When she realized I had no excuse, she sighed. “Go to the office.”

  “I’m sorry?” I questioned, not sure why I needed to go to the office for a forgotten textbook.

  “You’re unprepared for class, so that means you’re late. You need to see Mrs. Boyd for a tardy slip unless you want to be counted as absent.”

  I just sat there in shock. This was not how Mrs. Cummings treated students. It made no sense why she would react like this.

  “Now!” she yelled as she pointed to the door.

  Without argument, I stood and walked to the door. As I passed my former teammates, one of them stuck out their foot to trip me. I caught myself before I fell flat on my face. “Dumb ass,” he muttered as I righted myself. Ms. Cummings said nothing, so I continued to make my way out of the classroom.

  When I got to the office, Mr. Jones’s door was open. As I approached Mrs. Boyd’s desk, he looked up and spotted me. “Washington!” he bellowed. “Get in here.”

  I sighed and trudged into his office. He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. “What trouble did you stir up now?” he asked.

  “I forgot my book for Ms. Cummings’s class, so she sent me in here to get a tardy slip.”

  “Seems like you don’t think the rules at Redville High apply to you. First you break the football team’s code of conduct. Now you’re skipping class. And don’t think I didn’t see the graffiti that covered your locker this morning,” he said.

  “What? I’m not skipping class, and I didn’t write those racial slurs on my locker! But I bet you know that.” I couldn’t help but let my voice rise.

  “Don’t you dare cuss at me, boy!” Mr. Jones hollered back.

  “I didn’t cuss at you,” I said in a calmer voice.

  “That’s it,” Mr. Jones stood and leaned over his desk. “You can wait out front while I decide on the appropriate punishment for you.” He pointed to the door. Defeated, I stood and went to take the seat on the bench outside of his office.

  I waited on that bench for three hours. No one who walked past me in that office looked my direction.

  While I waited, Coach came into the office with Lily behind him. Her head was down so she didn’t see me at first. When she looked up, I gasped.

  A dark purple bruise marred the entire right side of her face. Coach spoke to Mrs. Boyd in hushed tones, but I caught the words fall and accident. When Lily’s eyes met mine, she looked away. Before I could stop myself, I was on my feet and headed to her.

  “Are you okay, Lily?” I asked, concerned.

  “This doesn’t involve you, Son,” Coach responded before Lily had a chance.

  “Lily?” I asked again.

  She kept her eyes to the ground. “I’m fine,” she mumbled.

  Before I could press her for more information, Mr. Jones called me into his office to give me my punishment. They suspended me for the rest of the semester, and my absences would be unexcused.

  “But I have finals!” I told him. “I’ll fail the semester.”

  “I guess you should have thought of that before you became a juvenile delinquent,” he retorted. “Now, you best get off school property.”

  I knew better than to argue. I gathered my backpack once more and headed out. Lily and her dad were gone when I emerged from Mr. Jones’s office. I knew I couldn’t ask Lily about her black eye since I wasn’t allowed near her. I only hoped that her dad took care of whoever had done that to her. Whatever happened had been no accident.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lily

  I was mortified when JJ saw my face. My dad insisted he escort me into the office for my tardy slip so he could explain to Mrs. Boyd what happened to my face. I suspected he was afraid I would tell the truth and a call to CPS would be made. I knew better than to tell the truth, though. I tried that once in elementary school, and my mother went crazy while my dad did what he always did. He protected her instead of me because he always chose my mother over me.

  The night Redville lost the state championship, my mother lost her mind. It got so ugly that fans called for my dad’s head on a silver platter. This enraged my mother. I tried to be invisible to avoid her anger. Six hours alone in the car with my mother in a good mood was painful, but in a foul mood, it was unfathomable. The further the Rangers fell behind, the harder it was for my mother to maintain composure.

  My mother didn’t care about football. Jessica Gates cared about my dad being a hero, and the way our family looked to the people in town. The further he fell from grace, the worse she coped.

  People in the stands bad mouthed JJ for getting kicked off the team and then in the same breath, they cussed about my dad and demanded he be fired. Before the end of the third quarter, my mother grabbed my arm and hissed in my ear, “We’re leaving.”

  I tried not to fall as she dragged me from the stands. Luckily, no one was watching us. When we got to the car, my mother turned to me with fury.

  “It’s bad enough I have to raise you, and now this! If your dad loses his job, we will have nothing… NOTHING!” she screamed at me. Her fist connected with the right side of my face before I could do anything to help soften the blow. Surprised, I crashed into the back of the car.

  I tried not to cry, but the tears fell down my face before I could stop them. At least we were alone in the parking lot, so there was no one to watch my humiliation. That also meant there was no one to witness or intervene.

  The second punch landed on my cheek. “What are you doing?” I cried, not caring how she would react.

  My mother looked wild. My fear skyrocketed because I’d never seen this woman before me. “I never wanted you. I told your father when he knocked up that girl she needed to just get rid of it, but he refused. He insisted we take you. Now I’m stuck with a reminder of that girl, and just looking at you makes me sick!” She spit in my face.

