SWNOVELS Class Act: Chapter 26
here. When I entered the restaurant, Mandy and two other cheerleaders sat in a booth. Just as I got the idea to sneak back out and send her a message from my new phone that I wouldn’t be able to make it after all, Mandy spotted me. She waved me over, and that was that.
With a sigh, I pulled my jacket tighter to my body—it was bitterly cold outside—and walked to their table. Mandy shuffled over, creating room for me.
“Hey, sorry for being late.” I slipped onto the seat.
“You’re right on time,” Kendra said. “We were about to order.”
A waiter came over, and the girls ordered burgers and fries with a drink.
“Just a lemonade,” I told the guy.
When Abe had learned how my father cleaned out my bank account, he’d given me money to get through the week. Taking the money from him had been embarrassing, but when he told me I didn’t have a choice, I’d swallowed my pride. I loved him even more for understanding how difficult it was for me to accept money from him and not feel horrible about it.
He’d even turned down my offer for a blow job and, for good measure, smacked me hard on the ass with a warning.
When you give me your body, it shouldn’t be because you feel you owe me anything.
How lucky was I to have Abe in this shitty moment of my life? No one—not even Abe—realized how bad shit was. Did I feel guilty about keeping things from him? Absolutely. But I hadn’t lied. He’d told me to call him if Dad hit me again, and I’d kept that promise. What Abe didn’t know was that Dad hadn’t hit me again because I hadn’t given him the opportunity. After grabbing some of my clothes from my bedroom that Sunday we’d fought, I’d never gone back home.
“Emery, you okay?” Mandy nudged me. “Why did you just order lemonade?”
“I’m not hungry. Had a big lunch.”
“No wonder you’re so skinny,” Kendra said. “You starve yourself.”
I didn’t, but spending twelve bucks on a burger was out of my price range. As a high school football coach, Abe earned a modest salary, and he had a daughter. I didn’t expect him to provide for me. If he did that, people would be right about me being a gold digger.
“I’ll eat when I get to the, umm, home.” I drummed my fingers on the table. “Was there a reason you all wanted to meet here? Did something go wrong?”
Tatiana crossed her arms. “Yeah. Kendra and I were talking, and we feel our new routine is a little too tame for the next football game.”
“What do you want us to do about it?” Mandy asked.
“We figure that Ms. Reid likes both you and Emery. She’ll be willing to listen if you tell her the routine is boring.”
“Yes, very boring,” Kendra echoed.
“Well, it’s not so bad,” I said. “At least the foundation is there, but we can spice things up a bit.”
“I got an idea,” Mandy said. “How about we work on a routine together—the four of us—and then we can show Ms. Reid the routine to see what she thinks?”
“I love that idea.”
“Me too.”
The girls chatted about cheerleading, movies, music, and cheers while I played with the pepper shaker.
“What do you think, Emery?”
I snapped my head up. “Huh? I mean, sure thing.” I had no idea what I’d just agreed to, but how bad could it be?
“Great. Then it’s settled. We’ll meet up tomorrow and practice a routine together.”
Shit. That’s what I agreed to? I had a job interview tomorrow evening to work part time after school and on the weekend, which meant giving up being a cheerleader. It didn’t matter if I was there tomorrow or not.
The waiter appeared with our food. As I’d come to expect from her, Mandy gave me her fries and didn’t want to hear my protests. She reminded me so much of Abe then.
While they ate, I sipped my lemonade, answering only if they asked a direct question. Every so often, I glanced at my phone to check the time.
“Well, this was fun, but we have to run.” Tatianna put some cash down on the table to cover her and Kendra’s order. “I have to meet up with Linc.”
Linc was her boyfriend who went to the private school I used to attend. Although we’d never run in the same circles, I knew him well enough. He was a popular lacrosse player.
“See you tomorrow for our rehearsal, then.” As soon as the girls left, Mandy’s smile dropped, and she let out a long breath. “I thought they’d never leave.”
I chuckled. “You planned this meetup with them.”
“Only because they told me it was urgent. Honestly, Emery, cheerleading is the last thing on my mind.”
I tensed, sensing where this conversation was going. For the past two days, I’d had to listen to her rant about Abe wanting to divorce her mother.
“Mandy, you’re thinking too much.”
“How can I not? Mom’s taking Dad’s betrayal badly. And you want to know what the worst thing is? Not that he’s divorcing her, but that he’s cheating on her.”
“Didn’t you used to wish that they’d divorce because you saw how miserable your dad was and how badly your mom treated him?” In the last two days, I’d refrained from making any comments, but I was at the limit of my tolerance.
