Fallen Crest High (22 page)

"I'm going to go to the bathroom." Tanya shot out of her chair and was gone in an instant.

I twisted around, but couldn't find her. I looked at Adam. "Is she okay?"

He indicated Becky and remained quiet.

She took another deep breath. "And then Logan started making fun of Tanya."

"Wait—what?"

"Yeah.
I know." Her head bounced up and down. "He was really tearing into her, calling her loose and easy and all sorts of things. Tanya started to cry, but you know what happened?"

"Adam told him to shut up?"

Becky's lips clamped shut. After a beat, she looked at him.

I did too. "What?" Neither said a word. "You didn't?"

He looked away.

Becky opened her mouth. "So no one stopped him, no one. Not even Peter and we all know Peter rules the roost at these things."

"Do we?" I had no idea.

"He does, but then
she
shows up."

"Who?"

"Her cousin."
Her eyes flashed in giddiness. "And she starts yelling at Logan instead. I think Tanya texted her, but you'll never guess what else happened?"

"Probably not," I deadpanned.

"So Logan was yelling at Tanya and then that girl started yelling at Logan, who took it. He completely shut up and just let her yell at him, but then his brother shows up a half hour later."

I sat up straight and narrowed my eyes. "Mason was there?"

Her head jumped up and down again and she was panting like a thirsty dog.

I felt Adam's quietness next to me and knew he was studying me.

"And then everybody got real quiet. She shut up."

"Who shut up?"

"Tanya's cousin."

Adam offered, "Tate. Her name is Tate."

"Tate completely shut up and she looked like she was going to faint or something."

"Her face got all green." He grinned and that was when I knew that Adam didn't like Tanya's cousin at all.

"I heard that Emily thought Tate had soiled her pants or something, it was that intense. And Mason hadn't even said anything at that time."

"But he's going to, right?" I was starting to see where this was going and a sense of dread was settling in.

"Yeah.
He looked like a cat who'd found his favorite mouse wounded or something. It was eerie. And he started to make fun of her, like all cruel and stuff. The things he said to her were horrible and he was only playing with her. She didn't try to defend herself. I guess Mason
Kade
really hates that girl, and the way he ripped into her. It was something else."

"He enjoyed it." Adam's voice was quiet.

I looked over and held his gaze. Something dark was in their depths.

He spoke again, "It was like an animal that was playing with its kill before they fully killed it. That's what he was doing with her. I've never seen anything like it before."

I held his stare and the realization that he was scared of the
Kades
hit me hard. I could see he was terrified of them, but Adam broke the moment when he left the table.

Becky's eyes skirted between the two of us, but she leaned forward. "And then I guess Logan finally told him to leave."

"And did he?"

She jerked a shoulder up. "I don't know. Adam never told me that, but he said there was a strange comment Logan made to him."

"To Adam?"

"No, to Mason."

"What was it?"

"He said, 'you bruised her shoulder.'" She leaned back.

I waited.
Nothing.
"And?"

"That was it. I guess Mason left after that."

"He bruised Tate's shoulder?"

She shook her head. "That's the thing. Adam said everyone looked at her shoulders, but there wasn't anything there. She had on some wrap-around shawl or something, but her shoulders were bare. No bruises.
Nothing."
And then her eyes fell to my shoulders.

I was glad for covering them up and I felt a small tingling sensation where a small bruise had formed from Mason's hand. I was tense, waiting for her to ask. But she didn't. I felt Becky's
eagerness and knew she wanted to, but she held her tongue. I was grateful as I reached for my orange juice. I downed the whole thing. Champagne had been added to it and I sat back, surprised.

"What?" She held back a small grin.

"I just got served alcohol."

She giggled. "Your dad's the head coach for FC Academy and we're here with Adam's dad. Steven Quinn is powerful in this town too."

"Where did Adam go?"

She gestured to a back corner. Adam's father was close to another woman with his hand on her thigh. He leaned close to whisper something in her ear, but I looked further to the right where Adam stood and watched the exchange. When his jaw clenched, I knew he was angry, but then I sat up straight. My father had appeared out of my nowhere. Not my father. David.

And the heavily made-up woman whose hair was pulled up in a loose bun moved away from Adam's father and extended her red nails to my father. Her hand paused on his chest and she tilted her head to the side. Loose curls that fell from her bun slid over her shoulder and she seemed to be laughing when she swept them further back.

"Sam."

I ignored Becky's warning comment and stood.

CHAPTER TWENTY

"Sam." David moved back a step when I stopped near him. I felt Adam come up behind my elbow, but he remained quiet.

"Dad."
And I waited. Would he correct me?

He gave me a tight smile and I knew he wouldn't. Instead he gestured towards the woman and Adam's father. "Have you met my daughter? This is Samantha."

The woman held out her arm and tried to melt me with her smile. "Hello, you're so precious, so beautiful. Penelope."

Adam's father moved away from the woman and nodded. "Steven. I think we've met once."

Adam spoke up, "No, dad. You didn't formally meet her. We left the house early that day."

"Oh yes, that's right." Then he turned to David. "David, what do you have planned for next week's game? You think we're going to pull out a win against Leers?"

