Collateral Damage (From the Damage) (10 page)

Pressing a hand against her stomach, she felt like she was going to throw up again. Seth came up behind her, grabbing her shoulders, making her heart
leap into her throat. Stifling a scream of surprise, she jumped, spinning around to face him and pulling back at the same time.

Alcohol amplified the motions
, making her dizzy. She lost her balance, stumbling back, and grabbed onto the swing’s chain. Wrapping her fingers around it, she held tight, like if she let go she might lose herself completely. Her heart pounding wildly, she glared at him. “
Don’t do that!
”

He just stared at her, a pitying gaze scorching her skin. Finally, he said, “You’re a mess.”

“And you’re so perfect, aren’t you?” Her glare deepened, filling with resentment. “With your stupid football games and your perfect little girlfriend and all those people, willing to do whatever you say. It’s almost like you’re trying too hard to seem normal. No one would ever guess that you’re exactly like me.”

“You’re drunk,” he said, stepping forward. “You need to let me take you home.”

“Home?” she repeated, laughing. “Yes,
please
take me home so my dad can yell at me about how irresponsible I am, so Kelly can act like she’s better than me and her mom can sit there and watch. Please, by all means, twist the knife because I’m still breathing!”

He didn’t flinch at her
outburst, he just came a little closer. “Is it that bad?”

She knew she was drunk and emotional and rambling, but she couldn’t stop herself. Tears clouded her eyes. “I don’t belong,” she whispered. “Not with my mom, not with dad and his new family. And I definitely don’t fit into your world. So where does that leave me?”

He stepped back. “I guess that’s something you’re gonna have to figure out.”

She watched, waiting for him to say the magic words that she did belong with him. That he cared about her, or
something
. But he just turned, shoving his hands into his pockets and walked away, leaving her alone in that shadowy park haunted by the ghosts of their past.

Chapter
6

Kelly

“I can’t believe you invited Kay and Kendall to the girl’s night,” Kelly complained as she watched a bag of popcorn rotate in the microwave. “Are you trying to kill me?”

“At least Kendall couldn’t make it,” Meagan, balancing on a pair of crutches, leaned forward to grab two bottles of water out of the fridge. “I don’t understand why you don’t like Kay. Is it because she and Alex are close?”

“No,” Kelly said quickly, pouting a little. “This is supposed to be
my
makeover, remember? To help ease the pain of Gage’s bitter-cold rejection. To help me turn over that proverbial new leaf.”

“And what better way to flip that leaf than by reaching out to someone you normally wouldn’t?” Meagan said, glancing at Kelly to see if she bought into it. Seeing she didn’t, Meagan sighed. “I know I should have run it by you first, but I ran into Kay at the diner and I just thought…maybe it wouldn’t hurt to get to know her. She could turn out to be a good friend.”

“But how am I supposed to bitch about her if she’s here?”

“Very funny,” Meagan said.

“Who said I was joking?” Kelly cracked a smile.

The doorbell rang. “That must be her. Now remember,” Meagan instructed as they made their way to the front door, popcorn and drinks in tow. “She’s a sweet girl, and we’re going to watch chick flicks and do makeovers and have a good time. So be nice.”

“Only because you’ve been such a good friend.” Kelly gave Meagan a reassuring smile. 

Meagan opened the door, giving Kay a warm smile. “Glad you could make it, girl.”

“Of course,” Kay said, stepping inside and carrying a large Mary-Kay bag with her. “I even brought party favors.”

“Is all of that
make-up
?” Kelly asked, eyes glinting with a hint of lust.

“Yeah. One of my neighbors sells it. I’m pretty sure I cleaned out all her samples.”

“And she didn’t mind?” Meagan asked, shutting the front door.

“Nope. But she did load me up on business cards, too. Just in case.”

The girls giggled and headed downstairs to the dance studio in Meagan’s basement.

Sitting among shopping bags spilling over with clothes, hand bags full of makeup, the girls talked about everything from their favorite Hollywood crushes to the best coffee shop in Southport, and for a little while, no one would have guessed that a support group brought them all together.

Standing in front of a row of mirrors, Kelly pulled her hair up off her shoulders and held it at the nape of her neck. “So I’m thinking about chopping all of my hair off and dyeing it black. Whattya think?”

