Page 106 of Missed Notes (Rixon High 5)

“But my mom—”

“Have you ever tried to get her to leave him?”

“More times than I can count. But she said they took lifelong vows. Her parents, my grandparents, were deeply religious. Mom hasn’t stepped foot in a church for years, but her faith is important to her.”

“And what does her faith say about your father’s infidelity and emotional abuse?”

“Sofe, come on. It’s not that simple.”

“Yeah.” She let out a defeated sigh. “I know. I just… I hate that you’re stuck in the middle of this.”

“She’s my mom. I can’t just turn my back on her.” I was all she had.

She took my face in her hands and leaned in close, so close I wanted nothing more than to lose myself in her. “I get that, I do. But if the last few weeks has taught me anything, it’s that you only get one life, Cole. And it’s short. In the grand scheme of things, it’s so fucking short.”

A tear slipped free, rolling down her cheek. With the pad of my thumb, I brushed it away, pressing a soft kiss on her lips.

“Do you have any idea how much I like you?”

“You’re changing the subject.”

“Maybe. Is it working?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you should try a little harder.” Her eyes danced with lust as she brushed her lips over mine, teasing me.

“Sofe, fuck, I want—”

My phone started vibrating again, and I dropped my head to Sofia’s shoulder, inhaling a frustrated breath.

She held me tight, letting me soak up her comfort. My plight wasn’t anything compared to what she was going through. But I hadn’t realized how much I needed to talk about this until the words spilled out.

The vibrating stopped, but quickly started back up again.

“For fuck’s sake, he’s relentless.” I reached over and grabbed my cell phone. “Yeah?”

“Do you have any idea how many times I’ve called you?”

“It was on silent. My bad.”

Dad made a tsking noise. “We need to go over the arrangements for next week and I want to see your application. Your mom said you still haven’t finalized it.”

“Dad, I—”

“I have a business meeting later, but tomorrow after school I want us to sit down and get things ironed out. I may be able to pull some strings and expedite your application if we send it Tuesday.”

Fuck.

Fuck.

I gently eased Sofia out of my lap and climbed off the bed.

“The playoffs—”

“Are not important, Cole. You need to get that into your head. Your mother and I expect to see you tomorrow after school.”

“Can I bring somebody?”

“Excuse me?”

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