Nothing but The Sheets Read online

  “I’m sorry, but your recollection is unreliable, and he was there. We have to take him into custody.” He told me in a firm voice.

  I sat up, ignoring the hammering it caused on my skull. I watched as Blake rolled his eyes and stood stiffly without speaking, as they read him his rights, but my mom stepped forwards before they could go.

  “I understand that you want this to be nice and neat, but if the boy didn’t do it, then you will be guilty of arresting the wrong person. I can check Cara’s neck and see if the assailant left any identifying markers behind?” My mom informed them calmly and both cops shared a look, before nodding at each other.

  “Okay, do it.” Officer Paunchy directed and I tried to catch Blake’s eye. He was chalk white and shaking, but my mom gently helped me to sit up a little more and carefully lifted my hair up from my shoulder. I saw her eyes appraise it from the front and then move to the back, where she gave a little noise.

  “Blake, do you have nail polish on?” My mom turned and asked him, and he glanced up at her in surprise.

  “No. I don’t wear nail polish ma’am.” He answered politely in a voice that quivered, as he spoke.

  My mom nodded at him and bent down behind the sofa to retrieve something. I glanced down to see her pull something from her doctor’s bag. There was a cool scratch at my neck and then she walked towards the officers with something on her scissors. The officers both stared at it and then Officer Paunchy released Blake from the cuffs.

  “Let me see your nails,” he commanded, and Blake instantly complied. He lifted his hands up, showing them to the officers, who both nodded.

  “Looks like you were telling the truth.”

  “Okay, we’ll be off. We’ll run a search on a red, Mini like, car, but I can’t promise how lucky we’ll be.”

  Mom stood and walked them out, my dad quickly left, after checking on me, to make a call. Josh slipped my feet from his lap and stood up, thanking Blake as he left the room, leaving him and me in an uncomfortable silence.

  “Cara, I’m so sorry. I never should have said what I did. I’m just struggling, and I don’t have anyone here that I can call a friend yet, so I took it out on you, I’m so sorry.”

  He moved towards me and took my hand in his, rubbing his thumb over my skin, meeting my eyes.

  “I’m sorry I stormed away. If I’d stayed with you, then whoever this was, wouldn’t have gotten a chance to hurt you.”

  He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek, before darting upright as my mom came back into the sitting room. Her eyes went between Blake and I, and a knowing smile crossed her lips.

  “Blake, thank you for bringing Cara inside and for taking care of her until the EMT’s arrived. You can go home now.”

  He nodded at his dismissal and gave me a small wave over his shoulder, as he headed towards the front door. I watched him go and turned to see mom’s eyes watching me, watch him. I couldn’t stop my eyes darting over to him every few seconds, as he left the room and closed the door at his back.

  “Well, he’s quite impressive,” mom began, but there was something off about her tone and when I met her eyes, she switched from disapproving to concern.

  “You’ve got a nasty concussion and eleven stitches on your forehead.”

  She told me in a matter of a fact tone, before she stood up and crossed the room towards the window.

  “Cara, I understand that Blake is new in town and he’s exciting, but I need you to be careful. He’s not good people and his mom brought him here to try and get him onto the right path, but I want you to promise me that you’ll stay away from him.”

  Mom’s eyes were serious, and I closed my eyes for a beat, before I met hers.

  “Mom, it’s not even like that,” I told her in a low voice. “He’s hurt, angry and all alone. He just needs a friend and that’s all I want to be to him. I’m not wanting to get involved with anyone right now. I have school to think about and I won’t let anything, not a boy or a crush derail me from that.”

  She smiled gently at me, seemingly reassured by my outburst, then she sat beside me on the sofa, stroking my hand until I drifted back off to sleep.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Stupid Is As Stupid Does.

  Blake

  I couldn’t believe what happened. I heard her scream as I twisted the door handle and spun around without thinking as I took off across the yard. I saw the girl reach the car and then the person driving gunned the engine, taking off as I sprinted across the street. My legs shook as I sprinted across her yard, but I didn’t see any sign of her. Until, that is, I turned to head back home and saw Cara lying in a pool of blood in the spot I’d kissed her a few days before. My heart hammered in my ear as I rushed towards her.

