“You know that won’t work on me, brat.” I hoped, anyway, the kid could be persuasive.
“I’m going with her,” Adrian murmured, taking her little hand in his.
“Please, Lulu. I want you to come too.”
I could see the moisture gathering in her eyes.
I hated myself, “Okay. But only for a couple of hours.”
I hadn’t gotten home until nearly 10 p.m.
The truth I hadn’t admitted then, even to myself, was that I’d had fun. For such a young kid, she was funny and sweet.
The girls had forgiven us, with only a little begging, on my part, not Adrian, and we both lost our virginity that summer. Of course, all of that was before Adrian’s mother was killed.
I remembered standing in his bedroom a few weeks after the incident. Adrian had been throwing clothes into his suitcase while his dad talked to Ben in the living room.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving.” I hated that my best friend was moving.
“It’s only a couple of hours away. I’ve got to get out of this house. I can’t stand being here when she’s not.” A single tear ran down his face.
I looked away. Adrian showing any kind of emotion was so rare that it made me uncomfortable.
His mom had been the glue that held this place together. Ben’s first wife had died soon after giving birth to Taryn. He’d been a mess until meeting and marrying Diane, when Taryn was just five years old, and Adrian was twelve.
Mr. Calder was harsh with everyone but his girls. An ex-Marine who had seen too much and lost even more.
Suddenly, Adrian’s door was wrenched open.
“You’re leaving?” Taryn had tears and snot running down her face.
Adrian only nodded and kept packing.
“Please, Annie, don’t leave me with Daddy. He hates me.” She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
He stopped packing, pried her arms away from him, and dropped down on one knee. “I have to go. I don’t have a choice, T.”
I didn’t think that was the whole truth. I’d been there when Adrian had talked to his dad at the funeral.
“You do!” Taryn yelled. “I know you do.” She hiccupped, “You could stay if you wanted.”
“I’ll call every day, I promise.” Adrian held up his pinky. “I pinky swear. And you know I can’t go back on that.”
She looked at him hesitantly, “You promise?”
“I do.” He shook his pinky at her. “Now come over here and make it official.”
“What about you, Lulu?” Taryn looked at me. “Will you still stop by to see me?”
I thought people might find it strange for a teenage boy to visit with a little girl, but with those big gray eyes trained on me, I’d promise her anything.
“Yes, brat. I’ll pinkie promise, too.”
Her eyes brightened, and I winced when she wiped her nose on her sleeve.
After we both solemnly hooked our pinkies with hers, she went back to her room, still sad but with a relieved smile on her face.
“She’ll be fine,” Adrian said more to himself than me. “Ben’s— intense, but he’s not a monster.”
