Page 36 of Truth or Dare

Her frown deepened. “What happened?”

I ran her through the details, watching her face darken as I spoke.

“The coach sided with the bully?”

“Yeah. I’m probably suspended. You’ll get a call from the dean, but I’m not sitting through detention when I didn’t do anything wrong.”

She sighed, smoothing the hair off my forehead. “It’s early in the year, Hudson. Try to pace yourself.”

“Sorry, Mom,” I muttered, a pang of guilt tugging at me. She’d had my back through more than a few of my stunts.

“I’ll wait for the school to call,” she said softly. “We’ll figure it out.”

I nodded and made my way downstairs, stripping off my leather jacket. Our basement was basically a giant hangout spot—a bedroom, bathroom, a media room with a full bar and kitchen, and a pool table. It was my own space, as long as I kept up with my chores.

After changing into sweats, I was just settling in when my phone buzzed with a message from Reagan.

Where the hell are you?

Reagan’s textflashed on my screen, impatient as ever.

Home. I had a run-in with your crush

Evan?

I exhaled,irritation creeping into my fingers as I typed my reply.

Seriously, Reagan, I don’t know why you and Presley are so into this guy.

Her response came instantly.

It’s not for you to question. We have an agreement.

I shook my head.The whole thing was complete garbage, and every second of it grated on me. There was no way I was going to keep up this charade, especially with her fawning over Evan.

Our agreement is over.

I shot back,my fingers pressing harder into each key.

Find someone else to make your best friend jealous.

Without waitingfor her to respond, I switched my phone to silent, tossed it on my bed, and threw on a jacket. I needed to get out. A light drizzle started as I pulled out of the driveway, rain splattering across the windshield. I flicked on the wipers and rolled down the window just enough to light up a cigarette, letting the familiar burn calm me.

Asterdale had changed since we left. I hadn’t really stopped to notice until now—new shops, different faces, and somehow, it all felt colder than it used to. I pulled up to Fromby’s and went inside for a burger and cheese fries, taking my time as I watched the rain blur the outside world into a hazy gray.

I could still picture Presley sitting across from me in my truck a few weeks back, laughing over fries. Now, she was tangled up in Evan’s arms, and I felt a sharp stab of jealousy I hated to admit.

On my way back to the truck, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out, seeing "Mom" on the screen just as it was about to roll over to voicemail.

“Hey, Mom,” I answered, pushing my wet hair out of my eyes.

She sighed on the other end. “You left school without signing out, Hudson. They called and let me know you’ve got a two-day suspension.”

I gritted my teeth, knowing I deserved it but hating the situation all the same. “I’m sorry.”

“Just come home. We need to talk,” she said, and then the line went dead.

I stayed in the parking lot a little longer, wondering what "talk" really meant. She was usually laid-back about my mistakes, but she also had her hopes set on college for me, and to get there, my grades had to stay solid.

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