  “Cara, Cara.” I yelled and she didn’t move. “Cara.”

  I yelled even louder, and she didn’t flinch, but I carefully rolled her over and saw a gash on her forehead. I pressed the bottom of my shirt to it and called for help, until my voice was hoarse, but no-one came, and her eyes were rolling around. So, I scooped her up, standing up and staggering a little until I had her in a position that I liked. I made my way, unsteadily, across the yard and she opened her eyes, then vomited all down the side of my shirt. I didn’t care about that, but then her head rolled back again. I managed to climb up the patio stairs as Josh came into the kitchen. He glanced at us and quickly tugged the earbuds from his ears.

  “Oh my god,” he yelled as he flung open the doors to the kitchen and helped me carry Cara inside.

  “Dad.” he yelled again, “Dad. Get out here.”

  Within seconds his dad appeared, took one look at Cara, and dialed nine, one, one. I didn’t listen to the call but followed Josh, as he led me into the sitting room. I placed her down on the couch and prayed she’d be okay. The gash was still dripping blood, but it wasn’t flowing as fast anymore, and my eyes roamed her face to make sure that there was no other cuts or signs of injury. Cara’s dad came into the room, still on the call and asked me what happened.

  “I don’t know, sir. I heard her scream and ran over to find her in a heap on the ground, but I saw someone run from your yard and dive into a red, Mini car after the scream, before I found her.”

  He asked some more questions and I answered them. Josh was on his cell too, but he didn’t move the whole time I was there. Then the EMT’s came and stitched Cara’s head up, then the cops came and accused me of hurting Cara. The thought of hurting her like that made me feel sick, but I was so lucky her mom found that piece of evidence, because without it I’d be on my way to lockup for sure. I was so glad Cara remembered something about her attack and was able to clear me, but fuck, I shouldn’t have gotten so close anyway.

  My head was swimming as I crossed the yard and stepped inside the house. My mom and Don were coming down the stairs, and both of them stared at me opened mouthed, as I passed by them. My arms ached from carrying Cara and my legs shook as I walked upstairs. Once I was in my room, I went straight into the bathroom, turning the shower dial up full, kicked off my shoes and walking into the shower, fully clothed. I stripped my shirt off in there and then removed my shorts, boxers and socks and stood in the warm water, letting the warmth seep into my bones and heat me up. I opened a bottle of body wash and scrubbed at my skin, washing away the vomit that I could still smell and the blood that I could see on my fingers, arms and on my stomach. Once I’d finished and wrapped myself in a towel, I make my way to my room, unsurprised to find mom sitting on my bed.

  “Blake, what happened?” she asked me, twirling her long dark hair around and around.

  “It wasn’t my blood, mom.” I told her shortly, too tired, and emotionally wrung out to get into it with her.

  “Whose blood was it?” Her tone told me that it didn’t matter what I said, there would be no arguing with her. She’d question me all night if she had to, so I stopped and stared at her.

  “Caralynn Daniels from next door. I heard her scream after my run and went to invest
igate. She was covered in blood from a nasty headwound.” My heart ached at the image that flashed up and my voice shook as I answered Mom. I watched as her eyes widened for a moment, before she resumed her questioning.

  “Oh my gosh, is she okay?” Mom asked with wide eyes, as I moved to the dresser, keeping my hand fisted on the dark, grey towel that I’d tied around my waist.

  “Yeah, she’s alright. She’s got a concussion and stitches, but they let her stay home, cause her mom’s a doctor and will be keeping an eye on her.”

  I said it all in a rush and stared at my mom as she sat nervously on the bed.

  “Okay, that’s good.” Her eyes darted around the room and I watched as she squared her shoulders and chewed on her lip.

  “I spoke to Helen today. She said that she’s too busy to have you over the weekend, that you are welcome to go stay another time, but she can’t have you there while she’s planning your dad’s funeral.”

