“How ’bout we skip school today?” Terry suggested. “Just the two of us? You can come back to my place. My parents are working. My brothers might come home, but they ain’t gonna say nothing ’bout you taking a nap in my bed, okay?”
“I don’t want you to get into trouble,” Tabitha whispered.
“If my parents knew I was skipping school to get a girl in my bed, they’d be the happiest two folks in Garnet, I promise you.”
For some reason, the way Terry said it didn’t make it seem like a threat. It sounded sort of funny, and she let out a soft giggle. “If you say so.”
“I don’t know what ya’ll are doing back there,” the bus driver called. “But we’ve arrived in case you ain’t noticed.”
“Okay, come on.” Terry grabbed both their bags, putting one over each shoulder, and stood.
Tabitha pulled her hair over her forehead and kept her head down as she let Terry lead her down the aisle of the bus. Her hand was in his, and it help to dispel some of the tension.
When she stepped off the bus into the sunshine, it was incredibly jarring after a night with no sleep. A part of her brain thought it should still be night. She blinked past it, feeling disoriented. She wiped at her face with her free hand and tried to pull herself together long enough to figure out how they were going to cut school.
“I don’t know how to do this,” she admitted with a wince. “How are we gonna manage cutting school?”
“I might’ve lied when I said it was going to be just the two of us. I’m gonna have to grab a ride. This no-car shit sucks.”
“Who’ll give us a ride? They’ll tell on us.”
“Ah, no.” Terry laughed. “Our secret will be safe. I’ve cut school with him plenty of times.”
“Tabitha!”
“Oh my God.” Tabitha turned into Terry when she heard Wyatt’s voice echo across the parking lot. She hid her face in his chest and whispered, “Does he have his sister with him?”
“If I say yes, are you going to freak out?”
She clutched at his shirt tighter. “Yes.”
“Right.” Terry lifted his arm, calling out, “Conner! Hey, buddy, why don’t you lose your better half?”
As embarrassing as it was, on the second week of school Tabitha stood there on the sidewalk leading to the high school shaking with exhaustion, face swollen from crying, trying to hide from life in Terry’s T-shirt.
“Yeah, he’s not having a great time losing her. They really are the dynamic duo, aren’t they?” Terry mused.
Tabitha giggled again, which seemed insane as everything else that was happening around her. “Is she gone?”
“She’s going to the school with Powers. She doesn’t look happy ’bout it.”
“Why does she care what happens to me?” Tabitha huffed.
“You know it’s built into their genetics to nose into stuff like that. Twenty bucks says she ends up being sheriff instead of Wyatt.”
“She was right there listening last night. I could die of embarrassment. Wyatt probably told her everything.” Tabitha groaned. “What a horrible side effect to liking a guy with a twin.”
“That’s just one of many problems you got to deal with when it comes to Conner. You pick ’em better than I do, and that’s saying something.” Terry wrapped one arm around Tabitha and then reached out with the other. She could feel his palm land against something hard and unforgiving. “Whoa, there, Romeo. Don’t come stomping over here like you’re gonna end my world.
I’m your friend
. Probably the best friend you got in this whole dang school. You just don’t know it yet.”
“Tabitha.” Wyatt’s voice cracked on her name, making it come out more like a croak of fear. “What is going on?”
Wyatt touched her shoulder, and she flinched. What if this was one of the days Brett came to school? She doubted it since he was up all night long questioning her, but someone could say something to him.
“What the hell?” Wyatt asked again. “What is wrong with her? What happened?”
“Here’s what’re gonna do. Tabitha and me are ditching—”
“Like hell.” Wyatt cut him off. “Look, Dower, I dunno who you think you are, but if you think I’m gonna let you take my girl—”
Tabitha stiffened as a low sound of fear escaped her. She turned her head on Terry’s chest to make sure no one heard Wyatt. They were alone on the sidewalk, which was a small blessing. There were other students mulling around, but they were out of earshot.
“Here’s a concept, Conner; maybe it isn’t always about you,” Terry said slowly. “I’m taking her to my house for a nap because she hasn’t had any sleep.”
“Why hasn’t she had any sleep?” Wyatt barked back, sounding like a cop asking questions. “Why is she crying? And why can’t I touch her?”
“We’re not leaving with you,” Terry went on as if he hadn’t just heard the rapid-fire questioning. “But if you wanna show up at my house at some point, I’m game to that.”
