From the Damage 1 - Opposites Attract Read online

  Anybody who looked at him and really saw him at all would know he was still madly in love with his late wife. So, for now, she reasoned that just being his friend was enough.

  “I think,” Gage said suddenly, drawing Kelly out of her trance, “if you told your mom about the abortion, she’d lay off you about getting back together with the jerk.”

  Kelly shook her head. “I can’t tell her. You know that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Tell my mom I killed my baby? No thanks.”

  “Kelly,” he sighed, “you had a legal medical procedure done—”

  “Illegally done,” she corrected. “Remember? I used a fake ID and pretended to be eighteen. Besides, Mom is strictly pro-life. She’d...” She shivered at thinking of how angry her mother would be if she knew what Kelly’d done. “She’d hate me.”

  “You’re her daughter,” Gage said, “and trust me on this one—as a parent, I know—nothing you do could ever make her hate you. I’m sure she’d be a little angry, probably disappointed, but she wouldn’t hate you. So stop using that excuse. What’s the real reason you won’t tell her?”

  Kelly sighed, watching as Spongebob frantically searched his house for his missing snail-cat. “It’s like you said. She’d be disappointed. I’m just too...too ashamed of the entire thing.”

  With a small, compassionate sigh, he reached over and draped his arm around her shoulders, filling her with such a safe feeling that for a second that it rendered her breathless. “You don’t have anything to be ashamed of, Kelly.”

  She turned to look at him, to tell him that yes, she had plenty to be ashamed of, and that’s when she saw Lizzie curled up with her head on one of the throw pillows, clutching the teddy bear to her chest as she slept soundly. “Look,” she whispered to Gage.

  He glanced over at Lizzie, his face broadening into a smile at how precious and sweet and peaceful his little girl looked. Reaching over, he turned the lamp off, leaving the room lit only by the blue glow of the television set. Kelly settled underneath Gage’s arm, nuzzling her head against his shoulder and giving a small smile of satisfaction when he tightened his grip around her.

  ≈≈≈

  Meagan walked into Rob’s house for his weekly party and searched the room, her gaze immediately seeking Ryder. He was always at a party, playing bouncer. He should be here by now, she thought, scanning every corner of the place.

  Smoke hung in the living room as a thick fog, and loud music blasted from a large entertainment center. Meagan weaved through the crowd until she came to the kitchen, where people gathered around an island playing quarters.

  When her gaze landed on Seth, suddenly, all of the bodies felt too close to her.

  She could smell their sweat and perfume, and it was too strong, making nausea do a vicious dance in her stomach.

  Seth was watching her. She could feel his eyes on her, as if he could see right through her skin, and in his eyes, she saw what he was thinking. He was thinking she was alone at a party again, and he was drunk again.

  She shrank away, disgusted and desperately in need of the Knight Ryder.

  Stumbling out the back door, she staggered out and into the cool night air. The constant chirping of crickets resounded in her head, a loud and obnoxious song. She leaned against the side of the house, held onto her head, and tried to calm herself. But leaving the party’d been a mistake, for she knew the second the door opened, Seth would step outside, and that was exactly what he did.

  Fear mushroomed inside her body, and she jumped off the open porch and onto the grass, hoping she could make it around the house before he...

  Seth reached out and grabbed her wrist, swinging her around until he held her tightly clutched in his arms.

  “Seth, knock it off,” she warned, struggling to get away, but he was so strong.

  He’d always been so strong. “Let me go!”

  “I tried to warn you about tattlers,” he said, his drunken breath smacking her in the face. “Maybe I wasn’t clear.”

  “Seth, I swear—”

  Ignoring her, he moved with her as she struggled, turning it into a twisted dance.

  “You got me suspended from three games.” His voice rumbled with anger as his grip on her tightened and she thought her bones would crush. “Do you have any idea what that looks like to the scouts who were there to watch me play?”

  “I’m sorry, okay? I was mad.” Her normal retorts and bravery had melted away, leaving only paralyzing fear in their wake.

  “Yeah? Well now, I’m mad. Maybe it’s time I show you which one of us is in control.” Looping his leg around hers, he swept her off her feet, and she tumbled backwards, landing on the grass moments before his weight landed on her.

  Tears slipped down her cheeks as she frantically looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Seeing a garden gnome resting against the porch, she squirmed, trying to reach it as Seth groped at her body, sliding his hands up her shirt.

  Narrowing her eyes in determination, she managed to slide over, even if it meant making Seth follow her. She let out a loud scream at the top of her lungs, just in case, by some miracle, someone happened to hear her.

  His weight started to smother her, and his hands felt clammy and hot as he felt her skin. Pressing down against her, he tried to unbutton her jeans.

  With one last desperate stretch, she grabbed the garden gnome by his feet and swung it, knocking Seth clear off of her and onto the grass beside her. Yelping in pain, he grabbed his head, muttering a string of curses.

  Jumping to her feet, she took off, with Seth right on her heels, yelling after her.

