Caleb made a disgusted face. “And that turned into a year-long relationship?”
“My heart never skipped a beat around him, but I was comfortable with him. It wasn’t until we were together for awhile that I started to notice he was becoming obsessive.” I didn’t like to think about Josh. “Anyways, that’s why I don’t drink at clubs. I don’t trust it.”
“At least the psycho did something right in his life. Don’t worry about tomorrow night. I’ll be there and we’ll have a good time.”
I liked the promise of that. “Okay, but who’s going to protect your virtue?”
“You can tread all over my virtue if you want,” he offered while squeezing my hip.
“Um . . . nah. I’ll pass,” I teased him.
He pounced on me, caging me between his arms. “No girl can pass up on all this.”
“Ugh, like I need the reminder. Get off, I have homework to do.” Squirming out from under him, I escaped out of his room.
It was a good thing I’d left when I did because my mom was going up the stairs. Crap, I hadn’t even heard her come home. “Hey, honey, how was your day?”
“Fine,” I told her cautiously, recognizing from her tone she had something on her mind.
“Will you be cheering at the game tomorrow night?”
I should’ve known. “No, mom,” I replied in a harassed tone. I was tired of her asking the same question.
My mom put the false smile on her face that I hated. “You know I only want what’s best for you, honey. And I think-”
I cut her off before she could finish. “I know what you think what you want. I don’t have time to hear it again, so if you don’t mind, I have homework to do.” I quickly shut myself in my room before she could say anything else.
Checking the time on my phone, I saw it was after six o’clock in Houston. My dad should’ve been off work by now. Calling him, I hoped he’d pick up.
He answered with, “Gianna?”
Just hearing his voice made me feel better. “Hi, dad.”
“How’s my baby girl doing?”
“Good, except mom’s being a pain.”
“Cheerleading still?”
I exhaled a big breath. “Of course. At least she isn’t bugging me about quitting pageants anymore.”
“You don’t need judges to tell you if you’re beautiful or not.”
“Thanks, dad. That means a lot coming from a plastic surgeon,” I joked.
“Brat,” he said on a chuckle. “Now, when are you going to come down here to check out colleges? We never got around to it when you and Chance were here in July.”
Remembering, I laughed. “Yeah, because we let Chance decide what we’d do every day. I think I gained five pounds from eating so many donuts and cookies.”
“I get you guys for Thanksgiving this year,” my dad reminded me. “Your grandparents will be here from Florida and can watch Chance while we take off by ourselves.”
“Okay, dad, but I don’t know if any of the colleges down there can woo me away from Colorado.”
“Houston and I will give it a good try, Gianna. I’d like to spend more time with you.”
“You could always move back,” I suggested for the millionth time.
“Perhaps,” he said sadly. “I don’t like missing out on so much of Chance growing up.”
“He has Scott,” I blurted out without thinking and added, “Sorry, dad.”
“It’s alright. I know he’s close with Scott.”
“You really could move back, though.”
“Your mom,” he began and left it at that. She’d never forgiven him for divorcing her, even after she married Scott. Whenever he came to visit she acted hostile. “I guess it’d be worth dealing with her to see my children more often.”
“We are so worth it,” I boasted, wanting to put him in a happier mood. “Guess what?”
“What?” he played along.
Dying to tell him about Caleb and me, but not enough to risk my mom finding out, I only told him, “Scott’s son came to live with us.”
“The delinquent?” he asked.
Play it cool, Gianna. “He’s not so bad,” I said lightly. “He’s actually really nice to me and Chance.” I couldn’t resist tacking on, “But mom creeps him out.”
My dad started laughing so hard I was afraid he’d have a stroke. Not that my dad was old enough for that. He was still only in his mid-thirties and, in my opinion, the coolest dad ever.
I got off the phone with my dad feeling much, much better.
CALEB
Friday after school, Gianna and I stopped by the house to each pack a bag for the weekend. She asked if we should invite any of our friends from school or any of the crew, but I wanted it to be just me and her. So often when we were together other people were around. I wanted her all to myself tonight.