MY PLANS TO hibernate were cut unjustly short when the day of the lacrosse finals rolled around, coming much sooner than expected. After my outburst at Mom, I avoided her like the plague, and it seemed she had no pressing interest to talk to me either. I skipped every stupid family meal following the incident, but she never once chided me for it. The way things worked at our house was we didn't have sit-downs to talk about our feelings, so I was anticipating this ongoing silent treatment to continue until I started college in the fall.
Although the house was filled with a myriad of tensions, the biggest one was centred around tonight's game. There was a lot at stake for the team, Brenton especially. If the Stone Creek Rangers won today then Brenton would be offered a fully compensated scholarship to his dream school, Birch Mount.
"How are you feeling?" I asked as I drove. I peered at Brenton out of the corner of my eye, who was obnoxiously bouncing his leg up and down in his seat.
"I'm so goddamn scared," he admitted.
I smacked his knee to stop him from shaking his leg before paying attention to the road. "You're going to do great."
"Can we get ice cream when you win?" Alex asked from the backseat.
Brenton let out a groan. "Don't talk about food, I feel like I'm going to puke."
"You'll be fine," I reassured him, silently praying he wouldn't actually vomit in my car.
The past few days had been really hectic but tonight's game was like a temporary escape from the drama of my own life. As per usual Mom was too busy with work to support her son tonight, which sucked because I thought my lashing out had gotten to her though it clearly didn't. Niko had an exam today and wouldn't make it in time for the game, so it was just Alex and me.
Brenton was trying to play it off like he was fine, but I knew he was hurting inside. For his semi-finals game, I was the only one who could go and now for finals, it was just two family members out of the four. It didn't help that the Rollins were inviting their entire extended family, even though it wasn't guaranteed that Holden was actually playing tonight. The coach didn't make an announcement whether Holden and Cade were allowed to play tonight so we were waiting on that. I hated to admit it, but if Stone Creek wanted to win they needed both of those morons.
When we arrived at school most of the parking lot was full, but thankfully they had a reserved section closed off for the players only. Since I was Brenton's chauffeur for the night we were able to go through and park in one of the special spots. We got out of the car and Brenton had his duffel bag slung over his shoulder while Alex proudly carried his lacrosse stick as we walked him to the locker rooms. Brenton was about to go in when a familiar voice called his name. We turned around to see Niko running toward us, a small bag in his hands. Brenton dropped his bag and sprinted to Niko, pulling him into an embrace.
"I thought you had an exam!" he exclaimed.
"I lied," he answered with a chuckle before handing him the bag. "I bring gifts. That disgusting limited edition Sour Patch Kids energy drink you like and a new mouthguard so you don't chip your pearly whites...again."
"Niko!" Alex wrapped his arms around Niko's waist, who scooped the kid up and put him on his shoulders.
"How long did you wait to get a parking spot?" I asked as I hugged him.
"Not too long, I got one of those VIP spots."
Brenton raised his eyebrows. "How? They're for players only."
Niko shrugged his shoulders, a smirk on his face. "I may or may not have said I was Cade Thompson."
Brenton burst into laughter and even though I wanted to punch Niko, I was more happy that Brenton was in a better mood than I was annoyed. "I'll see you guys on the field," my twin said before disappearing to the locker rooms.
We started walking to the bleachers to get good seats in the front. "Is Mom coming?" Niko asked.
"What do you think?"
He let out a sigh. "Damn, the one time we really needed her to play parent."
"I think Mom will come," Alex voiced from where he was perched on Niko's shoulders.
"I bet she will, buddy," Niko agreed though I knew he didn't believe a word.
"Did you hear about Birch Mount?" I asked to try and make light of the situation.
He nodded profusely, an elasticated grin on his face. "Thank God for his athletic abilities, Brent was too dumb to get in with grades only."
I let out a laugh and rested my head against his arm. "I'm glad you came."
Niko ruffled my hair affectionately. "Me too."
"Dani!" I felt arms suddenly wrap around me and auburn hair fly in my face, getting caught in my mouth.
"Way to make an entrance," I grumbled, spitting her hair out of my mouth while my other two brothers snickered.
"Hey, guys!" Amber chirped as she sat beside me.
"Hey, Amber." Niko paused. "Or should I say, the future Mrs. Brenton Wilhelm Parker?"
I scrunched my nose in disgust. "God, I forget how atrocious that name is."
Amber's face turned as red as her hair. "You know?" she asked with a nervous giggle as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
"I know everything," Niko answered simply before amending his statement. "Also Brent asked for advice before your date." His eyes flickered to me, a gleam of mischief in them. "How did this one take it?"
Amber laughed. "How do you think?"
Before anyone could tease me anymore, the Stone Creek team stepped onto the field. The crowd erupted into cheers as they made their way to us. Brenton and Holden jogged over to us, huge grins on their faces. Brenton kissed Amber, making the rest of the Parker kids groan — myself included.
"What's the verdict?" I asked Holden.
"Coach said no... " His smile dropped, and we all looked at him with wide eyes. "...to me being benched! Guess who's playing tonight?"
