I scratched the back of my head as I thought about that. “I don’t have all of the same classes with her.”
“That won’t matter if they make it to where Vance is nowhere near her,” Dawson grumbled. “Because, I tell you this now, they’ll either get him away from her, or I’ll pull her from that school. And that’ll cause a big ass stink when I enroll her in the rival high school. She’s a star volleyball player, cross-country runner, and track girl. They’re not going to want to lose her. And Vance ain’t shit at that school.”
That was true. But still… I just hoped that the restraining order helped. Even though I had a sinking feeling that it wouldn’t.
***
Dawson
“This isn’t going to work,” I said to the men in front of me.
Ford and Trance.
They looked intimidating as hell as I stared at them.
I was glad that they were on my side.
“You’re going to have to do something more drastic than a restraining order, Dad. And you know that,” Ford murmured quietly.
I looked over at Trance to see him wince.
“I was trying to play nice,” Trance admitted. “I was trying to do this the easy way. The nice way. The kid just lost his dad, and I know that that’s hard, but fuck. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t have Banner living like this. I already sent him away from his home during his senior year. He changed schools. We did everything right. Yet, still he persists.”
“None of that was on you,” I said. “I heard the story from your son. There was nothing you could do there. The sooner you realize that, the better it’ll all be in the long run.”
Trance sighed. “I fuckin’ took that kid to the movies when he was nine.”
“Well, he tried to beat the shit out of my kid last night. The kid that your kid loves. You’re going to have to choose a side, man. Your kid’s or Vance’s,” I told him bluntly.
Trance rubbed his face. “I think we need to go visit Vance.”
Chapter 22
I hate people and bras.
-Banner’s secret thoughts
Banner
“Stay,” she pleaded.
I hadn’t been home in two days.
I needed a change of clothes, and Dawson had given me the ‘you’re going home tonight’ look.
But I couldn’t say no to Perry.
Not with that pouty lip of hers pulling my heart in her direction.
“Perry,” I whispered. “Your dad is giving me death ray eyes every single time he sees me. I think he wants to spend time with you by yourself for a while.”
She shook her head, her hands scrunching in my shirt as she looked at me with so much alarm on her face that I couldn’t help but cave.
“Okay,” I said. “But I’m gonna have to sneak in again.”
She breathed out a sigh of relief.
“Thank you,” she breathed.
“I am going to go home, though. Shower, change my clothes, and tuck a few extra changes into my car before I park it. I’ll walk from the church. It should take me about an hour,” I told her.
Her eyes went wide and she immediately started to shake her head. “Banner, no…”
“I can’t sneak back in if I don’t leave first,” I teased. “And if you keep your parents occupied while I do the sneaking, it’ll be much better for me.”
She pressed her face against my chest, and I tried not to move as she rubbed her bruised face against my pectorals.
My breathing was ragged, though, by the time she pulled away.
Her tears were breaking my heart.
And I decided, right then and there, that I would be making a pitstop to find Vance before I came back here.
“Be fast,” she pleaded.
I smoothed her hair back from her face, then dropped a kiss onto her scratched nose.
“I’ll hurry,” I promised.
Except, it may take me a bit longer than the hour I’d originally told her.
So, when I got on my bike and left a few minutes later, I texted Perry’s mom and told her that she may need some distracting.
Then I went home, changed my clothes, did a load of laundry, packed some shit into a backpack, grabbed my things, and then made my way to my door.
From there, I drove to where I knew Vance to be staying and shut the car off.
I stared at the front door of the house—a big mansion monstrosity that Vance surely didn’t need—and got out.
I walked up to the door and knew this was going to go one of two ways.
I was either going to get in a fight, or I was going to accomplish my goal of getting him to leave.
Either way, the next few minutes were not going to be pretty.
Knocking on the door, I took a deep breath and waited.
The door opened in about thirty seconds, and Vance looked fucked up on the other side.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped, looking pissed.
“I’m sorry, Vance.”
Vance blinked.
“Fuck you,” he growled.
“I’m sorry that your dad is gone,” I told him. “I’m sorry that our friendship has come to this. And, although I’ll never be able to look at you the same way after what you did to Perry, I do wish that you find happiness one day. I just want you to do it away from me.”
Vance crossed his arms and looked at me skeptically.
“What about if we make a deal?” he asked.
My brows rose.
“Okay,” I said. “What’s the deal?”
“You don’t play college ball,” he said quickly. “You do anything but that. I don’t care.”
College ball had never been my dream. But he’d refused to understand that.
He’d always wanted to go into college together. Find a place to share and become Sooners. Then, when that stage of our life was done, he wanted us to go pro.
Only, despite telling him repeatedly that I didn’t want to do that, he just couldn’t understand why
