Puddin'(22)

I open my mouth to—I don’t know? Deny?

He holds a hand up. “How long have you had that necklace, Callie?”

I tilt my head to the side and press my fingers to the C pendant. My nerves fizzle out for a moment. “Years. It was a thirteenth-birthday present from my dad.”

Sheriff Bell nods. “And you’ve never let anyone borrow it?”

“No. Never,” I say, realizing all too soon that I’ve given myself away.

“Jared,” says Keith. “Say Callie was there and she can tell you who else was with her.”

His head dips down a little as he says, “Well, here’s the deal. We know you were there, Callie. But you’re the only one we can identify, and you shouldn’t have to pay this price alone.”

My mom says, “He’s right, baby.” It’s the first inkling of nondisappointment I’ve gotten from her yet.

This is a sinking ship. Hell. I am the sinking ship. But I won’t bring down the rest of the team. I remember Sam and what she said at practice today. I normally don’t fall for all that fluffy BS, but the Shamrocks are my life. If that’s not a sisterhood—a really dysfunctional sisterhood—then what is? “I was there,” I say in a sweet voice. “But it was so dark, Sheriff. I wouldn’t have the faintest clue who else was with me.”

Sheriff Bell holds my gaze for a long moment, and I can tell this is my last chance.

The sound of my mom bursting into tears pierces the silence in the kitchen. Yup, right on cue.

I groan and cover my face with both my hands, not bothering to be careful of my makeup.

All the things I stand to lose stack up like a pile of dirty laundry. The team. State. Nationals. And then—my God—what if I’m arrested? My weekend job at Sweet 16. Time with Bryce. My standing on the social food chain. What if I have a criminal record? Can I even get into college?

“What do you need from me?” I finally ask.

Sheriff Bell clears his throat. “Well, I’ll be speaking to the owner to see if they’d like to press charges. And of course we’ll have to speak with the city attorney.”

“Do we need a lawyer?” asks Keith.

My mama lets out another yelp.

“It’s not like I killed someone,” I say. “It was just a joke that got out of hand.”

“A joke that’s going to cost a pretty penny to repair,” says Sheriff Bell sternly. “And as far as a lawyer goes . . . well, they’re not my favorite sort of people, but it wouldn’t hurt to have one in the wings.”

Keith nods. “We, uh, appreciate you coming over and not just picking her up at school and making a scene of things.”

“Oh Lord, yes,” Mama chimes in.

That is possibly the only thing that could’ve made this worse. Me getting arrested at school, with me making a scene in the attendance office.

Sheriff Bell nods and scoots his chair back, putting his broad khaki-colored sheriff hat back on.

“I trust y’all will be keeping an eye on Callie here until I have more information.”

“Of course,” says Mama as Keith shakes the sheriff’s hand. “The girl is so grounded, she’s halfway to the center of the earth.”

Keith walks the sheriff out to the front of the house, where his police truck is parked. The door shuts behind them, vacuuming out all the air in the house.

Mama turns to me.

I can feel her getting ready to unleash.

“What were you thinking?” she asks, her eyes dry now and her voice low and angry. In this moment, nothing about her red lips is sweet and familiar.

“I didn’t start it,” I tell her honestly. “And it really was just supposed to be TP and eggs. Just a dumb prank.”

Mama shakes her head furiously. “That is the exact reason why you should not have gone! These things always get out of hand. Christ, baby. You should’ve told someone. Stopped it somehow. I’m raising you girls to be leaders, not followers.”

“We didn’t mean to do any real damage. I swear.”

“Callie, it does not matter what you meant to do. Only what you did do. You’ve worked so hard for the dance team to make it this far, and now it’s all over for you. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

It’s all over for you. Her words ring in my ears. My hands begin to tremble, and I can feel every muscle in my body tense as it tries to suppress tears.

The front door creaks as Keith lets himself back inside, pulling me back into the moment.

“Does that mean anything to me, Mama?” I’m shouting now. My eyes begin to burn as I blink away tears. I use the heels of my hands to wipe them away. “This means everything to me! And yeah, I wish it hadn’t happened, but if you think I’m ’bout to cower ’round here with my tail between my legs like some kind of poorly trained puppy—well, then you don’t know what the hell kind of daughter you raised.”

She crosses her arms over her chest with Keith standing a few steps behind her. “No phone. No Bryce. I will take you to school, and you will leave with me when I’m done with work. I will call Sam, Melissa, and Mrs. Driskil to let them know you will not be at practice.”

I knew it was coming. I knew that when the woman said I’d be grounded, she meant it. And still every word hits me like a perfectly placed punch, but one specific thing stings the most. “I can’t just miss practice,” I tell her.