Page 53 of Top Shelf

“I’m sorry, Sadie,” he says. “I wish this hadn’t happened. I never would have accepted his donation… I never would have brought him on board if I had known. I hope you know that.”

I reach out and hug him.

“Of course, Levi.”

“I would get rid of his ass in a heartbeat if I could,” he goes on. “But unfortunately, I don’t have that power on my own. The rest of the board will have to vote on it to remove him. But following everything that happened last night, the vote for commissioner has been indefinitely paused. Hayden’s position is also paused until the investigation is complete. You won’t be able to start coaching until this is all cleared up either.”

“Let’s hope this doesn’t go further,” Mr. Calway pipes in. “I’m worried about word getting to the school board.”

My eyes widen.

“You mean, like…his teaching job?” I can’t seem to formulate a full question.

Mr. C. nods.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Hal says. “But we should be prepared for everything.”

We all sit down at the kitchen table while Hal walks through Tyson’s options, and I listen intently. Tate and Demi are standing in the kitchen nearby, but they’re giving him space. I love how this family operates. I love how, regardless of where individual relationships stand, regardless of anything else that’s going on, they’re there.

But the more legal jargon that starts swirling around and the more that Hal discusses all the possibilities, the more I feel like I can’t breathe. While they’re heavy into conversation, I excuse myself and slip away from the table, completely unnoticed.

I walk out the back door onto their patio, looking out at the rolling hills that stretch far behind the Calways’ house. I sit down on one of the outdoor couches, staring out at the moon, wrapping my arms around myself. My brain is moving so fast with the possibilities, the endless ways I may have just fucked up the life of the one person who has always been there for me. I feel a lump forming in my throat, then I hear someone clear theirs behind me. I’m surprised to see Demi, arms folded over her oversized t-shirt as she takes a seat next to me.

She and Ty look so much alike to me. Their dark hair, tan skin, dark eyes. Tate has dark-blue eyes, but other than that, they could pass as triplets. Even Lo, their stepsister, is drop-dead gorgeous. They’re all just…pretty.

But her presence isn’t exactly calming for me in this moment. I look over at her quickly, trying to gauge what this visit is going to entail.

“A lot going on in there,” she says, staring out ahead, not making eye contact with me. I nod and let out a sigh.

“Yeah,” I say. There’s a long pause, and my brain goes haywire in anticipation. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her to drop the bomb about how I brought all this on Tyson. How I involved him in my shit. How I had the nerve to bring this into his life after what I put him through the first time.

And ya know what? She’d be completely right.

“I heard everything,” she says, and I hold my breath. I turn to her, my eyes big. “I heard everything he said to you before Tyson came out. And then I saw him. I saw him…no fear, even with Ty there. I saw the look in his eyes when he reached around to grab you. Like he truly thinks he has some…claimon you. Like he had a right to,” she says, shaking her head, disgust on her face. She turns to me. “I get it now. And I just want to say, I’m sorry it took me so long.”

I want to cry.

“Oh, Demi, you don’t have to—”

She holds a hand up, stopping me.

“My first instinct is always going to be to protect my brother,” she goes on. “But I get that this is…this is bigger than me being an overbearing sister. This is…this is the difference between right and wrong. You don’t deserve any of that. You deserve to feel safe. I’ve seen that look before. The one that Hayden gave you in that hallway. Tunnel vision, and you’re the only thing at the end of that tunnel. I’ve seen it myself.”

My eyes get even wider. I want to ask so badly. I want to ask what she’s talking about. But the look on her face tells me not to. It tells me to just let it lie and accept it. So I put my hand on hers.

“I’m sorry that you know that look,” I whisper. She flips her hand up so that she can squeeze mine.

“I’m sorry that you do too,” she says. “I know you’re worried about Ty. We all are. But no matter what, we’re all here for both of you. We got you. And we’ll get through this. No matter what, when it’s all said and done, that bastard won’twin.”

I thank her, sniffing and wiping a tear from my face. She squeezes my hand tighter, and then lets go. We sit in silence for a little bit, and I grow to appreciate Demi even more because she lets that silence go on. We don’t have to say anything to say everything.

After a few more minutes, the back door opens, and Ty comes out onto the patio.

“Sade,” he says, and we both turn to him. “You ready?” I nod, popping up from the couch. He reaches for my hand, then leans over to kiss Demi’s cheek before leading me down the patio steps.

“Should I say goodnight to your dad?” I ask as we wave goodbye to Demi. He shakes his head.

“I told him you said goodnight,” he says. “I just wanna go home.”

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