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“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” I seethed.
“What the hell did you just say to me?”
“You heard me.” My fist clenched against the counter. “I needed you to do one thing for me this season. I needed you to stay the hell away from Rixon. But no, you couldn’t even—”
“Watch it, boy.” Anger simmered in his eyes, but I wasn’t scared of him. Not anymore.
“Or what? You’ll hit me? I’m not a kid now. Hit me and you might not like the outcome.”
“Kaiden.” Mom gasped, covering a hand over her mouth.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to side with this asshole? This is my senior year, Mom. The most important season of my football career and he charged in there tonight all guns blazing all because Coach Ford actually made something of his life. Unlike you.” I glared at him, pure rage surging through me like wildfire, burning me inside out.
“Kaiden, please,” Mom implored. This was what she did, played peacekeeper. But I was so over his bullshit.
“You think just because you’re eighteen you can say and do what you want, Son? This is my house. I pay the bills, I put food on the fucking table, so until otherwise, I suggest you show some goddamn respect.” His fist slammed down on the counter making the fruit bowl clatter.
“Tina, hand me the whiskey.”
“Lew, don’t you think—”
“I said hand me the fucking whiskey, woman.”
Mom leaped into action, hurrying over to the liquor cabinet and locating the whiskey. She grabbed a glass and poured him a healthy measure.
“Shoulda gone to Millington,” he murmured, knocking back his drink in one.
Mom caught my eye, offering me an apologetic look. But this wasn’t a smile-will-fix-it kind of scenario. Dad had embarrassed me in front of the entire team, not to mention Coach. He had single-handedly fed into every one of the preconceived judgments they had about me and my father.
“Yeah, well I didn’t,” I said. “I’m a Raider now, so you need to get with the program. Nothing you say or do is going to change that, but I’d appreciate it if you could try to avoid sabotaging the small chance I have of actually getting to play football this season.”
The glass whizzed past my face, smashing into the wall behind me. “Nice, Dad. Real fucking nice.” I stormed past him and Mom, but his hand shot out, and he grabbed my arm.
“This is my house, Son. Don’t you forget that.”
“I’m sorry…” I didn’t miss a beat as his grip tightened. “Is that a threat?” The words came out rough against my throat.
“Lewis, Kaiden, please, stop,” Mom cried as we stared each other down.
Finally, he released me with a sharp shove. “Go on, get out of here.”
I blew out of the kitchen, desperate for some air, and didn’t stop until I was in my bedroom. The door slammed behind me, rattling my bones.
Fuck. Everything was going to shit. Being at Rixon High, being a Raider, being second-string to Monroe. Now my dad was spiraling out of control. Again. Senior year was supposed to be my time to shine, to secure a scholarship and my ticket out of here. Instead, it was becoming nothing more than a living nightmare.
I dropped down on the edge of my bed and buried my face in my hands. It hadn’t always been like this. Growing up there had been bursts of light in between endless days of dark. As a boy my old man had been just like any other dad. We’d played ball in the yard, and he’d cheered me on at Pee Wee games. But then he’d had an accident at work, a back injury that had never fully healed, and it was like a switch flipped. He became bitter and twisted, spending more time drunk than sober. Mom stuck by him, but our relationship only became more fraught as time went on. Announcing my transfer to Rixon High before the semester started was just the final straw.
It had seemed like the right move at the time.
But now…
Now even I wasn’t so sure.
* * *
“So what doyou want to do today?” Bryan asked me. I’d gotten up and headed straight for his house. Dad was still out cold, no doubt sleeping off a hangover, and Mom was filled with guilt over everything. I needed out of the house, so I’d grabbed breakfast to go and came straight here.
“I figured we could just stay here.” I shrugged.