Meagan stifled a giggle. “Tell me you’re joking.”

“What?” Kelly asked innocently. “Haven’t you heard Goth is the new chic?”

“Maybe ten years ago,” Meagan chuckled. “It wouldn’t hurt to go a little edgier, though. Maybe some chunky black streaks?”

“Or you could do the bottom layer,” Kay offered, trying not to blink as Meagan applied a coat of mascara to her lashes. “I think that’d look good with the platinum blond you’ve got going on now.”

Kelly looked in the mirror, considering the choices. “That’s a good idea. We’ll do the bottom layer in the black, and then maybe do a couple chunky reds.”

She sat down on the floor and began to mix up the temporary hair color. “I don’t know who I’m kidding, though,” she said grimly. “All the hair dye in the world isn’t going to make Gage see me as anything other than a spoiled rich girl who’s too immature for him.”

Meagan reached over and pinched Kelly’s arm.

Kelly winced, grabbing the reddening area. “Ouch! What was that for?”

“You mentioned
he who cannot be named
,” Meagan scolded. “And broke the rules of our girl’s night.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.” She frowned as she stirred a conditioning cream into the solution. “I miss him.”

“But if he can’t see how lucky he’d be to have you, why should you waste your time thinking about him?” Meagan’s voice was firm and confident in a way Kelly was sure she could never become.

“Easy for you to say when you have a dreamboat boyfriend like Ryder Daniels,” Kelly said. “Talk about swoon-worthy.”

Meagan smiled. “He’s really sweet too.”

“Ryder’s always been pretty cool. Nobody really took time to notice it before, though,” Kay said as she flipped through a magazine. “He just did like this 180, like he takes it upon himself to clean up the school.”

***

Meagan

***

While the dye soaked on Kelly’s hair, Meagan and Kay went upstairs to restock on snacks. They were laughing as they rounded the corner to the kitchen, but Kay’s laugh stopped short when her gaze landed on Trevor, standing at the counter, messing with his cell phone.

She gave a small gasp, surprised to see him. Oblivious, Meagan continued to the cabinet. “Kay, this is my brother, Trevor. Trevor this is…”

“Kay,” he said, giving her the same half-grin he’d used to get her into bed. “Good to see you again.”

Meagan paused as she reached into the cabinet, eyeing them both. “You two know each other?”

“Not really,” Kay said honestly. They hadn’t done much talking in the week she’d managed to keep his attention. She remembered the night she’d seen him at the hospital, and how he’d said he was there to visit his sister. But she’d never put the pieces together that his sister was Meagan.

“I’ve tried calling you,” he said.

“I changed the number.”

Meagan grabbed a bag of chips and took Kay’s side, as if knowing how awkward and out of place her friend felt. “Let’s get back downstairs,” she said. “Make sure Kelly hasn’t chopped all her hair off.”

Kay chuckled and turned to leave with Meagan, but Trevor called after her. “Wait…can I just talk to you for a second?”

She stopped and nodded for Meagan to go ahead and go downstairs. “I’ll be down in just a minute.”

“Okay…” Meagan gave them both a curious glance as she headed to the basement.

Once they were alone, Kay turned to Trevor, wondering what he wanted to talk to her about. “Look…I just wanted to say…I feel like a real jerk. I never should’ve posted that tape on the net.”

She raised an eyebrow, floored by the apology. “You’re sorry? You said that already.”

“I know, but it’s not enough…” He sighed. “I just wish there was something I could do.”

“You seem so different,” Kay said. He even looked different. Less cocky, less arrogant. More…something. She couldn’t quite place it.

He nodded, coming a little closer. “Some things have happened recently…things that make realize the way I treated you and other girls was wrong. I was an ass. And I’m sorry.”

She didn’t know what to say. She certainly wasn’t about to offer up her forgiveness—after all, he’d posted their sex tape online, gave her an STD and caused half the town to think she was a slut. But she wasn’t exactly blameless in the situation, and the act of him apologizing did ease the shame a little. “I’m not exactly losing sleep over it, Trev,” she said, trying to dismiss her feelings. “You shouldn’t either.”

