Deception (The Benson Brothers Book 3) Read online

  So, at least I had that going for me.

  Of course, I had also seen it in his eyes. He had heard. But he hadn’t been upset. Why not? I wondered.

  Chapter Four

  Rebecca

  The day was a blur as I spent it avoiding any chance meetings with Buck. Hopefully, by Saturday he would have forgotten. If not, we could both pretend it had never happened.

  But not today. Not this soon. No way was I looking up into those brown eyes and seeing him remember what I said in the hall. I’d collapse into a puddle of shame. Nope.

  So, I sneaked through the halls. Luckily, I had years of practice going unnoticed. I’d made it to Sixth Period when once again, the universe reminded me just how screwed up it was.

  Miss Parsons met me at the door with a hall pass. “Good job, Rebecca,” she said. “Buck actually joined in the conversation about ‘A Midsummers Night Dream.’ And he was right,” she added with amazement.

  I glanced at the hall pass in her hand as my stomach clenched with worry.

  “Coach Marshall says that Buck can miss his Sixth Period P.E. class. They don’t have a game this week.”

  My stomach finished falling.

  “So, I want you to meet him in the school Library. We’ve got a major test next week and I want you to get him ready. This is important.”

  I sighed internally as I stared at her. “Who is it important for, Miss Parson? Buck, or Coach Marshall?”

  Her cheeks grew a little pink. Obviously, I had hit a soft spot, but she rallied quickly. “For you,” she said. “This is your chance to get out of this town.”

  My insides tightened up. She was right, I reminded myself as I took the hall pass from her hand. Besides, I couldn’t be mad at her. She didn’t know about how much of a fool I had made of myself that morning.

  Sighing heavily, I slowly walked to the library running over every scenario I could think of. Trying out different excuses in case he confronted me about what I said in the hall. Of course, I came up blank. Nothing would get me out of it.

  Gulping, I stepped into our library to find Buck sitting at a table, staring out the window. When he heard me approach, he turned and I caught a small frown.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked as I shifted inside. Something was bothering him and that was unusual for him. After all, he had the perfect life. How dare he have anything go wrong.

  He shrugged. “It just feels wrong. Sitting inside during Sixth Period.”

  He actually missed P.E. I realized. Granted, being a jock. Sixth Period was used to flow into football practice. It was what he lived for.

  “You really do like it?” I said as I sat down next to him, suddenly filled with an overwhelming need to understand him.

  “What? Football?” he asked. “Sure. It’s the greatest thing in the world.”

  I frowned as I tried to wrap my mind around what he said. My Dad was like that. Obsessed. I just didn’t get it.

  “Why?” I asked.

  He frowned as if he didn’t understand the question. “I mean,” I continued, “what about it do you like? It is so violent. Do you like hurting people?”

  Buck balked for a second then shrugged. “Not hurting them so much. But beating them? Yes. Physically. Us against them. When a running back is breaking through the defensive line and it is only me between him and a touchdown. And I stop him.” He paused for a second. “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling of rightness.”

  He paused again as he stared out the window then he turned to me and his eyes twinkled. “And, yes, to be honest. There is a sense of power. When I hit them. I don’t know. It just feels like I am alive.”

  My mind tried to fathom it as I continued to stare at him.

  “Does that make me a monster?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “No, it makes you a boy. Which at times, can be the same thing.”

  He laughed, then took my hand and pulled me up out of my chair. A tingle traveled up my arm but before I could register the fact, he said, “Come on. Let’s study under that tree out there.”

  “We can’t.”

  “Why not? We’ve both got hall passes. I’m pretty sure they are good for under trees.”

  “But …” I tried to come up with a plausible excuse and came up blank. Besides. The thought of sitting in the shade with Buck Benson. Come on. How could I say no?

  Laughing together, we left the library. Buck stopped holding my hand and that was when I realized there had been no mention of my morning fiasco. Nothing about me wanting to rip his clothes off. Not even a small tease. Maybe he really hadn’t heard me.

  No, that was impossible. But a small hope flashed to life inside of me.

  It was one of those glorious Northwest days. A high blue sky. Just enough wind to remind you that winter was coming. The scent of pine and sawdust from the lumber mill filled the air.

  As we walked across the grass to the tree, my heart started jumping. I was going to be all alone with Buck Benson. What if someone saw? What would people say? I could well imagine Marla Gould and her crowd would fill the school with snide comments.

  Oh, well. Let them. I was going to enjoy this.

  Just as Buck dropped his book, and was about to sit down, he froze then glanced to the left, his brow furrowing. I followed his gaze and saw a girl behind the gym, sitting on the ground with her back to the wall, her head buried in her arms over her knees. The sound of a soft sob reached us.

  Buck continued to frown as he turned and marched towards the girl.

  “Jenny? Is everything all right?” he asked as he kneeled down in front of her.

  Jenny Carson, I realized, one of Buck’s ex-girlfriends. They had been a hot couple back in sophomore year but it hadn’t lasted. But from what I had seen, they had remained friends.

  “Come on,” he said. “Tell me what happened.” The tenderness in his voice shocked me. This was a side of Buck I hadn’t seen before.

