A Son of Carver (Carver High #2) (33 page)

Ever since we started having family dinners at the Carter house I’ve looked forward to Friday nights. But this one absolutely sucks. I hate everyone here. Because they can’t seem to shut the hell up about what’s happening to me at school.

Everyone but Nash. He’s staying out of it. I still love him.

“It’s terrible,” my mom is saying. “The things she says to her, right in front of me… in front of Presley… in front of the whole family. And LeAnn acts like the girl is a virgin. Even I know she’s slept with the entire football team… sorry, Nash… and I just moved back to this god forsaken town. And I mean, hello, the girl was having a party in the home of the woman who has a full on panic attack if her cups aren’t positioned the right way in her cabinets. But who is she mad at?
My
daughter. Who was making out with her
boyfriend. My
daughter who gets good grades, does her chores, never complains, is always respectful, has a job, and is not a self-absorbed bitch… Oh my god, I have got to stop referring to my niece that way. And do you know what she said to me the other day? That she needs a father figure in her life. A god damn father figure. Like Joe, who my sister has basically turned into a wet rag, is doing such a great job with his daughter. And I mean… there’s
nothing
wrong with Presley. Besides the fact that her cousin… her own flesh and blood cousin… is doing her damndest to make Presley’s life miserable.”

Nick laughs. “I can see where Presley got her oration skills from.” I can feel him staring at me, but I don’t look at him. “Although she’s been so damn quiet this week I can hardly stand it.”

“What I want to know,” Nate butts in, “is what the hell you’re doing about it?” He’s clearly talking to Nash.

“He’s doing nothing about it,” I interject. “Because I’ve asked him not to and he, unlike all of you, respects my wishes. I don’t want to talk about it. How many times do I have to tell you people that?”

“Presley, we’re your family. We’re not gonna let you go through this alone. If you don’t want to
talk
about – fine. But then we’re going to have to
do
something about it,” Nick says sternly.

“It’s our problem, Dad. You have to let her handle it however she’s comfortable handling it,” Nash says tensely, his hand finding mine, our fingers fitting together.

“I don’t know how you can just sit there and watch her take that shit,” Nate mumbles under his breath.

And Nash loses it.

I’ve been waiting for it. He’s been patient. He’s been calm. He listens to me. He does what I ask him. But I can see it, I can feel it, all his anger and frustration building under the surface. Sitting back and watching is not who he is. But he’s been doing it. For me.

So yeah, he totally loses his shit.

He’s got Nate pulled up by the collar of his shirt, veins in his neck bulging, his eyes, I swear to god, are on actual fire. “You think this easy for me, huh? You think it doesn’t kill me watching those bitches do that awful shit to her?
To Presley.
I would kill that bitch, I swear to god, I would fucking kill her. But She. Doesn’t. Want. Me. To. And it’s not up to me. I want to hurt someone so damn bad I fucking dream about it. Every damn night. But it’s not up to me so stop giving me shit about it.” He drops him then and Nate goes stumbling backwards into his recliner. He picks up his beer like nothing happened.

“Wow,” my mom mutters- the only one in this room who’s slightly taken aback by the scene. The rest of us are used to it. Most of us are usually participating in it.

“What about you then, Kitty Cat?” Nate asks. “What the hell are you gonna do about it?”

“What’s there to do, Nate?” I ask him. “She’s in love with your brother. And he’s in love with me. I can’t change that.”

“She’s not in love with me,” Nash mutters under his breath.

“Please,” I mutter back.

He shakes his head at me. “Summer was in love with Brandon so she let him go so he could be happy. I wasn’t in love with Tatum so I manipulated her so I could keep her. If you’re in love you care about that person’s happiness more than you care about your own. Which is why,
brother
,” his eyes turn angry as he shifts them to Nate, “even though beating the shit out of everyone who looks at her sideways would make me very happy, I don’t do anything because that’s what makes Presley happy. She wants it to go away so she doesn’t react. She wants it to go away so I… don’t react.”

My mom sighs, Nick smiles warmly at me and Nate says, “Where the hell did you learn that? Dr. Phil?”

“Summer,” Nash says with some malice. “And then… Presley.”

“I guess I agree with you, honey,” Mom says, patting me on the leg. “If you feed into the monster it will probably just grow. But, god, I would love to hear you tell her off. Just once.”

I laugh. “I have Nash- the one thing she’s always wanted but could never have. Trust me, I’m hurting her more than she’s hurting me.”

“You know what would really chap that girl’s hide?” Nick asks with a sparkle in his eyes.

“I doubt I want to hear this, but I know you’re gonna tell me anyway.”

He winks at me. “If you showed up at that big fancy dance with my dashing son.”

“Yes,” my mom eagerly agrees. “Like Cinderella with the prince at the ball while the nasty step sisters watch from the sidelines where they’re standing because
nobody
wants them.”

I roll my eyes. This winter formal thing’s becoming super annoying. “Pretty sure it’d be more like
Carrie.
I’d end up with pig’s blood in my hair.”

“She’s right,” Nate concurs.

Nick punches him in the arm.

“Would you at least think about it?” my mom asks.

“No,” I say, appalled. “I’m not kidding, Mom. Something terrible would happen to me and if you think I want to go and voluntarily hang out in a gym with a bunch of people who hate me and love to torture me, you’re insane. Plus, it’s Summer’s senior formal. She actually wants to go.”