She turned to head down to the basement, but he reached out and tapped her shoulder.

“Wait,” he said, and she stopped, eyeing him curiously. “Do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Stay away from guys like me,” he said. “You deserve better.”

***

After her friends left, Meagan found her brother in the living room. Her curiosity was piqued, and she hadn’t had any luck getting Kay to open up about how she knew Trevor.

She plopped down next to him on the couch. “So, the curiosity is killing me, Trev.”

He looked up from the book he was reading. “What do you mean?”

“How do you know Kay?” Meagan asked. “I couldn’t help but pick up on the tension. I’m pretty sure even China felt it.”

“She didn’t tell you?” he asked, looking confused. “I thought that’s what you girls did…eat junk food and bitch about guys who’ve wronged you?”

“Very funny…wait…what’d you do?”

“She seriously didn’t tell you?”

“Kay’s not exactly an open book.”

Taking a deep breath, he closed the book in his lap. “Okay…don’t freak out on me. She’s the girl…the one from the tape.”

Meagan stared blankly at him, and then she remembered the sex tape with the sophomore that had made him infamous. “You mean…you and her…” Just the thought grossed her out, and she wished she didn’t have that image in her head. “God, Trevor. It’s bad enough that you taped it…did you have to show it off, too?”

“It’s not one of my proudest moments,” he said. “At least…not anymore.”

“What changed?”

“I can’t believe you even have to ask.” He couldn’t look her in the eyes. “Finding out the truth about Seth…it changed a lot of things.”

Chapter 7

Kay

In the kitchen, Kay used a spatula to push scrambled eggs around the frying pan. Daydreaming about Alex, loving the fact that she had an actual boyfriend, one who seemed to be crazy about her. At last, there was something—someone—good in her life.

And even better than that, he didn’t pressure her to turn her dad in like Zander had. If there was one thing Alex understood, it was loyalty to parents who didn’t deserve it.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand when her dad came into the kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast bar. Though her body was taught with the tension, she managed a smile as she turned to the small table and dished eggs onto the plate she’d already set out.

“Want some orange juice?” she asked, dishing a small helping of eggs onto a plate for herself.

“Sounds good,” he said around a mouthful of food.

She went to the fridge and poured him a glass, then brought it to the table for him. As she took the seat across from him, he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small flask. She tried not to roll her eyes when he added a large amount of vodka to the orange juice.

“I’ve got a battalion reunion this weekend,” he said after a long drink. “I’m leaving tonight and I’ll be gone for four days. Doesn’t look like your mom’s coming home anytime soon, so that leaves you here to take care of the house.”

She nodded, while her heart sprang with joy at the prospect of a dad-free weekend.

“Some ground rules before I go,” he said, putting his fork down.

She waited patiently, biding her time.

“Nobody’s allowed over here…not even that boy next door.
You can go to work and school and that’s it. I’ll be calling to check in.” He picked up his fork again and began to eat. “While I’m gone, I want you to clean this place up. The dust is really irritating my allergies. And the curtains need washed. Actually, there’s a heaping pile of laundry by the washer that should be gone by the time I get back. And the fridge is a mess. Should you be writing this down?”

She shook her head. “Dust. Curtains. Laundry. Fridge.”

“And stay out of my stash,” he added, pointing the fork at her. “I know you’ve been sneaking some of it.”

This confused her, because she hadn’t been. He must’ve lost track of how much he’d been drinking, but she didn’t dare point it out.

He leveled his gaze on her. “Do I have to say what happens if you break the rules?”

“No, sir,” she said. Then she smiled and added as lightly as she could, “Need me to iron your uniform?”

Emptying his plate, he dropped the fork onto it and pushed it away. “No, you never do it right. Better do it myself.”

She stood to clear the plates, making sure to leave his ‘orange juice’ untouched. Taking them over to the sink, she said, “Enjoy the reunion.”

***

Ryder

***

Rubbing a towel over his wet hair, Ryder walked down the hall of the group home to the bedroom he shared. All he needed to do was throw a t-shirt on over the wife beater and head out for the day. But he wasn’t sure what he was going to do yet. Something to do with Meagan, he hoped.

