Page 11 of The Ruckup
Gavin’s dark eyes drop to his chest and he stares at the shirt for a second before finally saying, “I spilled something on mine.”
I lift my brows, trying to figure out when Gavin ‘The Wall’ Wilkes has ever been clumsy. In spite of his gigantic size, the man moves like a freaking ballerina. That’s part of the reason he’s considered the top rugby player in the U.S.
My nose wrinkles as a more likely possibility registers. “Was it puke?”
We haven’t gotten shitfaced on my mom’s punch in years—both of us learned our lesson early—but you never know. He’s been acting pretty fucking weird lately, so it’s possible he decided to actreallyfucking weird and drink too much death punch.
Gavin’s head tilts as he glares at me. “No, it wasn’t puke.”
I open my mouth, ready to ask him if he’s seen Maddie, but before I can get the question out, my mother shoves her way between us, a snarl aimed directly at me.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I look her over, deciding to deflect instead of acting guilty. “Gavin and I were discussing the perils of your poisonous punch.”
My mom is tiny. Short but mighty. Also occasionally terrifying.
Not terrifying enough to make me regret getting my hands on Maddie, though.
My mother steps closer, the change forcing her to crane her neck so she can continue pinning me with a dirty look. “I told you to stay away from Maddie Miller.”
Now would be the perfect time to play stupid. To claim I only talked to her on the couch because I didn’t want to be rude. But the sadness and uncertainty I saw in Maddie’s eyes won’t let me distance myself from her. The way she looked so alone sitting there by herself makes it impossible for me to deny the time I spent at her side.
“I don’t know if you noticed,” I keep my voice even, trying not to poke the beast any more than I have to, “but Maddie Miller’s an adult. If she wants to talk to me, that’s her choice.”
I hear Gavin suck in a breath. Probably out of fear for my safety. Not only because I’m his best friend and he doesn’t want to see me hurt, but also because I’m his teammate. If I’m out for the season, the Swamp Cats won’t be nearly as formidable.
My mother’s blue eyes widen in surprise. Or maybe anger. Either way, I know she’s about to lose her shit on me.
So I decide the best plan of action is for me to get the fuck out of here before it all goes sideways. Taking a step away from my furious mom, I give my friend a wave. “I think it’s time for me to head out.”
“Don’t you dare walk away from me, young man.” She lowers her voice, and I know what’s coming before she says it. “I would hate to have to bring your father into this.”
Seems like Maddie’s parents are the only ones who haven’t gotten the memo that they aren’t in charge anymore.
I snort, annoyed instead of afraid like she’s hoping. “You might as well. At least then he’d fucking dosomething.” I’m pushing it, but for some reason tonight feels different. Not just the party and Gavin, but life in general.
Me.
I’ve been biting my tongue about a lot of stuff for a really long time, and I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to keep doing it, so I turn and walk away, leaving my mom sputtering behind me. I’m sure Gavin’s going to be pissed as hell at my exit, but hopefully he’ll follow my lead and get the hell out of here too.
I’ve always given Alexis shit for ducking out of this thing early, but now I get where she’s coming from.
Christmas isn’t what it used to be.
Pushing my way out the front door, I make a beeline for my Charger. Climbing behind the wheel and firing up the engine, I pull away from the curb.
And just like before, I know what Ishoulddo. Ishouldgo home. Spend some time cooling off. See if I can get my thoughts back in line.
I’m not trying to make my parents’ life hard. They’re both obviously happy with things the way they are. I might not understand it, but I guess I don’t have to.
But at the end of the day, they’re not going to tell me who I can and can’t talk to. I’m a grown fucking man who makes his own decisions.
And my decision is to pull into the closest gas station so I can fire off a text.
Hey.
Did you leave the party already?