“You
are
leaving with me,” Wyatt countered. “If she’s going, I am too. I’m not letting you take her alone to your house. I know your parents work all day. No fucking way.”
“We’re trying to keep things on the down low. Dating you ain’t real great for her health. Get it?”
“Then you better figure out a way to be slick ’bout it,” Wyatt said firmly. “I’m going.”
“Oh Christ,” Terry groaned, and Tabitha could feel his head fall back as if he were looking to the heavens for help. “Fine. I got to find my friend. He’s probably already inside. You wait here; I’m taking Tabitha with me.”
“Fuck off!” Wyatt growled in a low, dangerous voice. “No, this is bullshit. I dunno why she’s standing there crawling all over you, but—”
“I’m gay,” Terry snapped in a low voice filled with frustration. “I’m totally fucking gay, Conner. I’m not taking your girl from you. She is
not
my type. So can you tone down the macho bullshit about five hundred degrees?”
It was such a startling, impassioned confession everything else in Tabitha’s mind was pushed to the wayside. She looked up at Terry in shock. “Is that true?”
“Yeah, that’s why my parents sold my car.” Terry looked away, a dark blush staining his cheeks. “They caught me.”
Tabitha put a hand to her mouth in horror and mumbled against her fingers, “Was it terrible?”
“Yes,” Terry said with a bitter laugh. “It’s still terrible.”
“I’m so sorry.” She hugged him again and placed her face back against his chest. “So
very
sorry.”
“I think I just killed your boyfriend,” Terry said uncertainly.
Tabitha remembered Wyatt again and turned around, finding him standing there looking at the two of them with eyebrows raised and his jaw hanging slack. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked like he had about as much sleep as Tabitha had.
She couldn’t help but feel guilty about it as Wyatt shook his head, obviously fighting with his exhaustion as he said, “Wait, what?”
“Holy shit.” Terry let out a pained laugh and then in slow, concise words repeated again, “
I am gay
.”
Wyatt just gaped at him again before he found his voice again, sounding completely mystified. “Why?”
“Uh…” Terry paused, totally flabbergasted. “Because I am. Is that an issue for you? Would you rather me be after your girl?”
“No.” Wyatt seemed to muse over it for a second more. “I just don’t—” He shook his head, clearly still searching for the right words. “Okay, Dower, whatever. I guess that’s your choice, but I don’t get it. You don’t like girls at all?”
“I like them as friends. I like this girl.” Terry squeezed her tighter. “I just don’t wanna make out with them. That’s as repulsive as it can get to me.”
“Wow.” Wyatt nodded, still looking amazed. “Jules would love you. She’s got this whole thing ’bout liberation and—”
“Can we go find my friend now? Meet us in the back of the student parking lot.”
“Right. I guess that makes sense.” Wyatt nodded, still sounding mystified as he hiked his backpack up on his shoulder. Then he glanced at Tabitha in concern. “What happened to your head?”
Tabitha placed a hand over the bandage. “I tripped.”
“Really?” Wyatt asked in disbelief. “Tab—”
“We’re running out of time.” Terry used his hold on Tabitha to pull her away. “Meet us in the back in ten minutes.”
* * * *
It turned out Terry’s friend with the car was Hal Parker, the biggest, meanest linebacker on the football team, which was saying something, because Wyatt was on the team. Hal didn’t look thrilled about giving them a ride. He kept glaring at the two of them.
When they were to the back door of the school, he stopped, his gaze resting on Terry’s arm casually draped over Tabitha’s shoulder. “You two dating now?”
“Stop,” Terry said tiredly.
“I was just wondering what y’all are planning to do when you get back to the house. Seeing how I’m risking my spot on the team to get you there.”
“We’re gonna fuck.”
Tabitha stiffened, turning to look at Terry with wide eyes.
“Yeah, well, then you can get your own ride back,” Hal barked before Tabitha could find her voice.
“I would,” Terry said, his voice as tense as Hal’s, “but I lost my car. Whose fault is that?”
“Oh!” Tabitha gasped, understanding the hostility now. She looked to Hal in surprise, because no one would’ve guessed that in a million years. With Terry, yes, but Hal Parker. “No way. It was
him
?”
Hal’s gaze darted back to Terry’s, wild and crazed. “You told her?”
