Take a Chance Read online

  “Ah.”

  Ah. Crap. Now he sounded just plain gross. Afraid that if he looked at her directly she would get all uncomfortable again, he averted his eyes. “Sorry. I usually don’t talk about sweating and showers.”

  She slapped a hand over her mouth in an obvious attempt to not laugh. “Thank you. The moment I saw you, I was feeling mortified.”

  “Which means my fumbling around made you feel better.”

  She giggled.

  “Mission accomplished.” He smiled.

  “I promise, I actually try to give a better impression than this.”

  “If it’s any consolation, you made a good impression on me today. Thank you for everything you did for Sam. We both really appreciate it.”

  “Sam is a good kid. Though he might not realize it, we’re all on the same team. We all want him to succeed and do better.”

  “I’ll pass that on to him. Thanks.” He needed to go now. Leave her alone and let her get on home.

  “Hey, are you settling into Bridgeport okay?”

  He shrugged. “Well enough.”

  “Good.”

  She looked relieved. He wondered why. Did he look that out of place … or was she concerned about something else? But no matter what, he didn’t think it mattered, anyway. “I’ll let you go. I only stopped here to grab some Mexican food to go.”

  Emily lit up. “Oh, El Fenix is really good. You should try the Santa Fe burritos.”

  “Will do.” He smiled at her then, pleased when she smiled back.

  Twenty minutes later, after he had gotten fajitas, enchiladas, and a Santa Fe burrito, he wondered why he had done such a thing. It wasn’t like he was going to see her anytime soon. In fact, it would be best if he didn’t see her much at all.

  When he walked in the door, Sam was sitting on the sectional playing Xbox like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Hey,” he said over his shoulder while he continued to press his thumbs on the controller.

  “Hey, come on over to the table and eat.”

  “Why?” he asked suspiciously. “We usually just sit on the couch.”

  “We don’t usually get to have a meeting at school either. Turn that off, or whatever you have to do, and join me. And grab some plates and silverware for us, okay?”

  Sam looked like he was going to argue. But then he turned off the television and joined Kurt in the kitchen. After he grabbed the plates and a pair of forks, he pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. “What did you get?”

  “Fajitas, cheese enchiladas, and something called a Santa Fe burrito,” he said as he unwrapped it and cut it in half.

  Sam eyed it suspiciously. “What the heck is that?”

  “Not sure.”

  “Why did you order it then?”

  “Why not?” Kurt replied, because, well, he didn’t have an answer to that. It wasn’t like he could tell his brother that his teacher recommended it after her hot yoga class.

  “Um, okay,” he said as he dug in.

  Kurt did the same. When he cut into the burrito and discovered some freaky green sauce, black beans, and chicken, it took everything he had to give it a try. Surprisingly, it was good. Would he get it again?

  That would be no.

  Sam raised his eyebrows at it but didn’t say a word.

  Finally, Kurt knew they couldn’t put it off anymore. “So, about today. You okay?”

  Sam leaned back. “Yeah. I guess.”

  “Any fallout from the kids?”

  He chuckled under his breath. “Not really. Most are pretending it didn’t happen. A couple acted like I should have gotten into bigger trouble, but nothing else.”

  “What about Kayla?”

  “Kay?” His expression softened. “She didn’t say much, but she didn’t act like she hated me hitting that kid, either.” Looking pleased, he said, “She said I could call her later. We’re going to talk tonight.”

  Kurt knew that tone of voice. He used to sound like that about Becky. Well, he did until she’d gotten a scholarship and moved to Morgantown and found herself a guy with a future.

  His mother had said good riddance, but he’d remembered every harsh word Becky had said. About how she wanted something more. Something more than what he was. More than what she imagined he could ever be.

  And just like that, all the disappointments he’d ever felt about himself rushed forward, both embarrassing him and frustrating him at the same time. He’d been hurt and Becky had dropped him like an unwanted bug clinging to her shoe.

  Back then, he’d been just a guy starting his own landscaping business. He’d known that he wasn’t much of a catch. But he still resented that she’d felt the need to stomp on his heart, too. He’d thought he’d loved her. But she? Well, she hadn’t. Not even close.

  No way did he want Sam to go through that. “You know, we moved here so you could get into college. Not so you could start dating some girl who was going to get you into trouble.” When Sam swallowed hard, Kurt realized that he’d sounded harsh. And yeah, he sounded pretty judgmental, too.

  What was wrong with him?

  Sam put his fork down. “I know that.”

  “Then you know you can’t mess this up. Keep your head on straight and don’t get into any more fights.”

  “I didn’t intend to get into one in the first place,” Sam snapped.

  Though he knew he should shut up, Kurt just kept talking. “If you need to distance yourself from this girl so you can concentrate on what’s important, then that’s what you need to do. We pulled up both of our lives for this. Both of our lives.”

  “You don’t think I realize that?”

  “I’m not sure if you realize what I did for you.”

  “What you did for me? Is that how it is now? Because when we first talked about moving here, it was because both of us needed to take a chance. Both of us had something we wanted to do.”

  “Don’t make this fight about me, kid.”

