AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Rhonda approached and embraced me. “How are you?” She asked. “We’re hanging out here until Cal picks you up for Homecoming. I want to see your dress.”
“I’m good,” I told her.
“Liar,” she teased me. Then she smiled at me. “Let me introduce you to the rest of the Coopers.”
She tugged me to her side and guided me around the room. I met Bayleigh and her boyfriend first. Bayleigh was three years younger than Sam. “She swears she will never marry Bo,” Rhonda teased her older sister.
“It’s good to meet you,” Bayleigh said even as she scowled at her sister. “My boyfriend since high school, Bo.”
“She’ll marry me someday,” he said smiling. They were perfect together. Both boy / girl next door good looks. Both dark in coloring. Bayleigh looked like Rhonda and their dad. “Nice to meet you Abby.”
Then she took me to Sam and his fiancé, Kylie. A beautiful blonde with model looks. “It’s nice to meet you Abby.” She was warm and welcoming. Sam was a little more standoffish. Concerned? Waiting to see how this relationship worked out? How I affected his brother’s future? I didn’t know. Maybe Aiden had been talking to him.
Even though I had been to Cal’s on many occasions I rarely ran into Blythe or just passed by her and received a head nod for acknowledgement to my greetings. “You know Blythe.”
“We’ve met,” his sister replied in her usual bored tone. She looked more like Cal and their mom. Lighter chestnut brown hair. Warm brown eyes that Cal and Rhonda had but even she had the dark hair like their father.
Sheena was next to be introduced to me along with her husband, Pierce. An Irishman with a thick accent. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she replied. “My husband Pierce.”
I didn’t have a clue what he said to me because he spoke so quickly. Sheena was a carbon copy of her father more so than even Bayleigh. She was twenty-four. I couldn’t imagine being married so young.
“They graduated together from UC. Got married right away and work together. I couldn’t imagine,” Rhonda whispered to me. “How are you?”
I looked at Cal’s sister and knew that she understood me. “Terrified,” I replied.
“Ah, honey. You’re going to be fine. Mom put Dad in his place. He’s cool with you and Cal dating now. He thought by bringing Aiden and Luke over he could help mend the relationship between the three of them. I take it there was a fight last night.”
I teared up. I couldn’t speak so I nodded.
“Come on.” She led me down the hall to the bathroom and shut the door behind us. Then Rhonda hugged me. “What happened?”
I explained what had been happening for weeks. Taunts, remarks tossed at me in the hallway at school and after the football games while I waited on Cal. Then last night, Aiden was throwing apples at me. I stepped away from Rhonda and showed her my shoulder and back. Lucky for me, they wouldn’t show with my dress.
I also told her that he shoved me. That is when the fight broke out, because of Aiden trying to hurt me and or scare me.
“You have to understand where he comes from,” Rhonda said.
I didn’t know what that meant.
“His dad is an ass. He’s mean and abusive. Luckily, he isn’t home much because he’s an over the road truck driver. I’m not excusing Aiden, but I’ve known him a long time, Abby. He’s a bully because he’s bullied.” Rhonda hugged me hard wanting to comfort me. “I’m sorry honey. He shouldn’t be hurting you.”
“I try to avoid him. Last night was the worst. Aiden has never left bruises on me before.” I sniffed. I had been keeping this torment locked inside me. “I wanted to go back to Cal and Tyson, but they wouldn’t let me.”
“I know honey. I understand.” She comforted me. “You were scared.”
I nodded as she patted my back.
“They gave me no choice. I had to go with them. Aiden kept shoving me. I assume it was him throwing the apples at me.”
We hadn’t realized that the door had opened or that Cal stood there listening to what we were saying. “Abby, why didn’t you tell me how bad it was?” He asked. Cal was upset with me.
“Cal, she was protecting your friendship with Aiden. Duh.” That only made him angrier. He turned. She called his name. “Calvert,” he turned back to her. “Do not go out there and do something stupid.”
“Like what? Shove him. Hit him with something? At least I can defend myself. Abby was terrified last night when Johnny, Tyson and I reached her. She was trembling in my arms. I just want to ask him one question,” he said.
“Cal, please don’t,” I begged.
I walked out of Rhonda’s embrace and went to him. I touched his arm and I could see the hurt in his face that his friend was bullying me, his girlfriend.