When he opened the door, he saw Bradley standing in front of the mirror, wearing Ryder’s leather jacket. The sleeves were about six inches too long for him and completely covered his hands, making him seem much smaller than he already was. And the leather looked heavy, so he moved slow as he held his arms up to flex his non-existent muscles. 

Seeing Ryder in the mirror’s reflection, Bradley quickly shrugged out of the jacket.

“Hold on a sec,” Ryder said, crossing the room. “Let’s check it out.” He knelt down in front of Bradley, bringing them to about eye-level.

Bradley watched, still and wide-eyed as Ryder rolled the sleeves up, freeing his hands. Then he buttoned the first few buttons and turned up the collar. Ryder stepped back so Bradley could take a look.

“Whattya think?” he asked the boy. “I think you look pretty tough.”

“Not as tough as you,” Bradley said, but he gave an approving smile to the reflection. “But close.”    

Ryder grinned. “Very close.”

“Guess you want it back now, huh?” Bradley took off the jacket and handed it back to Ryder. “Thanks for letting me try it on.”

“Anytime.” Ryder started straightening out the sleeves, when he caught a glimpse of something. A bluish-yellow mark on Bradley’s wrist, like fingerprints. He checked out the other wrist and sure enough, there was a matching bruise. He lifted Bradley’s hand up to take a closer look. “What happened here?”

Bradley’s cheeks flushed. “Nothing.”

He raised an eyebrow in response. “Looks like someone held you down. Was it your parents? Is that why you’re in here?”

“No…well…yeah. My mom used to hit me. But I got these at school.”

“At school?” Ryder knelt down again. “You got any more?”

Bradley hesitated, but finally lifted his shirt up to reveal more bruises on his ribs.

Ryder winced at just seeing them. “Bullies, huh?”

He nodded, his big brown eyes looking embarrassed. “They saw me getting off the bus here and they’ve been hassling me ever since.”

“Let me get this straight…you used to get kicked around at home,
then you finally get away from that and come here. Now you’re getting kicked around at school.”

Bradley nodded, just slightly, his shoulders slouching in that ‘I can’t ever win’ way. “Life sucks.”

“Sometimes, it really does.” He crossed the room to his closet and searched through one of his duffel bags, coming out with a bottle of Tylenol. He handed Bradley two. “This will help with the pain. And when I get back, I’ll teach you how to handle those punks. Sound good?”

Bradley smiled as Ryder handed him the pills. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Slipping into his jacket, he headed for the door.

“Oh, wait,” Bradley said. “I almost forgot. You got some mail today.”

Bradley walked over to the desk they shared and grabbed an envelope. “It came for you while you were in the shower.”

“Thanks.” Ryder took the envelope without looking at it and started for the door again. “Hang in there, kiddo. Okay?”

He nodded, and Ryder knew the kid was tougher than he looked.

After stopping to do the tedious task of signing out, Ryder got into his car and turned the radio on. Then he took a look at the envelope.

It was from some sort of lawyer’s office, with one of those long names he couldn’t pronounce. When he opened it, a check fell out into his lap.

“What the hell?” he asked aloud as he picked up the small piece of paper. Turning it over, he almost toppled out of the car
. Shocked to find a check for 20,000 dollars. He double checked to make sure the check was made out to him, and it was. Then, perplexed, he stared at the zeros, counting them over and over.

“What the hell?” he repeated.

There must’ve been some mistake. Why would some lawyer’s office pay him 20 grand?

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed the phone number printed at the top of the check. It took a few minutes for him to navigate the automated menu, but he finally managed to get in touch with a secretary.  

She confirmed that the check was supposed to be for him, but was tightlipped about who sent it, saying it fell under the ‘attorney-client privilege’ laws.

By the time he hung up the phone, he was only more aggravated. He wondered…was this money from one of his parents?

***

Kay

***

As Kay straightened up the counter of the diner, Alex sat on the opposite side of the bar, munching on a plate of cheese fries. They’d spent nearly every afternoon together since their date. On the days she had to work, he’d stop in for a little while. When it wasn’t too busy in the diner, Alex would stay and chat but if there were a lot of customers, he’d eat and then leave a cute note with her tip. It was sweet to have him constantly surprising her, especially with everything she’d been going through at home. Most nights, Kay slept in her car and showered in the locker room before school. It was just easier to do that than to risk going home. But, she wouldn’t have to worry about that for a few days, because her dad was going out of town. She’d have the house all to herself for the first time.

