by Silva Hart
“Thanks,” I manage, hating how weak I sound. God, when will everything stop spinning?
“You need anything?”
Yeah, I need a lot of things. “No. You want to take the car home?”
Her eyes widen. “You sure?”
“Yeah, how else you getting home?”
“Okay. I’ll bring it back tomorrow morning.”
She walks to where I’m lying, smooths my hair back, and kisses me on the forehead. “I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve what they did,” she murmurs before turning out the lights and leaving.
Chapter 22
I’m awakened by the jangle of keys. A low whistle over my head causes me to open my eyes. The overhead fluorescent tube-light crackles through my skull.
“Son, you are one hell of a fight magnet,” One-Eyed Mike says, gazing down at me. “What happened this time?”
“Got jumped at The Overlook,” I croak, my throat raw and dry.
“There was more than one guy from the looks of it.”
“Four.”
“Weapons?”
“A rock.”
He shakes his head and tsks. “Only cowards fight dirty. I hope you served them their due.”
“All but the rock.”
The battle-worn fighter chuckles as he brings me a cold bottle of water and a first aid kit. I wince as I sit up and wait for the room to sway to a stop. Dizziness sucks.
He notices my slight weaving and shines a penlight into my eyes. He’s been more of a father to me than my stepdad, and I’m appreciative as he dabs at the blood crusted on my temple. The next cotton ball stings, but I don’t flinch.
“Doesn’t look like you need stitches, but you sure as hell have a concussion.” He taps two aspirin into his palm and hands them to me. I swig them down with the water. “I’d say it’s a mild one. We just need to keep you resting and keep any swelling down. You hurt anywhere else?”
I pull the blanket down, and he whistles again. My ribs hurt like hell, but I still didn’t expect to see such a giant bruise. Did Grant get me with the rock there too? I thought he’d kicked me.
One-Eyed Mike presses along my rib cage. “All right, nothing cracked or broken.” He sits back and looks at me like I’m a specimen under a microscope. “I’d say you got a seven-to-ten-day road of healing ahead of you before you’re on your feet again.”
Seven-to-ten days of lying here? I sigh and ease back onto the thin memory-foam mattress. Right now, that doesn’t sound so bad.
Anna appears in the doorway, wearing jeans and a honey-colored sweater that suits her.
“I’ll let you two be,” One-Eyed Mike says, gathering up the first aid supplies.
Anna holds out coffee and a bag. “I brought you a bagel. I wasn’t sure how you like your coffee, so there are extra creams and sugars in the bag.”
I’m suddenly starving. “You’re awesome.”
She looks at the wound on my head and the huge, black bruise on my side but doesn’t comment on them, which I’m glad about. I sit up and sip the coffee, appreciating the sensation of the hot liquid traveling through my body. “This is perfect. Exactly what I needed.”
She smiles. “You going to school today?”
“Nah.”
“Yeah, I figured. The Mustang is parked around back. I’ll take the bus.”
I think of telling her to drive the Mustang to school but the thought of everyone seeing her pull up in my car without me could lead to complications, so I let it go.
She gazes around the tiny room. “You’re lucky,”
I nearly choke on the coffee. “What?”
“I wish I could live on my own like this.”
It’s interesting that all my friends seem to envy my homelessness, but I know Lexi would react much differently.
Anna leaves. I eat the warm, buttered bagel and finish the coffee, then lie back again feeling better.
The next couple of days go by in a blur. One-Eyed Mike checks in on me from time to time, doling out aspirin and taking my temperature to make sure I don’t spike a fever. Anna stops in once a day with food and bottles of water. The rest is up to me.
It’s nice of her but feels like an act of obligation. When I try to ask questions about school or what she’s been doing, she’s vague. I can’t help but wonder if she’s been welcomed back into Carlton’s fold, but she doesn’t offer and I don’t want to ask.
Lexi’s been silent, but asking Anna if she’s heard anything about Lexi is something else I don’t want to do. I’m sure Galloway and his cronies wasted no time in spinning up their story of what they saw me up to at The Overlook and how they taught me a lesson.
