Goddess Secret (22 page)

Legacy gasped, and Adin stroked her back. River cut his eyes over to Adin and then back to her. “So I ran over there, grabbed the back of his shirt, and yanked him back.” River took a deep breath, shaking his head. “He cursed at me and yelled at Calli. He said it was over, and he left.”

Legacy shook her head, staring at River.

“She started crying, so I held her and walked her to the field. She didn’t want anyone seeing her upset, so we walked over to the field house. After she cried for awhile, she asked if I’d get her something to drink. On her way back, I saw you walking in, so I told her I was going to get you.”

“Thanks,” she whispered.

River nodded.

“I can’t believe Zach would do this to her…and right before homecoming!” She shook her head in total disbelief.

Adin was still rubbing soothing circles on her back when he said, “I can.”

Legacy turned to him. “Why do you say that?”

He glanced at River and looked back into her eyes. “Because he acts inappropriately toward other women. A man who does that usually has an agenda.”

Adin’s eyes cut to River again, and River glared at him briefly before they both turned their eyes back to her. She knew River understood Adin wasn’t just talking about Zach’s agenda.

She couldn’t look at either one of them, though. She had to watch Calli. It didn’t take long before she started crying. Legacy stood up, and Calli ran off the tracks. Legacy ran down the bleachers with Adin and River ran right behind her. When she got down, Calli was talking to her coach, so she stayed back. She saw her coach hug her and leave, so Legacy walked up to Calli.

“I can go home,” she mumbled.

“You can ride with us.”

“I can’t leave my car up here.”

“I’ll drive it then. I don’t want you driving.” No way.

Calli nodded, and Legacy put her arms around her and walked her to the parking lot. When they got to her car, Adin opened the passenger door for Calli and followed Legacy to the other side.

“I’ll follow you to Calli’s house,” Adin whispered as he bent down and kissed her forehead.

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying over there.”

“That’s okay, sweetheart.”

Adin opened the door for her to get in, and he followed her out to Calli’s house. When they pulled in, she saw River pass and pull into his driveway, but then he ran over to Calli’s house.

Legacy guided her distraught BFF inside, and the guys followed. Once inside, Calli turned to her. “Can you get me something to drink while I change out of my uniform?”

“Sure thing.”

Calli walked upstairs while Legacy went into the kitchen. When she turned around, Adin and River were both staring at her. They looked so concerned, and she knew it wasn’t because of Calli. She shook her head and felt her eyes moisten.

“It’s not me you should be worried about,” she mumbled, looking down.

When she looked back up, they both still looked worried.

“We’ve both been through this before. She’ll be fine. I’ll be fine.” She shook her head and looked up at the ceiling while her tears leaked over.

“Sweetheart, please don’t be upset,” Adin whispered as he stepped closer to her.

She shrugged. She didn’t trust her voice not to break, so she didn’t speak. Besides, she needed to gather her strength for Calli.

Adin stepped closer, and she looked over at him with a sad smile. “I’ll be upstairs.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

She started walking toward Adin and River with the intention of walking past them, but she stopped right in front of them. “Please don’t start anything while I’m upstairs,” she whispered. “I’m going to have my hands full with Calli, so I don’t want to have to mediate some testosterone-fueled territorial dispute.”

She looked both of them in the eyes while she spoke, and they both furrowed their eyebrows and shook their heads at her like that was an outrageous concept. But she knew better. She pursed her lips and raised one eyebrow. They both sighed and nodded.

“Is there anything that I, ummm, we can do, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, we need chocolate ice cream. And lots of it.”

She walked upstairs, and Calli was crying on her bed. They spent the next several hours talking and crying. Not only was Calli upset about her breakup, but she was mortified that it happened at school.

“I’m glad that River was there for you.”

“Yeah, if I wasn’t in total shock at Zach grabbing me, I probably would’ve been a little more grateful that he’d stepped in.”

“Zach had
no
right to touch you.”

“I know,” she whispered. “But he didn’t hurt me, and I don’t think he meant to scare me. I honestly think, when I pushed him, he grabbed me to stabilize himself.”

