Catch Twenty-Two (Westover Prep 2)

“Not too welcome,” Dad interrupts, but when Mom turns to glare at him, he holds his hands up in surrender and leaves the room.

“He has just lost his dad,” she says. “I hope you can make him feel like he belongs somewhere. Losing a father is a terrible thing for a child to suffer.”

She clears emotions from her throat before turning and walking out of the room without another word.

My hands tremble as I leave the house, and my foot doesn’t seem to want to work right when I press the gas pedal on my way to school. I don’t even know where to focus my thoughts as I park on the far side of the school. It’s part of my routine to park far away from the other students. I wouldn’t put it past them to damage my car if I parked in the student lot, but as I climb out, the sinking feeling I felt standing in front of my mirror earlier returns. Only this time, it’s filled with knowing that Zeke will soon be walking these same halls with me.

I’m excited to see him again, but at the same time, I know what he’s going to be like.

Maybe after losing his dad, he’ll be different.

I erase that hope from my mind as I rush down the hall looking for my best friend. Zeke has done nothing but be consistent, and the push and pull he’s fond of has left me tired and weathered like a yard sculpture left to rust in the hot summer sun.

I’ll never be the same after my summer in Utah, neither emotionally nor physically. He made sure of that.

“Piper!” I yell when I spot her and Dalton walking through the front doors of the school.

Normally, I’d never draw attention to myself, but I have more to worry about than landing on the bullies radar first thing this morning. I feel like my world is imploding, and Piper is my lifeline.

But my feet stutter on the linoleum when Dalton presses a sweet kiss to her temple and the sweetest smile tugs up the corners of her mouth. They whisper to each other, making it clear to anyone who’s witnessing their interaction that these two are so in love that nothing else matters.

Suddenly, I become one of the outsiders. Not that Piper put me there on purpose, but her blossoming relationship with Dalton is just as effective.

Dalton whispers something else that makes her cheeks flush, and I can’t help but be happy for my friend. For once, the flush in her cheeks isn’t from embarrassment or pain. She deserves that. She really does, but I’m in crisis mode here.

“Stop being a caveman, Dalton. We have bigger problems to talk about,” I snap as I approach them.

“We talked on the phone for an hour last night,” Piper interjects. “What could we possibly talk about now?”

“You remember Zeke?” The words rush out on a hiss.

“The farm guy from Utah, you won’t give me any information on?” Bitterness laces her tone, but she smiles to soften the blow.

I huff. “Yes, that idiot.”

“What about him?” Piper asks as Dalton steps around us to head to the lockers.

“He’s here.”

“What do you mean he’s here?” Piper asks as she hands her backpack off to her new boyfriend.

“He’s attending Westover Prep.”

“What?” Her brow furrows in confusion, but I don’t know how to be any clearer than I have been.

“And my parents just told me this morning that he’s going to be staying with us until his mom can find a place to live in town.”

Piper looks just as shocked as I feel, but she doesn’t offer a solution.

Before I can ask her what I should do, a chill rushes down my spine as the air shifts around us. I know exactly what it means, but it’s too soon. Mom said he was driving in today, but sure enough, when I turn around, I see Ezekiel Benson standing at the other end of the hallway. He’s the new kid in school, so how is he standing there looking like he’s belonged in these halls his entire life?Chapter 31Zeke

For most people, walking into a brand-new school the first day of their senior year would cause stress or anxiety, but I’m too over it already for it to bother me. There was no talking my mom out of making this move, but to make matters worse, she’s not even in Colorado yet. Worse than that, she informed me that I’ll be staying with the Youngs, as in Frances Young’s parents.

With Frankie.

I’ll be living under the same roof as the girl who left me in Utah without so much as a see ya later.

Mom didn’t give me a timetable, but from the conversation we had, it could be several weeks before she finds a place for us.