Chapter
One
FRANKIE
“Frankie,” Mom called. “You’re going to be late.”
“No,” I yelled back as I flattened myself to the floor to find my shoes under the bed. “I’m not.” I had plenty of time to get out of here, pick up Mathieu, and get to school. There they were. I hauled the shoes out and stuffed my feet into them before lacing them up.
I had a packed academic schedule and work at the Mason’s this week. It was the first day of senior year and I was ready to get out there and face my demons, former best friends included.
Slinging my backpack over my shoulder, I hurried out of the bedroom and slid into the bathroom to run a brush through my hair before pulling it up into a ponytail. A little lip gloss and I was ready to go. The gloss wouldn’t last and I didn’t care, I had lip balm in my bag.
Kissing made that a necessity. I hurried to the kitchen where Mom was drinking her coffee. She glanced up, her head tilted as she swept her gaze over me.
“That’s what you’re wearing?” Judgment salted the question, but I was used to it so I offered up a one-shouldered shrug as I grabbed the toast out of the toaster and held it with my teeth while pouring coffee into my tumbler.
“Yep,” I said, after I swallowed a bite and snagged my keys. “I gotta go.”
I didn’t offer her up any other explanations. Dating this summer had taught me that Mom was not a fan of me seeinganyboys and she lost her mind when I mentioned I was hanging out with a guy after work one night.
So, if she didn’t ask then I wasn’t lying and all I had to do was avoid the question.
“Wait,” she said as I got to the door.
Dammit. So close.
“Mom,” I said, only half-turning. “I don’t want to be late.”
“I know, but I wanted to make sure you had this.” She peeled off two twenties. “I may be gone the next couple of nights. I’m waiting for word on whether I have to fly out to handle a situation.”
“You’re going out of town?” I just barely managed to bite off the word “again” before it slipped. She’d been gone more than she’d been at home all summer. Instead of college visits, I’d spent my summer working and getting to know Mathieu.
The one truly good thing to have come out of this summer. That certain knowledge helped to cool the flames of irritation crackling their way through me.
“Can’t be helped,” she said, and considering her mood, I let it go. She wasn’t snapping at me or making snide remarks. If anything, she’d just been happier about a lot of stuff. I’d take it.
“Okay, just pin the money to the board? I can grab some groceries tomorrow. We have plenty right now.” The board was on the fridge. “Did you pick up cat litter?”
The thought just dawned on me. Mom was supposed to grab that over the weekend but she’d been pulled out of town. I wasn’t even sure what time she got in the night before.
“No, I’ll leave another twenty.” Then she air-kissed next to each of my cheeks before retreating from the kitchen with her coffee.
Right. Of course, she forgot. No apologies, just throw a little money at it. Not that we had a lot of money. Mom had a good job, but she made every dime stretch. That meant no extras for me. The fact I had a car was because she “sold” me her old one and I paid for it with tips.
I saved money from tips for college. I had a small allowance to cover a sudden growth spurt in the middle of a school year, but thankfully, those seemed to have stopped. So for the past eighteen months, I’d banked that small allowance too.
“Be good,” I told Tabby, who was washing her paws in the living room. She spared me a look like “was I serious?” and I laughed.
No, I really wasn’t. I ate my toast on the way to the car and brushed off the crumbs just in time to see a familiar figure leaning against the driver’s side door. Some of my pleasure in the day fled. I’d managed to avoid them most of the summer.
I’d made one attempt to see them at Bubba’s birthday and what a mistake that had been. Thankfully, Mathieu had waited for me in the car and gave me a great reason to escape. He’d also listened…
“Hey,” Coop Brennen, my best friend—or so I’d thought—since kindergarten stood there with his backpack slung over one shoulder, his eyes half-closed, and a five o’clock shadow on his cheeks. The sandy blond hair on his face was darker, but from experience I knew it lightened if he grew it out.
“You look like crap,” I said by way of greeting. The partying lifestyle was bound to catch up with them. Their antics had been all over social mediaallsummer long. It was enough to make me sick.
But I wasn’t going to let it get to me.
