Don’t Let Go

29. Tyler

29

Tyler

When I got home after the game, Rory refused to eat dinner with the rest of us. She wouldn’t come down for anything.

I glanced up to where her room was while sitting at the table, pushing my food around with a fork. What the hell is going on? Sofia cleared her throat, drawing my attention. “Aurora has a stomach bug. She’ll be fine,” she said, before sipping her red wine.

A stomach bug and that crazy text for help didn’t go together. That was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.

All I could do was nod and continue eating my spaghetti. Carmen and Lizzy seemed blissfully unaware of things, but Sofia, Franco, and Lorenzo kept exchanging looks as if they knew more than they were letting on.

I got that vibe a lot around here.

At night, I sat outside my window on the little ledge, hoping Rory would come out and join me like she had many times before.

She never did.

The next morning, I bumped into Rory on her way out of the bathroom. She smiled at me with that dazzling smile and sidestepped out of my way. “It’s all yours,” she said.

I took her hand, running my thumb gently over her knuckles. “Are you okay? What happened while I was at the game?”

Rory shrugged, her eyes darted behind her. “Nothing much. I needed a ride. Got into a bad spot.” She took her hand from me, clutching her makeup bag and hairbrush too tightly. “Do you want breakfast? I was thinking of making strawberry pancakes.”

What was with her being shifty and changing the subject? It was like she was in the CIA or witness protection.

“Yeah. I’d love some,” I said softly.

“Okay, cool. I’ll see you down there then.” She turned and disappeared into her room.

It was all normal talk and laughter at the breakfast table. Sofia, Franco, and Lorenzo were already gone for work. Lizzy teased Carmen about her new hair color. She had tried to dye it blonde last night but it came out more orange than anything else.

“Knock, knock,” Lizzy sang, happy with her little jokes.

“Not another one,” Carmen moaned, sinking deeper into her chair.

Rory placed plates full of pancakes and bacon in front of her sisters. “Come on, Car. Be nice to Lizzy.”

Carmen sighed, picking up her fork. “She’s not being nice to me.”

Rory gave Carmen an evil glare as she put down plates for herself and me.

“Fine.” Carmen blew a piece of orange hair out of her face. “Who’s there?”

Lizzy was tickled pink that Carmen was going to play along. She gleefully picked up her fork and said, “Orange.”

Carmen cut into her pancakes too aggressively, ripping them into uneven pieces. “Orange, who?”

“Orange you glad your hair turned out so good?” She snorted at her silly punchline.

Carmen shoved pancake into her mouth to keep from saying something smart-ass.

Rory chuckled a little. “At least you know not to do that again. Right?”

Carmen stabbed another bite. “Yup.”

Rory side-glanced me and then looked at her food.

I swallowed my bite and took a swig of coffee. “I don’t think it looks too bad. You’re in drama, aren’t you? Makes you stand out.”

Carmen rolled her eyes and left the table. Rory shook her head as her sister walked by her going to the kitchen.

“Have you ever dyed your hair?” I dared to ask, concentrating on breaking a crispy piece of bacon in half so I didn’t make Rory freeze up by looking at her.

Rory dragged out, cutting into her last pancake. “Yeah. I dyed my ends blue once. My parents freaked when they saw the tub.”

“Oh, that’s bad,” Lizzy chimed in.

Rory nodded. “Yes, it was.”

I finished my last bite. “I bet you looked great with blue hair.”

She stood, grabbed her plate, and padded into the kitchen. “You bet I did.”

“Are you done?” I asked Lizzy.

“Yeah.” She pushed her plate away.

“I’ll take that for you. Why don’t you finish getting ready for school?”

“Okay.” She bounced out of her seat and ran toward the stairs.

I put her plate under mine and headed for the kitchen when Lizzy shouted, “Thanks, Tyler!” and darted up the stairs.

Rory loaded the dishwasher and didn’t look up as I rinsed off the plates and forks.

“I’ll take those.” Rory grabbed the plates out of my hands before I could reply.

I bent down to put the forks into the dishwasher. “How long is it going to be awkward between us?”

