Catch Twenty-Two Read online

  But then he uses the tip of one finger to push the can of soda closer, and not wanting to be disrespectful, I thank him and pop the top, using the silence as I take a long drink as a buffer.

  “I’m going to be up front with you, Zeke. I don’t want you here.”

  That was evident the very first time you laid eyes on me.

  “Martha and I spend a lot of time away for work, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for you and my daughter to be left alone for long periods of time.”

  Excitement fills my blood at the prospect of having unsupervised nights alone in this house with Frankie. Maybe Westover won’t be so bad.

  “But I’m told you’re a respectful young man.” His eyes search mine for that truth, and since I don’t want to do anything to keep him from leaving me alone with his daughter, I give him a small smile that I hope translates as agreement.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And to remain a respectful young man with permission to be in my house, I expect you to keep your hands off of my daughter.”

  “Of course, sir.”

  Is it possible that Frankie didn’t mention my asshole ways to them? All he seems concerned about is me not sneaking into her room at night for a little action between the sheets.

  I clear my throat, trying to push those thoughts out of my head. He will definitely know I’m lying if he notices the bulge growing in my jeans.

  “Did you date her while she was in Utah?”

  Is it getting hot in here?

  I take another sip of soda before answering as honestly as I can without giving too many details.

  “We went to the county fair.” He glares at me. “As friends. She’s a lovely girl.”

  “She is,” he agrees. “But she’s off-limit—”

  He stands straighter, and until he does, I don’t realize that he was leaning in closer to me, an attempt at being intimidating I’m sure, but the front door opening keeps him from finishing his warning.

  Frankie walks inside of the house, and I catch a glimpse of her pretty face before she notices me. It’s why it’s so easy for me to read her emotions. Her dad doesn’t want me here and from the glare in her eyes, it’s clear she doesn’t want me here either.

  “Oh, hi!” A woman, I assume is Frankie’s mom enters the kitchen. “You must be Zeke!”

  She doesn’t even hesitate as she walks up to me and wraps her arms around my shoulders.

  “We’re so glad to have you here.”

  I look up at Mr. Young before glancing at Frankie. Both have sneers on their faces.

  You’re the only one, I mutter in my head.

  “Frankie! Come say hello to Zeke,” Mrs. Young urges.

  “I have homework,” she says before bolting up the stairs.

  “She’s a little awkward,” her mom explains on a rough exhale. “She’ll come around.”

  I’m counting on it.

  “Don’t bother her,” Mr. Young interjects. “I think distance is a good thing.”

  Mrs. Young scoffs as she holds out her hand, an indication for me to stand.

  “You have free run of the house,” she begins as she pauses in the foyer so I can grab my bag. “We ask that you stay out of our room, but other than that—”

  “Stay out of Frankie’s room, too. Teenage girls need privacy,” her dad hollers from the kitchen at our backs.

  Mrs. Young rolls her eyes. “As I was saying, free run of the house. We leave Frankie money to buy groceries, so just let her know if there’s anything you need from the store. Your room is up here.”

  I follow her upstairs, my body warming the closer I get to the girl that headed this way earlier.

  “Both Paul and I head out again tomorrow, and I’m so sorry we won’t be around longer to help you get settled.”

  “It’s fine,” I assure her as she swings open the first door in the hallway. “Here we are. The sheets are fresh. I wrote down the Wi-Fi code on that note. The satellite has nearly every channel.”

  If her dad was up here, I imagine he’d warn me not to order porn.

  “The bathroom is through there. It’s a jack and jill, so just make sure you lock Frankie’s door before you use it and unlock it before leaving.”

  My ears perk up with the news. I don’t even have to sneak around in the halls to visit her. I have full access right through the bathroom. Life is looking up right now.

  “Well,” she eyes my single duffel bag, “I’ll let you unpack.”

  My bedroom door closes softly behind her. The room is simple, clearly decorated for a guest room without much flare or character, but the bed looks soft and it’s clean.