  I couldn’t even process what she was saying. Her saliva dripped from my forehead. “W… wh… what?” I sobbed.

  She grabbed me and shook me hard. “Are you stupid? What did I just tell you?” she bellowed. “Your dad had an affair and got the slut pregnant. When she threatened to get rid of you, he begged her to let him keep you. He promised me you would be ours and I would love you like my own, but all I see when I look at you is her. I don’t love you! I HATE YOU!” she screamed.

  Deep down, I had always known my mother didn’t love me, but her words still sliced me to the core. Except this woman wasn’t my mother. She was just my father’s wife. She got in the car and turned on the ignition. I reached for the handle, but the door was locked. I knocked on the window, but she shook her head and began to back out of the spot. I banged on the window and cried, “You’re not just going to leave me here, are you? We’re six hours away from home!” She almost rolled over my foot, so I jumped back out of the way.

  With no other option, I waited around for my dad and rode the bus home with the team. Everyone was upset about the loss, so the ride was quiet. Several of the players and coaches blamed my dad for kicking JJ off of the team. I kept my head down and the ice pack on my face while my dad remained silent next to me.

  About an hour from Redville, my dad spoke for the first time. “Lily, we should have told you before now.” His voice cracked. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but your mother really loves you. She wanted a baby more than anything. When she found out I’d gotten Iris pregnant, she was livid at first, but she came around when she found out Iris was going to sign away her rights. You were the answer to our prayers.”

  I shook my head. “Dad, I know you love me, but that woman never has. She is evil, and now it all makes sense. I understand now why she hates me. I’m just a bitter reminder of your affair.”

  “It’s not like that. I promised your mother we would be a happy family. I’ve never once strayed since then. You were a gift, Lily.” My dad’s eyes shone with unshed tears. “I’m so sorry she did what she did tonight. What happened tonight isn’t really her.”

  I lowered the ice pack and turned to my father. I wanted him to see what she did to my face so he couldn’t deny it. “She is sick, you’re right about that. But tonight was her. You can turn a blind eye all you want, but your wife hates me and I am paying for your sins every single day.”

  “Lily,” my dad choked, “you can’t tell anyone about what happened tonight. It would be bad for our entire family. Promise me you’ll let me handle this.”

  I turned to look out the window and watched the night fly past the window. My tears fell without pause. It was clear my dad had made his choice. I should have been used to it by now, but it still stung.

  I took a deep breath and formulated a plan for my future. One that meant I was getting out of this town and never looking back.

  Chapter Twelve

  JJ

  The school called and informed my parents of my suspension, so they were waiting for me when I walked through the door. It was obvious my mother had been crying.

  “Have a seat, Son,” my dad told me. “We need to talk.”

  I prepared myself for his words. I knew whatever he said would change my life in a big way.

  It was my mom who spoke first. “JJ, we love you more than anything. Choosing to kneel during the National Anthem was brave, but you are no longer safe in this town. Your choice has put your father’s job at risk. People have made it clear we’re no longer welcome here…” She swiped at a tear, “in the same town where I grew up. This has always been my home until now.”

  “Momma, I’m so sorry.” I stood up and went to her. I pulled her into my arms to hug her. I hated to see my mother cry. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  “Son,” my dad began, “we don’t want you to be sorry.”

  I pulled away from my mother and looked at him with confusion. “What are you saying?”

  “We’re proud of you for standing up for yourself and your beliefs. We wouldn’t change what you did. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to move. There was an opening with the Bowman Police Department, and I got the job. Your mother will go to the high school and withdraw you so you can start at Bowman High next week.”

  “But what about my suspension?” I asked.

  “When I talked to Mr. Jones on the phone, he agreed to revoke your suspension if we left town,” my mom said. “Your record will be cleared, and you are free to start fresh in Bowman. You can even try out for their football team.”

  I shook my head. Football was over, but I was relieved I wouldn’t fail. Still, I felt guilty.

  “Dad?” I looked to him to see if he was okay with all of this.

  He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Your mom and I knew it would be tough bringing a biracial child into the world. We knew that, like we had, you would face hardships from both sides of the fence. We also realized you would struggle to fit in. Before you were born, we decided we would support you no matter what. There is nothing we won’t sacrifice for you, Son.”

  I hugged my dad. “I love you, Dad.”

  “I love you more.” He patted my back in the hug. My mother came up behind me and put her arms around us.

  “You are the best part of my life, JJ,” she told me.

  I turned and pulled her into the hug. “I love you, Momma.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Three Years Later

  Lily

  It was over. I graduated. This town was almost behind me. I looked around my bedroom and forced myself not to look out my window to the empty room across the lawn. What used to be only a few feet in distance now seemed like a different planet. JJ hadn’t lived there in three years, but I still missed him every single day.

  His family moved without a word. While I understood why they left, it hurt that my friend hadn’t bothered to tell me before he moved. The thought of never seeing JJ again hurt more than it should. The town, for the most part, stopped talking about the Washingtons not long after they left. Friday nights were the rare times anyone mentioned JJ, but that ended when the team won its first state championship. The few fleeting comments here and there kept me from thinking JJ was a figment of my imagination.

