The Win: Rebels of Ridgecrest High (Book 4)

I can’t believe I’m going to see my mom today. It’s been so long that I have been away from her, but dad’s driving her back today. I hadn’t seen him in over a month. He called me yesterday to tell me he was bring her home and to have lunch prepared.

“Do you think we made enough?” Roman asks, pacing the kitchen.

Since he never returned to school after he came back home with Mila, he took up the role of homemaker. He cooks and cleans… and he’s good at it.

“Sandwiches? I think there’s enough to feed us for a week. I think you need to stop in the kitchen. Come take a seat.” I tap the chair beside me.

He hesitates at first then puts down a cloth he’d been cleaning with. His hair is pulled back into a bun, and he smooths the edges with his hands. He fiddles with the edge of his shirt… yes, he’s wearing a shirt with buttons. Looks good on him. But I won’t tell him that. He’s worked up right now. He’s acting more nervous than me. I don’t know why.

“Kate is backing mom a red velvet cake. It’s her favorite, and they will all be over in the afternoon. So, I think you just need to relax. They’ll be here any minute.”

I hear the front door and stand; I pull my tee down and hold the back of the chair. When I see my mom round the corner, I run to her. My throat thick with emotion as I take her in.

“Hunter baby.” She holds her arms wide and I bend down, wrapping my arms around her.

“Mom,” I choke out. “I missed you so much.” Fuck, I didn’t think I would cry. Mom’s home and she looks amazing.

I pull back and look down at her. Her big dark eyes, the same as mine, are bright and demon free. Her hair’s different. I tug on the end, and she reaches up.

“I had it cut, I think it suits me.” I nod. It does. She looks like a totally different person. I wish this had happened years ago, I would have loves to see her like this and not the person she used to be.

“I think it looks lovely, Angela.” Roman says, and she opens her arms up to him and he goes over and hugs her. She looks so tiny in Roman’s arms.

“Dad,” I go to him and shake his hand. He nods. Roman nods at him but doesn’t make a move towards him. It’s suddenly awkward in here and I think my dad just gives off a vibe whenever he’s around Roman. I know he never liked our friendship. I’m at Lakeview now. She can’t complain about me not doing what he wants. This was the deal. Lakeview for Roman.

“Let’s eat, Roman made lunch for us all.”

Mom hums and walks over to the table to see everything. Roman really outdid himself with the spread. He can cook but he had remembered mom likes those little sandwiches and made so many.

“Oh, Roman. This looks wonderful.” Then she gasps. “Oh wow, these are my favorite.” She turns to Roman, and he blushes under her praise. Looking anywhere but at mom.

“He remembered and made them for you.” Mom puts her hand to her chest, and I can tell she’s gonna cry, so I quickly distract her.

“Here mom, take a seat and we can all eat them.” I gesture to dad to come sit too but he lingers near the door. I don’t get him. I haven’t seen him or heard from him in a month, and he won’t even come and sit down to have a meal with us.

Roman can sense the tension and sits beside mom. They both take plates and start filling them up with those fancy sandwiches.

Dad wave for me to come over and then walks out the room. Shit. I look back at Mom. she has the back of her head to me and Roman glances behind. I don’t want to leave mom. She only just got home. But Roman see’s this and nods. Putting his arm around her chair in a protective gesture and I relax a little. I had no idea I was so worked up. She’s home now. She won’t be leaving me again.

“Roman. You sure know how to spoil a lady.” Mom mumbles around a mouthful and he smiles. I take a deep breath and find my dad. He’s down in the living room, it’s all clean from our sleepover the night before. It’s become a habit of ours. Now moms back, no fun times at the sleepovers… at least out here. Will have to move play time to the bedroom. I don’t want my mom walking into that. I don’t think I could look her in the eye again if she caught what goes on down here.

Dad stands in the room, his back to me, looking at the family photo that we had taken when I was seven. The three of us all smiling like a happy family, but you can see the cracks even there.

“Hunter, I wanted to come tell you today in person that I have asked your mother for a divorce.”

I grit my teeth, but I knew this had been coming, it’s something I wished for long ago when they would spend all their free time fighting.

“Mom just got home. Couldn’t you have waited a few days?” At least give me my mother back before she spirals and starts drinking again. I’m going to have to make sure that doesn’t happen. With Roman here we can take care of her. She’ll be fine. I stretch my fingers out, trying to avoid hitting something.

“I asked her before she went into rehab. I wanted to do one last thing for you before I made it official. Your mother was in a bad place and now she’s back and will be stable for you.”

I shake my head. I don’t get this. “Why didn’t you do this years before? Why now? You never told me you were taking her. she was just gone. You just took her and wouldn’t let me speak to her for months. I have been here for months, and you have spoken to me less than a handful of times. You didn’t even come home for Christmas”

I can’t stop the anger leaking from me. This is total bullshit. But good riddance.

