Everything But (28 page)

He gritted his teeth and started walking across the courtyard to his car.  He got in and slid the key in the ignition, and that’s when he noticed a piece of paper
tucked
under the windshield wiper on the driver’s side.  He got back out and removed the paper, then turned o
n the dome light inside
so he could
read what was written:  “Hey, b
ad boy rock star.  Are you ready for a girl who will REALLY show you a good time?  You don’t want some stuffy English teacher, do you?  I’m still available. 
–Josie.”
  Her phone
number was scrawled underneath and—what a cliché—she’d signed her named in red lipstick.

Josie.  Josie.  Oh, yeah…that slutty girl who’d called herself
Jo
. 
The apartment A-3 girl.
  Yeah…well,
that
wasn’t
gonna
happen.  Sure, she was a little more tempting now that he knew Erin didn’t give a shit, but still…

As he started backing his car out of the parking spot, he heard his cell phone ring.  It was Erin.  He shook his head, moving the gear shift to
Drive
. 
M
aybe
he’d
call her later, but not now.  He couldn’t.  He’d finally made up his mind how to handle it and he couldn’t have her weakening his resolve.  And she could do that, just with her voice.  He knew that much.
  Bad enough that she’d told him she’d heard his new
band’s
first single on the radio, and not only had she said she
loved
it, she’d raved about it, pumping up his ego.

And then her whole dessert seduction thing.
 
Fuck
.  He’d almost forgotten he’d promised himself to keep his em
otions out of it.  In fact, he
even quit being a dick for a while, and he’d been doing so well at first.

By the time he parked in his parents’ driveway, though, he couldn’t get his mind off her.  He picked up his phone and stared at it.  Did he want to hear what she had to say?

He would…but he was
gonna
have to mellow out first.  That would probably be a little difficult, though, because his mom and dad were still up.  He took a deep brea
th and walked in the front door, clenching his jaw.

His parents were watching some movie in the living room, so he figured he’d just pop his head in, say the obligatory
hello
, then run up to his room and find some way to get outside so he could numb the pain.
  “Hey…I’m home,” he said, waving his hand and getting ready to duck back out.

But his dad pressed the pause button on the remote.  “Have a seat, son.  I’ve hardly seen you since you’ve been back.”

Shit
.  Riley loved his father but could barely tolerate the man.  Still, he respected him enough to obey his wishes.  So he walked over to the couch and sat down.  His mother sat in a chair working a crochet needle,
while
his father
was just
lying back in his recliner.
 
But when
Riley sat down, his father put down the footrest on his chair so he sat up straighter.
 
Why did
Riley
feel like he was sitting before a parole board? 
He
wanted to keep it light if he could, so he asked, “What’re you guys
watchin
’?”

His mother said, “We just started watching
an
action movie.  It stars Ryan—”

“Son, what’s this I hear about you dating one of the high school English teachers?”

God, his dad was being his typical asshole self.  He couldn’t understand how his mother had put up with him all these years.  He’d just interrupted her and she let him
, and that was typical
.  But he could already see what was going on.  They’d already had a conversation about fucked-up Riley, once more doing something that could potentially ruin the Schultz name in Winchester.  Jesus.  He sighed.  It would be better
for him
to just take the lumps and get it over with.

He’d smoke extra later.

But the last thing he wanted to do was talk about Erin right now.  He was too busy processing his emotions and trying to separate
the tough guy
out
side from the pussy one that was trying to take over.  The last thing he needed was a classic ass chewing from his dad.

But…it was what it was. 
Had to happen at least once a visit.
  His dad wasn’t able to rag him about his behavior with his new band, so he had to fixate on something else.
  Riley smoothed his hands over his jeans, making sure his voice would be calm and even. 
“Yeah.
  I’ve been seeing Erin Lancaster.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Riley sucked in a deep breath but maintained eye contact.  “What’s so bad about it?”

“Your
reputation
, Riley.”

His blood pressure spiked but he managed to keep his exterior cool and relaxed. 
“My reputation?
  What the hell does that have to do with dating her?”

His father was calm as well, but that was nothing new.  “Do I really need to explain this to you, son?”

Riley clenched his jaw, his only defense.  “Yeah…I think you should.”

His father shook his head.  Riley peeked over at his mother.  The look on her face told him everything he needed to know.  She agreed with his father.  So he kept his mouth shut and readied himself for whatever it was his dad was going to say.  His father leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees and pressing the tips of his fingers together, as though he were a politician delivering a speech.  Riley knew the look well.  This was his dad’s
trust me
posture.  That was the last fucking thing Riley planned to do.  But he was going to be a respectful son.  He’d shut the fuck up and listen.

“Son…surely I don’t have to describe to you what most people in town think about you.”

Well,
this
was something he’d never heard before.  He knew what his parents thought, but he’d never sensed anything negative from the townsfolk themselves.  In fact, what he’d sensed over the years was nothing but positive.
  Hell, he should show his dad the note that was sitting on the passenger seat of the Mustang…see what he thought about
that
.  “Yeah, I think you
should
.”

