Page 12 of White Hole

“He’ll learn the discipline he needs to get off whatever he’s into if he’s in training.” With a last cursory glance at me, he sat down and picked up his phone. “I’ll make some calls.”

I got up to leave, but before I could, he said, “Oh, Junior? Don’t tell him. I don’t want him running toherbefore the school picks him up.”

It would be a challenge for me not to tell Aaron, but if I did, he would likely use “one last time” as he did anytime my dad threatened to send him somewhere. Dad was right. My mother would use it as an excuse to “celebrate” with her youngest son until they were both blasted.

Walking past Grace, I waved a quick goodbye as she made a comment about stopping by more often. In the parking lot, a white note was tucked under the windshield wiper of my black truck. Ire rose within me, thinking someone had dared damage her in any way. When I opened the folded piece of paper, it contained a date and address written in curly cursive. At the bottom was a final warning message:

See you soon.

CHAPTERTHREE

KINSLEY

Step three had gone horriblywrong. I was short on attractive dates to outshine Cale.AndI ran into the man who ruined my future. The mayor’s son… Culpability had been written in his expression, but he feigned innocence. I wasn’t sure how to force a confession from him.

Step one wasn’t going so well, either. The last few years, I avoided my father as much as I avoided driving, and I had no desire to visit the tomb of my childhood. Not even for a revenge pawn of Cale’s bracelet.

Step two was also a disappointment. The first astronomy quiz scores were posted, and I got a C. AC! I had never seen that letter on my grade reports. At first, I thought it was a mistake. So, I went to Dr. Torrad’s office hours. She assured me the grade was correct, but referred me to tutoring sessions in the library. Me gettingtutored!Iwas the one who usually helped students. After the initial shock, I knew I had to swallow a heaping spoonful of pride to get straight As again.

Tucking the paper with the session time and location into my backpack, I headed back to my apartment and changed into running tights and a tank top. It was a go-hard day. As I ran, I thought about Barrett Grant’s shocked look from the night of the accident, which morphed into his smirking villain expression from the bar.

How was I supposed to prove he was the cause of the accident? Why had the police said no one else was there? Where would I evenstartto figure out what was going on? Maybe I could talk with a lawyer. Ugh, Barrettwasa lawyer. Okay… I wouldn’t use his law firm.

Jogging down the alley between the old science building and the new one, I had a skin-prickling sensation of eyes following my body. I didn’t want to stop to check behind me. Shuffling footsteps approached, and I slowed to a walk. Coming to a stop, I flipped around, but no one was there. I paced back, deciding to turn around for the evening.

“Hey, Kins!” Cale was walking by on the sidewalk near the science building. Probably there for the research project,myresearch project. I tried to wave and jog off, but he stepped in front of me. “Did you have a chance to find that bracelet? I need that charm.”

“Sorry. Not yet, Cale. I’ll look for it this weekend.” As I went to sidestep him, he moved with me to block my path.

“It’s mine and Sydney’s second anniversary soon. I, uh, was going to give her that charm. It’s important.”

“Okay. I’ll search for it. Excuse me.” I hurried off. How had I not noticed what a punchable face he had all those years we were in high school?

At home, Elle was almost ready to leave for dinner. Her blond hair was perfectly styled, and she wore a cute little dress showing off her extra cleavage and long legs. “Hurry up! I want to snag a good table before it’s too busy.”

“I have to shower, but I’ll be quick.” Tuesday nights, we always headed to Manny’s Mexican restaurant for Taco Tuesday and half-priced margaritas. I topped my wide-legged sailor pants with a vintage flutter-sleeve keyhole blouse. My flats were neatly tucked in the rack at the bottom of my organized closet. After brushing my long, dark hair, I pulled it into a side ponytail before spritzing on my Chanel perfume. The final touch was a string of my grandmother’s pearls.

I knocked on Marissa’s door to beg her to come with us. She and Sharice had a knack for trying to skip out and stay home. She agreed to join only since Sharice was going. After gathering our purses, we strolled towards Main Street.

Elle and I lagged behind Sharice and Marissa on the walk to the restaurant. “Hey, sorry about the bad set-up the other night. I thought Barrett would be perfect. Who knew he’d be such a drunken louse?”

“It’s okay.” Elle didn’t know about my accident. We were close enough to go out together and have a good time but had never really shared emotionally intense feelings before. Or much about each other’s histories. I didn’t think bringing up Barrett Grant as the man who ruined my future would be a good way to start.

“I’ll find someone better. I’m usually good at these things!” Elle started to list off more boys that would be “just right” for me.

I didn’t feel like anyone would believe me if I told them Barrett Grant was at the scene of my accident. No one had thus far. Keeping my mouth shut, I nodded along with Elle’s suggested matches while devising a strategy for investigating how Barrett Grant got away with a hit-and-run.

“Sure, sure. Any of them sound fine. I trust you.” It didn’t matter who he was, as long as he wasn’t Cale and was better than him.

As we entered the painted blue doors of Manny’s, I glanced at our usual corner, but a crowd of rowdy Theta Rho Zeta occupied the space. Elle shrugged and said there was room enough for us, leading our group to the tables where a few seats were left unoccupied. I immediately spotted the stone titan that rescued me from Barrett. He was sitting quietly apart from his buddies. Wanting to thank him for his heroism, I slid into the wall booth next to him. Glancing at me with a furrowed brow, I stuck my hand out to him to introduce myself.

“Hey, I’m Kinsley. You saved me last Friday night from that asshole.” The man turned his head away toward his fraternity brothers, sipping his pint glass of hoppy ale. I lowered my hand. “Um. You’re Big G, right? I think Eric told me your name.” I looked around the table at the crowd of TRZ boys. Spotting Eric, he waved from the far end of the row of tables, and I lifted my fingers in acknowledgment. Big G continued to drink.

The waiter came over to get more drink orders. I ordered an apple martini and snacked on a few chips but tried to control the amount, mindful of the upcoming marathon. “Well, anyway. Thank you. It was very kind of you.” He wasn’t speaking. Had I done something to piss him off? “Why do they call you Big G?”

Big G only snorted and downed the rest of his beer. The server put down another as he returned with a drink tray. I sipped my martini. Maybe he had social anxiety. I could help him feel more at ease, get him talking, and feel more comfortable.

“I like how they make their martinis here. Nice and dry, the way I like them. Have you had an apple martini?” Big G scanned the room. I followed where his eyes were looking. “Despite the chaos, I appreciate how Manny decorated the place after the renovation. Did you see it before they redecorated a couple of years ago? It wasn’t nearly this nice. The tables didn’t have this decoupage on top, and the floor tiles were not as colorful as this. Also, the walls now have this distressed look going on that makes it seem old-world charming—”

---