  I stand in the middle of the room for a full five minutes before the pull toward her room gets to be too much. Certain her mom is back downstairs, I cross the room and enter the bathroom, not even pausing before reaching for the doorknob that leads to the other bedroom.

  Shoving open the door, I don’t even bother to look around the room, my eyes landing on Frankie the second I step inside.

  She’s not working on homework like she told her parents. She’s lying flat on her back on her bed, just staring up at the ceiling. She’s absolutely stunning, and there’s something carnal going on in my body at the sight of her surrounded by fluffy pillows and a cream-colored comforter.

  I want to spread myself on top of her and take my time with her, give her everything she deserved when she was back in Utah, but then she opens her mouth.

  “I’m sorry to hear about your dad.” Sadness fills her eyes as she turns on her side to look over at me. “Is that why you were so upset that night?”

  That night.

  We both know what she’s talking about. It was somehow the best night and the worst night of my life all rolled into one, and just the mention of my dad makes me want to hurt someone, her particularly since she’s the only one around to lash out at.

  “That night was a mistake,” I hiss as I glare at her. She doesn’t seem shocked by my outburst, and what does that say about me if even my anger is predictable? “Never bring it up again.”

  I spin around, slamming her door into the bathroom and not giving a damn if her dad runs up the stairs and demands that I leave his home. Staying in the same house with her is going to be impossible when I want to lash out at her and at the same time pull her to my chest and press my mouth to hers.

  Chapter 34

  Frankie

  “No,” I tell Piper, not making eye contact with her. “I’m not interested.”

  “But it’s the annual back-to-school bonfire,” she whines.

  Dalton squeezes her hand, and I’m doing my best not to feel weird about him being in my bedroom.

  “And?” I challenge. “We’ve never gone before.”

  “This year is different.”

  “Not for me,” I counter.

  The bullying hasn’t been bad. Not once has someone tried to trip me in the halls or shot an insult my way. Bronwyn seems quite content to give me vindictive looks as she snuggles closer to Zeke every chance she gets and believe me, that’s enough to make my blood boil.

  “If people are being mean to you, Frankie, you need to tell me,” Dalton says. “I’ll make it stop.”

  “I don’t need you fighting my battles,” I mutter.

  “So people are being mean to you?”

  I can’t even look at my best friend. She’s wrapped in happiness and her life can’t get any better, and I’ll only drag her down with my drama. Even though I’m still a little mad about her not sharing with me the extent of the bullying from before, I can’t seem to open my mouth to my own struggles. Now I know where she was coming from by keeping those things to herself.

  “I’m fine. Everything is fine.” I look toward my bathroom door, wondering if Zeke is a mere thirty feet away like he has been for the last two weeks. “I’m just tired. I don’t feel like going out tonight.”

  And for the most part, that’s true. I’m weary down to my bones, unable most days to keep my head off my d
esk at school. I blame it on the stress of living with a guy that ignores me at every turn, waiting and wondering when he’s going to once again realize I’m around and shoot some vile words my direction.

  That night was a mistake.

  The words have played on repeat in my head since he spat them out. I was unhappy with him, angry that he used me and left me alone, but I didn’t regret what happened between us until he made it clear that he did. Now, I spend a lot of my time trying to push the memories from my mind, but it’s hard to forget the way he reached for me, the way he whispered my name when he was inside of me, or the way he let all of his emotions show that night. He was unguarded and open, and for a couple hours while he held me after it was over, I felt loved and wanted.

  It killed me to watch my mom’s eyes light up when she saw him sitting in the kitchen with my dad, and it gutted me when she wrapped her arms around him like she’d waited all of her life to meet him. She hasn’t hugged me in years. So long in fact, I can’t even remember the last time we embraced.

  What was it about me that makes me so unlovable?

  “Frankie?” I snap my head in Piper’s direction. “Please go to the bonfire with us?”