“She’s an artist,” Terry said as if it explained everything.
Hal gaped. “That was your basis for telling her?”
“Yes, no, it just sort of slipped out. Wyatt was being difficult and—”
“
Wyatt Conner
.” Hal’s face paled. “You’re joking. You have to be fucking joking.” He backed away and leaned against the wall. He placed both hands over his face and mumbled against his fingers, “
Please
tell me this is a joke, Ter.”
“She’s sorta dating him and—”
“I play on the football team with him.” Hal was still speaking into his hand. “You knew that, right? That he’s on varsity this year.”
“Yeah, I knew.”
“You did not tell Wyatt Conner’s girlfriend about us. This can’t be happening.” Hal dropped his hands, looking completely horrified. “You ain’t that stupid. It’s not physically possible. He is, hands down, the worst person in the world to know.”
“He doesn’t know about us. Just me,” Terry said defensively. “And Tabitha won’t tell him if you ask her not to. She’s my friend.”
Hal gave Terry a look of disbelief. “Since when? In case you ain’t noticed, I hang out with you. I’ve never seen you with this girl before. Now you’re ditching class to take her back to your house.
What the fuck is going on
?”
“I don’t have to ditch class,” Tabitha said quickly, because she didn’t want to cause Terry any problems. “Really, I’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time I’ve had a bad night. I’ll just try to avoid Brett’s friends until I get myself together. I don’t think Vaughn is in school today and—”
“What?” Hal interrupted her.
“He attacked her. She’s shaken up.” Terry’s voice was pleading for understanding. “She needs a nap.”
“Who attacked her?”
Terry took a deep breath and gave Hal the very abbreviated version of what happened. He glazed over some of the nastier aspects, but Tabitha’s cheeks still heated in embarrassment.
“Does Wyatt know all this?” Hal asked, studying Tabitha in concern. His gaze stopped on her forehead.
“He knows something’s wrong, but I ain’t told him yet. I think it’ll upset him,” Tabitha whispered, finding that she liked Hal once she got past his abrasive attitude, and if Terry cared for him, he had to be a nice person. “But then he showed up at the bus drop-off, and he got irritated ’bout me hugging Terry.”
“Yeah, I know how he feels.” Hal’s gaze dropped to Terry’s arm still over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry.” Tabitha found herself fighting tears again. The exhaustion wasn’t helping her problem at all. “Maybe I should go to class.”
The first bell rang in warning.
“Let’s just go,” Hal said before Tabitha could voice another complaint. “But I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t say anything to Wyatt ’bout me.”
“I would never,” Tabitha said quickly. “I don’t care if you’re—”
“Don’t say it.” Hal pushed past them and walked to the door. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. “Besides, you got bigger problems than me or Terry’s issues.”
“What’s that?” Tabitha asked as she and Terry followed after him. “I mean, besides the obvious.”
“There’s a reason Wyatt is a starting linebacker as a freshman. I ain’t never seen anything like him, and I’ve been playing ball since I was five. He’s meaner than the devil himself when he’s protecting someone,” Hal said grimly and looked down at her as he pushed open the door for both of them. “I think he’s gonna kill that motherfucker when he finds out what happened…and your brother too.”
* * * *
The list of things Wyatt was having a hard time coming to terms with this morning was extensive, but he dealt with them silently as he sat next to Hal Parker in a beaten-up brown station wagon that had likely once belonged to Hal’s mother.
He should probably be worried about his sister, who was going to lose her shit when she found out he cut class. Or his father, who was going to be equally freaked out when Jules told him. Or his space on the football team that was being put in definite jeopardy for this outing.
Instead, he kept turning around to look into the backseat, because Terry and Tabitha were talking in low, hushed whispers, their heads bowed close together in a way that was more than a little intimate. It set him on edge, and he might be inclined to think Terry was a better liar than Jules, if Wyatt didn’t notice Hal was having issues too.
Hal wasn’t saying much, which in itself wasn’t out of the ordinary. He was never a big talker, but he had adjusted the rearview mirror four times and counting. Wyatt scooted down on the seat and tilted his head to see where the mirror was reflecting only to spy Terry and Tabitha’s faces glaring back at him.
Wyatt let his eyes roll to the side and studied Hal, whose broad shoulders were stiff in defensiveness. There were creases in his forehead from the permanent frown that had been on his face since they’d gotten into the car.