  Sam raised his eyebrows. “Well, how about this. Do you think some asshat sharing half-naked pictures of Kayla and making stupid remarks about her ain’t important?” Before Kurt could attempt to defend himself, Sam continued. “Was all that stuff you said in the office at school just talk?”

  “Of course not. And of course what happened to Kayla was bad. It was really wrong. But what I’m trying to tell you is that it wasn’t your problem, Sam.”

  “She’s sixteen and Garrett was showing all of his friends her boobs.”

  Kurt winced. “She could have handled it on her own.”

  Sam shook his head. “No, she couldn’t. She was crying.”

  Kurt felt his insides clench. He’d never been able to handle girls crying, either. “That’s too bad, but that doesn’t mean you had to get in that guy’s face.”

  “Don’t give me that,” Sam said, his eyes looking like they might start watering. “He hit me first. You wouldn’t have just stood there.”

  It was time to back down, and maybe even tell the truth, too. “I hear you. You’re right. I wouldn’t.”

  His brother kept talking. “Besides, someone had to stand up for her. It needed to be me.”

  It needed to be him. Well, there was further proof that nothing about Sam’s relationship with Kayla was casual. The kid was in deep. Forcing himself to remember just how much of a loser he’d felt when Becky had tossed him out of her life, Kurt cleared his throat. “Sam, all I’m trying to say is that sometimes a man has to weigh what is important in his life. He needs to prioritize. For you, that needs to be college.”

  “I was college bound when we lived in West Virginia, Kurt,” he retorted, his voice louder. “I got those test scores after Mom died! I made straight As while you and Dad were always working and I was playing football. I can do more than one thing at a time.”

  “Things are differ
ent here, though.”

  “Yeah, they are. Most of the kids are stuck up. All of my real friends are six hours away. And you …”

  “And me, what?”

  “You’re riding me like a horse.”

  “Come on.”

  “And you’re stressed out and in my face all the time.”

  “Of course I’m stressed out. I’ve got a mortgage and a business and a brother to raise.”

  Sam slapped his hand on the table. “Don’t you get it? I already am raised.”

  “Not completely.” The kid needed him. He knew it. He knew it as surely as if he was advising him on what card to pick up in a poker game.

  “Okay, how about this? I may still need you, but I don’t need to be supervised. I don’t need you to ride me about grades or test scores. I don’t need you remind me about how much college costs or how lucky I am to even think about going to some Ivy League school. I know I’m lucky. I know that.”

  “Then?”

  “Then what I need you to do is back off. I swear, half the time I think you’re going to ask me if I did my homework.”

  “If you don’t want more conversations like this, then you need to behave.”

  Sam glared at him. “Did you even mean all that stuff you said in the principal’s office?”

  “Of course I did.”

  “Then you know I did the right thing, Kurt.” Softening his voice, he said, “Sorry, but I think your problem is that you aren’t thinking about yourself.”

  “I just told you that I’m working …”

  “I mean for fun.”

  “Sam, life isn’t—”

  “Kurt, all you do is work and hover over me. You don’t do anything here that you used to do.”

  “I’m not really the golf and tennis type of guy.”

  “Then go fishing,” Sam said in an exasperated tone. “There’s a big lake that’s fully stocked just outside the town’s limits. We’ve got a river that runs through downtown where you can kayak. There’s hiking and biking trails.”

  “You sound like a brochure.”

  “Maybe I need to, since you haven’t explored Bridgeport much.” Sam held up a hand. “And, before you start telling me that you don’t want to go on a ten-mile bike ride, I bet there are other men in Bridgeport who like to sit around and drink beer too. Maybe even play cards. Go find them.”

  “Thanks for the tip. I’ll get right on that.”

  Ignoring his sarcasm, Sam said, “You need to get back to how you used to be. Call up Troy. He’s from Spartan and is half the reason we’re here. Call up Ace.”

  Kurt was about to blow off that suggestion when he realized that the kid was right. “I’ll give them a call.”

  Gathering up his plate, Sam gave him a steady look. “Good. Now that this real fun convo is over, I’m going to go call Kayla.”

  “Sorry for asking, but did you do your homework?”

  Humor lit his eyes. “Yeah.”

  “And tomorrow, for in-school suspension. Do you have stuff for that?”

  “Yeah, Kurt. I’m bringing stuff to do.”

  He gritted his teeth. “You sure? You got the right books to read?”

  “I do. Both Romeo and Juliet and The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire are in my backpack. So is Alive.” His eyebrow rose. “Any more questions?”

  “No.”

  Sam just laughed as he rinsed his plate and walked down the hall. Grabbing a bottle from the fridge, Kurt opened it and thought about calling their father.

  But the time wasn’t right. What would he say, anyway? That so far, Sam had gotten in a fight and he was currently crushing on his teacher.

  Dad would be real impressed about that.

  CHAPTER 4

  FROM LES LARKE’S

  TIPS FOR BEGINNING POKER PLAYERS:

  When in doubt, play it straightforward.

