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“It will be so much fun.” The smile grows on my face as I say, “I need the money for your spot by next week. It’s two thousand a person.”
“Two thousand dollars?” Neil asks but it’s Cade’s face that tells me how ridiculous he thinks it is.
“Yep. That includes the room, drinks, party bus.” I let that sink in before I add. “But not food. Meals are extra.”
Cade lets out a low chuckle as he shakes his head. “Two grand, and the damn food isn’t even covered.”
Money. I knew it’d get to him. And even with that smug look on his face, I know he feels out of place. I glance around the table. “Doesn’t the restaurant give free bread?” Looking back to Cade, “So you can at least get some bread and water. And I can always toss you a few crumbs from my meal if your still hungry.”
“I’ll cover you,” Neil offers before Cade can respond. Even better.
“Aw. That’s so sweet of you, Neil. I’m sure Cade appreciates the charity.”
“It’s not charity.” Neil quickly looks to Cade. “Seriously, I owe you for the concert tickets. And my mom won’t mind. She likes you better than she does me anyway.”
Cade keeps his furious eyes locked with mine as he says, “No. I’ll pay my own way. Or better yet, I’ll just miss out on Morg’s weekend of making herself feel better with material shit because thepatheticfootball game is more important than her.”
Motherfucker. “Oh, Cade. Don’t let your ego get in the way of being part of the fun. I’m sure we can do a bake sale or car wash if it’d make you feel better than needing to have your friend pay your way.”
“If Daddy wasn’t paying your way, you wouldn’t be sitting on your little queen bitch pedestal.”
“Well, ask your daddy—or better yet, ask Mommy, and I’m sure they’ll give you anything you could ever wish for.” Bingo. His mom is the one thing he can’t get past. He always has some asshole response. Instead, he stands and leaves the table. His little follower on his heels. I’m not done, but it’s a start.
Everyone at the table is silent as I look around to see several sets of eyes on me. “What?”
“Talking about his mom, really? That was a bitch move,” Ava (of all people) says.
“That was me being nice.” There’s a lot more I could say where his mom is concerned, but I don’t. Right now, I’m content with barely scraping his nerves. It’s not time to implode his universe. Not yet.
13
CADE
“Wait up,” Neil calls from behind me.
Fuck. I don’t want to talk to him right now because I feel it, the need to yell and curse, but it’s not Neil who deserves that wrath. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
“Cade, please.”
Shit. My feet stop involuntarily but I don’t turn to face him. Neil steps in front of me, his eyes not meeting mine. “It’s not a big deal, Cade. You know my stepdad doesn’t care, and I was being serious, my mom likes you being around. You know, since she never is.”
And that’s the only reason I agreed to go to begin with, so he wouldn’t be there with all the asshats without me. But two thousand fucking dollars for a drunken weekend of fun. “I can’t ask you to pay, and I don’t have that kind of money to blow for kicks. I can’t keep up with them, and you shouldn’t want to.”
His face falls, his arms fold over his chest. “I know. But it’s the first time in my life that I’ve felt included. When I informed my mom I was part of the football team, she was so excited. It’s like the only thing she’s ever acted that way about.” He turns to let his back hit the lockers. “She even said she was proud of me. She’s never said that. Not even when I won the science fair two years in a row or got accepted for early admission to every university I applied to. But assistant equipment manager of the Wildcats football team?” He raises his eyebrows. “And when Morgan mentioned homecoming, the first thing I thought about was what my mom would think about it. She was so popular in school and always wanted me to be part of that.” He stops for a second before he looks at me. “And I only am because of you.”
“That’s not true.” I want to kick all their asses—including his mom’s. She’s a fucking idiot for making him feel like this. “They need something from me. That’s the only reason they speak to me. They use people. They don’t even like each other, much less themselves. So get that garbage out of your mind. You’ve accomplished more in the last few years than those jackasses will in their entire lifetimes. Things that actually matter.”
He lets out a sullen chuckle. “Yes, because first place at the science fair is so important.”
“It is when you’re planning a career in science.”
He remains quiet for a beat before looking to me. “I’ll pay for yours. You don’t have to tell them it was me. No one has to know. But I really want my best friend there or it won’t be any fun anyways.”
Double shit. “Let me think about it.” Because there’s no way I’d feel right about taking his money, but I can’t dig into my savings just to impress those dicks. And even if I did, it would never be enough. I’d never be able to keep up with them, so there’s no point in trying. And a piece of me gets why Neil wants to be a part of their group, but the rest would rather be friends with a pit of vipers.
“Okay. Just let me know what you decide.” Neil turns and starts to walk away before he suddenly halts, his back to me as he says, “I’ll understand no matter what you decide.” Then he continues walking. And I know he thinks he means what he’s saying, but I have a feeling he wouldn’t understand if I bail. But I know I can’t.
“Cade.”Shit. Here we go.I hear my brother’s teacher voice before I turn to see his equally authoritarian stare. “We need to talk.” He nods in the direction of his classroom and heads inside. He didn’t wait for me to acknowledge him, but I decide to follow his lead because hiding in his classroom does sound more appealing than being anywhere else in this hellhole right now.