  She headed for the side of the house so she could round the building and hopefully make it to her car. As she rounded the corner, she ran smack into a broad chest and screamed, stumbling back as she tried to keep herself from falling.

  When she realized it was Ryder, she burst into tears, and Seth slowed to a stop behind her. Even though the danger was over, Ryder could see what had almost happened, Meagan could tell he knew in the cold glare he fixed on Seth as he wrapped his arm around Meagan and led her safely away.

  Chapter Nine—Coming Clean

  “I think I finally get it,” Meagan said as she still reeled from the fear and dread she’d felt only moments earlier. Sitting inside Ryder’s car, she felt safe and protected, and that’s what made her realize it—the tiny clue that made him tick. “You do all of this—the breaking up fights and playing the knight in shining leather—because you’re hoping you can earn redemption somehow. Right?”

  Glancing over at her, she could see his breath catch as the emotion flooded his deep brown eyes. “Do you think I can? Earn redemption?”

  Reaching over to him, she grasped his hand. “Of course you can, Ryder. You already have.”

  He gave a small sigh. “I don’t know about that,” he said. “I don’t know how I could ever be forgiven for something so...God, so horrible.”

  “You know what you need to do to make yourself feel better.”

  “Meagan, I just can’t.”

  “You have to tell him, Ryder. I promise that guilt will go away if you just fess up and make things right.”

  “Make things right?” Ryder’s bitter laugh echoed in the car. “I sold his wife the gun she used to shoot up the school, ultimately getting herself and those other people killed. How could I ever make that right?”

  She leaned forward, resting her head on his shoulder. “I have no idea,” she said, resting her chin on his shoulder and gazing up at him, “but you’re asking the wrong person. You need to ask Gage.”

  ≈≈≈

  Kelly woke to the sound of her cellular phone ringing. Glancing down at the display screen, she realized her mother was calling her. Silencing the ringer, she looked around the room and saw that she’d fallen asleep on Gage’s shoulder, and Lizzie still slept soundly on the floor.

  They’d all just drifted to sleep. When the phone finally stopped vibrating in Kelly’s hand, she flip
ped it open to look at the time. “Three a.m.?” she exclaimed on reflex, prompting Gage to shoot awake.

  “Peyton, don’t!” Gasping for breath, Gage looked around the room and spotted Kelly, his cheeks flushing.

  She eyed him, wondering if he’d been dreaming about Peyton and if she should ask about it. She decided not to. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “It’s okay.” Leaning back against the couch, he rubbed a hand over his face as he released a breath. He picked up her hand, glancing at the clock on her phone as he sleepily asked, “What time is it?”

  “Three,” she said. “Mom’s called me like twelve times. I should go.”

  “I’m sorry if I got you in trouble,” he said as he stood when she did.

  “It’s okay.” In the darkened room, from the blue glow of the TV, his eyes looked magnetic, drawing her in, coercing her to stay. Tearing her gaze away from him, she started for the door. “I’ll call you later.”

  He nodded as he walked over to the pallet Lizzie slept on and easily picked her up without waking her. “Okay,” he whispered. “Good luck with your mom.”

  I’m going to need it, she thought as she waved goodbye to him.

  ≈≈≈

  Kelly pulled her car into the driveway and turned it off as she stared up at the big white house. She didn’t want to go in and face her mother; she’d rather do anything else.

  For a second, she considered turning her car back on and going somewhere else, anywhere else, but before she could move, the front door flung open, and Kelly saw her mother standing in the doorway.

  Jodi marched onto the porch with her hands on hips and her robe tied tightly around her small frame. Taking a deep breath, Kelly climbed out of the car to finally face her mother.

  “Get in the house right now.” Jodi’s voice was taut as she scanned the block, looking for any sign that a neighbor might be watching.

  Of course, Mother. We’ve got to keep up appearances, Kelly thought as she went into the house.

  “Where the hell have you been?” Shutting the door quietly behind her, Jodi whispered to keep from waking up the entire house. “It’s three o’clock in the morning, Kelly.”

  “I’m sorry,” she interrupted. “I really am. I fell asleep watching TV. It was an accident.”

  “Who were you with? It was that boy, wasn’t it? That dropout who lives on his own?”

  One look at Kelly’s face confirmed Jodi’s suspicion.

  “Kelly, I told you not to see him anymore.”

  “No,” she corrected. “You said you didn’t like the idea.”

  “Then the rest goes without saying!”

  “Mom, it was an accident, okay? We were watching Spongebob with his daughter, and we just fell asleep. There’s nothing more to it than that.”

  “His daughter?” Eyes bulging, Jodi stared at Kelly in disbelief. “You’re dating a guy who has a daughter?”

  “Mom, would you listen to me?” Exasperated, Kelly dragged a hand through her hair. “For one, I’m not dating him, and two, I’m not going to stop hanging out with him. He’s the only one who understands what I’m going through.”

  “What are you talking about? And what makes you think you can tell me what you’re going to do?” Jodi turned away from Kelly, pressing her fingers against her temples. “I’m at my wits’ end here, Kelly. You’re in danger of failing all of your classes.

