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“I’ll get back to you."
Jim nods. “Whatever you need, Luke. We’re at your disposal.”
“Thank you Jim. We’ll be in touch.”
He nods, and the call disconnects.
“We need to keep this quiet. I don’t want anyone to find out, including Liv. Not until we know more. I don’t want to scare her,” I say.
I can see the disapproval all over Mark’s face, but he nods.
“What about Skye?” Jordy asks.
I frown. It’s her mom, too. She has a right to know. “I’ll tell her. Fill in Jackson and Brando, but tell them to keep it quiet.”
We head to the gym and I tell Liv it was a false alarm. She relaxes and I try my best to act like everything is normal. Later that night, long after Liv has fallen asleep, I lay staring at the ceiling. I sigh and get up, heading out to my balcony for some fresh air. I settle into a lounge chair and gaze out over the bay.
Watching my mom die brought back the Mount Everest sized bucket of shame from that day. My mind travels to the last time I saw her...
Five-year-old Skye sat at the kitchen table, drawing pictures with crayons. I walked over and dropped a kiss on her head. “Hey, Bug.” She had snot dripping out of her nose, so I wiped it away with my thumb. She was such a disgusting little nugget. I loved her with every fiber of my being.
“Hi Wuke!” She kept her focus on her drawing. Priorities. I went to the sink in the kitchen and washed my hands.
“How was practice?” My mom called from her office nearby, which was more like a nook. She had a direct line of sight to Skye from behind her desk.
“Good. I’m starting our game next week.”
She came around the corner, her smile and pale blue eyes identical to my own. “That’s great Lukey Bear. Keep up the outstanding work.”
I groaned at the nickname she’d used since before I could remember. She smirked and ignored my pain, as usual. I was always starving after practice, so I opened the fridge and pulled out fixings to make a sandwich.
“We’re eating dinner soon.” My mom rounded the island and pulled out a water bottle from the fridge.
“Don’t worry. I’ll eat again.” I grinned at her and she ruffled my hair and gave me a once over. Her eyes narrowed.
“Did you hit another growth spurt?” I’d noticed that she had to look up to meet my gaze. She scoffed at my triumphant smirk.
“I can’t believe my baby boy is in his second year of high school. I’m getting so old.” She wrapped me up in a hug and I squeezed her tight.
“And he’s also going to his first high school party tonight. Kids sure grow up fast, don’t they? So anyway, I’m gonna go work on some homework.” I pulled out of her hug and tried to make my escape, but she was too smart for me.
“Nice try, slick. What party? Who’s house? Who are you going with?” She crossed her arms and gave me the ‘mom’ look. I was screwed.
“Vanessa’s house. Just a party. I’m going with Brody.” I should have gotten an Oscar for how casual I was.
She pursed her lips. “Isn’t Vanessa older than you?”
I shrugged. “She’s a Senior.”
“Will her parents be home?”
“I don’t know, Mom. I doubt it. But I’m only going because Brody begged me. I knew he’d go without me, so I figured I’d tag along and keep him out of trouble. You know how he is.” She stared at me and I took a bite of my sandwich while I waited her out.
She relaxed and dropped her arms. “I trust you, kiddo. Be careful ok? And don’t stay out too late. Home by midnight?”
I smiled at her. “Before that.”
She grinned. “That’s my boy. I love you.”