"Told you he's an idiot," Alex murmured to Niko who snickered in reply.
"Ignore them, you're both going to do great," I promised.
"How are you holding up?" Holden asked.
"Let's focus on the game," Brenton suggested, making me once again thankful for this supposed twin telepathy. Who knew? Maybe we really did have Parker twin telepathy.
They gave us final waves before joining their teammates on the field. While I was glad Holden could play, I was slightly bummed that meant I had to watch Cade on the field too. Thankfully after our last interaction, he stopped talking to me, but that didn't mean I wanted to see his punchable face anytime soon.
The stadium lights suddenly dimmed and everyone quieted down. "The time has now come for the Stone Creek Rangers to take what's theirs," the commentator's voice boomed from the speakers, the crowd's cheering drowning him out. "Playing against our team for the win is the Pleasant Field Panthers." Some claps erupted in the crowd, but it was nothing like the cheers for the Rangers. I really didn't understand this town's obsession with lacrosse. "We've got an exciting game tonight for you folks, as well as a halftime show. Also, the town of Stone Creek has graciously rented out some hot dog, taco, and ice cream trucks, and they will be completely free of charge to everyone repping Rangers gear!" This prompted more cheers, including hollers from my brothers.
"It's a good thing I wore Brent's old jersey!" Alex exclaimed.
Niko swiped the Rangers hat off of Alex's head before slipping it on his own head, shooting me a sheepish smile when I gave him a look. "I'm a college student. Free food is a luxury I don't have anymore."
Amber bumped her hip with mine, an ear-to-ear grin on her face. "Come on, it's fun, Dani!"
I raised my eyebrow and looked her up and down. "Nice varsity jacket, captain."
Her cheeks blushed and she looked at the ground bashfully. "Brenton gave it to me when we made it official."
"That's sweet," Niko said the same time I said, "Barf."
"Don't listen to her," he excused, earning a stink eye from me. "Brent really likes you."
"It's true," Alex piped in from Niko's shoulders, surprisingly still seated there. "He never shuts up about you."
Amber beamed at us and although I honestly was happy these idiots found each other, I couldn't help but feel a small twinge of jealousy. Brenton and Amber got to publicly express their relationship while I was stuck doing it in secret and even now, when Mom wasn't anywhere near, I still couldn't be with the boy I was crazy about. Not wanting to ruin my night, I turned my attention back to the game, which had just begun.
As per every game, the captains had a head-to-head face-off. Brenton got the ball and passed it to someone on the team who passed it back and forth between him and another player. They ran toward the Panthers' net but just as one of them shot the ball, the goalie blocked the attempt, resulting in boos chorusing across the stands. The Panthers now had the ball and used a similar back and forth passing maneuver, only this time they were much faster. Three forward players formed a triangle and it looked like a depressing game of monkey-in-the-middle as they tossed the ball out of reach of any of the Rangers players. One of the attackers lunged forward with the ball and shot it in the net. Our goalie was half a second too late and the ball went in, granting the Panthers the first goal of the night.
"Shit," Niko grumbled.
"Boo!" Alex shouted as he cupped his hands around his mouth.
I rolled my eyes at my little brother. "That's our team you're booing at."
He gasped. "Oops."
I shook my head at him but I wasn't going to chide him for being a dumb ass. At least he was here unlike certain family members. Niko took Alex off his shoulders, and the youngest Parker stepped in front of him, his hands gripping the metal fence as he observed the game intently. I glanced at Amber, who was watching the game with more focus than I'd ever seen her display at school, but she wasn't the only one. Practically everyone in the stands was silently staring as the game continued. This town watched lacrosse religiously and even after four years of having my brother on the team, I still couldn't comprehend why. If Brenton wasn't on the team I'd never come to any of these games. Lacrosse had to be just about one of the most boring sports out there. I peered at the massive scoreboard to see that the Panthers were leading by more while the Stone Creek Rangers still had a total score of zero.
"Think we'll win?" I asked Niko.
"With ease," he scoffed. I fixated my attention back on the game but that didn't last too long when Niko called my name. I turned around and raised my eyebrows, awaiting whatever he had to tell me. "I told Monica."
I stupidly decided to pop the tab of a can of coke and take a long sip as he told me that, resulting in me showering the beverage on the back of Amber's head. Not only did she have a head full of thick and unmanageable curly hair, but she was also too zoned in on the game to notice I did the perfect spit take on the back of her head. I slowly set my can down as I looked at Niko, who was trying hard to bite back a smile.
"Shut up." Before he could laugh I registered his words and recalled why I just spat out my drink. "How did she take it?"
He snorted. "In the worst possible way. She thought I was lying, but Elizabeth confirmed when I told her everything."
I swallowed hard. "Did you tell Dad?"
He shook his head. "Hell no, they invited me for dinner but I declined."
"Does he know?" I pressed.
Niko nodded, a grim smile on his face. "I doubt Elizabeth kept such a huge secret from him." He paused. "At least Monica has finally left me alone."
