I kicked up my legs and rested my bare feet on the coffee table, which was littered with pamphlets and folders.
Leaning forward, I picked up a pamphlet. “Are you sending us to Greenridge Academy?” Please say no, at least not me. “Is this the school that the triplets went to?”
She frowned as she brought her cup up to her lips. “I’m thinking about it. You boys need structure. I would like to say I can handle the eight of you, and I actually think I did a pretty good job when your dad was on deployment. But I didn’t have five teenagers to discipline.”
I flipped through the pamphlet, perusing the pictures of happy students holding books, an aerial view of the school, the football field, and even the gymnasium. I swallowed thickly as my stomach sank. “You’re sending me too?” I held my breath.
She studied me while she drank her coffee.
I stopped on the last page of the pamphlet. “Is this…”
“Yep,” she said. “That’s Kross.”
My cousin Kross Maxwell was in a boxing ring, sparring with an older man.
“I think Marcus and Jasper will like the school,” Mom said. “Marcus likes boxing, and Jasper loves any sport. You know, they have a great basketball program. Lots of their students go on to great colleges and universities, and I’ve been told scouts love what they see from the students. Many of them, according to the brochures, have been drafted into the NBA and NFL and other major sports organizations, even the Olympics.”
It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than me. I fixated on a younger version of Kross, and even as a teenager, he was built much like Marcus. I also didn’t doubt that what the brochure touted was true. I just didn’t want to leave home or start over.
My mom sat back in her chair. “I’m going up to visit the school before I make a decision. I know you’ll be at camp, but the rest of the family is going with me. Kross is even coming to show us around. He knows several of the staff. He’s been in touch with the boxing coach the last few years as well.”
“So no firm decision?” I didn’t want to argue with her. She’d been through enough with everything that had happened in our family since Dad passed away. Maybe she would decide in the end not to ship off her boys. “What about Emma? Is she included?”
Mom set her cup down on the table. Then she laid her hand on my leg. “I don’t like what I might have to do, Maiken. I want your support if I decide to flip the switch.”
I lowered the brochure to my lap. “I don’t want to go. I’m sure it’s a good school. But I just got into the groove at Kensington. My back is better, which means I can play better, and I want to take the team to state. If I go to a new school, I’ll be the black sheep again. And it’s my senior year, Mom.”
Her brown eyes were soft as she considered me. “Tell you what. We’ll talk more when you get back from camp. I’ll have weighed the pros and cons for each of you, and yes, Emma will be included. Actually, she’s the most excited. They have a great volleyball team, and some of the girls have gone on to play in the Olympics.”
She’d warned us last year when she’d talked with Emma, Ethan, Marcus, and me. I remembered her exact words.
“I understand that your father’s passing has been difficult. But drinking isn’t the way to cope. Fighting isn’t either. I’m sorry I haven’t been there for all of you, but if things don’t change, then maybe military school will give you the structure you need.”
Regardless, the summer was starting out with a hell of a bang. Marcus had been a pain since school let out, or rather since Sloane had broken up with him, causing Mom to contemplate some difficult decisions.
My girl was a different person all of a sudden. Yet it had just been one incident, so I couldn’t give up on her. I loved her too much to let one bad decision ruin our relationship.
My focus, though, was basketball. It had to be. The sport was my ticket to college—at least I was praying it was—so whether I played at Kensington or another school, then so be it.
I hugged my knees to my chest as I rocked in a hard chair in a small, windowless waiting room at the hospital. It felt like I was in jail, and the four bare walls were closing in on me.
My head pounded like there was a small person inside banging a hammer against my skull. My mouth was bone dry, and my stomach kept growling. At least I wasn’t puking.
So this is what a hangover feels like. I didn’t think I’d had that much to drink, but I guessed I had.
Carter strutted in like he’d gotten a good night’s sleep. His amber eyes were bright, his brown hair was combed back, and he held two cups with lids in his hands. He gave me one. “Drink.”
I needed something to take away the nastiness in my mouth. “What is it?” It wasn’t hot.
He dropped down in the chair next to me. “Tomato juice. It will help.”
“You know this from experience?” He probably did. After all, he was in college, and I was sure he went to frat parties.
“It doesn’t matter. Mom called. She wants you to come home.”
I sipped the juice, scrunching up my nose. The acidity was pungent. “I’ll probably be grounded longer now.”
He sipped on his beverage, which smelled like coffee. “She’s not happy with either one of us.”
“Why did you bring me anyway?” I hadn’t asked him yet.
On the car ride over last night, my brain had been foggy, and I hadn’t exactly been in a talking mood. I doubted he would’ve fessed up either. Carter didn’t like talking unless he was yelling at someone, although since he’d gotten home from college for the summer, he seemed different. It was as though he was seeing the world from a different perspective, or maybe he really had grown wings and flown the coop.
He lifted his broad shoulders. “You were going to find a way on your own. So I wanted to make it easier for you and soften the blow with Mom and Dad.”
“Who are you, and what did you do with my brother?” I teased.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He sounded hurt.
I took another drink of the nasty juice. “You’re not exactly one to help me break the rules.”
“Can’t I help my sister?”
I could probe more, but Carter was a closed-door kind of guy. He didn’t show his feelings, nor would he tell me his secrets.
We sat in silence, both watching the door. I was waiting for Liam to return. He’d gone to see if he could find out more on Celia. So far, we’d learned she had a severe concussion. She also had a high level of alcohol in her system. The doctor was running tests to make sure she didn’t have any bleeding in the brain. And she’d been in and out of consciousness.
“Why did you hit that girl?” Carter asked.
I licked the cut on my lip. “Wherever Sloane goes, trouble follows. I hated that she was there. I hated that she was ruining my party. In truth, I had some excess bad mojo with her, and the booze made me brave.” I went on to explain what Sloane had done to Maiken last year.
“He’s lucky he didn’t get seriously hurt,” Carter said as though he genuinely cared. “What was she doing at the party?”
“Marcus must’ve invited her, but I was surprised she even came. She just broke up with him.” I couldn’t keep up with their tense relationship. Toward the end of the school year, they had become two hellions. Marcus had started drinking again. Sloane had snubbed Maiken and me in the halls at school, which was mind-blowing considering she’d broken down and told us about how her dad had died in a barn fire and how she blamed herself. Not only that, she’d been apologetic for her role in ruining Maiken’s basketball season. She was an enigma for sure. “I was worried about Marcus doing something stupid at my party.” I laughed. “I ended up doing the stupid thing. Now look. Celia got hurt because of me.”