  My eyes narrowed and I straightened up. I knew my mom was going to lie to me, but to say she’d called my grandma and use my dad’s funeral as an excuse, was a low blow, even for her.

  “Fine,” I muttered darkly, as I considered my next move. “Can you leave now. I gotta get ready.”

  “Sure son,” she said as she stood and swept from the room, without looking back at me, leaving me fuming in her wake.

  As soon as she closed the door, I grabbed clothes from the dresser and pulled them on roughly. I didn’t pay attention to what I was doing and ended up flat on my back when I tried to pull a shirt over my feet. My body ached, but I managed to dress myself without further incident and climbed up onto my bed, searching for Grandma’s cell number. I found it and my fingers hovered over the keys, as I contemplated what I was about to do.

  Did I dare call them up and ask if I could stay?

  Did I dare tell them how my dad had begged my mom to let me go see him before he died, and she refused?

  Did I want to deal with all the drama?

  I was seventeen and I had another year to live with my mom before I could legally move out. Was it worth causing shit just now, when I still had to come back here to live?

  My brain ached and I was so tired. I was tired of it all. Tired of my mom lying to me, tired of the pain that washed over me again and again, reminding me that my dad was gone, and I’d never even got to say goodbye. That was what hurt the most. I knew my mom didn’t want me to see my dad dying, but to actively keep me away, was something I wasn’t sure I could ever forgive her for. I sat on my bed with my cellphone in my hand, contemplating what to do. Should I call my grandma? Or just leave it and break all ties with my mom when I left for college? I didn’t know what to do and before I could make a decision either way, there was a knock at my door.

  “Come in,” I called out in a hoarse whisper. I cleared my throat and called out louder, “Come in.”

  Nothing happened and I stood up, crossed the room impatiently, opening the door to see Marty standing there, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

  “Hey, I heard your mom telling my dad about Cara, is she okay?”

  His voice was low, and he couldn’t meet my eyes. They were somewhere over my shoulder, but I was angry with him. I was angry because he’d ruined my almost moment with Cara, angry about how he’d spoken to her. Angry that he caused me to lash out at her, but mostly I was so sick of all the drama.

  “She’s fine. Her head was cut, she has stitches and a concussion, but she’s fine.”

  His shoulders dropped and he breathed out a sigh, before he straightened his back and looked me in the eye.

  “Can I come in?” he asked, and I shrugged, turning away, and walking back to my bed, before slumping down on it. My eyes followed him as he walked into the room and took in the music posters that adorned the walls, the stand where my guitar usually sat and my music notebooks.

  “My dad and your mom are out to dinner. Dad left us cash for a takeout, but I don’t know what you like?” He told me as he studied the poster for a TV show that I enjoyed, about a group of convicts sent to the earth to see if they could live on it.

  “Oh wow, you like this show too?” he asked, with a little excitement in his voice.

  “Yeah, it’s okay, I guess.” I responded and saw his face light up a little.

  He turned to me and began babbling about the show and for a moment he seemed like an okay guy, until he caught himself and stopped speaking. There was complete silence for a minute, and he spoke again in a small voice.

  “I’m sorry for being such a dick to you. I guess I took what my dad did to me out on you, but it’s not on you, it’s on him.”

  His eyes met mine and I chewed on my lip as I thought about what I wanted to say to him. Part of me wanted to tell him to fuck right off. The other part, really wanted to swing for him because of how he’d reacted to Cara and me, but I mostly felt sorry for him. He was just as messed up by everything that had happened, as me.

  “I guess we’ve both been taking our anger and frustration out on the wrong people.” I eventually said and he smirked at me before he answered.

  “Yeah,” he answered, “I guess we have. Do you wanna try not being enemies?”

  I stared at him for a beat and then nodded. I needed a friend on my side and if it happened to be my stepbrother, then that was good.

  “Yeah, let’s try not being enemies.” I muttered as we stared at each other for a beat. I didn’t know how to be his friend, but at least it was a start.

