasp, pushing my chair up to the table. Giving him a swift nod and small smile, I hurried past the waiter and into the bathroom. I shoved the door open, feeling relief at the sight of Lucy standing in the restroom waiting for me.
The answer
Lucy twisted the lock on the bathroom door, securing our privacy.
“I’m happy I get the chance to speak to you, Hope,” she said, leaning against the sink as she carefully looked me over.
Her graceful dress gave her a magical look. Her fingers one by one twitched, as if she was playing a pretend piano. Was she doing magic? Casting a spell as we exchanged words in the ladies restroom? I didn’t know, but I was dying to find out.
“What is going on?” I asked. I was confused. It wasn’t by chance Lucy was in the same restaurant as all of us. “Did Slade send you here?”
Lucy crossed her arms. She slowly nodded, making me hang around for her next reply.
“I don’t understand. I really don’t understand any of this,” I admitted. She was the only person who was on my side of the fence. If anyone could make me feel even a smidgen better, I knew that Lucy was capable of doing just that.
“Give me a second.” Lucy looked away from me, her eyes clouding over as she was ripped back into that moment. I knew what she was about to tell me, that she was going to paint me a vivid picture of that day. The most important day of her life, which should have been her death.
“Years ago, life was good for all of us. We had an excellent thing going on, me and Oz’s dad. Slade and Erica’s parents were part of our family. We were doing really well for ourselves.” Her eyes welled up with tears, but she pushed through.
“We traveled all across the states, playing music, enjoying our children. It was possibly the greatest moment in any of our lives. But all of that changed really fast.”
I felt her sorrow. It resonated from her soul. It darkened her, casting a ghostly shadow, turning her into a broken woman and not the sweet Lucy I was familiar with. Her pain was exposed, something she probably wasn’t used to. She was letting me in, and I felt privileged.
“When you had the accident on the bus?” I asked. I was trying to make it easier for her to retell the moment. The moment life was supposed to be over for her.
“We were heading all the way through California. No plans for staying longer than a few gigs, and th
en we would be on our way like usual. But Slade’s dad was drained. We all were really, but Slade’s mom was the only one willing to stick it out and drive us to the next stop. The very last thing I remember was looking at the boys as they sat at the back of the bus writing down song lyrics.”
I moved forward, gripped by Lucy’s story, until I was standing next to her. I put my arm around her. “You don’t have to do this.”
She shook her head. Her hair swaying side to side as she proved how strong she was. “This needs to be said. Slade wants you to know and I always do what my kids want. Slade may not be mine, but I took over after his parent’s…” She trailed off. And I was okay with that.
I wasn’t confident I wanted to listen to the sad parts of Slade’s upbringing. How his parents were no longer around for him and Erica. I knew it would make me feel just as terrible as I did for myself when I thought about my own family unit.
“The smoke is what woke me up. My lungs were on fire, and that’s when I became aware I was trapped. I panicked, trying to get up so I could run, but I couldn’t move. The bus had flipped and I was staring at the ceiling, not the floor. I didn’t know what was happening. All I knew was that I didn’t want to die, and I didn’t want my kid to die.
“So I begged and I pleaded, trying to get somebody to wake up, to hear me, to do something. And that’s when Slade managed to climb back to me. He gave his word he would do whatever he could to get us help.” Lucy exhaled, her body going weak. It took all she had in her to continue telling me about the terrible accident.
“That’s when Slade took off. I didn’t think he was coming back. I thought I was going to die. I thought the car was going to explode and I would burn alive. But it was just smoke, thank God it was just smoke. When Slade came back he brought two men with him. Two dark men with frightening eyes and long black robes. We both saw they were no good, it was written all over them. But I was too terrified and frantic to think clearly and I pleaded to Slade to do whatever they wanted.”
I tried to envision being in her shoes. Trapped in a van, restrained, with no means of breaking out. In pain and shock and scared that all my loved ones were dead or close to dying. Who would want to just roll over and die? I knew I wouldn’t.