She slid the drawer back in and closed the dishwasher door. “What are you talking about?” She turned the machine on and grabbed a dishrag to wipe the already clean counter.

I shoved my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “I’m not blind. I know something’s going on with you. I haven’t figured it out yet, but I’m here if you need me.”

Rory dropped the rag on the side of the sink, wiping her hands on her jeans. “Thanks.” She leaned against the counter. “I’m sorry about that text.”

I shrugged. “No worries. I was worried about you.”

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and tugged on one of her silver earrings. “I’m okay. Everything turned out fine.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Really? Somehow, I felt Paolo had something to do with it. I don’t know why. I kinda took it out on him the last half of the game, and he freaked, punching James in the face when he got in his way of coming after me. When we got back home, he was cut from the team for being too much of a liability.”

Rory hugged herself, glancing at the floor. “It wasn’t him… it was his cousin. It was a mistake and a misunderstanding. I don’t wanna talk about it.” She looked at the clock above the fridge. “We gotta get going, or we’ll be late.”

I pressed my lips together but couldn’t keep quiet as she walked away. “Doesn’t it get hard?”

“What’s that?” she asked, leaning against the kitchen doorframe. She had one eyebrow cocked.

“Being so tough. You can talk to people. You can talk to me . I won’t judge. My father was a politician. I know when to keep my mouth shut and just listen.”

She was speechless for a couple of moments until she finally nodded. “Thanks. I’ll remember that for our late-night talks.”

Not exactly the answer I thought she’d give, but at least she didn’t blow me off. Baby steps, I had to take baby steps. One day, I’d figure out what made Rory tick.

I caught Rory on her way to lunch. I bounced a basketball from one hand to the other as we walked silently toward the cafeteria.

“Do you have to bounce that thing the entire time?” she asked, adjusting her backpack strap.

I turned sharply and passed the ball to her. She caught it and stopped walking. The way she looked at me seemed like I had lost my mind. Maybe I did.

“I challenge you to a game of horse,” I said, playfully puffing out my chest like Superman.

She rolled her shoulders back and twisted the orange ball in her hands. “Oh? What’s in it for me?”

I decided to be brave and go for it. “If I win, I get to take you out for pizza.”

Rory tilted her head. “Like a date?”

I lifted my hands over my head. “If you want to call it that.”

She sniffed, standing up straighter. “And if I win?”

I laughed. How could she beat me? “What do you want?”

Rory walked over to me and shoved the basketball into my chest. “If I win, I get your wheels.”

I sucked in some air, shocked by the giant size balls she had. “Fine. If you win, you can have my car.”

She grinned and nodded toward the basketball court. “Last one there plays defense.” She then took off running before I had a chance to agree.

Rory won by twenty seconds. I caught my breath and bounced the basketball toward her. “You cheated.”

She shrugged. “That’s called strategy, my friend.”

“Mmm-hmm. I’ll let it pass this once since I like you and we live together.”

She dribbled the ball with a morbid smirk twisted on her face. “Cool.” She ran toward my left as I moved to block her, and she quickly ducked to the right and jumped up. The ball went right through, never touching the net.

We went again, and I ran past her and threw the ball, but it bounced off the rim.

Rory brushed her hands together and gave me another dazzling smile. “I believe that means you have an H. Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you supposed to be good?”

I grabbed the ball and squeezed it between my hands, feeling its pimply exterior. “I see how it’s going to go down. I was being easy on you because you’re not on a team, but I guess that doesn’t mean you can’t play some serious ball.” I bounced the ball back to her.

Rory missed her next shot. I was silently happy she wasn’t a basketball prodigy. “Check,” she said, bouncing the ball to me.

I caught it and dribbled it with my left hand. “I have a chance now,” I joked.

Rory took her stance and jumped when I tossed the ball. It was barely out of her reach and ran the rim of the basket, but it did fall into the net.

I nodded toward the net. “Looks like we’re even.”

We went back and forth like some kind of dance. Rory got one more letter, and I somehow ended up with two more.

