Today I had babied my side. Tomorrow I couldn’t do that. For starters, the wicked witch was now home. Then, of course, if I missed more school, they’d start calling here. That would be bad. Very bad.
Just as I took a step toward the door, I heard someone pull up outside. I froze and waited. Krit’s voice drifted through the window. I let out a sigh of relief. He’d gotten a ride. I continued to walk to the door, but then I heard another voice.
Once again . . . I froze.
Rock Taylor was here. Oh no. What had Krit done?
“That’s Mom’s car. She’s home,” I heard Krit tell Rock freaking Taylor! What was he doing?
Forgetting the pain, I opened my door and made my way down the hall and into the living room just as the front door opened up and in walked my brother, followed by Rock. Holy crap.
He was so big. Stepping into our trailer, he looked so out of place.
“Krit,” I croaked out, while my eyes were locked on Rock.
His gaze dropped to my ribs, and I remembered what I had on. Wrapping my arms around my waist, I tried to hide the tape we had used on my ribs. I hadn’t wanted my clothes to touch my injured ribs, so I was wearing a sports bra and a pair of cutoff sweatpants.
“I missed the bus. He gave me a ride,” Krit started to explain.
That didn’t make sense. “Why did you miss the bus?” I asked, still trying to figure out why Rock was here. In our trailer.
“He asked about you. When you didn’t show up at school. I told him . . .”
I snapped my gaze off Rock and glared at my brother. Surely he hadn’t told Rock what had happened. “You told him what?”
Krit shuffled his feet nervously. He had told him about Mom. Why would he do that? Rock Taylor wasn’t going to run in and save the day. He was interested in me. Now that he’d seen me like this, I hoped his fascination with getting in my pants would go away. My hair wasn’t washed and I looked awful.
“Thanks for bringing him home,” I bit out, trying to sound like I meant it. But I had a feeling it was Rock’s fault Krit had missed his bus. “But we got this. You can leave now.”
Krit’s eyes went wide. “Trisha! Seriously, why are you being like this? He isn’t—”
“He’s seen enough, Krit. Mom will wake up any minute, and he needs to be gone.”
“He said—”
“It doesn’t matter what he said. I am telling you that if you care about me at all, you’ll go back to your room and start your homework quietly. I don’t want her waking up, and you don’t either. She’ll be angry we woke her. I’m not up for another round just yet.”
Krit hung his head, then nodded and started walking toward his room. He stopped and gave Rock a nod. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime,” Rock replied.
Krit glanced at me, and I could see the frustration on his face. I knew he thought Rock was here to save us. That little boy inside his big body still held on to the hope of a hero. Finally he went on down the hallway.
I waited until his bedroom door clicked closed before looking back at Rock.
“Don’t talk to him again. He doesn’t need you using him to get to me,” I said in the coldest tone I could muster.
Rock didn’t move. He held my gaze, then looked down at my ribs again.
“You need to see a doctor,” was his reply.
I let out a hard laugh. “Really? Aren’t you brilliant. News flash: If I see a doctor, DHR steps in and I lose my brother. Not gonna happen. Back off, Rock. I’m not up for grabs. I’m so off-limits to all men it’s not even funny. You are wasting your time and playing with my brother’s head. He thinks you can do something to help us. Stop it. Just. Go. Away.”
“She hit you a lot?”
Really? Did he not hear anything I just said?
“I said to go away,” I hissed.