Court Kept (Court High 3)

“They will.” Ramses nudged me with a shoulder. “I may not have much stake left in this town, but I am still the mayor’s son. We can do this, but we need information before we can do anything.”

“So that’s what we’re going to do?”

“That and a couple other things. This is going to be a process, but if you’re game, I think we can really pull this off.”

I was willing to do anything, do what I had to do to make sure whatever we needed happened. “What’s next?”

Dropping long arms over his legs, Ramses faced me. “What’s next actually starts tonight, and needless to say, you’re definitely not going to like it.”

Ten

December

I got what Ramses was trying to say. For this next leg, things probably should appear to be normal in my life...

But seriously, what the fuck?

He wanted me to move back home, go home to my dad’s house and under my dad’s rule. He said doing so would give the guise of stability in my life. If I looked like I made amends with my father, wasn’t making waves, no waves would ultimately crash around me. I’d just be a normal girl going to school. I had healed and moved on with my life.

Frankly, it’d been no different than what I’d been doing since holiday break ended. The only difference was, me still living at Rosanna’s did give the appearance that there were still broken pieces in my life. It showed I was still at odds with my father, and if I couldn’t get past that, I definitely wasn’t okay.

I closed my eyes.

Rosanna had been simply overjoyed, of course, when I told her. She’d been home when I got in last night and had been so happy, in fact, that she called my dad right in front of me. He actually asked to speak to me, probably wanting to make sure I wasn’t outside my mind, but since I wasn’t certain of that, I avoided the call completely. I’d retreated to my room instead, packing. A text from my aunt Celeste came in after that. My dad must have called her, and she also wanted to confirm I was going home. After a lifetime of battling each other, they were apparently on the same side, and after I told her I was planning to go back, I suddenly had a ride home. My father’s driver, Hubert, came over to Rosanna’s within the hour.

Next thing I knew, I was home.

The place had felt so foreign when I arrived, empty. My dad gratefully hadn’t gotten in yet, and after getting myself and Hershey settled back in my old bedroom, I pulled sheets over my head. I couldn’t face it all. Not yet.

But then came morning.

It came with the reality of the day, and I had to force myself to move. This was life now, my new reality. I went on with the motions, hurrying quickly. I wanted to avoid my dad, but as soon as I heard movement around the house beneath my floor, I knew that wasn’t happening. Dad had always been an early riser.

Fucking brilliant.

I wouldn’t be able to avoid him today, that I knew. In any case, it was probably good to get the initial confrontation out of the way. I could say hi to him and do my best pretending.

Honk. Honk.

Hearing the short taps of a horn, I pushed back curtains, a Mercedes Benz in the driveway. Inside sat a boy, and when he caught me peering from the second floor, Ramses tossed a hand out the window. He appeared alive and well, grinning at me from behind a windshield. He told me he’d come to pick me up, and we’d go over a few things before classes started.

I gave him a quick wave before edging back in front of the mirror where I’d been. I looked like myself, orange and navy blue academy skirt on and tie nice and tight. I had even ironed my jacket.

But what illusions a mirror could give.

I wasn’t myself anymore. I was different and had to be in order to even step out of this bedroom. Ready enough for it, I reached down to get my book bag.

A wayward traveler fought me back.

Hershey’s big ole butt was trying to climb into the bag like she could still fit inside it, and talk about a girl happy to be home. My chocolate Labrador drifted right off to sleep the moment I placed her and her dog bed in my old bedroom. She hadn’t even wanted to sleep with me like she did at Rosanna’s, this place familiar to her.

I pulled her out, putting her down. “You can’t go with me, even though I want you to.”

She gave me her silly little grin, and after petting her, I started to lift the bag again, but she fought me. Jumping on it, she dove face-first inside, and she didn’t come out empty-mouthed. The tie of a bow between her teeth, she tugged, unraveling it.

“Hershey,” I scolded, and she did give it to me, but I froze at the sight of what the ribbon had been secured to. I had shoved so many things into my bags last night, and my book bag must have gotten some stuff too.

Taking a moment to breathe, I opened the bag to find a present given to me during Christmas break. I believed it to be from my father, the reason I’d instantly thrown it away. Only later did I find out the truth.