From the Damage 1 - Opposites Attract (7 page)

“I’m thinking about riding into that sunset with you.”

At that second, Meagan snapped a picture, hoping to catch the whimsical look on his face forever. She let the atmosphere—the calm, serene lake, the steamy autumn air, and the iridescent glimmer of the sun off the water—absorb into her and slow her heart.

Grazing her fingertips up and down his arm, she realized it was just the two of them.

There was no pressure, no expectation. They could just
be
. “You know what I think?”

“What?”

“I think you’re a big romantic.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”

“You know, you believe in things like hope and love and peace. You like to be the one to rescue the damsel in distress.” She smiled at that, resting her head against his shoulder. “Don’t get me wrong. You certainly act tough. But I think that’s just to keep people from seeing that, deep down, you’re sensitive—maybe even a little scared like the rest of us.”

He was silent for a minute, and then after a steadying breath, he said, “I wasn’t always so sensitive.”

“What do you mean?”

Biting his lip, he shook his head. “Never mind.”

“C’mon. You can tell me.” She placed her hand on her back to comfort him.

“Trust me, I’ve heard it all.”

“You think that, but you don’t know,” he said, turning to face her. “Being a foster kid is hard.”

Meagan felt her breath catch in her throat. She’d had no idea Ryder was in foster care.

“You can’t always depend on the foster parents to give you money. Some of the families gave me allowance, but most kept the monthly checks for themselves. So I found a new way to make some cash.” He patted the hood of his car. “It started out small, like stealing a watch to pay for booze, but it quickly escalated when I realized how good I was at the wheeling and dealing. I could’ve convinced a woman in Alaska to buy a bathing suit,” he said, but there was no hint of a proud smile. “Soon, I was stealing radios, TVs...I even hocked a car once and turned it all around quickly to make a nice wad of cash.”

“So that’s how you bought this car? By selling stuff you stole?”

He nodded, glancing away as if he was ashamed.

“Do you still do it?” she asked cautiously. The last thing she wanted was to get in trouble with the law.

“No,” he said softly. “That all changed.”

“What made it change?”

Taking a deep breath, he looked out at the water. “Somebody got hurt, and I realized I only cared about myself. Back then, I didn’t give a damn about the people who actually bought the stuff. All I cared about was the money I got from what I took from them, no matter how hard they worked for it. I’ve never been able to forgive myself for that.”

“So you do good deeds now, like trying to keep the peace and making sure nobody else gets hurt?”

Glancing over at her, he nodded. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“See?” She nudged his shoulder and then leaned her head against it. “You are a hopeless romantic.”

≈≈≈

Gage had just put Lizzie down for bed when the phone rang. Closing the door quietly behind him, he answered the phone on the fourth ring, and then grumbled

“Yeah” into the receiver.

“Hi. It’s Kelly.” Her voice was soft and shaky. “I know you’re not into the whole, uh, therapy thing, but I was hoping we could talk...or something.”

He paused a minute as conflicting emotions battled inside his head. On one hand, he didn’t have time to indulge in someone else’s problems or drama, as he had plenty of his own to deal with. On the other, he had to wonder why the preppy good girl was buying drugs in Westview and selling herself short. His curiosity about the girl with the broken fan belt got the best of him in the end. “Sure. What’s up?”

“Can I come over or something? I wouldn’t even ask. It’s just that I...well, I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

Dammit! I knew I should’ve hung up on her when I had the chance.
But he knew doing that now wouldn’t just be rude; it would be downright cruel. “You got a pen?” he said.

“I’ll give you directions.”

He did a quick scan of the apartment, then scooped up Lizzie’s toys and took them to her room. He shoved the plate and bottles from the counter into the sink, then took a rag to the countertops. The apartment he lived in was dingier than anything Kelly had been in, he was sure, but at least he kept it clean, even if it wasn’t up to preppy standards.

When she knocked on the door, he glanced out just to make sure it was her, and then he let her in.

She looked around the apartment as she sat down on the couch. “Where are your parents?”

“This is my place.” He walked to the refrigerator. “My parents don’t live here.”

“Oh. I bet that’s nice.”