  You sulk around the house every day, and you won’t have anything to do with me or your brother. And then you act like I have no right to be worried.” Whirling to face her daughter, Jodi grabbed Kelly by the shoulders, her worried eyes pleading with her.

  “Kelly, did something happen to you? Something made you...change. ”

  There it was: her opening, the chance to come clean. With tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at her mother, she just couldn’t find words to express what’d happened or why she’d changed. She felt like there was a deep cut inside her, a torment so great that just scratching the surface of it would render her completely helpless with pain. Her voice quivering, Kelly struggled to pull away from her mom. “Mom, I can’t.

  Okay?”

  “So that’s a yes?” Jodi tightened her grip on Kelly’s shoulders.

  “Mom, you don’t want to know, trust me,” Kelly cried, trying harder to pull away, but she was no match for the older woman’s grip.

  “I’m your mother, and I love you,” Jodi said, desperately trying to cling on to Kelly before she could pull away. “So just tell me what happened to my little girl.

  Please!”

  Tears choked themselves in her throat, and she was so preoccupied with the choking sensation that she hardly noticed when the sad words bubbled up her throat.

  “Your little girl had an...an abortion.”

  Jodi froze, completely, 100 percent froze. She stared at Kelly, her face a total blank. She shook her head but still kept her hands tightly clutched onto Kelly’s shoulders. “I don’t understand. Wouldn’t you need permission? Forms signed or something? Surely they can’t just let a sixteen-year-old girl walk in and—”

  “I used a fake ID,” Kelly whispered, feeling numb and drained. She couldn’t believe her secret was finally out. “Alex paid cash, drove me home, and dumped me.

  And the fact that you keep trying to push us back together really isn’t helping.”

  Jodi pulled Kelly close, clutching her in a tight hug that squeezed the breath out of Kelly’s lungs. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered to her daughter, but the soft, quiet sob was almost inaudible. “I’m so sorry you had to go through something like that all on your own, baby. I’m so sorry.”

  Kelly began to cry. She couldn’t hold the tears back any longer, and she just clung to her mother, letting her hold her and make her feel safe.

  ≈≈≈

  When Kay arrived home from school that afternoon, she waved goodbye to Zander and then dragged herself up the porch steps and into her living room.

  She was startled to find Daphne and her mother in the living room. Daphne was standing with her purse over her shoulder, as if she’d just gotten ready to leave, and her mother stood next to her. Surprisingly, she didn’t look embarrassed or angry, just friendly.

  Kay watched them, trying to decipher if Daphne had told her mom the lie about the abusive boyfriend. “Wh-what are you doing here?” she stammered, looking at Daphne.

  Daphne smiled at her and held up a sheet of paper. “I came to get your mother’s signature so you can keep coming to group meetings.”

  “And I gave it to her,” Melanie said, giving Daphne a small smile as if they’d discussed something privately.

  Her fear was momentarily forgotten as a surge of joy swept through her body.

  “Are you serious?”

  Both women nodded, and Kay sprang forward, wrapping her arms around both of them in an excited hug. “Thank you so much,” she said. She wasn’t sure if she was more grateful to her mother for agreeing or to Daphne for obviously talking her into it.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Kay said to Daphne, eager to find out exactly what she’d said to her mother to change her mind.

  She led Daphne outside and down to her van parked in the driveway. Turning to Kay, Daphne said, “You don’t have to worry. I didn’t tell her what you told me. I would never do that unless you’re in immediate danger.”

  “Then what’d you say to make it happen?”

  “I told her I thought you were benefitting from the sessions and that taking you out now would only undo your progress and we might never figure out why you decided you needed therapy.”

  “And she bought it?”

  Daphne nodded. “See what can happen when you’re honest with me?”

  Kay felt a quick pang of guilt in her gut, knowing she hadn’t been completely honest but Daphne had gone out on a limb for her anyway.

  Daphne reached out, squeezing Kay’s hand. “No more lies, okay?”

  Kay smiled,
squeezing Daphne’s hand. “I promise. No more lies.”

  ≈≈≈

  “I’m glad to see everybody back this week,” Daphne said, giving Kay a wink as she began the meeting. “Does anybody want to start us off?”

  The teens all sat quietly, but Kelly was feeling the urge to speak up, to tell the group members what she’d told her mother and Gage.

  Brett leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Nobody wants to say anything?”

  He noticed a strange look on Kelly’s face and prompted, “Kelly?”

  Kelly took a deep breath. “Well...you could say it’s been a climactic week.” She glanced over at Gage, and he gave her a small, encouraging nod.

  “What happened?” Daphne asked.

  “Well, I finally told my mom, and—”

  The sound of the door opening interrupted her. Looking at the doorway, a gasp caught in Kelly’s throat. She reached next to her and grasped Gage’s hand, clutching it so tightly her fingers paled.

  “Is it too late to join this group?” asked Alex, still standing in the doorway.

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