She’s probably fed up with me and has moved on. If I had to bet, I’d say it was into Carlton’s bed. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted. I’d still love to know why she chose me out of everyone to have a brief fling with. But, hey, it happened and it’s over.
Thursday, Dair peers around the doorframe before coming in. I’m happy to see him.
“Hey, bro. I asked One-Eyed Mike where you been. He said I could come back here. What happened to you, man?”
I tell him about the fight. He paces up and down the compact room, his face flushed, his hands balled into fists. “Those cowards. Four of them and a rock too? I hope you put them all in the hospital.”
“I got them all except the guy with the rock.”
“What’s his name?”
“Grant Braidon.”
“Grant Braidon,” he repeats, as if committing it to memory. “You want me to get him for you? I mean, I know you can handle it. But while you’re healing up and all, I can take care of him for you. I’m serious, man. I’ll do it.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. It’ll come around.” The last thing I want is Dair fighting my battles for me and something happening to him because of it. I like having him around.
“Okay, man. How much longer you laid up?”
“One-Eyed Mike said seven-to-ten days so maybe another week. I don’t know.”
“So you’re still good to go to the talent show?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m nervous as hell about that, man. Wish I didn’t have to wait so damn long.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I know. Hey, you need anything?”
“No, but thanks.”
“Well, take it easy and get well fast. Training isn’t as fun with you laying back here like an old lady.”
I laugh.
Saturday rolls around. I’m about as bored as I am sore by this point. Anna brought me The Outsiders, but I finished it an hour ago and have been staring at the ceiling ever since.
The story Anna told me at The Overlook, her lingering love for her boyfriend, keeps circling through my mind. I thought I’d be the one to get her over him. I mean, I knew she was miserable here in Pennsylvania, but I’d chalked that up to homesickness and culture shock. But a continual pining for a guy who cheated on her? Well, shit. If she insists on hanging onto a memory of what was and refuses to appreciate what is, I can’t help her like I thought I could. It’s not a great feeling.
And why does Carlton keep jumping me? Is it because of Lexi? Can’t anyone understand that she and I aren’t a couple? It’d seem obvious to me if I were someone else looking at the two of us. She’s all rich and sparkly and privileged. I’m nothing but a feral, wrong-side-of-the-tracks guy who does underground boxing to make a few bucks and keep gas in my Mustang. Why people keep putting us together is beyond me.
My phone chimes a text. It’s Mom. First time she’s tried to contact me since I left her house.
Mom: Truancy officer was here. He’s going to fine us if you miss another day of school this year. If you don’t plan on going, can you please just drop out?
Drop out? What kind of mom tells their kid to drop out of high school? I shake my head and toss the phone onto the cot. I’m feeling a lot better and need to get out of this room before I go insane.
Throwing on a pair of sweats, I�
�m about to head into the gym when my phone rings. It’s Lexi. Isn’t she done with me? Did she decide to call so she could ream me out? That I could definitely do without. But if she’d wanted to do that, she’d probably have contacted me by now. I pick up.
“Jett?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you doing tonight?” She doesn’t sound at all upset.
“Nothing.”
“Do you want to come over for dinner? Mom and Daddy will both be here. And our chef is amazing.”
Chef? My stomach rumbles on cue. I’m pretty damned tired of peanut butter sandwiches and crackers. Since we never really had what one might call “family dinners” together, I can’t remember the last time I had a good sit-down meal. The offer is tempting.
“Sure, why not?”
She gives a short squeal of delight into the phone. “Be here at six.”
“Okay.”
“And Jett?”
“Yeah.”
“I missed you.” She says this with a lascivious breathiness that warms me all over.
We hang up, and I go out to the gym. Dair greets me. “Hey, you meet Mia yet?”
“No.” I’m taking his question as a running joke at this point rather than getting worked up about his lack of trust in me. It’s probably just because he hasn’t seen her in so long.
One-Eyed Mike has us spar with a focus on footwork. “Go easy on Jett, Dair. I don’t want to see any headshots, you hear?”
“What? You don’t want me to knock out the few brains he has left?” Dair laughs.