“Yep. You want a soda?”

“Sure.”

He grabbed two and then sat down in the recliner adjacent to the couch. “So what’s up?”

“It’s just…” She took a drink of the soda and stared down at the floor. “I was shopping with my family, and we ran into my ex-boyfriend. And then my mom wanted to know why we broke up, and it turned into this huge fight.”

“Why does she care why you broke up?” He tapped a hand against the arm of the chair absentmindedly. “Relationships end. That’s life.”

“They were crazy about him. They practically had the wedding planned, and now their hopes are crushed.” She laughed bitterly as her eyes narrowed into a glare.

“They think it’s my fault—that I screwed up the relationship. They don’t even care about what he did to me.”

He stared at her soda can as she rolled it between her hands. He couldn’t come with anything cleverer to say than to ask the obvious question. “What’d he do to you?”

She glanced up at him and then dropped her gaze to the floor again. “He broke my heart.”

Gage was aware of the many ways to break a person’s heart, and he wondered which one she’d fallen victim to. He opened his mouth to say something, but a soft cry from the other room stopped him.

While Kelly’s eyes widened, Lizzie started crying louder.

“Excuse me,” he mumbled. He darted into the room, scooped her up, and spoke to her in a soothing voice while he changed her diaper. Then, balancing her on his hip, he went to the kitchen and measured out the scoops of formula and the hot water from the faucet.

On his way back to Lizzie’s room, he stole a glance at Kelly. She was turned around on the couch, staring at him with her mouth open. He didn’t bother to introduce them because Lizzie still needed her sleep, and he preferred that nobody knew about her.

After tucking her in, he walked back into the living room. He took his seat in the chair and gulped from his soda can. “Sorry. You were saying?”

She still stared at him as her mouth tried to form words. “You...you have a baby?

As in, you’re a dad?”

He nodded once. “Yes, but we were talking about you.”

“Where’s the mother?”

“Not around.”

“So you’re a single father”

He glared at her. “Yeah. So? You got a problem with that?”

“No. It’s just…” She grabbed her purse from the floor and stood up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I should...I should just go.”

He didn’t try to stop her, and she didn’t stop. When the door closed, he locked it behind her and turned back to the living room. Unable to hold back anymore, he slammed his foot into the recliner. He collapsed on the couch and held up his left hand to stare at the thin gold band around his finger.

≈≈≈

“Do you think I’m stupid?” Renee stormed into Carmen’s bedroom, her face flushed and her blonde hair frizzing as it worked its way out of its ponytail. “Did you think I wouldn’t figure it out? Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

Carmen sat up on her bed, eyeing her sister carefully. “What are you talking about?”

Renee held up a sheet of paper. “This is a notice from the school telling me you’ve missed
twelve
days in a six-week span. Twelve days, Carmen!”

“So I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Renee asked, tears brimming over in her green eyes as her face reddened. “They could take you away from me for this, and all you have to say is you’re
sorry
?”

Carmen felt like her entire body had been drained of its blood. The room started to teeter as what was left of her world threatened to crumble. “What do you mean they could take me away?”

“Don’t you get it?” she asked around a sob. “I’m only twenty-two years old!

Nobody thinks I can do this, and you’re just proving them right. I’m doing everything I can to keep this family together, but every time I turn around, you’re sabotaging me. If I can’t make you stay in school, Social Services will deem me unfit to take care of you.

They’ll put you in
foster care
.”

“Foster care?” Carmen climbed off her bed, unable to believe her ears. “You’re serious? They’d send me to live with...with strangers?”

“Yes,” she said, her voice shaky. “Dad signed custody over to Mom years ago, and there’s no one else left besides me.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Carmen asked, feeling the fear turn into anger. “How could you not tell me something like this? How could you keep it a secret?”

“You have enough on your mind,” Renee said. “I didn’t want to worry you or stress you out more.” Taking a deep breath, Renee sat on the edge of Carmen’s bed.

“Look, you have to go to school and keep your grades up if you want to stay here with me. Believe me, Carmen, I get it. School seems pointless right now. Heck, everything does. But you still need to go...for me, okay?” Her voice cracking, and tears spilled down her cheeks again as a sob broke through her throat. “I can’t lose you too.”