David cleared his throat. "We're going to try, that's for certain."

"Dad, don't you guys have your annual football dinner tonight?"

He opened his mouth and stared at me. "Uh…"

"That's right." Penelope's laugh rang out. "I was just talking to your father about that. He said he's going to be alone tonight. Heavens, we can't have that, can we?"

"Certainly not."
My jaw ached from how tight it was.

"Dad, you're going with me, right?" Adam brushed against my elbow when he moved forward. He stood close to me and I feel his tension.

"Well, this sounds perfect.
Father and son."
Penelope placed her hand on David's arm this time.
"Father and daughter.
It's almost romantic."

I tilted my head to the side and removed for her hand. "And no sluts…"

There was a choked silence for a second.

And then David rasped out, "Samantha!"

Adam barked out a laugh.

His father jerked back a step.

"What?" I turned towards David with wide eyes, innocent eyes.

"Apologize."

"For what?"
I eyed her up and down. "I call it how it is."

She bristled, but kept her mouth shut.

I narrowed my eyes and waited. The anger was mounting in her. Her hands clenched. Her shoulders grew tight. Her cheeks inflamed and her eyes closed till they were almost slits.

I counted down in my head. 3…2…1…and…

"What a little bitch you have, David." She leaned forward until her face was a few inches from mine.

I smirked and held steady. The
Kades
had taught me a few things.

She sucked in her breath and I knew her fury leapt higher. "I feel sorry for you, David, real sorry for you."

"Hey, now."
He moved between us.

I sidestepped and never broke eye contact with her. "Are you bored with married men? Football coaches don't make that much money, you know."

She laughed harshly. "Private school coaches do."

"Penelope." Adam's father took hold of her elbow.

Adam's voice came out shrilly. "Hey dad, where's mom? Didn't you come with her?"

There was another brief moment of silence.

"Are you insinuating something, Adam?"

He laughed next to me and I found myself grinning along with it. "You're a smart man. What do you think?"

"Penelope."

Her head swiveled to me.

I gave her a cheeky grin. "When'd you pick up the trade?"

"The trade?"

"You know, having affairs, sleeping with married men, being a hooker?"

"That's enough, Samantha!" David clamped down on my arm and dragged me away. I twisted around and gave her a wave. "Stop it.
Now."

I waited until he had taken me to the parking lot and then yanked my arm free. I rubbed where he had held onto. "That's the thanks I get from saving you from her?"

He drew upright and hissed out, "You did not save me from her. You made a fool of yourself."

"That's doubtful."

He started to pace in front of me with his hands on his hips. His tie flapped behind him as he turned and went the other way. I couldn't stop myself from smiling as I leaned against a car behind me.

He noticed and snapped, "What?"

"That's what you do when you're frustrated with the opposing team." I'd seen enough of those times when his football team wasn't playing as well as he wanted them to.

He stopped and then let out a small laugh as he reached behind his head to scratch. "I'd forgotten how smart you are."

"That woman was a filthy whore and you know it." I cooled my smile. "Just because you're lonely and had your heart broken by my mother doesn't mean you should get yourself mixed up with her."

"Samantha."

"She's bad news."

He held his arms out in surrender. "I wasn't going to get mixed up with her. I wasn't. I'm aware what kind of a woman she is, but you called her out for having an affair with Steven Quinn. He knows now that I know. She knows. His son knows. That spells trouble for a lot of people."

I shrugged. "Adam's known for a long time."

He stopped pacing.
"Really?"

I nodded.

"Well, I guess that's a little better then."

"So can I still come for that dinner tonight? I know families are supposed to come."

He eyed me warily. "Does your mom know about this?"

I shrugged. "Like I care and yes, she does. She said I could go."

He opened his mouth.

I added, "And she said that in front of Mason and Logan
Kade
so she has to follow through with it."

His mouth closed, but I caught a flare of pride in his eyes. My chest swelled up and I looked away when a sudden burst of tears came to my eyes. I wiped them away quickly and glanced back. He'd been watching me with a sad smile. It vanished immediately.

"Are you okay?"

I was jolted at the sincerity of his voice. "What do you mean?"

"With all this, the changes, the truth coming out.
Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're a teenager."
He said it so simply.
"Because your mother can be one vicious and selfish woman.
Because you got your life taken away from you."
His voice gentled even more. "Remember that I know about Jeff and your friends. I know what they did to you. And because," his mouth twisted in a crooked smile, "you set my car on fire, remember?"

"Oh yeah!"
I burst out in laughter and wiped more tears away. I didn't know why they were coming.

He took a small breath. "Are you okay, Samantha? Are you still running?"

I nodded.

"How long do you go for?"

I couldn't talk. My throat was so tight, it was blocked.

He sounded sad. "That long, huh?" And he took another deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sam. I really am."

I looked away. I couldn't see how haunted he sounded. Something would've broken inside of me and I was holding on tight. I was holding on so tight right now.

He continued, "If I had known what your mother wanted or what she needed, I would've tried to adopt you. I would've gone for something with the courts so that she couldn't have taken you away. I had no idea. I really didn't, but there was no way I could've been the man she wanted. I was the man she used to get her through her hard times."