Niko's revelation made me realize something and my heart sunk. It all made sense now. "So that's why Dad wanted to reconnect."
"What are you talking about?"
I let out a sigh. "He sent me a letter about regretting his mistakes and wanting us back in his life." Clearly, he had only sent that after finding out about Niko and Monica but it stung no less. I thought Dad truly wanted to be a family again but he was more concerned about word getting out that his stepdaughter and son dated instead of actually wanting to be a father to us again.
Niko's hands balled into fists by his side. "I swear to God when I get my hands on his—"
"Can we change the topic?" I interjected, unwilling to revisit this conversation.
Everything I had ever thought about my father was a lie. He was selfish and only cared about himself. He chose to cheat on Mom, he chose to abandon his family, he chose to give up custody of us, and he chose to leave me. This was all his own doing. It wasn't Mom's fault, or my brothers', or mine. He made the decisions on his own and he went through with it, so now he had to face the consequences. It made my heart ache, but I knew I couldn't let him back into any of our lives. My dad was dead to me.
Niko must have noticed the tense atmosphere that had formed because he obliged. "So where's James?"
So much for moving onto lighter topics...
"We broke up." I felt a bitter taste in my mouth as I said that. We didn't break up. He decided running away from an obstacle was easier than fighting for me.
Niko furrowed his eyebrows. "You guys seemed good the last time we spoke though. What happened?"
I tapped my chin as I pretended to think. "Gee, I wonder who loathes my relationship with James and would do whatever she could to make sure we didn't end up together?"
He pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. "I'll talk to Mom for you."
"No," I protested, making him lift an eyebrow. "You're finally on her good side, I don't want you two fighting again."
"How are you and Mom anyway?" he asked.
"I don't exist in her eyes and she doesn't exist in mine."
Niko frowned. "Dan..."
I raised my hand before he could continue. "I really don't want to hear it."
He nodded and we watched the game in silence. My mind was too clouded with endless racing thoughts that I couldn't even properly focus on the game. All I knew was that we scored a few goals but the Panthers were still leading. I had no doubt Brenton would be able to lead his team to victory. After all, he was a two-time captain for a reason.
What I was more concerned about was the revelation Niko had just dropped on me. I thought after a while the aching in my heart from uncovering the truth about my dad would eventually stop, but lately, it felt like it had been worsening. He wasn't at all the man I thought he was, and I hated myself for putting him on a pedestal the last five years when he deserved anything but. He was a heartless poor excuse of a father who wasn't worthy of our love. I had naively been giving him the benefit of the doubt when he didn't even deserve that much. I fell for his deceit and pitied him when I didn't owe him anything.
My entire adolescence was basically a lie thus far. Everything I thought was completely wrong and had my family told me the truth sooner, I could have avoided all of this pain. While I was hurt my brothers kept this a secret from me for years I could understand where they came from, but I couldn't fathom why Mom didn't just tell me. Why did she wait for me to find out in the worst possible way? At times like this, I wished I had James by my side because I knew he'd know what to do. My yearning for James vanished just as quickly as it had come. He was no better than my dad. Sure he didn't cheat on his wife and abandon his four children but he abandoned me when things got tough. He didn't even try to fight for us and that was what hit me where it hurt. My dad didn't love me and neither did James.
Any bit of desire I had to watch the rest of the lacrosse game disappeared and I wanted so badly to go home and curl up in my bed. As much as I wanted to be selfish and leave, I knew I couldn't ditch Brenton. This game was a big deal for him and he needed all of the support he could get, especially since Mom didn't come. I couldn't believe the nerve of this woman. She wasn't exactly shortlisted for the parent of the year award, but the very least she could do was show up to the game that would make or break her son's career. All Brenton had ever wanted since freshman year was for Mom to come to one of his games and cheer him from the sidelines. It hurt my heart every time he glanced at the stands with hopeful eyes, thinking maybe today was the day Mom would come. Unfortunately for him that day never came, and considering this game would be done in an hour or so, it didn't seem like it would ever come.
The sudden vibrating of my phone put a momentary pause on my pity party. I took out my phone, a frown forming on my face as I read the message from the unsaved number.
Delivery date's changed to tonight. You in?
Shit!
With everything that happened, I completely forgot about this stupid delivery. Considering James and I weren't together anymore I really didn't have any moral obligation to help him out, but I also couldn't just ignore this message. Whether or not we were together James deserved the best and any school in the country would be lucky to have him as a student. I knew affordability was an issue for him and I was already too deep into this mess to try and turn things around. Hell, I couldn't even contact him to let him know about the situation since James didn't have any social media accounts and he blocked my number. Before I could proceed I had to make sure the reward outweighed the risk.
How much?
50K if you do it tonight.
I chewed on my lower lip as I thought it over. Fifty thousand dollars was more than enough to cover not only his first year of college, but even his second as well. The question mulling through my mind was how risky this was if they were willing to offer me that much money? The rational part of my brain told me to abort mission right now and pretend this never happened, and I knew deep down that was the only logical approach to this situation. Too bad I wasn't really one to listen to my brain.
Deal.