  She sniffed and then looked up. I gasped. A perfectly formed handprint marred her face where someone had slapped her.

  She wiped at her eyes and tried to give Buck a weak smile. His brow narrowed as a look of rage crossed his face. He gently reached to touch her cheek. “Paul?” he asked.

  She nodded as tears continued to race down her cheeks.

  “I’ll kill him,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “No,” she cried as she grabbed his arm.

  He continued to look at her with tenderness that made me feel like an outsider. An interloper into their world. Then, Buck looked up at me. “Help me get her to the nurse.”

  “No, no,” Jenny said with an emphatic shake of her head. “I don’t want anyone to know.”

  Buck sighed as he slumped. “What happened?”

  Jenny continued to sniffle. “I told him I wanted to break up with him. And … and he slapped me. He said I couldn’t break up with him. Then he stormed off.”

  My heart broke for the girl.

  “I’m scared Buck,” she said as she looked at him. “He was crazy. I mean really frightening. He has always been scary. That was one of the reasons I was breaking up with him. But now …?”

  Buck held her hand and said, “Don’t worry. He’ll never bother you again. I promise.”

  She wiped her runny nose on her sleeve then looked at Buck with a trusting adoration that made me feel strange inside. She believed him. This was Buck Benson. He could fix anything, that look said.

  “Come on,” he said as he slowly helped her to stand. “I’ll take you home.”

  Jenny nodded as she pulled herself together.

  Buck glanced at me with a sadness that surprised me. “Can you come with us? I’ll drop you off after?”

  My heart jumped. He wanted my help. Jenny glanced at me and I saw a look of need in her eyes. She wanted me there as well. What could I say but “of course.”

  Buck put his arm around Jenny’s shoulders and began to lead her to the school’s parking lot. I quickly grabbed our books and fell in on the other sid
e of Jenny. When we got to his car, we both got into the back. Jenny gave me a small smile of thanks.

  “How bad does it look?” she asked me as Buck pulled out.

  “Not bad,” I lied. “It will be gone soon.”

  She scoffed. “I can still feel it. Where his hand hit me.”

  My stomach clenched as I fought to try and come up with something that would make her feel better. When I came up blank, I reached and took her hand in mine and gently rubbed it.

  She closed her eyes and sighed heavily.

  “I promise,” Buck said from the front. “He won’t hurt you again.”

  Jenny smiled slightly but stayed silent as she turned and looked out the window. I could tell there were a thousand thoughts racing through her head. What was it like? I wondered. To be hurt like that by someone you cared for. To be betrayed. Treated as if you had no worth whatsoever.

  “Here we go,” Buck said as he pulled in front of a nice ranch style house on Parkland St.

  Jenny sighed again and opened her door. I slid across to go with her. Buck jumped out and raced around the car to join us.

  “I’m fine guys,” she said but I could see in the back of her eyes that she knew she was lying. Then she reached up and kissed Buck on the cheek before racing into the house.

  Both of us stood there for a second lost in our own thoughts. I turned to see a hate burning inside of Buck and my insides shivered.

  “Let’s go,” he said in a clipped tone.

  We sat in silence as Buck drove across town towards my house.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked as a burning curiosity ate at me.

  He glanced over then shook his head. He didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Jenny and you?” I began.

  “Jenny is a good friend,” he said as if that covered everything. It was also his way of letting me know that the subject was closed.

  I fought to understand the shifting emotions racing through me. Suddenly, the stupid comment that he may or may not have heard seemed trivial and of no importance. Not compared to real life.

  “Which house is yours?” he asked as we pulled onto my street.

  Suddenly my stomach shut down tight as a fear filled me. “Drive around the corner,” I said. “They can’t see me in your car.”

  He frowned, then nodded his acceptance. I sank down in my seat, terrified Mom might look out the window and see me in Buck’s car.

  Buck glanced at me with a frown as he turned to the left around the corner and out of sight of my house. He pulled to the side. He took a deep breath and leaned his head back with closed eyes and a scrunched up forehead.

  He was really upset, I realized.

  “Thank you,” I said as I leaned back in through the window. “Not only for the ride. But for helping Jenny.”

  He looked across at me as if I was stupid for thinking he would ever do anything else. Then nodded at me and left without another word.

  I had seen something in his eyes and a nervousness filled me as I realized this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

  Chapter Five

  Rebecca

  The next morning as Hanna and I walked towards the front door of school. Jenny Carson stepped out of the crowd and smiled at me as she reached out and touched my arm.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  Hanna shot me a curious stare. I hadn’t told her anything about what happened. It wasn’t my story to tell.

  “No problem,” I said as I examined Jenny’s face. There was no sign that anything had ever happened. A happiness filled me at the realization I had been right. The blemish had disappeared.

  She saw my look and smiled in agreement. Before we could move on. The crowd parted and Paul Stewart stepped out next to Jenny. She instantly stiffened and shifted closer to me.

  I gasped. The boy’s right eye was swollen shut and the color of an agate marble. A unique combination of black and blue. To top it off, his lips were split in two places. It looked like someone had run him through a rock polisher.

