Page 54 of Don't Let Go

I grabbed a plate and slid the eggs onto it, moving on to making the bacon and finishing the pancakes. “I wanted to escape Paolo, but I guess he left me there. What a great boyfriend to leave me at the scene of a shooting, and he never texted to see if I was okay either.” I brushed off the nauseous feeling creeping up my throat. “As for Tyler and I, we were talking. That’s it I swear. I heard the shots and knew we had to get out of there fast. Tyler probably thinks I’m insane since I couldn’t stop laughing afterward. Perhaps I did crack a little. It was such a rush to be that close to danger again.”

Chloe clicked her tongue. I could picture her lips in a disapproving frown. She loved to party, but she knew the risks.One rule was to never be boxed in, like Tyler and I were up in that room.

“Girl, you need to be more careful,” her tone was sharp but full of love and concern.

“I know. It won’t happen again.” I drew an X over my breast, crossing my heart, not that it mattered. “You’d think I would’ve learned from the drag races last year.”

“You’d think,” she said deadpan and sniffed. “I’ll see you at school. I have to stop and get some gas for my car before first period.”

I looked behind me, seeing Lizzy’s head full of dark curls bob down the stairs with her bunny in hand. “I gotta go and feed the wolves. See you soon.” I ended the call and put my headphones on the counter.

Lizzy wiggled into a seat and sat with her arms folded in front of her like a little princess. Her bunny sat in its own chair. “Pancakes! My favorite!”

I giggled, making her a plate. “Yes. They are even blueberry. Grab some silverware for the table, please.”

Lizzy hopped down and grabbed a handful of butter knives and forks, making a place setting for four people.

“I can’t believe breakfast is ready. When did you get up?” Carmen asked as she opened the fridge and grabbed the orange juice.

I shrugged, placing a plate of food in front of Lizzy and another for Carmen. “I couldn’t fall back asleep. Why don’t you get a glass and share that juice with everyone else?” I gave Carmen a pointed look, proving I was serious about sharing.

She gave a heavy sigh but complied. “Okay,Mamma,” she muttered as she grabbed more glasses and poured juice into them.

I smiled, pleased they were listening to me for once.

Tyler lingered in the kitchen doorway. He eyed the fourth set of silverware and saw the extra glass of juice at the table, yet he remained with his feet planted.

“Come on. Join us,” I said, putting a plate down for him.

“Thanks,” Ty replied quietly, pouring himself into a chair.

I sat at the table with Ty across from me. Lizzy talked about a video she watched in her English class. I smiled and nodded to my baby sister’s story, but my attention was on Tyler. I didn’t want him to give away something was wrong and pique their interest. Carmen was especially nosy and loved to drag my name in the mud when it came to Mamma.

Between bites, Tyler would occasionally glance over at me. I could feel the burning questions in his dark brown eyes. I wanted to tell him that shooting was out of the ordinary, even for South Phoenix. We had our problems like most big cities with mobs and gangs running amok, but high school kids usually didn’t have to dodge bullets from a team of shooters when partying. Was there a stray bullet or a stabbing every once in a while? Yes, but nothing like last night.

I tugged on my silver loop earring and focused on my food. Lizzy continued to cheerfully talk as she ate, not realizing no one was listening.

I nudged Tyler’s leg with the tip of my foot. He looked at me. His gaze held mine, and his dark eyes were deep and mysterious. Any girl could lose her train of thought when he had his eyes on her. I swallowed. My throat is suddenly dry. “Thank you,” I mouthed, nodding to my sisters.

He nodded. Tyler might not have understood why it was important to keep the party a secret, but at least he respected my wishes to keep it under lock and key.

Tonight, we had another basketball game and it was Tyler’s first official game with South Ridge. The Mesa Trojans pulled up in their bus. All their boys bounced out with smiles on their faces. If we won this game, then our team would make it to the finals and be that much closer to winning the championships.

I wasn’t needed at the gym until about half an hour before the game started. I had ninety minutes to kill.

My bandmates took off to the diner down the street to eat and talk about some anime show they all streamed. I bailed since I had no idea what they were talking about. I wanted to talk about makeup or the latest book I read. Most of the girls in band didn’t wear makeup, or at least I didn’t think they did.

While walking across campus to locate my friends, someone shouted my name. It echoed in my ears.

Paolo jogged to catch up with me. “Hey, babe! Where are you going?”

I kicked a rock, watching it skip down the sidewalk and hit a tree. “I’m looking for my friends.”

“Come watch practice. After the game, we can grab some food and then later….” He pulled me in close and squeezed my left ass cheek. “Some sweet sugar.”

I wiggled out of his embrace. “I can’t play on an empty stomach. I didn’t eat lunch yet because I’ve been in the library helping Helen with her paper, and the printer jammed so—”

“Whatever.” He brushed past me, stomping to the gym like a child who was told he couldn’t eat ice cream for dinner.

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