Extra Credit - S01 E16

8 months ago

Extra Credit - S01 E16

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 16

Lincoln

I had never hated driving around in Andrew's Wrangler until now.

A dizzy spell hit me like a Mac truck. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the world around me to stop spinning. Motion sickness was not something I suffered from often. Maybe the occasional rollercoaster or spinning teacup ride that Sadie would drag me onto. But it was not something I experienced going to and from campus—even with Andrew's erratic driving.

We were parked across the street from my house. From where we sat, I could see the front porch light flickering. I had hoped Cali found the place okay, and that my mom didn't give her too much of a hard time.

"Let me help you in," Andrew offered from the driver's side.

I cleared my throat for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. It was all I could do to stop the bile rising in the back of my throat. "No, I can make it inside just fine."

I didn't need to have my eyes open to know that he was staring me down—giving me the third degree in his mind.

"You're a stubborn prick, you know that?"

Peeking one eye open, I waited until my vision focused on him. "Would you be my best friend if I wasn't?"

Andrew liked his friends like he liked his women. Hard to get. Back in high school gym class I had shot down his request to partner up for badminton so many times that the man made it his personal mission to be my partner in everything after that. I was convinced that's the only reason we got so close.

Andrew shook his head. "You're lucky you've already got a head injury or I'd give you a switch kick to the jaw."

"Like you'd even be able to reach."

He tilted his head, regarding me. "Maybe you don't have a concussion after all, your smart-mouth seems to be working just fine."

I huffed out a laugh. "Then it looks like I'm good to go, doc."

Sitting up in my seat, I placed one hand on the door handle. Before I could yank it open, Andrew was barking orders at me again.

"If you need anything don't hesitate to call me."

The concerned tone in his voice stopped me in my tracks.

"I will."

Andrew shook his head, curls bouncing with the movement. "No, like actually call me. Don't make any stupid excuses and talk yourself out of it if you need something."

"If I need anything, you know you're the first one I always call."

A proud grin spread across my best friend's face, his dimples etching themselves deep into his cheeks. "You better believe it."

Without another word I popped the passenger door open. I slid down from the Jeep, ensuring I had the proper footing before moving to grab my gym bag from his back seat.

Andrew rolled down his window to yell at me once I began to cross the street. "And keep your ringer on. I'm calling you every two hours, on the hour."

Waving a hand over my shoulder, I trudged up the front steps and placed my key into the lock. Only when I had the door open did I hear Andrew's engine roar to life as he sped down the street and out of sight.

I shut the door behind me and welcomed the darkness. All of the lights in the house were off besides one little nightlight my mom kept in the foyer under the entrance table. Leaning against the front door, I drew in a deep breath. It caused my chest to ache, a searing pain that told me I had definitely bruised, if not cracked, a couple of ribs. Trying to find a comfortable position to sleep was going to be interesting.

I stepped further into the shallow hallway, not even bothering to take off my sneakers. If I tracked any dirt through the house I would deal with it tomorrow. My body felt heavy and I shifted the bag over my shoulder to prepare for the journey up the stairs when I noticed a silhouette sitting at the kitchen table.

The moonlight casted over my mother's lean figure as she sat in the dark, a mug in her hands. She was gazing out the window, her brow furrowed as she took in the empty street. It wasn't too uncommon that I came home late at night to find her up and around the house. For as long as I could remember, my mom had trouble sleeping.

"Hey," I called out to her. "What are you still doing up?"

She continued to stare out the window. "You didn't tell me you were getting tutoring. You also didn't tell me that your tutor has been watching Sadie while you've been out."

"Mom, now is not a good time—"

"No," she said, still firmly planted in her seat. Her cold eyes swivelled to me, freezing me in place. "Now is the perfect time. How close are you and this girl?"

Sensing I wasn't going to be retreating to my room anytime soon, I dropped my gym bag off my shoulder. It landed on the ground with a dull thug. "I barely know her."

"Yet you trust her enough to watch your baby sister."

My train of thought stalled. I knew what she was insinuating—that I knew her better than I was leading her to believe. My mother knew me better than most people. She knew how hard it was for me to let people in—to get a glimpse of my life. It had taken me years to get comfortable enough even to have Andrew helping me out with Sadie. Now I was letting a perfect stranger who I had known for less than two weeks to care for one of the people I cared for most? I could see why she wasn't buying it.

I didn't know how my trust in Cali formed in a matter of days. Maybe it was simply out of desperation. But I knew it was something deeper than that. Something innate. Something inside me that told me Cali was one of the good ones. Someone who I could put my trust in and not get burned.

I wiped the back of my hand over my forehead. "Sadie came with me to a couple of tutoring sessions and Cali seemed good with her."

"I thought Andrew was watching Sadie?"

"He was," I admitted.

There was a long pause. Even with the kitchen dimly lit, I registered the tension in her shoulders. It was as if our lives had only ever been spiralling out of control. Blow after blow that we had to endure. Obstacles in life that we had to overcome or allow them to consume us. This was just one more thing she couldn't control.

"Look," I started, feeling the exhaustion seeping in. "I'm doing the best with the cards I was dealt."

"I understand that," she whispered, bowing her head to stare at her folded hands. "I understand. You do a lot for Sadie and I. Don't think I have forgotten that. But you have to do one more thing for me." She drew her eyes back up to mine. The moisture on her lashes glistened. "Promise me you won't allow this young girl to get more involved than she already is."

"You don't need me to promise that, Mom." I turned back to the stairs, done with this conversion. My head was pounding. This was not a discussion I was keen on having.

"Promise me." The desperation she carried in her voice forced me to pause.

I planted both feet on the floor before turning my head to face my mother. "I won't involve her. That was never the plan."

"Good," she said. "She has a lot going for her. Don't put that at risk."

My chest seized at the thought. The life I lived was one big black hole. It consumed me and everyone else that dared to come close to me. I had decided a long time ago that I wouldn't drag anyone else down with me. Andrew was the exception as the fucker wouldn't take no for an answer. But Cali? I could never live with myself if any harm came her way because of me.

Without looking back I made my way towards the stairs, leaving my mom to sit alone in the dimly lit kitchen. "I won't."