“I...I was driving.” I was such a liar. “Then I just forgot about it. When I got home, I started on my homework.” Not such a lie, and while he screwed the lid back on the juice, he didn’t seem like the statement was suspicious.
“Who were you with?” he asked.
I wanted to lie, but I also didn’t want to. Strange. Biting the inside of my cheek, I prepared myself. “I was...with Rider.”
Carl’s head whipped in my direction so fast I was reminded of The Exorcist. “Rider?” he echoed.
I stiffened all over and could barely nod as I struggled to get a breath through what felt like my throat sealing shut. “Rider and his friend...Hector. We went to Firehouse—”
“The Firehouse Grill?” he asked, brows slamming down. “That isn’t in the greatest part of town, Mallory.”
I didn’t think the part of town was that bad. “We just ate burgers and...then I came home. It was...fun.”
Carl took a drink of his juice as he eyed me over the rim of the glass. “Who is Hector?”
Explaining who Hector was, I grew more and more aware of Carl’s displeasure. “He’s really nice. Works at McDonald’s and has a younger brother named Jayden, who is really funny. Their grandmother, Mrs. Luna, fosters Rider,” I rambled on, shifting my weight from one foot to the next. “And we all have speech class. Rider is going to help me—”
“He’s helping with your speech?” He sounded doubtful.
I nodded and then added, “Yes. He...he knows I struggle with these kinds of things and even though I don’t have to deliver my speech in class, I...still have to practice. We’re going to practice after school on Thursday.”
The man seemed to stop breathing. “You made plans with him without talking to us?”
Uh-oh. I shifted on my feet again. “I...I didn’t think it was a big deal. I need the help.”
“And Ainsley can’t help you?”
Double uh-oh. “Rider is in my class, so it...it makes sense to practice with him.”
“And what about this Keira girl?” he rapid-fired back at me. “Isn’t she in your speech class?”
Dammit.
He remembered me saying that. Of course he did, but I had a valid reason why I hadn’t asked Keira. “That’s... That would be too embarrassing to practice in front of her, and Rider knows how...how I am.”
Carl opened his mouth and then closed it as he set the glass on the counter. He got that. “I’m not exactly thrilled about this. You haven’t seen this boy in years, but you’re going out to eat with him and now he’s helping you study.”
I swallowed hard. “But...but he’s my friend...and that’s normal.”
“Not for you.”
I flinched as I took a step back. Not for me. Never for me. That giddiness I’d felt after sending them such a normal text vanished. The feeling wasn’t lasting, because normal was never for me.
“I don’t mean it like that,” he quickly added, reaching out and putting his hand on my shoulder. “And I’m sorry if it came across that way, but you don’t know him, Mallory. Not anymore.”
“I know him,” I insisted, looking up and meeting his gaze as I pushed the momentary hurt away. “He’s a good...person.”
“I’m not saying he isn’t.” Carl dropped his hand and sighed as he turned sideways, unclipping the pager from his waistband. “At least, I hope he is. You never really know someone, not even family sometimes. People show you what they want you to see. You have to remember that.”
I didn’t understand what he meant by that. I mean, I did get it. After all, it wasn’t like the caseworkers knew how Mr. Henry and Miss Becky really were. They’d hid it well, but what did Carl really know?
He continued, “I want you to be careful, Mallory.”
The corners of my lips started to turn up. “I will.”
Carl studied me for a moment and then he nodded. “Where will you be studying on Thursday?”
I shrugged a shoulder. “I guess here?”
Those brows rose again. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with you being here alone with him,” he said, and I thanked myself for not telling him that Rider had already been here when they hadn’t been home. “Then again, I’m not exactly comfortable with you being anywhere.”
“With him?” I stilled.
He shook his head and smiled faintly. “With any boy, Mallory.”
My cheeks heated. “We’re...just going to study and he has a girlfriend, remember?” A burn hit my chest as I spoke the words, because I thought about the way Rider had kissed my forehead earlier and then said he shouldn’t have done that.
And he really shouldn’t have. Even if a kiss to the forehead was as chaste as they came, it still hadn’t been right.
“I know.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
Several moments passed, and I grew antsy. “I have homework,” I told him.
Carl lowered his hand. “Don’t stay up too late.” When I started to turn, he stopped me. “Thank you for telling me the truth about who you were with.”
My brain actually cringed, because I had been lying about the whole not-answering-the-phone thing, but I forced a smile. And then I all but ran up to my bedroom. Carl had thanked me, but it was obvious he wasn’t happy about me hanging out with Rider. Or maybe it was just because Rider was a guy.
I hoped it was just because he was a guy and not because Carl had something against Rider. I couldn’t even fathom why he would, but the truth was, I really didn’t know this Rider very well. Carl was right about that, but this Rider couldn’t be that different from the Rider I loved as I child.