Hooked

Chapter 4

Grace

He had no idea how loaded a question that was. I didn't want to tell him anything, and I wanted to tell him everything. As much as I'd dreamed and dreaded this reunion, I just wasn't ready for the whole truth. It was fresh, and I wanted it to stay behind me.

I stared at the car, a beat-up red four-door coupe. "Does it still have that penny stuck to the bottom of the cupholder?" I asked instead. Anything to avoid answering.

Nolan laughed, and I noticed the underlying strain in it.

"What?" I finally glanced at him.

"Evan, that guy from the front of the library, he tried to pry it off a few times. The last attempt took about an hour before he gave up." Nolan chuckled again, but it died quickly. He shook his overloaded key ring and unlocked the door old school. No key fobs for that ancient beast. "You'll love the burgers where we're going. Best in the city. Just keep it our little secret, though. It's sort of a hideout for me."

I climbed in, settling into the bucket seat. Nolan used to joke that I was the only person who could sit in his car because the seat was molded for me. I glanced to the backseat, and my chest tightened. Nolan opened his door, and I yanked my gaze forward. Once he locked in the seatbelt, he started the engine. It rumbled to life with a hiccup, just like it always had. It felt like the last four years of my life were in a bubble and I'd finally broken free.

"So are you a junior then?" He gripped the wheel tight as he asked.

I pressed my lips together and waited until he'd pulled onto the street. "No, senior."

"You'd have to ..." He stopped at a light and kept his mouth shut. "How long have you been here, Gracie?"

I didn't want to answer him. Again, that was another can of worms I didn't want to open. I changed the subject, and it was so obvious I was avoiding the questions. "Did you get a scholarship? To play hockey, I mean?"

He drew in a long breath. The light changed to green, and he eased the car through the intersection. "Yeah, a partial. I also got several academic scholarships if you can believe that."

"That's great." Nolan never thought he was smart, but he just didn't know how to study. I reached for him and stopped myself. It wasn't... I didn't know what it was. I wanted to hug him, and I was terrified to do just that.

"Yeah, Mom's proud, and Dad's indifferent. He still thinks I should try to get hired with the street department." The bitterness that used to fill his tone whenever he talked about his father was gone. "He's coming around though. I think."

"Does he still run it?"

"Yep. He's taken this other kid under his wing. That's helped." He glanced at me as he turned into a parking lot. Neon lights that said "café" and "Diner" hung above the glass door of a dingy building with bright windows. "Becoming a social worker is not masculine enough."

"Social worker?" Panic, unfounded panic filled my chest, and I had to get out of the car. Get air. Get away from the memories rushing through my head. I strained against them, thinking of books and the library.

Nolan's hand fell over my clenched fist. "What's wrong?"

I wanted to rip it away, but I couldn't move. As much as I needed freedom from the car, the past, the memory of my grandmother arriving at camp with a social worker, split my heart in two. I'd avoided thinking about it as much as possible. I'd avoided the memory, the pain, everything from that day.

Just one minute with Nolan and my world came crashing down around me like it was yesterday. I forced my face toward his. Tears filled my eyes.

"Gracie, talk to me."