He didn’t have to ask me twice. Instead of fighting back, I allowed myself to be led toward his car—a brand new SUV, which looked out of place along our beat-up street.

“Far cry from the old beater, eh?” I snorted.

“Jesse, don’t start,” Dad warned. “I’ve come into a lot of money considering my paycheck isn’t being used to fund a drug addiction.”

“You could have stopped that, you know,” I reminded him. I jumped into the front seat, and though I tried my hardest not to look too grateful, I couldn’t help myself. I let out a sigh of relief as the blast of the heater warmed my face. The feeling once again returned to my skin as my body thawed itself slowly—painfully.

“Same goes with you,” Dad snapped.

“I’m the child, remember? You should have acted like an adult for once instead of running away.”

Dad’s eyes shut tightly and his chest heaved up and down. His nostrils flared slightly, creating a wheezing noise as the air passed in and out.

I let out my own puff of air. “Feeling guilty, eh?”

Eyelids snapping open, he turned to me and scowled. “If you recall, I’ve been sending you some money. I’m guessing you never used any of it?”

I shook my head and smirked. “What would I do with blood money?”

Definitely not responding to my sarcasm well, Dad snapped, “Is it inside?”

I nodded. “All there. Under my mattress.”

His shoulders sagged forward with a groan. “Stay in the car. I’m going inside and getting it before your mom finds it. Don’t want the corner mini-mart to be bought out of liquor, do we?”

“Whatever.”

He shot me a look and begrudgingly stomped his way inside the house. Realizing I didn’t want to watch a train wreck happen, I looked away and grabbed my phone out of my pocket. I was no better than my father. I ran away from Rocky when shit hit the fan. No. I would not let it end like that. I needed her to know that I would keep my promise.

I’ll come back for you.

I quickly hit send and held my breath, waiting for Rocky’s reply. Unfortunately, I was met with nothing but silence.

“They probably took away her phone…or maybe they’re arguing…or…” It didn’t matter how many excuses I could make up in my head. Deep down I knew it really was the beginning of the end.

“Get out of my house, you asshole!” Mom’s shrill voice cut through the silent night, momentarily distracting me. Like a banshee’s war cry, her voice bounced through the street, ricocheting between the houses. Hell, I was surprised the cops hadn’t been called yet.

Dad stomped angrily toward the car, dead grass crunching under his heavy soled boots with each step. Jumping into his seat he shoved a wad of bills into my chest. “I’d appreciate it if you understood the value of money.”

“I do,” I replied blankly. “Just not yours.”

He threw me an annoyed look and gestured toward the yard. “Grab your stuff and let’s go.”

I shook my head and frowned. “Leave it. I don’t want any of it.”

Dad opened his mouth as if to reply, and thinking better of it, buckled his seatbelt. “Fine. Suit yourself.”

As the car began to accelerate, I realized I still hadn’t received a text back. Feeling frantic, I asked, “Can we stop by Rocky’s house?”

“Rocky? As in Raquel Rossi?” He scratched his head and frowned.

“Yeah.”

He sighed and shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“And why is that?” I demanded.

Instead of answering, he turned up the dial on his car radio and turned the opposite direction. Though I wanted to kick, scream, and protest, I knew there was nothing I could do but bid Bethel Falls—and Rocky—goodbye.

Chapter 10

If I thought the ride to Charleston was uncomfortable, I hadn’t seen anything yet. The next few months were nothing short of utter torture. Funny thing was my dad wasn’t even too horrible to me. In fact, it was sort of nice seeing this new and improved model of what my dad used to be. Gone was his aloofness and perpetual depression. What was left was a smiling, happy, and over attentive father. Of course his doting could get a bit annoying.

“You know you’ve been here for three months and you’ve hardly touched anything I’ve cooked for you.” Dad shoved a plate full of…well, I don’t know what it was full of. It looked as if it was pulled off the pages of some gourmet magazine. He even had cilantro and a carved piece of carrot toward the side.

I slumped over the kitchen table and shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not hungry.”

BZZZ.

My phone vibrated and immediately my heart began thrashing. It was close to three in the afternoon, meaning that Rocky had just gotten out of school, and as our daily ritual went, she texted me immediately. Though she never did text me back that fateful night—nor did she tell me why she didn’t—our conversation resumed the next day. It hadn’t stopped since.

Rocky: Hey, how are you?

Those four little words caused a miraculous pick me up, and before I knew it a smile had worked onto my face.

Me: Better now that I’m hearing from you…

Too flirty? I shook my head and retyped:

Me: Doing okay. Wish I was there.

“You really still want to go back to Bethel Falls?” Dad’s breath seared my neck, his loud voice deafening. “What does that town have left for you?”

I jerked up and jammed my phone into my jeans pocket, which felt a bit baggier than usual. I leaned away from him and scowled. “Really? Reading over my shoulder, Dad? A bit immature there, wouldn’t you agree?”

Dad didn’t falter. Straightening himself, he eyed me with concern. “You know you’re not going back, right? At least not until you smarten up.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” My fists clenched automatically. Fuck, why did he always find a way to get under my skin?

My dad gazed over my hands and frowned. “Son, things would be a lot better if you learn to accept the situation. I already gave you my blessing to get your GED in hopes that you’d use the extra time to make something of yourself, not just sit and sulk around like this all day.” He pulled at my jeans, eliciting a sneer from me. “And you really should eat. You’re wasting away.”

“I’m not sulking,” I muttered, brushing my hand through my hair, which had grown a lot longer than I usually wore it. I’ll admit that I really wasn’t taking care of myself. What was the point when your life was a shithole already?

“Son—”

“Don’t call me that,” I snapped.

He sighed. “You may deny it, but I know your reluctance to adjust is because of Rocky, isn’t it?”

I glued my lips together and didn’t respond.

As if taking my silence as an invitation, he pulled out the expensive looking dining chair from beside me. It scraped against the ground like nails on a chalkboard. “You’ve seen how your mother and I ended.”

“Um, and?”

“Having no purpose in life ended what could have been a great relationship.”

I blinked quickly. I’ve never heard him talk about my mother in a way so…so…nice.

He nodded his head in understanding. “You don’t have to say it and you don’t have to agree with me, but I can see how much you like Raquel. You owe it to her and you owe it to yourself to grow up a little bit if you wish to pursue her.”

I snorted and looked away. This was almost as uncomfortable as the time he found a porn magazine under my blankets. “You don’t know anything.”

“I know that you’ve had that phone in your hand for the last three months. I know that every time it buzzes you jump up as if the Queen of England just called.

“Why would I care if the Queen of England called?”

“Exactly my point!”

I stared at him in bewilderment. “What?”