“I didn’t mean it. Emery, my parents love each other. Mom’s willing to work on their relationship, so why isn’t Dad? Why is he so set on getting rid of us?”
“He’s not getting rid of you. You’ll always be his daughter.”
“Well, if this bitch he’s fucking can make him forget he has a wife, how can I not worry that soon he’ll forget about his daughter too?”
I hissed between my teeth. “Mandy, stop exaggerating. Abe’s a wonderful dad.”
“A good dad doesn’t cheat on his wife.”
“You’re mixing up the two. What he’s doing with this person has no bearing at all on your relationship.”
“Make excuses for him all you want—”
“I’m not making excuses.” Should have kept my damn mouth shut.
“—but I’m going to find out who this slut is.” She slapped her hand on the table. “And I’m going to do whatever it takes to get her out of the picture. Once she’s gone, Dad won’t be distracted by her anymore.”
“If you ask me, I think you should leave it alone. Can we put this aside for a minute? I have something to tell you.”
“I can’t leave it alone. Can’t you see? I feel like it’s my fault. So many times I’d said they should just divorce already, but they’ve been together all my life, Emery. I don’t want things to change. I must find out who she is.”
For the first time since we’d become friends, Mandy annoyed me. Usually, she was so perceptive. She couldn’t even tell I was on the verge of freaking out. Whenever I met Abe in the mornings, it wasn’t difficult to be happy with him. Abe made me feel safe. But the moment we parted, the weight of my homeless situation grew with each passing minute.
“I figured something out this morning,” she said.
“Mandy, I’ve been sleeping at a homeless shelter,” I said softly.
She snapped her fingers. “Dad’s been leaving home earlier than usual in the mornings.”
“Mandy, did you hear what I just said?”
“Yeah, just a minute. Hear me out first.”
But from the way she dismissed what I’d said, I knew she was too caught up in her own drama to listen to me.
“Why would he suddenly change his routine?” She put her finger on her lips. “I bet he’s meeting this home-wrecker in the mornings before he goes to work, so you know what I’m going to do? Tomorrow morning, I’m going to tail him. I’m going to find out who she is, Emery, and when—”
“For crying out loud, Mandy!” I climbed to my feet with my fists clenched. “Your mother made your dad miserable. From all you’ve said, your dad looks happy now. Doesn’t his happiness mean anything to you? This doesn’t concern you. It’s between him and your mother. You’re so busy plotting against him you haven’t even heard a thing I said. I can’t do this with you right now when my whole fucking life is crumbling around me.”
I rushed out of the restaurant, tears falling, blinding me so I narrowly avoided crashing into the door. Outside, the temperature was freezing, and I didn’t wear a winter coat. Was Dad home? Maybe I could sneak in and get more stuff, warmer clothes. I could keep them in the trunk of my car with the other items I’d already taken with me. But if he was home…
I scrubbed at my face and jumped into my car, adjusted the heater, and let the car warm up. My phone—the new smartphone Abe had bought me—vibrated, and I plucked it from my pocket. A sob burst out of me at the caller ID. I took several deep breaths. If I answered sounding all upset, he would demand to know what was wrong.
“Shit.” The call rang off before I could answer it. When the second call came through, I swiped the green icon quickly.
“Hey, Abe.”
“You didn’t answer the first time.”
Ever since my last altercation with my father, he’d been like a drill sergeant. He called or texted me several times a day to ensure I was okay. I hated lying to him, but I couldn’t go back to his house while Teresa and Mandy were there. I’d rather sleep in my car.
“I was with Mandy.” I opened the glove compartment and took out my cigarettes. “We met up with two other cheerleaders.” I lit one of the cigarettes and took a deep drag.
“How’d it go?”
“Bad.” I rubbed my nose. “She suspects you’re seeing someone before school starts, and she plans to follow you in the morning to see where you go.”
“Damn. She’s barely speaking to me.”
“I’m sorry I’m causing you so much trouble.”
“Emmy, baby, you aren’t. I know Mandy. She’s like this now, but she’ll come around. Where are you? Do you want to meet me somewhere?”
I pulled the phone from my ear and checked the time. It was almost seven thirty, and I had to be at the shelter at eight, or I wouldn’t get a bed.
But what was a bed when I could be with Abe?
“Only if I can pick you up,” I said. “And you’re paying for gas.” The gas prices were outrageous.
“Pick me up a few houses down.”
“Be there in ten.”
I ended the call, stubbed out the cigarette, and dropped it in the cup holder. I found a stick of gum and wound down the window to get the cigarette smell out. It was fucking cold, but it couldn’t be helped.
Despite all the shit going on in my life, I was so excited to see Abe tonight.