His father drew in a deep breath and said, “People believe you’re a negative influence.  You incite kids to engage in underage drinking, drugs, and sex.  You do those things yourself. 
So you’
re their
—”

“Whoa, whoa…wait a fucking minute.”  He stood, challenging his dad to call him on swearing too.  Yeah, so he incited kids to say the
F word
too.  “I stopped the drugs and drinking, dad
, and I don’t sing about them anymore
.  How can you say I encourage that?
  And any kid who’s a real fan knows I’m clean.
”  He wasn’t touching the sex comment.  Erin had reminded
him the other day about how sexually potent some of his lyrics could be.  He wouldn’t argue that one.  He also knew a couple of his past videos pushed it too.  Fine, he’d give his dad that.

“Marjorie
?”

His mother looked pained, but she
unpursed
her lips to say, “I found your drugs, Riley.”

“My
drugs
?”

His dad pulled a sandwich
bag out of his trousers.  Oh, yeah…the pot. 
Fuck
.  Well, just because
Riley
didn’t consider weed a drug, the conservative folks in the good
ol
’ U.S. of A. considered pot to be one of the most dangerous drugs around.  He fought to keep from rolling his eyes and let the air out of his lungs through clenched teeth. 
Fuck, fuck,
fuck
.  “So
?  It’
s just pot.  It’s not addictive.”

“It’s
illegal
, son, and you had it in our house.”

Jesus…that had been in his luggage.
  At least, he thought it had.  What else had she found in there?  Well, he’d
own
it.  “Sorry.  You might not believe it, but it helps me.  It stops me from getting anxious, and so I don’t turn to the bottle or worse drugs.”  No way was he going to tell them he’d
been wanting
a drink really badly
…so much for taking off the edge.

“It’s still
illegal
.  Why don’t you get a prescription for
Xanax
, son?  That’s what your mother uses for her nerves
.”

Riley felt his lips move up into a smirk,
because
he
knew he
was about to say the kind of shit that used to get his ass beaten by his dad back in the day.  But he couldn’t help it.  “I could get a prescription for pot, dad.  In fact, I could probably find a doctor in Colorado Springs tomorrow that would give me one.  Want me to do that?”

His father’s gaze moved into dangerous territory.  Riley recognized the look.  His old man lowered his voice.  “
Goddammit
, Riley,
don’t you understand that everything
you
do affects this family? 
Everything
you do
reflects
on us, good or bad.  Can’t you think of
us
for once?”

Riley let his father’s words sink in.  Of course, he knew that, and he also knew how sensitive his family was about their reputation.  He lowered his voice too, not to be scary, but to show his father some respect.  “Yeah, I
know
that, dad.  And no one
around here
knew about the pot.”  Except for Erin, he remembered, because he
’d
admitted to her tonight that he was high. 
Fuck
…had
she
told his mother and that gave his mother the ide
a to search through his stuff?

“That doesn’t matter, Riley.  What if they find it while you’re going through the airport?”

“What makes you think I’m stupid enough to carry it on the plane?” 
I bought it in your
precious
town, dad.

His father glared again.  “You’re missing the point,
son
.”  Riley rolled his eyes but said nothing.  “Now, back to this English teacher…”

“You got nothing to worry about.  I’m pretty sure we’re done as of tonight.”

“But you’v
e already tarnished her reputation.”

The air rushed out of Riley’s lungs, but he sucked it back in fast.  “What the…? 
Tarnished her reputation?
  How do you figure?”

His father pinched the bridge of his nose but made eye contact with Riley before speaking.  “Did you spend the night with her last night?”

“What does it matter?”

His father stepped closer.  “It matters very much, son.  People talk.  And do you think they’re going to believe you slept on her couch?”

Riley took the challenge and stepped closer too.  He was
two
inch
es
taller than his dad now and he wasn’t afraid of him anymore.  “If they give that big a shit, they’re pathetic.  Why does anyone care what she does, so long as she’s a good teacher and treats their
kids
right?”

“Because she’s setting a poor example.
  If the cheerleading coach is messing around with a rock star for a couple of days, don’t you think that tells those young ladies that sleeping around is okay?”

“First off, she’s just covering the coach role till the real one comes back, and second, she’s not telling those girls we were together.”

His mother set her crocheting aside and said, “Are you sure about that?”

Fuck
…did his mother know something he didn’t?  More than that, he had the feeling his parents were just trying to drive a wedge in what he and Erin were trying to build.  But that was a joke—he’d already taken care of that just fine by himself. 
Riley rubbed his forehead and then ran his fingers through his hair.  He’d heard enough.  Things at his
parents’
house never changed.  No matter what he did with his life, he was never going to be good enough, was never going to be respected…never going to be loved
like Brian.  In fact, he was surprised he hadn’t heard that
sorry old song
from his parents yet.  Riley sucked in a deep breath and stepped back.  “You know, I hope someday you both see I’m not such a bad guy…”  He turned and walked to the hallway and the front door.