“Maybe, but he shouldn’t be going out with other women when he has a girlfriend!”

“I know.” Calli started sobbing again.

They talked and cried for another couple of hours while they inhaled bowls of ice cream. When Calli started to calm down, Legacy felt it was time to brave the next kink that this breakup created.

“I’m going to ask Adin if he knows anyone that can take you to the dance.”

“Legacy, I don’t even want to think about next week right now. If I show up with some stranger, everyone will know that…” Calli started crying again.

“Shhhh…we don’t have to think about it now,” Legacy whispered as she rocked her. But her mind raced with possibilities. She knew exactly who she needed to talk to
before
she talked to Calli about this again.

They continued to talk some more until Calli finally drifted off to sleep. Legacy gently crawled out of her bed and made her way downstairs.

The guys were at opposite ends of the room. Both were slumped over in their seats with their heads down. She figured they thought it was best to pretend that the other wasn’t there to keep from acting up. As she came into the room, they both looked up.

“How is she?” Adin asked.

“She’s asleep. We can go.”

Adin and River stood up, and they all walked outside.

“I’ll see you Monday,” River said as he started to leave.

“Wait a minute. I need to talk to you before you leave.”

River stopped and looked at her. She glanced at Adin and stepped closer to River, but they were all standing close together.

“You have to ask Calli to the homecoming dance.”

River’s eyes got big, and he shook his head. “Legacy, I, er, I can’t do that.”

“River, you have to.”

River’s eyes flashed to Adin and back at her. “I don’t want to go to the dance,” he whispered. “I can, umm, ask my cousin if he’d take her.”

“That won’t work. I already mentioned that I’d ask Adin if he could ask one of his friends. She doesn’t want to go with a stranger.”

River’s eyes were pleading. “She knows Paul.”

“River, she’s embarrassed enough as it is. She doesn’t want to show up with some random guy. This wouldn’t be an issue if she wasn’t on the homecoming court. She has to go to the dance, and I know you haven’t asked someone already.”

River shook his head and shut his eyes. “Legacy, please don’t ask me to do this.”

“Look, she hasn’t even thought about this yet. When she gets over the shock of the breakup, she’s going to freak out about the dance. I’m just trying to keep her panicking to a minimum. You are friends with her, so I think you are the best shot we have at getting her through homecoming.”

River narrowed his eyes. “Legacy, I
don’t
want to go!” he whispered heatedly. Even though Adin could hear him, it seemed like River was trying to keep him out of their conversation. River shut his eyes and shook his head. “I don’t want to have to go and see…”

The ground started shaking.

Legacy grabbed River’s arms. “Stop,” she whispered. He opened his eyes and looked at her, and the tremors stopped. “I know why you don’t want to go, but I’m asking you to do this…for me.”

River looked at her with sad eyes. “That’s not fair, Legacy.”

“Ple—”

“No!” River roared, and he quickly twisted his arms around so that her hands would be forced to break away from him. His reaction startled her, and she jumped back.

That did it.

“You don’t have to yell at her!” Adin said as he pulled her away from River and got in his face.

“Back off!” River said through his teeth as he shoved Adin back a few steps. The wind howled. River had reached his breaking point.

With one step, Adin was back in River’s face. She saw River’s fist for a split second at his side and then it was in Adin’s hand by his face. River must have tried to hit Adin, but Adin caught his fist in a defensive maneuver. It happened so fast that there was no way that Adin could have seen it coming. But somehow, he had.

After that fraction of a second, Adin must have shoved River to the ground because River was on his back, and Adin was standing over him.

In the next instant, River was back on his feet, and she saw both Adin and River draw back their fists. The wind was whipping her hair everywhere, and it had only been about two seconds since Adin first stepped up to River.

They both must have made contact because she heard cracks almost simultaneously, but she didn’t see anything until River landed on the ground several feet away from Adin.

She saw Adin take two steps toward River with his hand balled up ready to strike again, but before Adin could reach him, she saw River back on his feet with his fist ready too.