  “I just—”

  The doorbell saves me from having to reject her once again, so I climb off my bed and head out into the hall. A peek in the living room shows no signs of Zeke, so I make my way to the front door. I’m not expecting anyone, but I’m wishing I stayed upstairs when I swing open the door to find Bronwyn on the front stoop.

  “Frank?” Her head snaps back, her eyes darting to the numbers on the house. “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I live here,” I answer blandly.

  We’ve been going to the same school all of our lives, you’d think she’d know where I lived, but I guess I’m not even a blip on her radar. Fine with me.

  Without an invitation, Bronwyn pushes past me and steps inside.

  “I’m here for Zeke.”

  “Of course you are,” I mutter before closing the door.

  Before I can holler for him, Zeke comes out of the kitchen, a granola bar to his mouth. His eyes dart between the two of us, and if I want to read into his facial expression, which I don’t, I’d say that he looks a little guilty that this girl is standing in my house, but the emotion disappears as if it was never there in the blink of an eye.

  “Hey, babe,” he says, turning his attention to the cheerleader beside me. “Let me grab my hoodie. I thought I was meeting you there.”

  Zeke disappears around the corner, opening the coat closet.

  “I figured we could ride together.”

  “I’ll just follow you there so I have my truck,” he murmurs around the granola bar he’s shoved in his mouth as he tugs on his hoodie.

  “Or I can ride with you.”

  “We’ll figure it out,” he says as he shoves his arms through the sleeves.

  He walks past, not bothering to acknowledge me at all, and this is exactly how things have been since he arrived. We don’t speak to each other. He doesn’t corner me in the hall and press his body against mine like he did each night I walked him out from supper at Nan’s house. I truly don’t even exist to him.

  “Bye, Frank,” Bronwyn says as she shoulder checks me on her way to the front door.

  My fingers itch to reach up and rip a chunk of hair from her scalp, but violence doesn’t solve anything. The sooner they leave, the sooner I can curl up in my bed and cry. Why does Zeke’s indifference hurt more than the times he was mean to me?

  Their chatter disappears down the front walk as I rein in my anger, closing the door quietly behind them.

  “You should’ve kicked her legs out from under her,” Piper says as she comes down the stairs.

  Her lips are swollen and pink, almost raw looking, and it’s apparent they’ve just spent the last couple of minutes attacking each other’s mouths.

  “That wouldn’t solve anything.”

  “But it would let Zeke know you’re willing to fight for him,” Dalton adds.

  I roll my eyes. What does this boy know about anything?

  “I don’t want to fight for him. Hopefully, his mom will find a place soon, and he’ll be out of my hair.”

  “Okay.” Piper claps. “Let’s go.”

  “I’m not going.”

  “You are,” she says as she draws closer. “You can go like that or I’ll give you a couple of minutes to grab a jacket. It’s cool out tonight.”

  I don’t move. I have no intention of leaving this house tonight. My entire world has been turned on its side since Zeke arrived, and I’m honestly looking forward to a quiet evening alone where I know rather than have to guess if he’s gone or not.

  “We’ll stick close to you,” Piper promises. “And we’ll leave the second you’re ready to go.”

  I know she’s not going to give up.

  “Fine,” I grunt as I walk toward the coat closet. “Be prepared to not even get out of the car.”

  “Nope,” Piper counters. “Like I said. It’s senior year, and we’ve got to get out of the shadows. It’s our time to shine!”

  “When do you get your cheer uniform?” I ask as we leave the house. I lock the front door, uncaring if Zeke has a key or not.

  “Very funny,” she says as Dalton holds the passenger side door of his dad’s truck open for her.

  Surprisingly, once she’s inside, he takes another step and opens mine for me as well. “Keep earning those brownie points.”

  He winks at me before rounding the front and climbing inside.

