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“Oh my God, fine! He will bring me straight home. I will text you.”
His smile is worth letting him have this win. Seeing him happy is one of the few things in this life that really matters to me.
“I hate you,” I mumble with a laugh, grabbing my cookie plate from the kitchen counter. “Walk me to the car?”
“Obviously. I’m staring that fucker down when I open the door for you,” he says all matter of fact.
“Hurry up then. It’s getting past your bedtime, old man.”
Chapter 7
Ten Years Ago
Mack
Trevor:Hey man, you mind picking up Thea from basketball practice? My shift starts early today.
Me:Sure. I’m around the corner anyway.
I’m not around the corner, but I know her practice isn’t done for another fifteen minutes anyway, so I shove my phone in my pocket and jump up to get my sneakers on.
Trevor:Thanks dude. Can you let her know I got spaghetti or there’s a frozen pizza in the freezer. I’m going to be home late.
Me:I’ll make sure she eats.
I know she’s not going to want to cook after school and practice. Trevor tries his best, but it’s not easy taking care of someone when you’re barely an adult yourself. Trevor moved out of his dad’s house the moment he turned eighteen, and although her dad still technically has guardianship over Thea, he hasn’t batted an eye since she moved out with Trevor even though she’s still in high school.
Nothing gave me more relief than when she got out of there, so these little things, like helping out with dinner, it’s nota big deal. We can just grab some subs or something on the way home.
I pull up to the high-school parking lot ten minutes later. I pull out my phone and text Thea, letting her know I’m picking her up instead of Trevor so she can look for my car when practice is over. I try to fiddle around with my a/c, but this damn car is fucking on its last leg.
“Fuck this,” I mumble to myself, shoving the car door open and heading inside to wait.
The hallways are empty since school has been out for a while. I walk over to the gym to see if I can find her. It looks like most of the team has already headed out, but I spot Thea talking to her coach. I walk over there, but I stop when I see she looks upset. I thought they were just chitchatting, so I hang back just enough that I can still overhear without invading their space.
“Can I please just go in the locker room after the game? It’s not like anyone would notice,” Thea says.
“Thea, I don’t want that,” her coach sighs with sympathy in his voice. “It’s awards night. You are a part of this team, and you deserve to be recognized. Not to mention, your teammates deserve your support. A lot of these girls look up to you.”
Thea’s face drops. “Okay,” she whispers barely audibly.
Her coach squeezes her shoulder. “Trust me, no one will even be thinking about it. You can stand at the end of the line with me. Okay?”
She gives him a smile and nods, but I know it’s not okay.
Awards night?
It took me a moment to figure out what they were talking about, and it’s because no one calls it fucking awards night. It’sparents’night. Always has been. Always will be. I know because my mom and dad were always standing up next to me at the end of every sporting season.
Thea reaches down and grabs her duffle bag. The look on her face shatters my heart to pieces. It’s not sadness. It’s shame. It’s shame that’s unfounded. It’s shame for something she didn’t do. It’s shame for something she has no control over, but yet she’s forced to carry it with her every day.
Her eyes open wider when she sees me. “What are you doing here?”
I clear my throat, trying to act normal so she doesn’t know I overheard. “Trev had to work. Hurry up.”
She rolls her eyes. “You didn’t have to pick me up. I can walk home.”
I lift my eyebrows. “That would take over an hour.”