“You’re funny,” I deadpan.
Under One-Eyed Mike’s expert coaching, Dair has been catching on quickly. At this rate, he’ll be fighting in the Friday matches in no time.
Mac even leaves me alone. I see him corner some new kid, his mouth never stopping, and pity the poor guy. I’d bet money we won’t see him around again.
After the workout, I go to talk to One-Eyed Mike. He’s leaning on the ropes of one of the sparring rings, observing.
“Hey,” I say.
He nods acknowledgment, not taking his eyes off the two in the ring.
“Can you put me on this Friday’s roster?”
He flicks his eyes at me then back to the fighters. “Might be too soon.”
“It will be ten days by then and I could really use the cash.”
He stays silent.
“You saw me today. I’m back to my old self.”
“Yeah, but your brain might not be. There’s no way to tell. You got hit in the temple with a damn rock, Jett. Give yourself time to heal.”
“It’s a week away. By then, I’ll be ready to take down everyone.”
He chuckles at this. “Everyone, huh?”
I smile, encouraged by his laugh. “Well as many as I can anyway.”
“We’ll see.”
I think that’s pretty much a “yes” and start cleaning, emptying spit buckets, throwing sweaty towels in the washer, mopping, etc. If I can manage to not get hit in the head this week and train hard, I’ll be fine by Friday.
Even if I win only one round, it will be worth it. Gas for the Mustang has been draining the cash I won from my last bare-knuckle bouts. If he doesn’t put me in, I might have to find a proper job. Mandy at the pool hall would probably hire me, but the idea of working with her and her expectations again sends a shiver down my spine.
The gym, bathroom, and shower are the cleanest I’ve ever seen them by the time I knock off and get a shower. Back in the little room, I stop and stare at my jeans and white t-shirts. They’re all I have but don’t seem appropriate for a chef-made dinner at the billionaire Moore mansion. Whatever. I throw them on anyway.
Am I doing the right thing by going over there with all three of them? By now, I’m ravenous and my stomach overrules any second thoughts.
The massive gate slides open as soon as I arrive, and I no sooner park when Lexi bounds out of the door and down the steps. She put loose, bouncy curls in her long, blonde hair and pulled it back on the sides to show off the enormous diamond studs in her ears. She’s wearing a swingy sapphire dress that grazes the tops of her knees. But it’s the fact that she’s barefoot I like the most. It makes her seem more relaxed and natural.
I get out of the car and she flings herself against me, pressing my back against the metal with her lips to mine. She wraps her hands around my neck and tangles her fingers in my hair while her tongue explores my mouth. She tastes sweet and familiar and I pull her to me.
“Oh my God, Jett. I’ve missed you so much,” she whispers between kisses.
Did I miss Lexi? I’m not sure. I may have thought about her a few times but figured we wouldn’t be talking again. Missing her would have been pointless.
“How do you always smell so delicious?” she murmurs, pulling away and taking my hand. “Come on. I want you to meet Mom and Daddy. Mom can be a bear. Don’t mind anything she says. Daddy’s fun though. You’ll like him.”
And with that, we’re through the massive doors and onto the marble floor. Lexi leads me through the ornately decorated living room to the kitchen where her stepmom is standing in front of the acres of immaculate granite countertop pouring wine.
“Hi, Mom,” Lexi says. “This is Jett Dixon.”
“I know who he is,” she says. The corners of her lips rise as she holds out her long, elegant fingers. “Call me Jocelyn.”
I shake her hand, and she assesses me as she hands me a glass of wine.
“Hey, hey,” a male voice booms. Lexi’s dad strides toward me. He’s what I think most would describe as a silver fox. “So this is the man of the hour, huh?” He places one hand on my shoulder and gives a toothpaste-commercial smile. “Dan Moore.” He holds out his hand and I shake it. “You’re a big one. No wonder you’re all my little girl talks about.”
“Daddy.” Lexi looks embarrassed and glances at me to gauge my reaction.
I take a sip of wine. Damn, they buy the best stuff here.
He looks at my glass. “You want a beer?”
