Page 103 of More Than Chemical
I settled into a seat. Secrets. My secrets. Dallas’s secret. They made one’s life miserable. Two five-hour-energy-shots miserable.
Jay was right. The time had come to stop hiding. I needed to be the person I was born to be, even if it meant unloading all of the baggage that came with it.
Thirty-Eight
Big Brother
Iwalked alone from the train stop to the courthouse. It wasn’t until I was inside the glass-covered atrium that I noticed the EDM juror again. She was in the security line to take the elevator up.
Instead of getting into the queue, I veered to a café kiosk for a bottle of water.
Best not to find myself near her. I wouldn’t want her to get in trouble or give anyone the wrong idea.
I took my time and started to people watch. A man in a suit running to the elevator bank. A security guard looking bored. A reporter and her camera operator setting up by the fountain, the camera painted with a local television station logo.
Hm.
Maybe that was it.
Maybe that was a way for me to efficiently let the world know who I was. And I didn’t have to give an interview. All I’d have to do was stand by my dad while Gray talked.
I glanced at my phone.Shoot.It was past the ten o’clock scheduled start time.
I rushed to get through security and up the elevator. When the doors slid open, they revealed an empty hall. Except there on a bench, sitting against the wall, was my brother, Eric.
My heart filled.
“Ade.” His thick brown hair was longer than I remembered. Light stubble covered his jaw.
“What are you doing here?” My voice cracked.
“My team has a short break, so I flew in last night.” He stood up. “Mom begged me to come.”
I hugged him, and my entire body relaxed into his folded embrace. Sometimes a girl just needed her big brother to take the weight of the world off her shoulders.
“You never called me back.” I stepped back.
“Sorry.” He grimaced. “I’ve been meaning to and never got the chance.”
“It’s okay.” I hugged him again. “I’m glad you’re here. But why are you not inside the courtroom?”
He looked at the door. “Plunkett is testifying.”
My shoulders sagged. I’d figured the district attorney would bring in people from the university to testify, but I was hoping one of them wouldn’t be George Plunkett, the athletic director. He’d always butted heads with my dad.
“I don’t have the stomach to listen to him. So I decided to wait for you.”
“I get it,” I said. “Plunkett…he’s…well…he’s…”
“He can be an asshole.” Eric raised an eyebrow.
I gave him a huge smile.
“He walked right past me earlier and pretended he didn’t know me,” Eric said.
“How rude.” Eric had been selected Minnesota Mr. Hockey, awarded to the most outstanding high school hockey player in the state. “Think about how much prestige you brought to the school.”
Eric shrugged and sat back down on the bench. He scooted over to make room for me.