Rory had the ball again. She liked to stick the tip of her tongue out slightly when she stopped dribbling and lined up her shot. She jumped and made it. “Looks like I’m winning,” she said cheerfully, brushing her shoulder against mine.

I shook my head. “How are you this good?”

“My papà. He loved basketball. We always played one on one. I was never good with a team, but I’m amazing on my own,” she said, bouncing the ball to me as we checked it.

“I remember playing until late with my father. My mom would come outside and say the neighbors were calling about all the noise. I still can’t believe they’re both gone.”

Rory held up her hands, calling for a time-out. “I understand. The pain never goes away, but you learn to live with it. It’s no longer a bleeding wound; it becomes a mound of scar tissue,” she said as she tightened her ponytail to keep the wispy hairs from her face.

I licked my lips and wiped the sweat from my brow. “Do you remember the last words you said to your father?”

Rory gave me a sad smile. “I told him help was on the way and to hold on. I told him not to go to sleep and that I loved him. He mumbled something about loving me and being strong, and then he was gone.” She wiped a tear away from her eye before it had the chance to fall.

“You got to say goodbye, at least. I was pissed at my old man the last time I saw him for being late to my game. I yelled at him and blew him off when he offered to take a break from work to eat dinner with me. I told him I was busy, but all I was doing was going to a shitty party with my teammates and my girl. Next thing I know, I’m on the dancefloor getting a dozen phone calls. I finally answered, thinking my father’s PR coordinator wanted me for some speech or another dinner party, but it was to tell me to get to the hospital. I waited all night and was told by some doctor he was gone. My last words were of hate.” I buried my fingers into my hair, pulling it back from my face. “I should’ve had dinner with him. Maybe he wouldn’t have eaten that fish. Maybe I could’ve—”

Rory put a hand on my shoulder. “Stop. You spiraling isn’t going to bring him back. It won’t do you any good. Believe me. I’ve been there.”

I sniffed, rubbing my nose with the side of my hand. “Okay. Yeah. You’re right. Let’s finish this game.”

“Yes. I need you to detail my car once I win it.” She winked at me as she passed me the ball.

“Oh. You’re not getting my wheels.” I ran past her and dunked.

She made her next shot, a perfect lineup.

I shot the ball again, and it rode the rim. The damn thing fell to the side. Only one letter was left, and then I was toast.

I tossed the ball at her.

She bounced the ball from one hand to another. Her eyes darted between me and her basket. “So, you won that last game against Gilbert?”

I nodded, moving when she moved. I wasn’t going to allow her to get past me again. My Rolls-Royce wasn’t going to belong to her after a silly game of Horse.

“Yes. We creamed them.” I dove for the ball, stealing it, and running down the court toward my hoop.

Rory was on my heels. “The next game is the championships,” I said while trying to plan my next move.

She had stopped in front of me. I jumped up and made my shot. Now we were tied. Whoever made the last shot won.

“Who are you playing?” she asked, eyeing the basketball.

“Lincoln High.” I made my shot and missed.

“Damn.” She stole the ball and ran to her side of the court. She missed her shot. “How does that make you feel?”

I stared at the orange ball, watching it bounce for a moment. “I don’t know. It’ll be strange playing against the team I grew up with. It’s going to be like an out-of-body experience.”

Rory jumped as I took my shot and made it.

“I hope you can win that game too. You need to show them you don’t need Scottsdale,” she said, tossing the ball at me.

The bell rang. Lunch was over.

“The pizza place you take me to better be good.” She smiled at me and walked toward her next class.

I managed to get us through the awkward stage and ask Rory out, sort of. As I watched her pull her hair free from her ponytail and allow it to freely flow down her back, I hoped I wasn’t making another huge mistake.

I wanted to see Rory happy. She may still be a stranger in many ways, but when she smiled, everything around her brightened. She made me feel like no matter what, everything was going to be okay. I felt the need to repay her.

Hopefully, I didn’t make a fool of myself. After all, we still had to live next door to each other under the same roof, no matter what happened at dinner.