Page 42 of In Too Deep

He shrugs, giving his attention to the game again. “What? Can’t a guy change his mind?”

Robbie is practically bouncing as he gets up for the phone, grinning as he hands it to me.

“Fine,” I snap. “You want me to call her, I will.”

My hands are shaking as I dial Sandra’s number, my eyes filling with tears as the line begins to ring. When Sandra answers, my stomach churns, and I begin to pace the floor. “Hey, Sandra.” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat. “I was calling to let you know Lawrence is interested after all.”

“He is?” She squeals with excitement, and I turn my angry glare to Lawrence, who’s watching me with caution. “But I thought you said the two of you weren’t speaking.”

“Well, we weren’t speaking. But, funny enough, he called right after we spoke. He told me he really missed me and begged me to come see him.”

“Oh, are you sure he doesn’t like you?”

It feels like my heart is breaking in my chest, and my chin quivers from my suppressed sob as my eyes fall to the floor. “I’m sure. Apparently, getting me here was all a ploy to get to you. I’m actually at his house now. If you could give me about thirty minutes to get out of here before you call this number back, Lawrence would like to ask you out.”

She squeals again, and I disconnect the call, tears falling down my face as I step out of the room to call my mother.

24

Lawrence

The pins explode, scattering as they all fall with a loud crash. That’s another strike on the board for me. I’m one step closer to bowling a perfect game.

“Way to go, son,” my dad cheers, giving me a high-five as I pass.

My father works a lot. When he’s not working, he’s usually sleeping. We don’t get to spend a lot of time together. Bowling has always been the one thing we shared. We’ve been on the Friday night father-son bowling league for years.

“Thanks, Dad. I’m getting my name on that wall this year.”

He beams at me with pride, giving me a nod. “I don’t doubt that.”

“I’m going to go over to the snack bar to grab a soda, do you want anything?”

Dad shakes his head as he steps up to take his turn, and I head upfront. My caffeine consumption has been a little out of control since I took a part-time job at the Dairy Dip, but it’s the only thing that keeps me going some days. I would never let my parents know my job is taking a toll on me the way it is, though. Momma lost her job a few months ago, and Dad’s paychecks alone just weren’t cutting it. My sister started using some of her check to help with groceries, but I wanted to do something to contribute too.

The Dairy Dip is only a short walk from my house, so I don’t have to worry about finding a ride, and they were the only business I could find that would hire a fifteen-year-old. It’s a tiny place. The cone-shaped building only holds one employee at a time, and they’ve been working me as much as they can. It’s been great for my paycheck, but I’m exhausted.

Cat walks through the door as I’m getting in line at the snack counter, and my heart goes haywire. It took a while after the Sandra fiasco for Cat to even look at me, not that I blame her. I’d been such an idiot and let my temper get the best of me, hurting Cat in the process. She’s slowly been letting me back into her good graces, but I know she’s holding back. A part of her still doesn’t trust me. Although, her frequent visits to the Dairy Dip prove she misses me too. They give me hope things can get back to the way they were before.

As Cat gets closer, I notice she’s not alone. There’s a guy with her, and her attention is focused solely on him. Their heads are close together as they laugh and talk in hushed tones, and there’s a softness in her features as she looks at him. A wave of nausea hits me as I realize she’s on a date.

Cat still hasn’t noticed me as they approach the bar, but I can’t seem to take my eyes off her—studying every little movement she makes. When she finally pulls her gaze away from her date, it lands on me, her eyes widening with surprise.

“Lawrence? Hey.” Her greeting sounds nervous and unsure, her words choppy as her eyes dart between me and her date.

“Hello, KitKat.” I pull her into my arms, hugging her as I normally would, but her body is stiff as she awkwardly pats me on my back.

She pulls out of the embrace, her gaze flickering to her date, then back to me. “What are you doing here?”

My anger flares, and I pop the knuckles on my balled fist. She knows I’m here every Friday night bowling in the league with my dad.

“Well, it’s Friday,” I clip, giving her a pointed look.

She laughs nervously. “Right. Of course. Duh.”

Normally I find it adorable when she gets all flustered like this, but I’m too full of ugly emotions.

“What are you doing here?” I retort.

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