Page 18 of The Off-Limits Play

She didn’t sacrifice everything for me. The second Dad went to prison, she gave him up, and within a year, she was marrying Mr. Douche with all his fucking money and zero personality.

“You know what? Don’t come home,” Johnson barks at the screen. “I don’t want you in my house anyway!” Storming away from the phone, he clips out of the kitchen while Mom feebly calls after him.

The silence that follows is thick and deafening. It’s fucking painful, actually.

And I don’t know how to fill it.

So I just stand there, watching Mom’s jaw work to the side. Watching her blink and fight tears before putting on that fake smile of hers.

“Well, that could have gone better.” Her laughter is weak and as phony as her smile.

Shit, I should apologize, right?

But Johnson was being a total fuckwit!

“So, listen…” Mom sniffs, then licks her lips. “Why don’t you check your schedule and see if you can’t come home for even just a night. I’ll pay for your flights. I’ll pick you up from the airport. I’ll make everything as easy as possible, ’kay?”

I shake my head. “Don’t think it’s worth it, Mom. Besides, I’m not invited anymore.”

Her face bunches, and shit, I think she’s about to cry.

Standing tall, I wave at the camera and quickly mumble, “Better go.”

“Love you, bud.” She blows me a kiss, and then the screen goes blank.

Closing my eyes, I dip my chin, feeling like complete shit.

This day has turned into a clusterfuck.

I doubt I can salvage the night, but I run to my bike anyway, jumping on and starting up the engine with a roar. I can’t go home feeling like this. Revving the engine, I squeal away from the stadium and gun it down the road. The wind hits my face, stinging my skin, and I accelerate even faster. I need to douse this scorching burn in my chest.

The only problem is, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to ride fast enough to put out the fire.

CHAPTER7

NYLAH

I lie on my bed, propped against a mound of pillows, staring at my phone screen. I texted my best friend, Hayley, over ten minutes ago, and she still hasn’t replied. I tried to call her earlier today. I have so many things I want to tell her… but she was in the middle of a study session.

She’s always been intense when it comes to studying. I didn’t mind it so much in high school, because we’d study together. Work hard, play hard. That’s the way we lived.

When Dad got the job at Nolan University, just before my senior year of high school, I literally dropped to my knees and begged him to let me stay in Kelsey so I didn’t have to leave my boyfriend and bestie.

My parents relented, and I moved in with Hayley. It was the best year ever.

We had so much fun playing sisters.

We shared a room, so it was nightly sleepovers.

She’d cover for me when I snuck out to spend time with Nick. I’d cover for her when she was drunk or hungover.

Life was perfect.

I mean, sure, I missed my siblings. But Mom called every single day to check on me, so I was getting updates on the regular. I had to fly to Nolan three times that year. After everything that went down with the Kelsey U team, Dad didn’t want to return, so I had to go to them. We did holidays together, but school time… that was for me, Hayley, Nick, and all my other friends.

Yeah, it really was perfect.

Until I flipped Nick’s car and everything turned to shit…

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