He shakes his head. “I met someone and we’re getting married.”

I have nothing to say to him. I turn my back and walk out when he calls out.

“I’m selling the house. Your mother will get half, that’s fair enough. But the house will be on the market by the end of the week.”

“That’s fair enough?” I scream out. “Really? Fair to who? The woman who did everything to get you through college, start your career while she stayed home and watched you fucking people behind her back? That’s fair? Half a house. Well fuck you. Get out.” I launch at him and shove him backward, and he hits the wall. The family photo of our three fake smiling faces falls and the glass shatters.

I see the seven-year-old staring back at me and my breath catches.

“Mom, do you think daddy will like me wearing my blue shirt?” I smile up at her as I do the last button. She pulls on one of my curls and it bounces back up. I giggle when she sticks her tongue out.

“Yes, he will wear a blue shirt too. You will look like twins.” I giggle. I don’t look like my dad. I look more like my mommy, I think. We have the same darker skin whereas daddy doesn’t have that.

Mommy undoes all the buttons for me and straightens them up. I never get them all in the right holes. But she doesn’t care, she just helps me without telling me off. Not like daddy, he gets mad and yells at me if I get them wrong. I don’t like shirts. They make me itchy.

“Hurry, or we will be late.” Dad calls from the living room. I run down the stairs and smile up at him. I straighten out my shirt and he look down at me. He frowns.

“That shirt looks too big on you. Go change.” I look down at the shirt mommy bought me only yesterday and my shoulder sag. I don’t have another blue shirt this is the only one.

“We only got that yesterday, Thomas. It was for the photos today. I thought it would be nice we’re all in blue. Like a family.”

I turn to mom and see she’s distressed. I can feel when mom is sad, and I hate that I can’t always make it better.

“I think you look really pretty mommy.” Daddy just snorts and shakes his head.

“This photo will be on my desk for all to see. I want to look like I can afford to buy my only child clothes that fit. Go put on the red shirt that fits you, Hunter.”

My heart sinks. Daddy doesn’t want to be twins with me. I turn and run out the room before he sees me cry. Boys don’t cry, he has told me before when he brought out his belt once to teach me what I should cry about.

I quickly change and return. My mom is staring out the window into the backyard. I don’t like when she does that. It scares me sometimes. Like she’s going to leave me. Not physically, but she gets lost in her head. That’s what she tells me she’s doing.

“I’m back.” I announce with a big smile on my face, hoping everyone will be happy now. Mom turns. Her eyes are red, I can tell she was crying while I was gone. Why does daddy make her cry? I should have worn the red shirt. Daddy wouldn’t have been upset if I wore the red one. He wouldn’t have made mommy cry.

“Get in the car. We’re late now. And get yourself together woman. We’re having our family portrait taken. We are going to look like a happy family and all smile big.” He looks right at me. I swallow the lump in my throat and nod.

I take moms hand and we walk to the car. I give her hand an extra squeeze before I let go. She smiles at me.

“You look much better in red.” I smile. I don’t want to wear blue. Blue is daddy’s color. Red is for me.

I see red. I have nothing more to say to him. A large hand lands on my shoulder, I tense but then I hear Roman grunt.

“Get out.” His voice is deep and laced with warning. My father is no match for Roman. He has never spoken to him like this before. Hell, Roman’s maybe said three words if that to my father. And now he’s telling him to leave… his own house. I stand taller.

“You heard him. Get out. You’re not welcome here anymore. And I’m not going back to Lakeview. You can fuck off if you think I’m going to do what you want anymore.”

Dad throws his hands up.

“I’ve done with trying to stop you throwing away your future. Do whatever you want. You’re no son of mine anymore.”

I grin.

“You were never a father.”

He says nothing, he just walks around the broken glass, and I see mom standing there. Tears down her face.

“Mom,” I choke up. “I’m so sorry.” She shakes her head and I rush to her. Wrapping my arms around her.

“No, Hunter. I’m sorry I didn’t leave him earlier.” I shake my head. That man had a hold on mom in a way I will never understand, but she never has to apologize for it. She did what she had too, fought her demons and got a little lost along the way. But now she’s back, she’s my mom, she’s strong and amazing and I love her. That’s all that matters to me.

“Don’t be sorry mom. We are better off now.” I look over to Roman who’s looking down at the shattered glass. Giving us this moment. But he shouldn’t be.

“The three of us will be a real family now.” She says.

Roman looks up and mom waves her hand to him.

“Come here Roman.” She calls to him, and the big guy looks so awkward like he doesn’t know what to do. But he finally comes over, his hands in his pockets. Mom doesn’t care, she wraps her arm around him, and he shuffles in beside me. I wrap my arm over his shoulder.

“You’re my boys and together we are family.”