Never Doubt Me: Judge Me Not #2(4)

If that’s true, then it saddens me that my brother didn’t hang on to his hope. And maybe that thought makes Will a little sad, too, since I see tears brimming in his eyes.

I sigh, deflated. “Look, I don’t want to fight.”

Will swipes at his cheeks. “Me neither, Chase.”

“What do you want to do?” I ask. “How are we going to fix this?”

Will jerks his chin toward the cell in my hand. “Give me the phone.” He sighs. “I’ll call Mom.”

I pass the phone to Will while he brushes wayward strands of dark blond hair, the exact same shade as our mother’s, away from his forehead. He then calls the parent he took after the most. I immediately hear our mother on the other end, giving him hell. I turn around to give Will a modicum of privacy, and just as I do, Cassie runs the rest of the way down the steps.

The girl is so focused on getting to Will that she practically slams right into me.

“Whoa, hold up there,” I say, steadying her with my hands on her slumped shoulders.

“Sorry,” she mumbles, and then she glances up at me with sorrowful blue eyes.

“No need to apologize,” I say gently. “You may as well stay right where you are, though. You’re calling your mom next.”

“Okay,” she squeaks out.

Cassie lowers her head and stares down at her sandal-covered feet, while her long hair frames her ethereal features like a champagne-blond veil. She strikes me as vulnerable, fragile. Just tonight, I’ve seen enough interaction between her and my brother that it’s clear Will has the upper hand in their relationship.

And that makes me want to check on something.

I jerk my head back to where Will is preoccupied on the phone. And then I ask Cassie, “My brother treats you right, yeah?”

“Of course,” she says, like it’s ridiculous to even pose such a question.

“Okay, okay”—I hold up my hands—“I was just checking.”

Hell, I’m just relieved none of Will’s recent acting out has manifested in his behavior towards Cassie. My brother can be pretty damn disrespectful when it comes to Mom, and it would kill me to hear he’s started treating the other women in his life in the same shitty way.

While I’m thinking all of this, Kay walks over to where we’re standing. She positions her body slightly in front of Cassie, so Cassie can’t see when Kay frowns at me and mouths, “Go easy on her.”

“I am,” I mumble.

Kay obviously missed me checking with Cassie to make sure my brother is treating her right.

Oh well. I’ll get Kay up to speed later. Right now I’m glancing over at Will to see if he’s done talking with Mom.

He nods my way and wraps up with our mom. He steps back over to where we’re all standing and hands me the phone. I pass it straight to Cassie. She takes the cell, presses a few keys, and then walks far enough away that she’s out of hearing range.

I throw a parting glance to her turned back, shake my head, and then redirect my attention to Will. “What did Mom say?”

Kay steps forward, until she’s next to me.

“We have to go back to Vegas, of course,” Will says.

My brother lowers his gaze and kicks at the bottom step. He’s retreated back into himself. I remind myself he’s a mixed-up kid who’s confused, moody, and frustrated. This running away has more to do with Cassie longing to escape a bad home situation than anything else. I’m pretty sure Will didn’t really want to leave home. Things aren’t perfect for him with Mom and her relatively new husband, Greg, but I know things are far better than they’ve been in ages. As for the Cassie situation, my brother won’t tell me everything, but he’s said enough throughout the past few weeks that it’s clear Cassie’s stepfather—some scumbag named Paul who her mother married not all that long ago—has been making her feel uncomfortable in her own home. And by uncomfortable, I mean the prick is hitting on her.

Will’s mentioned, more than once, that Paul spouts off inappropriate remarks to Cassie, but only when her mother isn’t around. Problem is, Cassie’s mom has some high-flying career and works all the time. Cassie’s biological father can’t help—he died a few years back. In fact, it’s that loss that helps bind Will and Cassie. They’ve both lost fathers, and from what Will’s intimated, they find solace in their shared grief when they’re together.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” I say to Will, feeling empathy for what he’s ultimately trying to do—save Cassie from harm.

My brother grunts and kicks at the step again. “Sure, bro, whatever you say.”

Cassie finishes her call and returns to where we’re standing.

She hands me the phone, states resolutely, “My mom doesn’t want the car staying here indefinitely. But she also doesn’t want me and Will driving all the way back across the country alone.”

“Why?” Will asks, turning to his girlfriend. “We did just fine getting here.”

“What’s this ‘we’ shit?” I interject, eyeing Will suspiciously.

Up to this point, I guess I just assumed Cassie drove the whole way since she’s sixteen and has a driver’s license—unlike Will.

I raise a questioning eyebrow when neither kid responds.