I’ve had Moores beer before, but I glance at Jocelyn for the answer since she’s the one who gave me the wine. Plus, it’s amazing wine. She gives me the slightest nod, and I set the wine down. “Sure, why not?”
“Here ya go, slugger,” he says, handing me a cold one from the fridge. “I hear you do a little boxing.” At this, he drops into a crouch and pretends to give me a one-two punch. Just as quickly, he rises, laughs as if he’s said the world’s funniest thing, and slaps me on the back.
“I’m showing Jett the pool,” Lexi says, pulling me out the sliding glass doors to the magazine-perfect backyard. “Sorry about that,” she hisses when we’re outside.
I shrug. I’m not sure how a dad is supposed to act, but he seems harmless enough.
“Here’s the pool. It’s heated, so we can go in it after dinner if you want. And here’s the firepit. Oh, and let me show you the bathhouse.” She’s bright and chatty with a high, nervous energy, almost as if she thinks I might disapprove of something. If only she saw how and where I’m living, she wouldn’t be acting like this. Hell, she wouldn’t be talking to me at all let alone trying to impress me.
We enter a cottage that sits behind the pool. The undulating lights from the pool shine dimly through the windows. Lexi doesn’t turn the lights on, but I can make out pool cleaning equipment, flotations, and games neatly lining the left wall. Clothes and towels hang from hooks on the back wall. Two changing rooms are on the right.
Lexi turns to me and wraps her arms around me. “Oh my God, Jett. I missed you so much.” She steps back and traces a finger across the scab on my forehead where the rock landed. “I’m so, so sorry about what happened to you.”
She’s apologizing to me?
“Carlton called and told me all about it.”
“What did he say?” I’m curious as to his version of what went down and what all Lexi knows. She sure as hell isn’t acting like someone who found out their favorite booty-call was wi
th someone else.
“He said that he and some of his friends went to The Overlook. They started drinking. One of them noticed your car parked off to the side. When they went to see what you were doing, they found you in the car with some girl. Carlton said he didn’t think it was right that you were cheating on me, so he pulled you out of the car and they ‘taught you a lesson.’” She crooks her fingers into quotations as she says the last few words.
Okay, he had a few details wrong, but she got the basic gist. So why isn’t she pissed?
“It’s all my fault,” she continues
It is? I take a sip of beer.
“We never had the ‘exclusive’ chat.” She crooks her fingers again. “So how were you to know?”
Know what?
“Carlton’s had a crush on me since sixth grade when his family first moved here. He’s always been after me to date him.” She reaches up to brush my hair from my eyes with a feather-soft touch that I suddenly want more of. “The thing is, he has everything already, you know?”
I don’t know. What is she getting at?
“He’s a silver-spoon-fed golden-boy who can have anything he wants with a snap of his finger.” She says all of this with such a tinge of disgust that it’s ironic how much it sounds like she’s describing herself.
“He buys things, people, whatever. His money gets him everything. He can’t just have me too, you know? Like I’m something he’s entitled to.” She gazes up at me with those big, blue, doll eyes. “I want you, Jett. I have for years, and I finally got up the courage to let you know. I didn’t think it was possible, but you’ve exceeded all my expectations. Oh my God, Jett. You are so amazing. I don’t even think you realize how amazing you are. I can’t get enough of you and think about you all the time. But I don’t own you. I’m not going to say you can’t date anyone else. I want you to decide to be with me exclusively all on your own.”
“So, you’re not with Carlton?” I ask. The idea is taking its time to sink in. They both run in the same circles and hang out together all the time. They have way more in common than she and I do. It makes perfect sense they would be together.
“God, no. He’s nothing compared to you.” She pauses, looking at me through those thick lashes before continuing, “If you want to be with me and only me, I’ll be the happiest girl in the world. But if you want to see other girls, I understand.” She traces her finger over my ear and twines her fingers in my hair. “Just be with me too and know that I want you, Jett. And only you. I haven’t been with anyone else since you and I first got together. I know you have, and that’s fine. But I’m not settling for anyone else.” She pulls my face down to hers and kisses me passionately.