“She’d be happier if I went with you,” Nash mutters.

I glare at him.

“I’m going with her. Promise. I’m just saying – if you’re worried about her being happy, nothing would make her happier than me going with you.”

“Yeah, well Summer’s too nice for her own good. Plus, even if we were just a regular old couple you wouldn’t catch me dead at a school dance.”

“Alright,” Nick says through a long breath. “I’m done. You’re impossible. Go ahead and be miserable, see if I care.”

I can’t help but smile at his bullshit. “I’m not miserable. Not when I’m here with my mom and your family.”

He looks at me, his eyes narrowed like he’s thinking. Then he turns to my mom. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“What?” she asks, confused.

“You should let her stay here with us… you know, until this all blows over.”

I expect her to say
hell no
but she just looks at me and smiles. “Jolee would hate that. Knowing that you’re staying with Nash temporarily because she’s making your life at home so miserable.”

“Is that a yes?” I ask tentatively. The thought alone of being away from Jolee would be enough to make that proposition irresistible, but going to sleep and waking up with Nash makes it the best idea in the world.

“Yes!” my mom exclaims excitedly, standing and telling me. “Let’s go… you too, Nash… let’s go!”

“This is crazy,” I laugh as we head down the road.
All five
of us crammed into my mom’s Volvo.

“Not as crazy as it’s about to get,” Nate tells me. “I can’t wait to meet this bitch. And if she says one word to you I’m gonna punch her in the vagina.”

“In the vagina?” I laugh.

“Yeah. Right in the vagina.”

“Please don’t do that,” my mom says from the front seat. “I still have to live there.”

“You can come stay at our place too,” Nick says, winking at my mom.
Ugh. Puke.

“Nick, you cannot hit on my girlfriend’s mom,” Nash says. I laugh.

“I’m not hitting on her. I’m just offering her a place to stay.”

My mom huffs. “You realize I just got divorced, right? And my ex-husband is dating a twenty-six-year-old? You can sugar coat it, Nick.”

My heart sinks like it’s been doing lately. Everyone wants me to get all bent out of shape because of Jolee. But no one’s talking about the real problem in my life – my mom, who I love completely, was left by her husband of twenty years. And when she got married, my dad’s current girlfriend was six. Why isn’t everyone losing their shit over that
little
tid bit?

He looks at her, I can’t see his expression but it makes her smile. “Darling, if it weren’t for the kids in the backseat I’d be doing a whole lot more than just hitting on you. You’re beautiful. And you intrigue me. And, Nash, before you start running your mouth again I would like to point out that if I someday married this beautiful woman you and Presley would indeed be step siblings but… I would get to be her step dad. So maybe I don’t really care what you think.”

“Jesus,” Nate complains. “I don’t want to be part of this messed up family.”

“You’re twenty one, son. You can leave whenever you want.”

My mom huffs again and hits Nick on the arm. “You don’t mean that.”

He laughs. “Of course I don’t. What do you think Nate? Could you use a mom?”

We’ve pulled up in front of Jolee’s house now and the doors are open. No one seems to care. Everyone’s still just being smartasses.

Nick and Nate follow my mom up the walkway like they’ve been to this house a hundred times. Nash’s hold on my hand tightens. At least
he’s
aware that we are probably about to walk into a shit storm.

My mom heads up the steps and we follow her like some bad ass gang and I can hear Rage Against the Machine’s
Killing in the Name
running through my head.

When the door’s busted open and we’re all through it, it’s totally anticlimactic. No one’s here to see us do it. I laugh. Nash looks at me and I just shake my head.

“This is ridiculous, right?” he smiles.

“Totally.”

My aunt comes walking out of the kitchen and only looks surprised for a moment before she composes her features and says, “What’s this?” to my mom.

“We’re here to move Presley out of the house,” Nick says. “Where’s your room, girlie?” he asks me.

I point up the stairs.

“Laura,” my aunt says sternly, hands on hips now. “Who are these people and why are you allowing him to speak to me like that?”

“You know Nash,” my mom says cheerily, “Presley’s boyfriend. This is his father, Nick, and his brother, Nate. Presley’s going to be staying with them until Jolee can start treating her with some decency.”

A cackle comes from the steps. I look up and see Jolee standing there in a tank top and shorts – her midriff and all of her legs showing.

“That skinny, bitch?” Nate says, looking at his brother. “You slept with
that
? Jesus. She’s got the body of a ten-year-old. I didn’t know you were a pedophile.”

“Nate,” I warn. “Don’t.” Words hurt. I absolutely understand that. But I don’t want any of us stooping to her level.

“Excuse me,” my aunt says with a laugh of disbelief. “I don’t know who you think you are but you cannot come into my home and insult my daughter with lies.”

All of us let out our own sounds of disbelief at that. “That’s a little hypocritical, don’t you think?” Mom says.

“Meaning what, exactly?”

“Meaning, Jolee has been doing nothing for the past week but insulting my daughter with lies. In fact, she’s been pretty atrocious to her since the first day we came here.”

“And those aren’t lies,” Nate buts in like he likes to do. “Your daughter’s got quite the reputation. Nash is one of what…” he says, looking at Jolee who now looks thoroughly pissed. “Dozens? I don’t even know you but I personally know of at least ten guys you’ve slept with.”

“Nate, that’s enough. Let’s just get my stuff and go…”