“Don’t look now,” Alex said, grinning at her. “But I think you might be
smiling
.”

Laughing, she poured sugar into a dispenser. “I have reasons to smile, these days.
There’s you. And the fact that for three whole days, I’ll have the house to myself.”

“No wonder you’re so happy.”

“Yeah, for once my absent parents will be
physically
absent.” She leaned her elbows on the counter. “My dad’s got a battalion reunion. So…I was thinking you and I could—”

“Take a road trip,” he finished for her.

She raised an eyebrow. “A road trip where?”

“Charlotte.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why are we going to Charlotte?”

“I didn’t know how to bring this up, but…your mom doesn’t make any sense…tax audits are a seasonal job, right? But she takes off all year around. So, I got a little nosey. Had a Veronica Mars moment and ran a background check on her.”

“You what?” Kay said, laughing.

He reached into his back pack and pulled out a couple computer-print-outs, then slid one across the bar. “She has an alias. Melanie Monroe. I wondered why she’d go by a different name, so I cross-referenced it through one of my mom’s real-estate websites, and boom. She owns a house in Charlotte. Now, I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure
that’s
where she’s always going—not to work.”

Suddenly, the smile vanished from her face as she looked at the background check and a copy of the
deed he handed her. “She bought this place while my dad was in Iraq.”

“It’s fishy, right?” Alex said. “I mean, why wouldn’t she tell you about it? Why would she go by a different name? I mean, she’s even been lying to you about her line of work. She leases a warehouse in Charlotte. I Googled the address, and it’s an art dealership.”

“Really?”

“It’s obvious she’s hiding it from your dad. So I thought... maybe if we showed up and busted her, it’d be enough to get you out of there. Get her to sign an emancipation form or a lease or something.”

“You really think this will work?”

“It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?” he asked. Then he leaned forward, lowering his voice. “I’m not saying you tell her
everything
. That’s your call. All you have to tell her is that you don’t want to live with your dad anymore.”

Kay thought this over for a minute. Then she decided, blackmail aside, she’d learned enough about her mother’s lies to deserve some answers, at least. “What about your parents? Hasn’t your Mom been in overprotective mode? What’s she going to say?”

“I think she’ll say ‘have fun camping with Trevor.’” His thumb grazed across her knuckles as he spoke, tempting her into relaxation. Ever charming, he raised an eyebrow in a playful, ‘how about it?’ look.

“Okay, you sold me on it. When do we leave?”

“When’s your dad leaving?”

“Tonight,” she said.

“Then we’ll head out in the morning. We should get to Charlotte by lunch.”

***

Ryder

***

The waiting room at Social Services was surprisingly empty for a Friday afternoon. The only other people were a mother and crying infant. Ryder waited, tapping his foot against the floor as he tried to figure out where the mystery check had come from and why. The search led him here, hoping Sophia would have an answer.

Finally, after the half-hour wait, a receptionist buzzed him through the door separating the offices from the waiting room. He walked down three doors and went into her office. She was sitting behind the desk, typing rapidly on the keyboard, glancing down at an open file stacked on top of a few thicker files. “I’ll be with you in just a sec,” she said, her focus still on the computer.

He took a seat by the door and waiting, noticing a few more folders on the other end of her cluttered desk. All of them belonged to kids in foster care, he assumed, feeling sorry for them.

“And I’m done,” Sophia announced with the click a two final keys. The printer to her right whirled to life, printing out a stack of paper. She turned her attention to Ryder and folded her hands on top of the desk. “I’m surprised to see you. Is something wrong at Cornerstone?”

“No, it’s not that. I got something strange in the mail today.”

She looked surprised. “What was it?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the envelope, then handed it across the desk to her. She read over the address information, her gaze shifting with a hint of recognition. Then she pulled out the check and her eyes bulged, then shrank back down as she shook her head.

“You know who sent this,” Ryder said, knowing he was reading her accurately. “Who was it?”