  “Okay, I’m wanting to order some Chinese takeout. You in?” He asked me and I grinned at him.

  “No. How about we go with Mexican? I really want a burrito.” He smirked at me as I countered him and ran his fingers through his blond hair.

  “Sure, I love Mexican. I’ll go order it. You wanna watch an episode of the show while we wait?”

  I could see his excitement, although I had a mountain of homework and I still hadn’t decided what to do about my mom, I said yes. We spent the next few hours in the den watching people shooting, raiding, and fighting back against an unseen enemy.

  “Blake,” Marty began, and I turned to look at him as he fidgeted with his food wrapper.

  “Are you going to use Cara and then leave her?”

  His words made me sit back. I didn’t want Cara, not really, well okay, I did, but I shouldn’t because I wasn’t in her league and she was too good for me.

  “No… I uh… I don’t know.”

  “She’s too good for you.” I caught his eye, he swallowed and turned back to the TV.

  She was too good for me, much too good, but I couldn’t help wanting her. Her long blonde hair and curvy figure, just called to me, her kind nature and sweet lips made me go weak at the knees.

  “I don’t want anything serious …” I muttered and Marty turned to give me a hard look.

  “Cara is a serious girl. She won’t be able to take less than one hundred percent commitment and if you can’t give her that, then you need to back off and leave her alone.”

  I nodded as his words clattered around in my head. We spent the rest of the night in silence as I sat pondering his words. A little over an hour later I excused myself and climbed the stairs to go to bed. I didn’t want to speak to anyone else and I was completely and utterly exhausted, so I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  The next morning, Don dropped me off at school at six-fifteen and I went straight to the weights room, lifting, toning, and stretching until my teammates arrived. We had early morning practice, so I met them out on the field and Josh nodded at me as I arrived. Coach drilled us hard for the next hour and then blew his whistle, telling us he’d see us back at four pm sharp. As everyone sloped off to the changing rooms, Josh came over to speak to me, waiting until everyone else was clear of the field before he spoke.

  “Hey, man, how’s it going?” he murmured when he reached me.

  “Okay, how’s Cara? Will she be in today?” I asked as we both walked slowly towards the changing rooms.<
br />
  “Nah man, her brains still a bit scrambled, but she’s alright. She’ll be fine.”

  I had nothing else to say and we walked in silence the rest of the way to the changing rooms. Once we were inside the tunnel that led to them, Josh reached out and stopped me from walking.

  “Blake, can you come with me to see a car once we’re changed?”

  His voice was whisper soft and he glanced up and down the corridor before speaking, which made me tense.

  “Sure man, but why the secrecy?” I asked in an equally low voice, wanting to know what was going on.

  “I think I know who hurt Cara, but I don’t have any proof yet. I think I recognize the one you mentioned, but I want to be sure before I start accusing people.”

  “Okay, no problem. I’m happy to help you catch the person responsible.”

  He gave me a tight smile, clapped me on the shoulder, then turned and jogged down towards the changing rooms. Once inside, it was as though he hadn’t spoken to me at all and he walked over speaking to his friends without looking back at me, but once we were all changed, he waited on me. He led the way to the parking lot, claiming to his friends that he’d forgotten something in his car and was giving me a loan of a textbook on plays, that we used to help me fit in better with the team. Everyone took him at his word and went the opposite way.

  We didn’t speak as we crossed the playing fields and came out in the parking lot, with ten minutes until school began. He walked us up the lot, smiled and waved at loads of people I didn’t even know. Once we reached his truck, he went inside and brought out The Playmakers Manual, which he handed me, saying in a carrying voice.

  “Here’s the book, you can give me it back after school.”

  I nodded at him and tucked the book into my backpack. For a second there was silence, then a red, Mini like car, drove down the lot and pulled in right across from his space. My eyes narrowed, because it was the car from the previous day. I squinted across the lot as I noticed Klaire and Harley half climbed out from the red car and started towards school. I nodded once briefly at Josh and his face tightened.