  He swallowed hard, looked down at the ground then back over his shoulder. I followed his gaze to see Buck standing there like a giant redwood tree. Arms folded across his chest, staring at Paul, waiting. A fresh cut under Buck’s left eye hadn’t been there when we parted the night before.

  Paul turned back to Jenny and took a deep sigh. “I’m sorry,” he said, then glanced over his shoulder again. I could tell from Buck’s expression that it wasn’t enough.

  “I’m sorry,” Paul said again. “I won’t bother you. I promise.”

  Jenny took a deep breath as she stared at him then spit at his feet before pushing past him and into the school.

  A collective gasp erupted from the hundred kids watching.

  I couldn’t stop myself from smiling, that had to have been the best cut I had ever seen.

  Paul sort of sank in on himself. The look in his eyes told it all. He knew he was through. His remaining months in school would be cold and painful before he could disappear into the rest of the world.

  I glanced at Buck to see a satisfied smile twitch at the corners of his mouth. He had done this, I realized. He had fixed Jenny’s problems in such a way that she had closure and a sense of safety.

  What couldn’t the boy do?

  Seeing me look at him, he winked, then turned and left. I felt a bond with him. We shared a special story.

  For the rest of the week, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The way he had stood there. Solid, a force of nature. A protector. The kind of man that any woman couldn’t help but admire. I desperately wanted to ask him what had happened but I knew he would never confess. No, he would pretend it had been no big thing. But I knew the truth. I would always know.

  So, of course, When he arrived at the city’s library, I couldn’t help myself from smiling at him. The cut under his eye had healed and almost disappeared. He shot me a quick smile as he dumped his books onto the table.

  We looked at each other for a moment and I silently told him that I wasn’t going to ask him what happened with Paul. The corners of his eyes softened just a little with relief.

  “Was that your brother I saw out there in the blue Honda?” he asked.

  I rolled my eyes. “He’s listening to a basketball game. I guess I should be glad he’s not inside. I swear you have no idea how bad it gets.”

  He laughed. “You forget, I have two older brothers.”

  “Yeah, but this is different. They treat me like I’m a five-year old that doesn’t know how to cross the street.”

  He laughed again. “It could be worse. They could treat you like you don’t exist. That was always the worst in my family. When Jake and Parker would go off to do stuff and leave me behind. God, I hated that.”

  I studied him for a moment and laughed. “Why do I believe that didn’t last long. I bet you were the type to follow them and push your way into whatever they were doing.”

  He smiled then shrugged. “They always knew how to have the best fun. I couldn’t miss it.”

  We looked at each other and I felt a warmness fill me at the thought of learning more about him. Every little detail became a treasure I guarded.

  “So, you hungry?” he asked. “We could go to Sam’s diner down the corner. Study there.”

  My insides tightened into a knot as I slowly shook my head. Hadn’t the boy seen my brother waiting outside? Two fears filled me at the same time. What would my father say followed by wondering if Buck was asking me out?

  No, that was impossible. This was simply a way for him to eat while we continued to study.

  He seemed to realize that I couldn’t go as his shoulders slumped. Then suddenly he sat up straight as a sly smile crossed his face. Without another word he stood up and walked over by the copier as he pulled out his phone.

  I watched him and wondered what he was up to. I had seen that look on his face. That was the look of a boy up to no good. It was almost permanently plastered on my brother’s faces.

  Whe
n he finished with his call, he walked back to me smiling widely. “Come on,” he said as he started to gather his books.

  No, I thought. This couldn’t be happening. He saw my doubt and fear and smiled kindly.

  “Don’t worry. We’re just going to the tables out front. It’s not a date. We’ll still be studying. Just in the cool afternoon air.”

  “It’s almost November,” I said.

  He chuckled, “Bring your coat.”

  My brow furrowed as I tried to figure out what he was doing. But this was Buck Benson, so I just naturally did what he said and grabbed my purse and folders to follow him outside.

  As he sat down, he gave my brother in the car a quick head nod. Bobby frowned back but didn’t leave the car.

  I tried to understand what was going on but forgot about it as Buck and I started going over things for Miss Parsons English Lit test. We were well into the biographical details about Shakespeare’s life when Buck stopped and looked down the street with a smile.

  I turned to see what he was looking at. A surge of surprise rushed into me when I saw Jim Coulter in a Pizza delivery uniform get out of his car with some square pizza boxes and approach my brother Bobby.

  Bobby frowned, as the pizza guy talked to him. Bobby’s expression changed from anger to confusion then to a small smile as he glanced up at us.

  Buck reached and pulled out his wallet as the pizza guy left Bobby and rushed up the steps to the library.

  “Hey Buck,” Jimmy said as he laid a super large pizza and two water bottles on the table in front of us.

  “Here you go, Jim. Thanks,” Buck said as he paid him. I noticed that Jim’s eyes grew wide when he realized the size of his tip.

  All I could do was stare at Buck. Who does this? Have pizzas delivered to the library. And to my brother.

  Buck saw my confusion and shrugged. “Hey, I am hungry. And your dad can’t say this was a date. Right? I mean, we’re just sharing a pizza while we study.”