“Braden, come with me,” Brock says. “We have some things to discuss.”
Braden sighs. “Again? What’s left to talk about?”
“Stop arguing and come down to my office.”
When they’re gone, I go up to Trystan. “Thanks for not saying anything.”
“You owe me.” He smiles. “Or maybe I’ll let it go. I’m still loving what you did to Kristen. The whole team was talking about it last night. You’re going to have more guys asking you out now.”
“More?I haven’t hadanyask me out.”
“Seriously? I would’ve thought by now half of Braden’s teammates would’ve asked you.”
“Nope. Well, Dante kind of did but I turned him down. Nobody else has asked me.”
“Braden probably told them to stay away.”
“Why? He doesn’t want me dating his teammates?”
“Yeah.” He laughs.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing.” He kicks his feet up on the coffee table. “I’m bored. You want to do something?”
“I need to study.”
“No you don’t. Let’s go out.”
“I’m serious. I need to study. I have more homework assigned for this weekend than I had in an entire month at my old school.”
He gets up. “Your loss. When you see my dad, tell him I left.”
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t know yet. I just know I don’t want to sit around here all day.”
I return to my room and get out my laptop. The last thing I want to do right now is study, but if I don’t, there’s no way I’ll get it all done before Monday. I doubt I’ll even finish. I’ve never had this much homework in my life. I don’t know how they expect you to be involved in stuff and have a social life with this much homework.
An hour later, I haven’t read a single page or started the paper that’s due next week. I’m too worried about what might happen to Jackson. And I can’t stop thinking about my dad. I looked up the rehab place and found it’s somewhere near Palm Springs.
It had to have been my dad who called, but where was he? Did he ditch rehab and call me from somewhere in the desert where the cell reception was so bad I couldn’t hear him?
Picking up my phone, I search for the number he called from. I call it, but nobody picks up.
Holding the business card I found in Brock’s office, I call the number for the rehab place, my heart pounding. I feel like I shouldn’t be doing this. Like Brock’s going to find out and do something to me. I’m feeling less safe around Brock, knowing he hit Braden. If he hit his own son, what would he do to me?
The phone rings a few times, then a woman answers. “Salvatine Recovery. How can I help you?”
“I’m trying to reach my dad. I know you don’t allow phone calls but it’s an emergency and I really need to talk to him.”
“What kind of emergency?”
“My mom died. It was sudden.” I sniffle and fake a cry. “And I really need to talk to my dad.”
The phone is quiet, then I hear her sigh. “What’s his name?”
“Devon Halliway.”
