was coming back home. It was too easy for Brian to figure out. I should’ve gone somewhere else entirely, like California.”
“No, that’s not it.” Sharon patted her hand. “Don’t blame yourself.”
“He knew I’d come home. We should move again.”
“Mom, we just got here,” Kyle blurted out, before he could even understand his own feelings. “I played basketball,” he started to say, and his mother looked at him like he was crazy.
“We can’t stay here, we can’t. Do you know what they’re going to do to you? This reporter is going to run a story if I don’t speak to him and he’s going to run a story if I do speak to him, and there’s other reporters where he came from, and a TV show—”
“But we didn’t do anything wrong, Mom. We have to stop running.”
Sharon interjected again, “Barb, Kyle’s right. You turned Brian in. You testified against him—”
“That’s why they want to talk to us. He says I lied, and they want my side of the story. They’re not gonna let up.” His mother’s eyes filled with tears, and she turned to Kyle. “Honey, this is killing me, for you. I could handle it for myself, but I hate to see you so hurt, trying to start over. We have to go. Right away. I could do this, but it’s you I worry about.”
“I’ll be fine, Mom, I don’t want to move again—” Kyle started to say, but he could see she had made up her mind, and he had lived this nightmare already. He had become the son of Dr. Dirtbag. Not Hammond, not even Gallagher. Sasha wouldn’t give him a chance now. He wasn’t going to play basketball with dads. School would be a nightmare. He would make zero friends. The teachers would look at him funny. Everyone would be gossiping about him. He’d been through it before, and now it would be worse. Because the Gallaghers were frauds, and his father had busted them.
CHAPTER 25
Sasha Barrow
Sasha came out of the shower, toweling off her hair, her bathroom thick with steam. She bunched the bath towel on the rack and slipped into her robe, glad to be done with the drama at Allie’s house. Sasha had felt bad for Allie, and her mother had been crying in the car when Sasha had run from their house. It made Sasha grateful for her own mother, who totally had her act together.
Sasha left the bathroom, went to her desk, and got on her computer. She logged on to AOL Instant Messenger, and her Buddy List came up immediately. Julian was already online and messaged her first:
Heir2Throne987: hey sash i was about to IM u
SashaliciousOne: we shld have fun tonite
Heir2Throne987: totally
SashaliciousOne: lets meet the tree
Heir2Throne987: k when
SashaliciousOne: half an hour
Heir2Throne987: pick u up
SashaliciousOne: no meet me there & tell the others
Heir2Throne987: who
SashaliciousOne: david & allie u lamo
Heir2Throne987: why
SashaliciousOne: youll see
Sasha jumped up and hurried to her closet to decide what to wear.
CHAPTER 26
Julian Browne
Julian could barely control his excitement after Sasha’s IM. He had been about to ask her out on his dad’s boat, but now she was asking him out, sort of. He would’ve preferred to be alone with her, but he would take what he could get. He checked his Buddy List for David, but he wasn’t online, so Julian picked up the phone and called him.
“Hybrinski residence,” said a male voice, and Julian realized it was David’s father.
“Oh hi, Mr. H, this is Julian. Is David there?”
“Sure. How are you doing, pal?” Mr. H’s tone warmed up, and Julian wondered how much it had cost his father for Mr. H to call him pal.
“Great, how are you, sir?”
“Terrific. How’s the tennis going? I hear you and David played today.”
“He beat me in straight sets, so if you ask me, it went lousy.”
“Ha ha ha!” Mr. H laughed as if Julian had said something super funny, showing social skills that would drive anybody out of business.
“So is David around?”
“Sure, he’s up in his room. I’ll get him. You take care, pal.”
“Will do.” Julian waited while Mr. H covered the phone and called David, and a moment later, there was a click and the extension was picked up. “David?”
“Hey, Julian,” David answered, and there was another click.
“Dude, guess what?” Julian couldn’t wait to tell him. “Sasha invited us to meet her at the tree in half an hour.”
“What?” David sounded preoccupied, but he had probably been reading.
“Sasha wants to meet us at the tree in half an hour.