Chapter 2
Henley
Six Months Later
“Are you really going to keep your face buried in that book all night?” Cassidy asked.
“You know I have my final tomorrow. I need to make an A in this class,” I told her without looking up from my book.
“You have to make an A in every class. It’s like you’ve forgotten how to have fun. I miss ‘fun’ Henley. What happened to her?” she said as she looked in the mirror and played with her hair. “You need to go out with some friends and have a good time.”
“Yadda, yadda, yadda… I’ll go out and celebrate when I finish my finals.”
“Why don’t you come to the club with me tonight? The guys are having a party, and I know they’d love to see you. I miss hanging out with you. Let’s go out and have some fun like we used to.”
“Ummm… how about NO?” I answered sarcastically.
I had nothing against going to the clubhouse with Cassidy. I actually kind of liked going there from time to time. The guys were a little rough around the edges, but they all seemed like pretty decent guys. It didn’t go unnoticed, however, that they all liked Cassidy… a lot. The way they pawed all over her made me feel a little uncomfortable sometimes. But I’ve done my best to avoid asking her questions about it. She’s not one to talk about what really goes on at the club. Besides, I learned a long time ago that Cassidy has a mind of her own, and it’s best to just leave her to it. She was happy—that was all that mattered. The Satan’s Fury MC had become like a second family to her, and I knew she loved them… all of them. I’ll admit I’ve even found myself a little jealous of the life she has created outside of ours, but I’d never tell her that.
“Oh… come on. Don’t be a ‘Debbie Downer’. It’ll be fun. We can have a few drinks and dance on my break…” she encouraged as she shook her hips from side to side. The bangles on her wrist clanked together as she tugged at the hem of her mini skirt. As she looked in the mirror, Cassidy pulled her hair up in a messy bun and touched up her make-up. She was club ready. I smiled to myself, thinking how different she looked an hour ago when she was sprawled out in front of the TV eating potato chips and chocolate chip cookies in her pajamas. Her transformation was complete.
“Maybe some other time,” I told her as I flipped through the pages of my textbook. “I’m just not up to partying tonight. Besides, you know I’ve got to get up early in the morning.”
“Okay, let’s do something else then. We could go grab a burger and watch a movie? I’ll get one of the girls to cover my shift. You know I hate leaving you here all alone, Lee Bug.”
“I’m fine, Cass. I really do need to study. I’ll go with you next time… promise. Go have a good time. I’ll be here when you get back.”
“Ok. Have it your way, but you know you’ve got this. You’ve been studying for weeks,” she said as she reached for her purse. “You know where to find me if you need me.”
“Try to behave,” I told her playfully.
“Always,” she said, giving me a wink.
I watched her walk out the door. Silence quickly filled the apartment as soon as the door closed behind her. Questioning my choice to stay home, I took a deep breath and tried to focus on my notes. Studying right now was pointless; it was just too freaking quiet. Every little noise became a distraction, and I couldn’t concentrate. Deciding it was time for a break, I reached for the remote and started scrolling through all the endless channels of sitcoms and infomercials. I finally stopped on some detective show my dad always liked to watch. I couldn’t help but feel a little homesick when I saw his favorite character appear on the screen, so I grabbed my phone and called him.
He picked up on the first ring, “Hey, there, sweetheart. How’s it going?” Just hearing his voice brought a big smile to my face.
“Hey, daddy. Everything’s great. I have my last final tomorrow, and then I have some time off before the summer semester starts.”
“Why don’t you just take the summer off? Take Cassidy and go to the beach for a few days… or come home for a visit. You know I’d love to see you.” I felt a twinge of guilt when I thought about him being there all alone. Even though it’d been several years since mom left, he was still having a hard time adjusting to not having her there.
“You know I’d love that, but I’ve got a lot going on. I’ll see what I can work out,” I told him.
“You need to get out and see the world. You’re only young once, you know.”
“I’ll see plenty once I graduate. Promise,” I answered. “You worry too much.”
“That’s what fathers do. What about your sister? What’s she up to these days?” he asked apprehensively. Dad wasn’t exactly happy about her working as a bartender at an MC’s clubhouse, but he’d given up trying to talk to her about it. Actually, they barely talked at all anymore, and I could tell it bothered him.
“She’s doing great. Just left for work a few minutes ago.”
“Ok… well, keep an eye on her. You know I worry,” he said softly.
“I will, daddy. She’s happy… really.” I waited a few seconds for him to say something else, but he remained quiet. Finally, I said, “Well… I guess I better get back to studying.”
“Ok, sweetheart. Call me later and let me know how you did on your exams. And think about what I said. It would do you some good to take the summer off. You’ve worked really hard. You deserve to go out and have some fun.”
“Ok. I’ll think about it. Talk to you soon,” I told him as I hung up the phone.
I tried to get back to studying, but searching through the endless pages of notes was making me stir crazy, and my growling stomach was making it hard to focus. I hadn’t stopped studying long enough to eat dinner, and it was finally catching up with me. I grabbed the bag of chips Cassidy left on the coffee table, and when I put my hand in the bag, I only found a mound of crumbs. I tossed the bag into the garbage and went to the kitchen to search for something to eat. We were down to milk, eggs, and an old veggie tray. That wasn’t going to work. It was time to make a snack run.