Storm twisted around so he could see his brother and his beloved bananas. “Nanas!” he yelled excitedly, pointing to them. “Hawk, nanas!”
I was so focused on the kids that I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going until my cart crashed into another one.
“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t looking and—” My words died on my tongue as I looked up and was face-to-face with Leilani Robinson, Koa’s aunt.
“Mrs. Robinson.” I fought to keep my voice steady, but I wasn’t sure if I was succeeding. The woman had always hated me, even long before Koa had lost his scholarship. She’d always looked down on me and my family, had thought I was a bad influence on Koa and was bringing him down. Even in a town as small as River Hills, I’d managed to mostly avoid her since she’d kicked Koa out of her home.
She scanned me over, expression full of disdain. It was good to know her opinion of me hadn’t changed at all.
Eventually, her gaze fell on Stormy and Hawk, and it took everything in me not to throw myself over the cart and shield them from her. “Dorothy said there were more of you now.” Dorothy was River Hills’ librarian, Mrs. Townsend. “This is why forced sterilization should be legal.”
What the fuck? “Excuse me?”
But Mrs. Robinson continued like she hadn’t heard me. “I suppose you tricked my nephew into raising all the spawn, then? I don’t know what kind of spell you have him under, but you need to let him go. It’s too late for him to play in the NFL of course, but he could still coach in it. Or at least at the collegiate level.”
I wasn’t going to stoop to her level no matter how badly I wanted to. I’d heard stuff like this, and even worse, more times than I could count. It didn’t bother me anymore, but I wasn’t going to sit here and let her talk shit about the kids or Koa, and if I didn’t leave, I’d probably end up in jail for attacking her, and I couldn’t afford that.
“I need to go,” I said coldly and moved the cart to try and maneuver around her.
But she shifted, blocking the entire aisle. I started to turn the other way, go back the way I’d come, but she started to speak again, and as much as I knew I needed to walk away, my feet wouldn’t fucking move.
“Matthew and I tried to get Koa away from you so many times. But it didn’t matter what we did, he wouldn’t stay away. Grounding didn’t work. Neither did praying for him. I thought we finally succeeded with that scholarship from USC. He was going to be across the country from you and your evil influence. He would have been too busy with classes and football and his teammates to worry about you and your spawn. But then you had to go and get custody of them and ruin everything.”
I frowned. “What are you talking about? Koa lost the scholarship because of his injury. Not because of me or the kids.”
Mrs. Robinson laughed coldly. “Oh, honey. Is that what he told you? No, my nephew turned down the scholarship. You had your hooks in him so deeply that he ruined his future so he could raisethem”—she waved her hand dismissively at Hawk and Storm, referring to the kids in general—“and fawn over you. That was when Matthew and I realized there was no hope for him and removed him from our lives.”
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t fucking move. No. There was no way. She was lying. She had to be. BecauseKoawouldn’t lie to me. He wouldn’t. It was one thing for him to keep something that was bothering him to himself and another to blatantly tell me an untruth, and for fucking years? He wouldn’t do that because he’d promised. We’d sworn at thirteen years old that we would never ever lie to each other no matter what. So, Mrs. Robinson couldn’t possibly be telling me the truth because that would mean Koa had broken his promise, and he wouldn’t do that. He fucking wouldn’t.
I was vaguely aware of Mrs. Robinson walking away, leaving me a crumpled mess in the middle of the cereal aisle, but I still couldn’t move. My body might be there, but my mind was back twelve years ago, sitting on the muddy bank of the river on Koa’s blanket while we swore a lifetime of friendship and honesty.
I lay back on the rocky shore, squinting at the sun as it shone right into my eyes, but I didn’t care. I didn’t think there was a time in my life I had ever been this happy.
Koa was on his back next to me on the blanket he always brought with him, our bodies so close that we were touching, but Koa didn’t try to pull away. He never did. I’d been wearing the same pants for three days now and our water had been cut off, so I’d been taking the kids to the corner store and washing up in the bathroom there. I had to stink, but Koa didn’t care. He was the only person in this entire stupid town that didn’t make me feel less than.
We had skipped school today to come to the river, our favorite place. If Koa’s aunt and uncle found out, he’d be in trouble, but he didn’t seem worried. It was the only time we could ever be alone because Knox was still in pre-K and Wynter was at our neighbor’s, who watched her while I was at school. Koa knew I couldn’t leave them home with Mom and never made me feel bad about it. But he’d seen I needed a break and had taken me here instead of class.
“Hungry?” he asked, pointing to his lunch box that I knew would have double the food. He claimed his aunt packed him too much, but I knew it was a lie. He brought it for me.
I was always hungry, but I shook my head anyway because I didn’t want to move away from him and I’d have to if I ate. Besides, if I didn’t eat it now, Koa would insist I bring it home with me, and then I’d have something for Knox.
Koa was quiet for a long time after that, but it wasn’t awkward. I always liked that about him. He never tried to getme to talk or fill the silence. Everything in my life was so loud, and being here was the only time I could enjoy the quiet.
Koa’s fingers entwined with mine. He always liked holding my hand. At first, I’d thought it was weird. I wasn’t really used to touch. The good kind, anyway. The only time anyone ever touched me was to hurt me. But Koa never hurt me. He made me feel good. Safe.
I turned my head so I was looking at him. “Hey, Ko?”
He looked at me, dark eyes meeting mine. “Yeah?”
“Can you promise me something?”
He chewed on his lip. “Yeah, sure. What is it?”
“Can you promise me that as long as we’re friends, you’ll never lie to me? No matter what.”
He frowned. “Of course, Riot. Why would I lie to you?”
I sat up, frustrated even though I didn’t know why. Koa didn’t understand, but of course he didn’t. How could he? He’d had a dad that loved him, that had never broken his word to him. Even his aunt and uncle, they were strict and a little weird, but they cared about Koa and took care of him.
