Hooked (17 page)

     
The game was finally over with us
winning 54
to 42.  I scored a game high of 22 points.  I glanced up in the crowd on my way back to the locker room
,
but Cash wasn’t up there.  I looked around the gym, oh no, I thought.  I wasn’t feeling to
o
good about this and I noticed those guys were gone too.  All I could think about was Coach not taking too long in the locker room because I was really worried about Cash.

     About twenty minutes later, Coach wrapped up his speech and I grabbed my bag and left.  I didn’t even change out of my uniform.  I ran out to the lobby and my dad was out there talki
ng
to some of the men out there.  My mom and Eli were there too. 

    
“Hey,” I said as I walked up to them.

     “Millie, great game
,
” mom said and Eli gave me
high-
five.

    
My dad excused himself from the men he was talking to
and came over to me
and said,
“Great game
,
pumpkin!”

     “Thanks, dad.”

     “What’d you end up with, 20?”

     “I had 22 points thank you very much.”  He laughed at my remark.  I kept looking around
,
but couldn’t find Cash.

     “Who are you looking for?”

     “Um
m
,” I looked at my dad and figured this wasn’t the place for me to bring this up.  “No one, let’s go.”  Mom and Eli came up beside me and we walked out together.  “I’ll see you at home,” I said trying to get rid of them
.  They waved goodbye to me and started walking to their cars.  I watched my dad pullout of the parking lot with my mom and Eli following him. 

    
I immediately pulled my cell phone out of my bag and called Cash.  He answered on the second ring, “Hey sweetheart, I’m sorry I had something come up and had to leave.” 

    
Well, yeah I believe something came up
,
but he was not forthcoming in the fact as to what that something was.  I could tell he was trying to hide something from me.  This was the first time I felt like he was keeping something important from me. 
I sat there thinking this is the first time I can honestly say I don’t believe him.  So
,
I decided to just call him out on it.

     “Cash, what did you have come up?”

     “Nothing for you to worry about,” he said making it clear that he didn’t want to talk about it. 

    
I decided that two could play at this game and him acting distant and aloof to other people was one thing
,
but I wasn’t about to let him do this to me. 

    
“Kay then, I’m heading home now,” I said trying my best to give him Jess’ version of I really don’t give a crap what
you’re
saying right now.

     “Um
m
, okay?  I wanted to tell you that you played awesome and I was really impressed.”

     “Thanks,” was all I gave him.

     “Well, are you going to be able to go out tomorrow?”

     “I don’t know yet, I haven’t had a chance to talk to my dad yet
,
” I say trying my hardest to keep my voice formal.

     “Okay, just try not to get into any trouble between now and then because I want to spend time with you if
you’re
able to.”
  He chuckled, I didn’t.

     “Okay, I’ll talk to my parents and let you know
.
” I’m doing good, I thought to myself. 
“
So, I guess I’ll just talk to you tomorrow then,” I say smiling knowing he was getting irritated.  Scoring this game in my head
,
I thought…Millie-1, Cash-0.

     “Night
,
sweetheart
,
”
h
e says so sweetly I could melt.  Dang it, and…we’re even.

J
ust his voice can do that to me, it was so sincere. 

    
I drove home mad as crap at Cash.  I was mad at him because he didn’t seem to care that I was mad at him. 
I know he could feel the chill from my voice and not once did he ask me what was wrong.  He was willing to let me act like that and not question it because he didn’t want me to know what was going on with him. 
He didn’t want me to know things about him and to me that meant he didn’t trust me.  I guess that hurt me too
,
if I was really being honest.

     When I got home, I took a shower and went straight to bed
.
I figured I would talk to my dad in the morning.  I put my
iPod
in and let my eye lids get heavy with U2.  Just as I was falling asleep
,
I notice my phone light up.  Crap,
I
forgot to leave it downstairs with my dad.  Oh well, maybe since it’s my last night he won’t notice.  I open my
phone and it’s a text from Cash.

    
*I’m sorry if I upset you.  I miss u. 

    
I smiled to myself.  Even though I was upset at him, I knew he didn’t want to hurt me and for some reason that made me feel good. 

     The next morni
n
g
,
dad informed me t
h
at I am ungrounded so I felt like this was the time to tell him about Cash
.  “Dad, can I talk to you and mom for a minute?”