  Holding her books close to her chest, Kayla Everett darted down the English wing on the third floor of Bridgeport High. She hated how far her last class was from the bus. Hated it almost as much as riding the bus after school. Her mom had promised that she’d be able to have a car to drive her senior year, but that hadn’t happened.

  It wasn’t like she could complain about it, either. All the money Kayla had saved to help pay for a car had gone to school fees, clothes, and uniforms for cheerleading. It also had to help pay her cell phone bill. And all the other things that a girl in high school needed.

  “Hey, Kayla. Wait up!”

  Turning, she saw Shannon striding toward her in the way that only a girl who was five-foot-nine could do. “Hey.”

  “Need a ride? I can give you one, if you’d like.”

  Shannon was a friend, but she was also one of the biggest gossips on the team. And, well, she wasn’t above cashing in favors either. Since she also already took Kayla to practice on the weekends, there was no way she was going to be even more indebted to her if she didn’t have to. “Thanks, but I’m good.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Kayla nodded as she kept walking. “Yeah. I’m like the second stop. The bus isn’t any big deal.”

  “All right,” Shannon said as she adjusted her designer bag. It was the Tory Burch that Kayla had spied at the mall just last week. “So, see you tonight?”

  Brent Holloway was having a bunch of people over for a bonfire. “Yeah. Maybe.”

  “Maybe? But—”

  “I gotta go or I’m going to miss my ride. Sorry.” She attempted to smile before turning down the stairwell and picking up her pace. Shoot! She only had like two minutes before the bus rolled out of the parking lot.

  Glad she had on tennis shoes instead of her usual flip flops, she trotted down five steps, turned, then grabbed the rail and rushed down another seven. Out of breath, she turned again—

  And ran right into Sam Holland. Just as she was letting out a little cry and attempting to juggle her armful of books, notebooks, and purse, he held her arms to steady her.

  “Hey,” he murmured as he rescued her Shakespeare anthology from free-falling onto her foot. “What’s going on?”

  Just like always, she turned breathless whenever she was around him. Only it was worse now because (a) he’d seen that picture of her in her underwear and (b) because he’d beaten up Garrett for showing it to a bunch of his buddies.

  He’d even been suspended for it.

  Snatching her heavy book from him, she said, “I’m sorry but I can’t talk. I’ve got to catch the bus.”

  His eyebrows rose like he was surprised. After the briefest pause, he smiled. “No, you don’t. I can take you home.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Too flustered to say another thing, she turned to race through the door.

  He reached it before she did and held it open for her. Then he continued walking by her side. His legs were so long that one of his steps equaled three of hers. Seeing that he was real aware of that was embarrassing.

  Knowing that she still had to turn the corner around the building, she said, “Sam, I was serious. I’ve gotta hurry. I can’t talk.”

  “I know you’re serious. But can’t a guy even walk you to the bus?”

  He wanted to do that? In front of half the school? Gaping at him, she stopped. “You don’t have to do that.” And then, there went those books again. Hating herself, she fumbled them.

  He held out his hands. “Let me carry your books, Kay. That Shakespeare book alone has to weigh almost as much as you.”

  “You don’t have to—”

  “Stop arguing and start walking. Otherwise, if you ain’t careful, you’re gonna have to let me take you home after all.” His eyes warmed. “Give the books to me, okay?”

  Without a word, she handed them to him and started walking fast. When the buses were finally in sight, she released a bre
ath. Her bus was fifth in line. None of them had left yet. She wasn’t going to have to walk home or explain to her mother why she was getting a ride from Sam Holland.

  Gazing at the Shakespeare book’s cover, he whistled low. “This book is a beast. Do you always have to carry it around with you?”

  “It’s my last class, so kind of. It’s easier to carry it with me home than put it in my locker at the end of the day. Some kids have it on their iPad, but I like writing in the margins.” She also didn’t have an iPad. Feeling self-conscious that she was walking with Sam Holland and talking about homework, she blurted, “Um, where are your books?”

  “In my locker.”

  “You don’t have any homework?”

  “I had in-school suspension today. I had nothing but time to read and study.”

  She flushed. That was her fault. “I hope it wasn’t too bad.”

  “Nah. I don’t know what Miss Springer told all my other teachers, but none of them made a big deal about it. And they stuck me in the conference room. Half the staff came in to shoot the breeze.”

  “Wow.” She’d been envisioning him in some little closet next to the principal’s office all day.

  “Yeah. I didn’t see that coming, either, but I went with it.” He paused, then spoke again. “Hey, Kayla?”

  They were almost at her bus, but she had enough time to stop. “Yeah?”

  “Why don’t you want to look me in the eye?”

  For a second, she was tempted to lie. To say that she had looked at him. But he deserved better than that. “You know why,” she whispered.

  “Is it ’cause of the picture? Or is it because I fought Garrett about it?”

  There was his twangy accent again. It made her feel like smiling and melting, all at the same time. “It’s the picture,” she whispered. “I’m so embarrassed.”

  Shifting her books in one arm, he reached out and lifted her chin with his other. She had no choice but to stare up at him. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  “That’s easy for you to say.”

  “Kayla—”

  They were standing in front of all the buses. She felt like every freshman in the school was watching them. “I need to go, Sam.”