Trisha’s eyes filled with unshed tears as she looked at her little brother. “I’m okay. Just don’t do this to yourself. Go calm down and focus on your homework.”
“Oh, for f**k’s sake. I’m done with this bullshit. I’m going to bed. Don’t bother me,” Fandora snarled as she walked to the hallway and toward her bedroom door. As she passed Krit and me, she stopped and shoved something at Krit. “Here’s a fifty go get whatever food you need.” Then she slammed her door.
Krit held the fifty in his hand and looked at me, then Trisha. “We leaving or staying?”
“We don’t have anywhere to go. We need to stay. I’m just going to focus on figuring out where we can go sooner rather than later. I need to get a job as soon as I can.”
Krit frowned. “You don’t have a license or a car.”
Trisha shrugged. “I will figure it out. You just worry about your homework. I’ll also get the groceries.”
Like hell. She wasn’t going to go do anything. She needed to heal.
I took the money from Krit. “I’ll go get the groceries. You watch over her until I get back.”
He nodded and headed back into the living room. “I’ll do homework in here,” he told both of us.
“Rock, you have to go home. You need to get caught up with school and get to football practice,” Trisha said, sounding worried.
She was right. I did need to do those things if I wanted to survive going back to my house. My dad was going to be furious. But she was more important than any of that. “I have it under control,” I reassured her, which was sort of the truth. Dewayne had been getting my work every day, and his dad had written me an excuse for missing school. I had the flu as far as anyone else knew.
Trisha sighed and leaned back on her pillows. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you need me,” I replied, then headed for the door. I wasn’t telling her anything more than that.
“Get milk,” Krit called out to me.
Trisha
After missing a week of school, I was ready to go back. Fandora ignored me completely, treating me as if I didn’t exist, and this was a wonderful thing. She hadn’t been at the trailer much. She stayed gone most of the time. Rock left school and came home to check on me at lunch every day and after practice. He was pleased Fandora was staying away. He’d also bought so many groceries I knew it wasn’t just fifty dollars’ worth. He’d added money to that. When I had tried to argue with him about it, he just blew me off like I wasn’t talking.
When Krit had been so excited over corn dogs and grapes, I decided to forgive Rock for spending his money on us.
This morning Rock was coming to get me for school. Krit wanted to ride the bus with Green, but he was insistent I ride with Rock to school. I was also not to carry my book bag or my books. Rock was planning on doing that until my ribs healed. The idea of walking through Sea Breeze High with Rock Taylor at my side all the time was exciting and intimidating. I knew girls wouldn’t see me as a reason to stay away from him.
“Bus is here. See you after school!” Krit called as he ran out the front door. Fandora hadn’t come home last night. So luckily she wasn’t here for us to worry about. Krit had carried my book bag to the living room and made me swear not to pick it up, to wait on Rock till he arrived.
I felt helpless and I hated that.
When the gravel crunched beneath tires outside, my heart fluttered. Silly heart.
I walked over to the window to see Rock open his truck door and step out. He was dressed in jeans and his practice football jersey. They wore them on Mondays after winning Friday night’s game.
It looked real good on him.
He knocked once and walked inside. Having him in the trailer made me remember how safe I felt when he had stayed with me. I liked that feeling. I liked him being here.
“Morning,” he said in a sexy drawl.
“Good morning,” I replied, feeling my face heat. I had to get control of this. Rock was my friend. He hadn’t flirted with me again after the night he’d picked me up on the side of the road. Our whole dynamic had changed. We were . . . friends. Just friends. That thought made me sad.
Shaking it off, I knew this was all we would ever be. I needed to be thankful for that. He was a great person to have as a friend. His protective nature was a major plus.
“You ready to go back?” he asked, picking up my book bag.
Not really, but it was better than being here. “Yeah. I have to catch up.”
He nodded, then held open the door. “I’ll help you.”