"Dad, I have to go. A friend's picking me up. She's waiting for me downstairs."
"Think about what I said. You stay with this boy, you're giving everything up. You end things with him, I promise to support you financially. That means paying for college, law school, and all your living expenses until you're making a decent living."
"Yeah, okay. Bye, Dad."
He's trying to control me, like he's done my whole life. He controls people with money and threats and it usually works, but not this time. I'm not taking his money if it means ending things with Dean.
Chapter Eighteen
Brook
"Miss me?" I say, running up to Dean's bed and giving him a hug. I gave him an extra big smile and used a cheery tone to try and hide my current mood.
I'm devastated after that call with my dad and the earlier fight with my mom but I don't want Dean to know. He has enough to worry about.
"I always miss you," he says.
I pull back and smile at him. "You're looking better. Your bruises are starting to fade."
"They said my neck is healing but I'm gonna have a big scar."
"That's okay." I sit back. "Scars are manly."
He eyes me. "What's going on with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you acting like this?"
"Like what?"
"Smiling like that." He points to my mouth. "And talking in a high voice."
"I'm just happy to see you."
"You're always happy to see me but you don't act like this. What happened?"
How does he do this? How does he always know when something's wrong?
"Tell me about you," I say, holding his hand. “Did your coach stop by last night?”
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"He told me at the game Friday that he was going to come and see you. Sorry I couldn't get here last night. I couldn't get a ride. I called Danny but he'd been drinking. He wanted me to go to a party but I didn't feel like going."
Dean smiles. "Did he invite Eve?"
"He didn't just invite her. He insisted. I kept telling him she wouldn't go to a football party but he wouldn't give up. For some reason he really wanted her there."
Dean chuckles.
"What's so funny?"
"If I tell you this you can't tell Eve."
"Yeah? What is it?"
"One of the guys on the team wants to go out with her."
