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But I’m having a terrible time staying focused. My worry about Tristan is bad enough, and now I have to wade through the reality that my entire schooling was funded on a lie.Blood money, Kim called it. I’m chasing a future that belonged to someone else.
I know there’s more to it than that. The Haverfords have always treated me like their own child, so in a twisted way giving me money meant for Tristan isn’t as absurd as it sounds. This “scholarship” was a way out for me as much as a chance at an education. It’s likely Tristan thought about that as well, and used it to guarantee I stayed here and didn’t follow him to prison.
I haven’t even spoken to my birth parents in two years. I wanted nothing to do with them when I left home. I don’t even know if they still live in Suncrest Valley, and honestly, don’t care. It’s my grandparents who practically raised me, and maybe that’s what I need now.
I close my laptop and push up from the table. Grabbing my keys and a jacket, I head to my car. It’s a short drive to the trailer park where I grew up, one I make a few times a month to see my grandparents. They lived just a few lots down from us, so it was a convenient situation for a girl who needed frequent escapes from a caustic environment.
I’m relieved to see a few lights on and their old Buick parked beside their trailer. Not that it’s surprising they’re home. They don’t venture out much anymore.
I park in my usual spot and climb up the few steps to the small porch I helped Grandad build when I was little. Grandma answers after a quick knock and pulls me in for a hug.
“Well, this is a surprise. It’s good to see you, sweetie.”
I return her embrace, some of the previous tension easing at the familiar smell of fall spices. The cloying scent is a potpourri she’s been using since before I was born.
“Hey, squirt,” Grandad calls from his easy chair.
I shoot him a smile and drop to the couch as he mutes the TV.
“Everything okay?” Grandma asks. “We haven’t seen you for a while.”
“Yeah, sorry for not coming by. I’ve had a lot going on.”
They exchange a look, and my stomach tightens.
“This wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain young man returning home, would it?” Grandma asks.
I try not to react to her critical tone. I know they don’t like Tristan. They never did. Like everyone else, they only saw the shallow façade he projected.
“Not just that. School, work, everything. I broke up with Pierce as well.”
Grandma’s eyes widen as Grandad releases a grunt.
“Really? What happened?” she asks.
I bite my lip, having no idea how to answer that. They actuallylikedPierce for the same reason they don’t like Tristan—they only saw the shiny façade he projected.
“He wasn’t what I thought. It was the right decision because he’s showing his true colors now.”
“Is he threatening you?” Grandad asks with a dark look.
“Sort of,” I say quietly. “He’s threatening Tristan.”
I sense their disapproval when they relax, but they don’t say anything.
“Tristan isn’t what you think,” I say, giving them a hard look.
“Sweetie, we love you. You know that, right? We only want what’s best for you. That’s all we’ve ever wanted. But that boy is no good. We would have thought you’d see that after what he did to that poor girl.”
My fists clench in my lap. The defense is right on the tip of my tongue, and it kills me that I can’t say it. How the hell does he do this all day, every day? For so many years, keeping quiet while people ripped him apart over lies?
“Prison changed him. He’s completely different now,” I say instead. That’s not even a lie.
“I’m sure it did. People leave the slammer with lots of demons, Izzy,” Grandad says, using the nickname I hate. They’re the only ones allowed to call me that. “Not something you want to get wrapped up in. My advice? Run far and fast.”
Way too late for that.
“I hope your issues with Pierce don’t have anything to do with Tristan coming back,” Grandma says. “I will never understand your attachment to that boy. Thank god he listened to us and left you alone. After his arrest, you probably would have run off and married him in prison if he hadn’t.”