  I sighed when my eyes caught my reflection in the mirror. Still in my cap and gown, I smiled to myself. I’d done it. Ten weeks until I moved to Hanover, New Hampshire for my freshman year at Dartmouth.

  My dad’s wife, whom I no longer called my mother, fought him tooth and nail about me going to Dartmouth. While I earned scholarships, it was more expensive than if I stayed in Texas. Jessica Gates wanted no more money than necessary spent on me. Although she argued with my dad about allowing me to go, in a rare turn of events he put his foot down. He told her she had no say in the matter and forced her to drop it.

  While my classmates partied, I was not interested. I hadn’t had a genuine friend since JJ left. He was absent from social media, so I relied on letters. I sent several over the last three years with no success. I mailed him another letter a few weeks ago, but it came back with his block print on the front saying, return to sender. I heard through the grapevine he was at Tech on a track scholarship. JJ not opening any of my letters stung, but I understood. I knew I represented a time and place he wanted to put behind him. I sighed and sat down on my bed.

  My dad had attended graduation, but I had no idea where he was now. I guessed he was with Wanda, the across the street neighbor’s hospice nurse. My dad didn’t think I realized that he and the nurse met up in the Quint’s backyard to talk late into the night much like JJ and I had once upon a time. Their friendship, unlike ours, wasn’t so innocent. It was clear to anyone who watched they shared an intimacy that only two people with a physical relationship shared. I wondered if Jessica had caught on or if she even cared.

  I pulled my mortarboard off of my head and tossed it onto my desk. I presumed I would spend grad night alone in my room, just like I’d spent every night for the last three years. I took college courses to earn dual credit, so I didn’t have many classes with my peers. This meant I didn’t have opportunities for friendships, and since JJ left, I hadn’t taken an interest in any other boy.

  The front door slammed as I unzipped my graduation robe. I assumed my dad was back from wherever. I smiled, thinking about how happy he seemed around Wanda.

  It relieved me to find Jessica gone when I got back from graduation, but that was nothing new. She often drank at home, but most of the time she would go to the one bar in town. The owner, Chuck, called my dad when she got too drunk. Dad then picked her up and poured her into bed when he got her home.

  Only once after I got my license, my dad sent me to get Jessica. She was belligerent and screamed about me being a bastard child before she slapped me in the face in front of the other town drunks.

  Chuck helped me get her into the car, but on the drive home she attacked me again. She grabbed the steering wheel and forced me to drive off the road. I stopped before we hit anything, but the incident shook me to the core.

  When I told my dad about what happened, he apologized and then told me he never expected me to pick her up again. In the end, he chose her yet again when he consoled her, and apologized for sending me instead of going himself. That night ended with him on the other side of their bedroom door as he begged her for forgiveness. I never figured out the hold she had over him.

  When my dad told me about the affair, he never told me anything about my biological mother other than it was Iris, my former baby sitter. He told me when she found out she was pregnant, she wanted an abortion. I knew that she and my father weren’t in love. They were good friends, and he turned to her when they found out Jessica couldn’t conceive. He told me Jessica wanted me, though I found that hard to believe. My dad also told me that Jessica went to every sonogram and was even in the delivery room. I wondered what changed, but my dad made it clear the topic was not up for discussion.

  Iris had been a part of my life in the early years until she moved away from Kansas. There were a few pictures of her from my birthdays and such, but my dad never told me what happened. Just that they all decided it was best to cease contact once she moved. I loved Iris when she was my childhood babysitter, but now she was a stranger.

  When I heard the clatter of high heels stomping down the hallway, my stomach clenched. Jessica was home. Dad never left us alone together because she picked fights with me that turned almost always violent. My spine stiffened when she stopped in my doorway. I regretted that I failed to shut my bedroom door.

  “Of course,” she slurred, “you’re here.”

  “Where else would I be?” I asked.

  “Exactly! You’re such a loser. I bet you don’t even have one friend. You’re pathetic,” she taunted.

  Her words no longer stung. After I found out she was not my biological mother, I referred to her as my wicked step-monster in my mind.

  I didn’t respond to her hateful words. I just sat on the edge of my bed as I waited for her to grow bored with harassing me and stumble off to her room. My silence seemed to enrage her further.

  “You look just like her,” she seethed as she stumbled inside my room.

  Before I could stop myself, I sneered, “Who?”

  “You know damn well who I’m talking about. Her, your mother, Iris,” she hissed. “I haven’t been able to escape her for years.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I knew I didn’t look like my dad, but I’d never given it much thought. The sting of my biological mother not wanting me kept my curiosity at bay. That is until now. I found I wanted more than just those fuzzy memories.

  “I tried to love you, but you never let me. You cried all the time as a baby. Then when you started growing up, you were a freak. I put you in dresses, but you always had your nose stuck in a book. Why couldn’t you be more like your cousin Courtney? Maybe then I could have loved you,” she sighed.

  “I was just a child! I didn’t cheat on you. That was Dad! I was just a child who wanted her mother to love her!” I stood up, which caused her to take a step back. I was finished with her bullying.