Page 33 of Refusing Kendall

“I’m sorry,” I start. “I don’t know why I’m acting like such a baby.” And I go on to tell them everything from my chat with Jacie to the weird missed calls and voicemails. The only thing I leave out is the paranoia of feeling like I was followed. I decide that it was probably from being creeped out already.

“No need to apologize, baby,” Lucas reassures me.

Mav all but growls from the front seat, “If it is those girls pulling shit, they’re going to have a whole lot of legal hurt coming to them. They’ll be lucky if they see another year here.”

I can’t exactly say that I’m sorry to hear that. As we pull up outside of the house, there are already two police cars out front.

“Sit here,” Mav demands.

Lucas tries to say something, but I shush him to hear what the police are saying. The only thing I catch is them asking for permission to enter the house to search. I see Mav nod before he gets back into the Rover. I try to hide my shaky hands in my lap as I watch them go inside. Car doors slam from behind us, and my door is almost ripped off the hinges as Goose pulls it open.

“Jesus Christ, babe,” he says, pulling me out of the car away from Lucas. “You scared the fucking shit out of me. Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” I assure him wrapping my arms around his back and holding him tight.

With Mav and Lucas still in the car, when I feel a warm body press into my right side I know it must be Teagan. My suspicion is confirmed half a second later by the light scent of his cologne.

It takes the policemen at least ten minutes to go through the entire house. Which makes me feel better seeing as they’re taking the time to search it top to bottom. When they finally come out, they motion for us to join them on the porch. Killing the tension in my body, they inform us that there’s no one in the house, and that we’ll need to go in to make sure nothing has been stolen. But first, I have to give them the same rundown of my day that I gave Lucas. Though once again, I leave out the crazy part.

The younger officer nods as I finish, “It might just be a prank to get your attention, honestly. If there’s nothing missing inside, then we can chalk it up to being a prank. However, we will keep a close eye on the house for a little while, and I might recommend changing your phone number. That way it makes them work harder to get to you. The harder they work, the better chance we have of them slipping up and us catching them.”

The guys do the rest of the talking as we go through the house, making sure that nothing was stolen. When it looks to be all accounted for, the older cop gently asks, “Is it possible that you ran out in a hurry this morning and left the door open, or didn’t pull it closed all the way?”

Thinking on it, we don’t have a deadbolt. It could be possible, but I know for a fact that I made sure I locked and pulled it closed. Then again, it could be my ghost friend playing a trick on me again. I tell the officers the first part but not the second.

“Well,” the younger one says, “We will do some drive bys for a couple of days just to make sure that everything looks okay, and you let us know if anything else happens.” He hands both me and Mav a business card with his name and number on it. We agree, and they show themselves out the door.

I feel like I’ve just run a marathon across the state. My shoulders sag, and I just want to crumple to a heap on the floor. Goose, who’s standing close, must see the change. He picks me up and sets me on the counter. I lean my forehead down onto his shoulder.

“What did coach say?” He asks.

I must be really out of it, because I didn’t realize that any of them had even called him.

Teagan is the one who answers, “He said if we don’t have our asses back at the dorms by curfew, then we can kiss the rest of this season and next goodbye.”

Goose lets out a small huff, “He’s fucking bluffing. He wouldn’t bench us. Especially, if it’s all four of us.”

“I don’t give a fuck anyways,” Mav says, slamming a hand down onto the counter. “He can shove it right up his ass. I’m not leaving Kendall tonight.”

“Me either,” Lucas says, scooting closer to me and Goose.

Damn. I’m so fucking torn. There’s no way in hell that I want to sleep in this house alone tonight, but I can’t have the guys blowing their shot at the championship because I can’t take care of myself. As much as I’d rather eat my words, I still tell them, “I’m really ok. It was just an accumulation of all the shit today.”

“Don’t start, baby girl. We’re not leaving,” Mav says firmly.

He ought to know better by now than to try to lay the law down with me without a fight. “No, you listen. I was overly emotional because of what Jacie said about those girls, and I over reacted about everything. There is a huge likelihood that I did in fact leave the door open by accident. Or when I pulled it closed it didn’t shut all the way, and the wind push it back open. Plus, the police said that they’ll be stopping by a few times. There is absolutely no reason at all to blow your fucking chance at the championship for you and the school. After you guys telling me what he did to that other guy, there’s no doubt that he’s not bluffing about this. I’ll be fine, and you’re only a quick drive away if I need one of you. You can sneak out and come back if you need to.”

Teagan’s eyes light up at the hint of mischief, but everyone turns to look at Mav for a decision. He looks like he’d rather be shaking me than his head. Finally, he sighs in defeat, “Fine. But, if anything happens at all, or if you hear any noises outside, then you better call us. I don’t care if it’s just a raccoon in the trash. Better safe than sorry. I mean it, baby girl.”

Thinking about lying in bed and hearing something outside while I’m alone in the house sends a shot of terror through me. Goose, who now faces Mav with my arms around his waist, subtly rubs my hands as I squeeze him tighter.

“I promise,” I say, giving my word to Mav.

We order dinner, and the guys stick around until the very last second that they can and still make it back in time for curfew. It isn’t until I’ve promised for the fifth time that I’ll call if I need them that they finally leave at all. Every one of the lights are on outside and even through the house. There’s not a room without a light on. The four of them wait on the porch until they hear the locks click on the door, and they even check to make sure that it’s closed all of the way. I stand at the window as they get into the Rover and Jeep. It isn’t until they are out of sight that my breathing picks up and tears start to roll down my face. Pressing my back against the wall, I scoot down until I’m sitting with my knees pulled up to my chest. The day has seriously gotten to me, and the last thing I want to do is spend tonight alone. My quad has been there for me ever since Gramps died in January. I’ve used them for a crutch, and I’ve never had to deal with shit by myself. They’ve always been there. I guess it’s about time to step out of this comfortable bubble I’ve put up around myself.

I wipe the tears off and go to stand just as I hear my phone ring in the kitchen. We had the number changed while the guys were here, so I know for a fact they are the only ones that have it. Sure enough, as I make it over there to pick it up, Teagan’s face is splashed across the screen. I know I just said that I needed to step out of my comfort zone and stop leaning on them, but I can’t help the smile on my face when I answer, “Well, that didn’t take long.”

His chuckle on the other end of the line puts a funny tickle in the bottom of my belly, and I kick myself for making them see enough sense to leave.

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