Page 52 of Redemption
I’m all for Langston breaking the rules—he needs to break more of his own—but not at the expense of Hayes’s future. Hayes actually wants the life that Langston would kill to get out of. The scholarship, college, dreams of the NFL—he wants it all, and I won’t jeopardize that for him.
But when I turn to Hayes, there’s humor in his eyes. “Let’s do it.”
He bends to grab a balloon, and before I realize what’s happening, he throws it at me, hitting me square in the chest and sending paint splattered all over me.
The smile he wears is cocky as I stand there in shock, but when a balloon whizzes by me, hitting him in the same spot, I have to purse my lips to keep from laughing.
And as Langston gives a battle cry, yelling “War” into the night sky, I feel a weight lighten in my chest.
I can worry about my brother another day, but for tonight, I’m going to revel in the peace of being here on a football field with my brother and best friend one more time.
We play the game for another hour, spreading it further out on campus than just the football field. The school is our playground, and we use every obstacle we can as our defense. None of us are on teams, and we only stop to refill the balloons with paint.
I got separated from the boys about ten minutes ago, and I’ve been sneaking around in the dark, throwing myself behind things whenever I hear a noise as I look for them.
A twig crackles behind me, and I spin, releasing the balloon from my hands. Only–it’s not either of the boys standing there. It’s an officer. There’s paint splattered across his shoes, and he’s holding the empty vodka bottle Langston left on the ground. It’s not humor on his face, either.
“I—uh—can explain,” I say, trying to lighten the mood, but I know that’s not happening. I can smell the vodka on me where Langston spilled it on me earlier, and I’ve been caught red-handed throwing the balloon.
I’m in a lot of trouble. I just hope the boys are smart enough to stay hidden.
Chapter 17
Hayes
18 years old
“Langston,” I whisper into the dark, panic evident in my voice. I’m at the edge of the building, but I can see where a cop stands in front of MJ. His back is to me, but there’s a bottle in his hand and a pained expression on MJ’s face. This is not good.
“Langston,” I say, a little bit louder.
“Man, you are terrible at this game. You aren’t supposed to give away your location.” He appears at my shoulder, his eyes glassy from drinking. Something is going on with him, but I don’t know what it is. Today, we signed on the dotted line for a future we’ve been working towards for as long as I can remember. So why is he getting drunk and trespassing on that same night?
It’s not like him.
“We’ve got to help your sister,” I say, jerking my head to where MJ is standing. “The cops are here.”
That clears up his drunkenness a little, panic settling into his eyes.
“We can’t go out there,” he whispers.
My head snaps.
Is he seriously considering leaving MJ out there to fend for herself?
“We can’t let her take the fall either,” I growl.
This guy is my best friend, but I can’t for the life of me understand what’s going on with him.
I start to step forward to reveal our location, but he grabs the back of my shirt, pulling me back.
Spinning, I lift my hands in fists, ready to fight him over this.
“You. Are. Not. Leaving. Your. SISTER.”
He throws his hands up, showing me he isn’t willing to fight me on this. It’s a good thing because, as angry as I am, I would win.
“Listen to me,” Langston says, trying to reason with me. “If we go out there right now, everything we signed today won’t mean anything. You can kiss that full-ride scholarship goodbye. MJ will be okay. They will do a breathalyzer and realize that she isn’t drinking. Then they will call my parents and have them pick her up. The most she will get is grounded. That’s a lot different than ruining a whole future, don’t you think?”
