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“What’s going on?” I ask him quietly.
“My mom just called. She got a strange phone call from your mom, so she went over to check on her, and when she got there, your mother had a big gash on her head. She’s taken her to the hospital.”
“Oh my god,” I gasp, placing my hand over my mouth.
“Hey. She’s okay,” he assures me, reaching out and rubbing my arm in comfort. “She’s going to need some stitches, but she’s going to be okay.”
“I have to go.” I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone.
“I will take you.”
“No.” I swipe the screen and scroll to find Lyndsey’s number. “I will get Lyndsey to take me.”
“She’s in detention again.”
“Shit.” I rake my fingers through my hair. “I will ask Eric, then.”
“He rode with me today, and besides, he got detention too.”
“Why the fuck is he in detention? Can’t any of you behave yourselves in class anymore?” I snap, already feeling the telltale signs of a stress headache coming on.
“He was defending Lyndsey, apparently. But look, that’s not important right now. Just let me take you.”
“I will take her,” Mason’s voice speaks from behind me, and I jump, not realizing he had snuck up on us.
Logan’s back straightens, and he cocks his head to the side, glancing at Mason for a moment before looking at me. His eyes narrow, silently challenging me to take Mason up on his offer, but he knows damn well I won’t. This isn’t the first time my mother has had some drunken mishap, but it is the first time she has landed herself in the hospital because of it. And I have no doubt we will be walking into a raging shitstorm when we arrive at the hospital. There is no way I want Mason to see that.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. “It’s fine, Mason. Logan can take me,” I murmur, the words feeling like acid on my tongue.
“No,” he insists, taking my hand in his, but I can’t force myself to look up at him. “I will take you. It’s fine. I want to.”
Logan huffs, “We don’t have time for this, Ava. We have to go.”
He starts walking away, prompting me to follow, and I give Mason’s hand a reassuring squeeze. “His mom is already there, and he’s going anyway. Honestly, it’s okay. I will call you later, okay?”
I let go of his hand and follow after Logan, feeling the weight of Mason’s penetrating stare on my back as I leave.
The tensionin Logan’s car is so thick, I swear I could carve out patterns in the air with a knife. Logan’s knuckles turn white as his grip tightens on the steering wheel intermittently, obviously feeling just as uncomfortable as I am with the deafening silence.
Making an attempt to tune out his presence, I fix my gaze out the window, my thoughts drifting to how wonderful it would be to have the power to teleport right now.
After a while, Logan finally speaks. “How have you been?”
“Fine,” I respond dryly, and then it dawns on me that I haven’t heard from my father. I pull out my phone and scroll to his number, hitting the call button.
“Who are you calling?” Logan asks.
“My dad,” I reply, placing the phone to my ear, but it goes straight to voice mail.
“He’s in court.”
“Does he know?” I ask. Logan shrugs, and I let out a bitter laugh. “Of course he does.” I toss the phone in the center console, not bothering to leave a message.
“Nothing’s changed, huh?”
“Same old, same old.” I release a weary sigh.
“Look, I know I’m the last person you want to be around right now, but I am always here for you, Avabell.”