After about five seconds into their fight, her brain finally remembered how to use her mouth. “Stop!”

Two more cracks sounded, and she felt something wet hit her.

She looked up at the sky to find the rain clouds that she created from her sudden emotional change, but it wasn’t raining. She wiped her cheek and discovered it was blood.

They hit each other again, and she ran toward them. She wasn’t sure how she’d break up this fight because they were moving too fast for her to make out their actions, but she knew she couldn’t stand here and let this continue. Getting hurt was a risk she was willing to take.

“She said
stop
!” As she screamed and thunder sounded, she pushed against both of them, even though she could barely tell them apart.

As soon as she made contact with them, they flew back in opposite directions with their bodies contorted and they screamed for a brief second as they landed on the ground. Then they both looked at her in total shock.

Thunder sounded while she glared at both of them. “Knock it off!” Lightning illuminated the sky.

They both glanced at each other, and then looked at her as they slowly got off the ground.

“Let’s go,” she said, looking at Adin.

She headed toward Adin’s car and heard them both right behind her. When she got to the car, Adin opened the door for her, and River started to say something.

“Don’t!” she snapped. “Unless you’re going to tell me you’re taking Calli to the dance. Otherwise, I don’t want to hear it.”

River didn’t say anything.

“Nice,” she said sarcastically. “Now I don’t get to go to the dance either.”

“Why do you say that, sweetheart?” Adin mumbled.

“Because I’m not going if Calli doesn’t go.” She got in the car and slammed the door shut before Adin could shut it for her.

As River started to walk away and Adin headed around the car, they couldn’t help but shove against each other as they passed.

“Ugh!” she screamed. Thunder crashed when she did, and they both glanced at the sky as they continued on their way. Men! Was putting up with Adin’s and River’s attitudes some kind of goddess test? Or just a cruel joke the universe was playing on her? Mediating egotistical brawling matches wasn’t part of the deal. At least it sure as hell wasn’t going to be. Oh yeah, she would make sure they both understood that.

Chapter Fifteen

Adin got in his car, and they left Calli’s house. He didn’t say anything to Legacy until they were almost to her house, and she didn’t look at him.

“I wasn’t going to fight him. He pushed me and took a swing at me before I even did anything to him.”

“
You
got in his face before that happened,” she whispered. She didn’t trust herself not to scream at him if she spoke above that. She kept looking out of the window.

“I told you I was through with him, Legacy. He yelled at you and pushed you off. He
scared
you.”

“I can take care of myself, Adin,” she said through her teeth.

Adin didn’t say anything else on the ride to her house. When they got home, she didn’t wait for him to get her door. She got out and went inside with Adin right behind her. She turned around to tell him to leave, but then she saw his face. His eyes were sad, and his face was bloody.

She sighed and walked into the kitchen without saying anything. She knew Adin would follow her. She wet a clean washcloth and put some ice in a towel. She heard Adin moving a chair, and when she turned around, he was sitting down. She walked over to him and gently wiped the washcloth on his face, cleaning him up.

Adin kept his hands in his lap while he watched her eyes, but she didn’t look at him. She was still mad at him, and she was going to make sure that he knew it.

When she wiped along the side of his face, Adin turned his head slightly and kissed her arm. She felt tears starting to form, so she pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows while she continued to clean his face. She still wanted to be mad at him.

While she worked, she glanced down at Adin’s lap, and his hand was swollen. She reached for the towel of ice and placed it on top of his right hand. Adin put his other hand on top of hers and gently caressed the top, not taking his eyes off her face, waiting for her to look at him. She slipped her hand out from underneath his and walked to the sink to rinse out the washcloth. Then she got some more ice and another towel.

She walked back over to Adin and put the ice up to his lip. She could feel his gaze penetrating her, so she finally looked into his gloomy eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said, barely a whisper.

She nodded and looked at his lip. Earlier, she felt like she would scream if she opened her mouth. Now, she didn’t trust herself not to cry if she said anything.