Removing Gayle’s arms from around my neck, I step back, creating some distance between us. “I’m sorry if I misled you, Gayle, but I’m not interested in hanging out with you anymore.”
“What?” She laughs, closing the gap between us. “You’re a funny guy.”
I hold her wrists aloft before she can touch me again. “I’m not joking. I’m not interested in dating. I don’t have the time.”
She waggles her brows and grins. “Who said anything about dating?”
Eh, you did. When you ran to your daddy to force me to take you out. I’m tempted to say it, but I just want to drive my point home and get this over and done with.
In an unexpected move, she slams me back against the lockers and pins my body with hers. “I want you, and I see the way you look at me. I know you’re feeling this too. We can forget about dating for the moment. As long as we’re fucking, I don’t mind.” I slide out from under her hold, failing to disguise the full-body shudder that overtakes me. Gayle being Gayle, she completely misinterprets it. “See, you are literally shivering from my touch.” She visibly gloats, and it’s not attractive.
“I assure you it’s not in a good way.”
A frown puckers her brow. “Don’t lie to me, Vander. I know when a guy wants me, and you want me.”
“You know shit, Gayle.” I’m done being Mr. Nice Guy. The only way of getting through to someone as delusional as her is to pull no punches. “I only took you out because my father forced me into it. I have no interest in you, Gayle. Zero, zilch, nada. I don’t want you. I would rather boil my balls than take you to bed. There will be no dating, no fucking, no anything.” I grab hold of the strap of my bag. “Don’t fucking come near me again. I don’t want to talk to you or even see your face. Are we clear?”
“You are such an asshole.” Her façade drops for a second, highlighting her hurt, and I feel like the biggest dick.
“I am. You’d do well to remember it.”
“No one turns me down and doesn’t end up regretting it. You’ll see,” she shouts after me as I hightail it to homeroom before I pick up a tardy slip.
“What the hell, man?” West says, coming up behind me in the student parking lot. It’s the end of a long day, and I could really do without this shit. “That’s going to cost a lot to fix,” he adds, tracing his finger along the jagged scrapes etched into my truck on both sides.
“I want to wring Gayle’s scrawny neck,” I say, opening the back door and tossing my book bag inside.
His eyes pop wide. “Gayle keyed your truck? Damn.”
“She’s the only one I’ve pissed off who would do something like this.” Bowie currently hates my guts, but I’m not the only one. Something is up with him, but this isn’t the way to handle it. He didn’t sit at the jock table at lunch, and I don’t understand why he seems intent on ostracizing everyone. Still, I know this isn’t his style. If he wants to get back at me, he’d come at me the old-fashioned way—with his fists.
“You should report her. That’s criminal damage.”
“Nah. That would only add fuel to the fire.”
“That’s the point.” He swipes his duffel bag off the ground and slings it over his shoulder. “I bet her daddy would sign with a different legal firm if you reported his daughter to the police. You’d get her off your back once and for all, and it would stick it to your dad too. I know that’s what I’d do if I was in your shoes.” West is in anti-father mode right now, so I’m not surprised he has suggested this plan of action.
“My dad has been laying low, and it’s the way I prefer it. I have already done enough to tarnish the deal with Turner Media. If I deliberately sabotage it, he might actually kill me or expend more effort trying to find Mom. Tempting as it is, I think it’s best to leave it alone. Gayle appears to have gotten the message, and if this is the price I have to pay, I’m cool with it.” Besides, there are no cameras out here, and I have no proof. The police wouldn’t be able to do much and I doubt they’d even care. “Do you want to hang out tonight?” I ask, wanting to offer him as much support as I can.
“I can’t. Mom wants us to have dinner together and watch a movie. She was hella emotional this morning. She’s upset we are all upset. I didn’t think how much my disappearing act yesterday would hurt her. I need to spend some time with my family right now.”
“Of course. You know where I am if you need me.”
West drags me into a hug and thumps my back. “Thanks for being there for me yesterday.”
“You have been there for me through all my shit. I’ve always got your back.”
I don’t see Kendall the rest of the week, and I only talk to West at school, because they are hunkering down as a family and trying to get their lives back on track. Most everyone has heard the news by now, and Kendall’s friends are rallying around her. I want to be the one to support her, but my needs must take a back seat. We are texting every day, but I still have no clue where I stand with her or if she has any room in her life for me.
It’s depressing, and it feels like my life is on hold because it is so much duller without her in it. I try to keep myself busy with schoolwork, taking my truck to the garage to be repaired, putting in extra sessions at the gym, and painting. I submitted my college applications early, so I don’t have that as a distraction anymore, but I focus on searching for suitable apartments near Yale and investigating the various financial supports on offer. Supporting Mom has made a considerable dent in my inheritance, and by my calculation, I will have enough to put myself through two years of college before it runs out. I could live in the dorms and save a bit of cash, but I want to have my own place so Kendall can visit. We haven’t discussed what will happen next year when I leave, and we’re not even in a relationship, but I want to ensure there is always room for her in my life because I cannot contemplate Kendall not being in it.
I am walking to my truck after my session at the boxing club when my cell pings with a message from her. My bad mood instantly lifts, and I don’t need to look in the mirror to know I’m grinning like a loon. She wants to hang out tomorrow night, and I’m already starting a countdown. I tap out a reply, telling her not to eat and that we’ll get takeout.
I am halfway home when my cell rings; my father’s name flashes on the screen. I ignore him, cranking the volume up louder on my stereo, but he refuses to go away, calling me incessantly, until I give in and answer. “What?” I snap, irritated he’s ruining my buzz.
“You think you’re so clever. You think you can do whatever you want and there won’t be a price to pay, but I don’t bow down to anyone, especially not my flesh and blood. You took something from me, and now I’m going to take something from you too.” A menacing laugh filters through the phone, sending icy chills down my spine.
“If this is about Mom, get over it already.” I know he has tried to find her, but she’s safe and out of his reach. Dana talked Mom into giving rehab a shot, and she’s at a remote private center, enrolled under a fake name, and he’ll never find her. It’s costing me a small fortune, but if it saves Mom, it’ll be worth it.