     “Yeah, what is it?”

     “Well, I just wanted to let y
’
all know that Cash
Davis
asked me out
for
tonight and we were going to go see a movie.”  There it was out there, I said it out loud.

     “No,” was my father’s reply. 

    
“But dad
,
I—
”

     “W
ait a minute, let’s just discuss this
,
”
m
y mom tried to intervene.

    
“No
,
Charlotte.  I said no and that’s it.” 

    
I looked at my mom and she shook her head telling me not now.  I started crying and went upstairs to my room.
I don’t know why he’s doing this to me.  I’ve done everything he has asked for a month straight and he won’t allow me the one thing I want.

    
An hour later
,
my mom knocked on my door.
 
“Millie, I know you don’t understand
,
but your dad is only trying to look out for you.”

     “Mom, he doesn’t even know Cash.  He cares about me and treats me well.”

     “I’m sure he does
,
but your dad ran a background check on him at work and he has been in trouble in
Boston
.”

     “I already know all of this mom, he has told me everything.”  I cringed a little at the lie. 

     “I’m going to talk to your dad some more because I trust your judgment
,
but Mil
,
you need to prepare yourself, he may not change his mind.”

     “Fine, but mom I know him and he’s a good guy who didn’t have a great home life and you should prepare yourself
,
because I don’t know if I can stay away
from
him no matter what dad says, I don’t want to.” 

    
She looked at me for a long time.
“Millie, I understand what
you’re
saying, I was your age once too
,
but you have to understand that your father will have the last word and you will not like the outcome if you go against what he says.  It will be miserable for all of us.”

     “I love you
,
mom
,
” I say to her knowing that she is at
least trying to see where I’m coming from.

     “I love you
,
too
,
sweetie,” she said as she left my room.

     I stayed in my room most of the day and around
three o’clock,
I went downstairs to get something to snack on.  Eli was in the kitchen. 

    
“Hey, I wouldn’t go in the den, mom and dad are ‘discussing’ you and Cash.”

     “Oh, well I hope dad will listen to mom.  Cash is a good guy.”

     “Yeah, I mean
,
he seemed pretty cool to me.”  I smiled at Eli’s response. 

    
I thought about Cash and how he was nice to Eli.  He really is a good guy and him being nice to Eli makes me like him even more.  Eli left and went upstairs to his room.  I was about to go back to my room and call Cash when I heard my mom say, “James,
you’re
not being fair.”

     “Charlotte, this is our daughter we are talking
about
.”

     “I
think
we should trust her this time and see what happens.  She seems to trust him and says that he is nice and respectful to her.”

     “He wants to get in her pants!” 

    
I flinch back at my dad’s words.  I have never heard him speak like this.  He doesn’t even know Cash and he’s ready to write him off.  I stand there
another
few minutes trying to breathe through their debate.  It is dead silence for what seems like ten minutes
,
but I know it was only a few.  I can’t see my mom or dad
,
but I can tell there’s tension in that room. 

    
Finally, my mom says, “You know, my dad said the same thing about you, but I did what I wanted to and went out with you anyway…she will too
,
James.  You better walk this line carefully or you could lose your daughter for a long time like my dad did.” 

    
My mom left the room crying and I stood there stunned.  I couldn’t believe that she said my grandpa had said that about my dad.  I mean, my dad! He is a police officer for goodness sakes.  What could have made my grandpa not like my dad?

     “Damn it!”  I heard my dad shout whisper to himself. 

    
I decided now would be a good time to go back to my room before he caught me out here
.  On my way to my room, I could hear my mom crying in her bedroom.  I stood
outside her door for a minute
,
but I felt like I should check on her.  I was the reason she was crying. 

    
“Mom?” I said as I knocked on her door.  I went inside and she was sitting on her bed.  She looked up at me while wiping her eyes. 

    
“Oh, hey Mil, did you need something?”

     “Um
m
, I just, I could hear you crying and I wanted to make sure you were ok
ay
.”

     “I’m fine
.
I was just having a moment
.
”
S
he smiled at me
,
but it didn’t reach her eyes.  “I love you, you know that?”  She brushed the hair from my eyes and put it behind my ear.