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I believe Garrett’s words. Those guys are best mates. Brothers. They’ll never stand by and let one of their circle suffer.
“Thank you,” I whisper, leaning my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes. I’m exhausted all of a sudden.
“You wanna come to my place for dinner tonight?”
Lifting my head off his shoulder, I look back up at Garrett.
“I should probably stay home and study for tomorrow’s exam, but maybe you can come to my place tomorrow after our combined Health and PE exam? We finish at lunchtime, so maybe we can hang out at mine, and you can stay for dinner too?”
Garrett smiles. “I’d like that.”
I feel like shit instantly for lying to Garrett. I won’t be studying tonight. I’ll be at Vixen’s Lodge. The thought makes me queasy. Going to that house alone is not a good idea. I know that, yet I can’t risk not going. He’s going to make Tyler pay if I don’t turn up, and even though things between Ty and me are weird, I’ll always do what I can to protect him from this mess I got him in.
Marcus and Simon rock up a little while later, and we reluctantly go back into the stadium for exam number two. Maths.
While I’m more focused this time, my nerves make it hard not to second guess every damn equation, and once again. I don’t quite finish.
Fuck, I hate exams.
The guys go off together at the end of the exam, blowing me kisses behind my mum's back as she helps the teachers clear the stadium. I really hope Garrett can help Simon figure out a way to stay. I need my playful guy just as much as I need my brooding one, and my outgoing one, and my obsessive one… and my older one.
Thinking of Tyler hurts. I didn’t see him today. He usually helps out with exams, but I suppose he might have other year levels to teach and wasn’t available. I want to call him or message him, but I’m scared I’ll spill that I’m going to Vixen’s Lodge tonight, and then he’ll do something reckless.
At home after school, I end up falling asleep on my bed until the twins burst in and jump on me at dinnertime. I didn’t even know I was asleep, probably an aftereffect of the weed I smoked this morning.
Connor drags me out of my room while Archie rambles on about the movie, Frozen 2 not being just for girls, while Connor disagrees.
Fuck, I wish my biggest issue was debating the correct audience gender for a movie.
Dinner is typical. The twins talk with their mouths full while my mum asks each of us how our day was. Dad is a little quieter tonight than usual, but Char makes up for his silence by whinging about the amount of carbs she is being forced to eat. All in all, it’s ok and over with soon enough.
I help with the dishes, keeping my eye on the clock, knowing that I will need to leave a little after 8 in order to make it all the way out to Vixen’s Lodge before 9pm.
“Rhys. Can we please talk to you?” Mum asks, hovering at the end of the kitchen, her expression pinched.
Shit. I don’t need this right now. I have to go soon.
“Ah… can it wait until tomorrow? I’m pretty stuffed after today. I wanna go to bed early.”
“It won’t take long.” Her tone is final, so I sigh and hand my tea towel to Char as she raises her brows at me.
Ignoring her and the twins, who complain that I’m not helping, I follow my mum out of the room, down the passage to the front of the house, and into the study where my dad is sitting at his desk.
My heart rate picks up. Am I in trouble again for something? What the hell have I done now?
When my mum closes the door behind us, I really start to panic and ignore my dad’s gesture to take a seat. Instead, I stand against the wall near the door, ready for a quick escape.
“I spoke to the police in detail today about your trip to the prison this weekend.” Dad’s voice is all business. “Your mum and I still have a lot of concerns about allowing this. It seems absurd that we let you go into that prison again, so we need to know if you’re sure you want to do it.”
Do I want to go into the Allansdale Prison again and see the man that made me believe the things he did with me were normal for dads and daughters? Fuck no. But I need to. I need this to end. I need them to pay for turning me into this vile-minded, sex-crazed beast.
“I’m sure,” I answer confidently. “I need to do it.”
My rents look at each other, having a silent conversation with their eyes before glancing back at me.
“If we let you do this, Rhys, we would like you to commit to some extra therapy. Not just with Melia, but perhaps some one-on-one time with Mr Matthews at school.”
Ugh. School counsellors suck, but if it gets her off my back, then I’ll agree to it.
