All Grown Up (Eden High)

“Oh, okay, but he doesn’t know about the notes.” I smiled as if I agreed, while inside, it was anything but. Fuck if he’s going to screw up, and she gets to carry the burden for his shit. “Just show me the way, baby, and head on upstairs; I’ll be right there. Don’t open this until I get there.” I passed her the bag filled with gifts.

“What’s all this?”

“Your birthday presents; some of them anyway.”

“Some? There’s more? My goodness, Alex, what do you have in here?” I guess the guys are right about women and gifts. She’d lost some of the sadness from her gaze at least, and the knots in my gut began to unravel.

I didn’t let on even a little bit about how pissed I really was as she led me down the hallway to the door leading to her dad’s office. “Wait for me upstairs.” That was my way of letting her know that she wasn’t invited. I waited until she left to knock on the door and walk in.

“Cass, oh, hello.” He looked at me as if trying to place me. “Wait, you’re the Springfield boy, aren’t you? What’re you doing here? I thought you were away at school?” I wasn’t surprised that he recognized me. I’m a dead ringer for my great-granddad, who’d gone from movie idol to real estate magnet back in the fifties. His portrait still hangs in many of the buildings around town, so I get to hear that shit almost everywhere I go.

I dropped the note on his desk before answering him. “What’s this?”

“Open it and see.” He looked confused before picking up the envelope and doing just that. I had the honor of watching all the color drain from his face.

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“No, not me; your daughter has been receiving those for a while now.” He went completely white.

“Cassie?” Her name was little more than a whisper, and he looked devastated, which was the only thing holding me back from lighting into him.

“Yeah, she knows. You didn’t know that, did you?”

“How do you…?”

“It doesn’t matter how I know; the fact is someone else does and is using it to torment her. I’m not asking you to handle it; I’ll take care of it myself. I just thought you should know so you can prepare yourself for when the truth comes out.”

“What? What do you mean? Do you know what can happen to me if this gets out? My wife…”

“Is an adult, your daughter is barely one; she shouldn’t have to carry the burden for what you did.”

“What does this have to do with you, anyway? I heard my wife mention in passing that you and Cassie were long-distance dating, but this shouldn’t concern you surely.”

“That’s where you’re wrong; everything about her concerns me. You better get your shit together because you only have a few days before I leave, and I don’t plan on leaving here with this hanging over her head.”

“I still don’t see what this has to do with you. This is my private affair…”

“I don’t trust you.”

He seemed a bit shocked at my blunt honesty, but I didn’t care. Thanks to Jace and Track, I’d learned not to bite my tongue. It helps knowing I have my boys backing me on all plays, knowing that we’re solid enough to know that where one goes, the other will follow; that’s why I plan to fill them in as soon as I leave here.

Not because I need their help, but because that’s what we do. We’d made a promise to each other that to protect our bond, we wouldn’t ever keep things from one another. Plus, Jace's nosy ass likes to be in every damn thing. Add the fact that I have no respect for this guy, and I’m looking for any excuse to rip him a new one.

“Cassie? How does she know about this? Why didn’t she tell me?” At least he seemed a bit contrite, but that shit was too late as far as I’m concerned.

“You need to stop worrying about what’s already been done and figure out how you’re going to handle the fallout. Remember, Cassie’s the only one I care about in this equation; you’re not allowed to hurt her anymore with this shit.”

A grown-ass man fell into Mandy’s snares. If Jace wouldn’t pound me into dust, I’d ask him if her snatch was lined with gold since this idiot had risked everything for it. She’s a sore spot for my boy, though, so out of respect, we all pretend she never existed. On the surface, at least that’s how things stand. Only us guys know that Mandy’s been trying to contact Jace ever since she was sent away, which of course, he ignores. But I have to wonder if she’s involved with this shit.