Page 28 of Unraveled

“I want you to really,finally, understand why it can never be you… Tucker iseverythingto me. I would notsurvivewithouthim. He is my rock. Thebreathin my lungs. I’mmarryinghim, Zane.” I placed my hand flat on the table for him to see, and he flinched, looking away from my ring.

“As long as Tucker’s here, alive and breathing, I’m his and vice versa. We love each otherthatmuch. So much that I don’t feel complete unless he’s near. My world would completely and irrevocably unravel without him in it. You can’t tell me what you feel for me is like that.”

“Yes. I can.” His stare was sincere. Intense. But he was in denial.

“No, you can’t. Did you see how Tucker was with me when he came in here? He loves me so much that it didn’t matter how much he wanted to rip you to shreds for hurting me. And he did. Believe me. But he put that aside to be there forme. He did that for me, forus, because he had to make sure I was okay before he could let himself think about you. Youhavenever, and I don’t thinkcanever, be that way. Not with me, at least.”

“You won’t give me the chance.”

“Ugh!” I threw my hands in the air. “You’re still not getting it. I know you’re not dumb, so I can’t figure out why you can’t get it. I want Tucker. Ilove Tucker. When he came in here, I felt at home inhisarms. All my pain went away whenheheld me. You justcauseme pain.”

There was a shift in his eyes with my last words, and Zane leaned back, the room silent around us as everyone waited to see if we were through.

“Do we have everything cleared up now?” Principal Hiller asked, breaking the silence.

“A lot of things have been cleared up,” Evelyn replied. I’d seen her watching me as I’d gone off on Zane, but now, she studied her son.

He was still, like he was lost in thought even though his eyes were still on me. Watching me but not really watching me.

“I’m sorry,” Mom cut in, her voice softer but her irritation still present. “I agree that a lot of things have been cleared up, but I’d like to know what’s going to be done about this.”

Principal Hiller cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Mr. Hernandez. “Of course. There was definitely no hearsay today. We have three witnesses, none of which are Mr. Pierce this time, and they’ve all spoken with Ms. Lane independently. All of their versions match. And Izzy’s aligns with what we have on camera.”

Brian Hernandez shifted in his chair, the dominating Hispanic positioning himself in a way that showed he was listening but also ready to jump to his son’s defense the second he saw an opening.

Evelyn’s brow pinched together. “Which means what then? What step are we at?”

Principal Hiller looked down at his notes and looked up with his most serious face. “I’m not going to sugar coat it, Mrs. Hernandez. As I told you earlier in my office, it’s not good. Not only was Zane caught physically shaking Izzy here by her arms, he refused to stop and had to be pried off of her, all but fighting one of our coaches that separated them, and when a fellow student tried to untangle Izzy’s heel from his shorts, a bag of steroids fell out of his pocket.”

Zane’s mom gave him a death glare. “Drugs… You’ve been on drugs.” She shook her head in disgust. “I still can’t believe it.”

Zane scowled. “Steroids. It’s not like it’s meth or anything.”

“That’s not the strongest argument, Son,” Brian stared down at him.

Evelyn sighed. “Don’t you know what they can do to you? Just look at what they made you do to Izzy.” She motioned across the table. “I want to know where you were getting them.”

Zane just stared straight ahead, his expression hard and unmoving.

“Someone at school?” his mom pressed.

Silence.

“Stop ignoring your mother,” Brian barked, and Zane shot him a wounded glare.

“David Vasquez got arrested for dealing at a party last weekend. They’re pretty much best friends,” I said when Zane wouldn’t.

“David? Really?” Evelyn looked surprised. “I suppose that’s why he hasn’t been around the house this week. I’d ask why you didn’t tell us, but I think I know.” She looked at her husband, and her eyes narrowed when she must have read something in his expression. “Did you know?”

“It’s all being sorted out.”

Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed. “Don’t do that. We own that firm together. If there’s a case that may concern our son in some way, I deserve to know about it.”

“I can’t talk to you about work here, Evelyn. Whether or not there’s a case is something we can discuss back at the office.” His look warned her to leave it alone, but when hurt flashed in her eyes, Brian sighed, and I could see the harsh mask removed from his face in an unspoken apology.

Evelyn looked back at Zane. “Regardless of where you got them from, youknowdrugs are not something I will tolerate. Not something as serious as steroids. Justlook how they’ve affected you. Look at everything they’ve caused you to jeopardize.”

Zane scowled, and mother and son held each other’s gazes for what had to be a solid minute before Evelyn calmly whispered. “I’m so disgusted and disappointed in you.”

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