  The drive is as quiet as it can be with Piper humming happily along to the song playing on the radio, and by the time we get to the field, I’m glad to get out. I’ll puke if I have to look at the sparkle in Dalton’s eyes each time he raises their joined hands and presses his lips to the back of Piper’s.

  “You guys are giving me a toothache,” I murmur as I climb out.

  Dalton opens Piper’s door for her, lifting her by the waist and letting her slide slowly down his body in a move that’s clearly sexual.

  “If you guys wander off to get naked and leave me here alone, I’ll never speak to either one of you ever again.”

  “I’d never do that,” Piper assures me, but then she squeals when Dalton pinches her on the butt. She swats him away, but he’s grinning like the Cheshire cat as they once again clasp hands and begin walking closer to the fire.

  It’s not a huge bonfire, and since this isn’t a school-sanctioned event, the teens laughing and drinking with music blaring all around them don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves.

  It doesn’t take long for my eyes to seek and find Zeke, and of course he’s right where I expect him to be, in the middle of the football guys with Bronwyn on his arm.

  The red, orange, and yellow glow from the fire lights him up in a way that’s almost magical. His bright, hazel eyes absorb the colors making his pupils glow nearly iridescent, and from far away I can imagine him being the perfect all-American boy. He’s grinning at something Linc says with a beer in his hand, but his smile falters when he notices me, and I swear horns protrude from the top of his head despite the hood of his sweatshirt being in the way.

  “Do you want a soda?” Piper asks. “They have coolers full of stuff.”

  I glance back at my friend, but my eyes immediately search Dalton’s hands.

  “Just Coke for me,” he says, tilting the soda in his grasp. “I don’t drink anymore.”

  Dalton was wasted at the end-of-year party a few months ago, and rumors were around school he was always the first to arrive at the party, the one who partied the hardest, and always the last to leave, but as I watch his face as he glances at Piper, I can tell he’s content to just be around her with no alcohol involved at all.

  I don’t know why I keep looking and waiting for him to turn on her. I truly want her to be happy. Maybe it’s my own situation and the crappy hand I’ve been dealt in Zeke Benson that has me wai
ting for the other shoe to drop on Piper’s situation.

  “Do they have Dr. Pepper?” I ask with a smile, determined to have a good time if for no other reason than to not ruin Piper’s very first bonfire.

  Chapter 35

  Zeke

  “The first game of the season is against Colleyville Academy,” Linc says after taking a long pull on what I think is his fourth beer. As he’s speaking to me, I find his focus through the flames on one of the cheerleaders. It seems neither one of us can really focus on our little group. “They have a good team, but we’re still going to kick their asses.”

  Hoots and hollers of agreement sprout up around me, but I can’t focus on any of them because Frankie is on the other side of the fire sipping a Dr. Pepper with the same friends she sits with at lunch.

  God, the first time I pressed my lips to that perfect mouth of hers, she tasted like Dr. Pepper. My tongue sneaks out, running over my bottom lip at the memory.

  “I think we have a good chance against Acker High if this guy,” Linc slaps my back so hard I nearly lose the grip on the beer I’ve been nursing since I showed up, “plays half as good during a game as he has been during practice.”

  I didn’t want to join the football team. There are so many things that have happened, making me different from the last time I stepped foot on a football field, but then I mentioned it to Mom during a phone call after my first couple of days here, and she seemed excited that I’d be able to play. So I joined. I don’t want her to worry about me. She has enough things to stress over.

  Being around these guys has been slowly driving me crazy. Just like right now with their conversations about football and next week’s party, they really have nothing of substance to say. They’re all superficial, exactly how I accused Frankie of being when she first showed up on the ranch, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

  Linc leans in and speaks with one of his friends. After Linc is done whispering, Graham nods his head before leaving the group, crossing the field in the girls’ direction.

  “What has your attention?” Bronwyn asks as she turns to look in the direction I’ve been staring the last couple of minutes. “Oh. Her?”