“It’s okay.” Carmen sat next to her sister and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “I’ll pull my act together, I promise. Everything’s going to be okay. You’ll see.”

Still crying soft tears, Renee leaned her head against Carmen’s shoulder and wrapped her arm around her waist. It was the first time she’d cried since they’d lost their mother, and it felt strangely good—a long awaited release.

≈≈≈

“So, if I take these antibiotics as directed,” Kay asked the pharmacist as she picked up her medication, “then the infection will clear up and I’ll be good as new?”

“Like you were never even sick,” the woman said with a kind, knowing smile.

“I’d like to pay cash,” she said. “Don’t charge my insurance company.”

“Of course,” the woman said, holding out her hand as Kay handed over twenty-five dollars.

Carrying the white paper sack out of the store, Kay met up with Zander.

“Everything taken care of?” Zander asked, standing up from where he’d been leaning against the building.

“Yeah.” Kay ripped open the bag and took out the prescription bottle, throwing everything else in the trashcan. She popped open the bottle and dumped the first dose into her hand. “It was only the most embarrassing moment of my life.”

“Kay...” Zander offered her a bottle of water to chase the pills with. “You didn’t know the guy would give you...uh...”

“You can say it,” she said. “
Chlamydia
.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, Zand,” she said, handing the water bottle back to him, “but you’re allowed to call me stupid on this one.”

Shaking his head with a sigh, he draped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing tightly. “I’d never call you stupid, Kay.”

“And thanks to you, my dad won’t either,” she said as they started for his car. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t loaned me the money just now.”

“
Gave
,” Zander corrected. “I don’t want it back.”

“Too bad,” she said, reaching to pinch a tiny roll of fat on his stomach and surprised to find mostly muscle. “I’m giving it back anyway, just as soon as Mom gets back and I can hit her up for the cash.”

“If you insist,” he said, pulling open the passenger door for her. “I’ll just spend it on you anyway though.”

≈≈≈

Twenty minutes before the next meeting, Daphne sat in the room looking over her notes from previous sessions. She’d made some progress and honed in on some of the real issues. Meagan remained a mystery, but she’d pegged Carmen. She heard a throat-clearing noise and looked up to see Gage lingering by the doorway.

“Hi.”

Daphne looked up from the notebook on her lap. “Come in.”

He walked into the room, shoulders hunched with his hands stuffed in his pockets. “Look, I just wanted to say…” He sighed and started to pace a slow line in front of her. “I don’t believe in this therapy shit. I think if your life sucks, all the talking in the world isn’t going to make it better. But I guess not everybody feels that way, so from now on, I’ll just keep my mouth shut. Okay? I’ll sit in that chair and bide my time.” He met her eyes with a look of steel. “Twelve sessions. That’s what the court ordered. Don’t expect me to participate or even care. Alright?”

With that, he strolled out of the room, and Daphne gave a small, triumphant smile to his back. She knew it’d only be a matter of time before he turned out to be one of the strongest survivors.

Chapter Six—Reasons Why

That Wednesday, at the Discover-U Center, Daphne was running late to the meeting. Gage took the chair he’d been in before, with the empty one between his and Kelly’s. Next to her, Meagan chewed rapidly on a piece of gum, and Carmen filed her fingernails. Beside Carmen, Ryder grimaced at the ceiling.

Meagan glanced up at the clock on the wall. “She’s ten minutes late.”

“Seems unprofessional,” Carmen commented.

Gage smirked. “Maybe she gave up on us. Maybe we’re too crazy for her.”

Ryder yawned. “The only crazy person here is you.”

“Blow me.”

“You wish.”

“What’s the deal with you two?” Meagan leaned forward, smiling in interest at the thought of some juicy gossip. “You went to the same school, right? Are you rivals or something?”

Ryder scoffed. “I didn’t even know who the jerk was until his girlfriend held us hostage in the damn computer lab.”

“She wasn’t my girlfriend.”

“The shooter was a girl?” Meagan laughed. “Way to go, feminism.”

Gage glared at her. “You think it’s funny?”