10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

ISABEL

I sighed when Tucker left the room, knowing it was time to get back to the reality of the situation. Carefully wiping my damp eyes with my fingertips, I looked around. “I’m sorry about the disruptions, everyone. Ms. Lane, can we go ahead now?”

“I think that’s best,” she replied, opening the file to read.

We all listened in silence as the incidents were read aloud, except for a couple of muffled reactions to some of the more extreme encounters. There were a few times where I’d been asked to clarify things, like some specifics of some of the conversations Zane and I had had. Which was a bit awkward. Zane could get pretty detailed lately with how he wanted to help me.

And the whole time, Zane just sat there. Completely silent. I could say that much for him. He didn’t interrupt once. I hoped it was because he knew it wouldn’t do him any good to deny it, not after today with having witnesses and cameras, but I also had to remember that his parents were lawyers. He would know mostly when and when not to talk .

When we finally finished going through everything, I sagged back in my chair. Just recounting everything was exhausting. But it was all out in the open now. Our families knew everything. Now, we could get things settled and move on.

“Well…” Mr. Hiller said through a sigh as he linked his fingers across his wide belly. “There’s a lot to consider here. I wish a lot of this had been brought to my attention sooner.” He glanced at Ms. Lane.

“That was me,” I interrupted. “My condition for confiding everything with Ms. Lane was that she had to keep it between us. Unless she felt I was in real trouble.”

“I had to respect her choice. She was eighteen when she first brought this to me,” Ms. Lane added, her voice an apology. Whether it was for my mom or her boss, I wasn’t sure.

“That aside,” Mr. Hiller said with a stern expression. “There’s a lot that allegedly went on between these two. And I say allegedly because we do not have proof of it all.” He looked at me, something in the way he did telling me he believed me. He looked at Zane next. “Do you have anything to say about any of this, Mr. Hernandez?”

Zane’s mouth didn’t budge.

“No, he doesn’t,” his dad replied for him. “It’s all hearsay. Have none of you noticed that in every one of these incidents these two are alone? How do we know that Miss Donovan’s version is the truth? How do we know that she isn’t just an angry teen trying to get back at her ex over a bad breakup?”

“You mean the bad break up where he hit her?” Mom snapped .

Evelyn just watched her son as he watched me. I looked back at him, daring him to deny anything. He knew every ounce of what I’d reported was true.

Except in his messed up head, maybe not. He’d twisted so many things before.

“We don’t know that he really hit her,” Brian countered Mom. “Once again, it’s all hearsay. No one was there to back it up.” He leaned over the table. “You can try to play off being the good and protective mom, but I know you, Bridge, and you didn’t hear about most of this until today, either.”

My eyes flashed that time. How dare he? He knew nothing about what our family had been through and why I hadn’t told her.

I caught Zane smirking out of the corner of my eye, and the sudden urge to smack the look from his face came over me. Instead, I narrowed my gaze on his. “That one wasn’t hearsay. Tucker was there that night. He walked in as Zane had me pinned against the wall, about to smack me again. That’s why y’all fought, remember?”

Brian cut in before Zane could answer. “So, the one account where there’s a witness, it’s the young man that’s known for having an ongoing feud with my son? Yes, that’s going to hold up well.”

I shot him a glare. “They only have an ongoing feud because your son hit me last summer when I wouldn’t sleep with him.”

“Does that argument really work, Izzy?” Zane finally spoke. “I mean, you did sleep with Tucker right after I left that night. So, if you were so willing, how do we know that’s the real reason you and I argued? Tucker wasn’ t there to hear how it started… This is all assuming that you and I fought at all, of course.”

I glared daggers at him. He’d stayed quiet this whole time, letting me hope he’d at least let the truth be told, but now he wanted to imply that I was lying ? He sounded just like his father.

“You know what happened that night.” It was all I was going to say, but something about knowing he wouldn’t be able to hurt me again after today spurred me on. “I guess I can let that one slide, though. If it weren’t for you beating me and cheating on me, if you could have just been patient for the few weeks I was away at dance, Tucker and I never would have gotten together then. We would have dated, probably for a while. I liked you that much, but your choices ruined it. You sent me into Tucker’s arms that much faster.”

That one struck home, hurt crossing his handsome face.

“We could be dating right now if you would just leave Tucker. You could have left him right when I told you I wanted you back, and then all of this could have been avoided. We could be happy.”

“Happy with someone who cheated? Who hit me? And in case you’re forgetting, I was already pregnant with Tucker’s child, even that first night you cornered me and swore you’d get me back. But you never cared about that, did you? You said it that night before I fell. You would have still taken me.”

“As long as you didn’t keep the baby.”

I barked a laugh. “You expected me to give up my child? For someone who’s supposed to love me so much, you don’t know me at all.”

“I know more about you than you think. Just like I know what losing the baby did to you. It crushed you. If Tucker hadn’t interfered that night, that never would have happened.”

“If you hadn’t cornered me up in the stands and forced a kiss after I told you over and over again that I didn’t want you, that never would have happened!”

I pressed my hand to my face, rubbing at my forehead when I started to yell, the pounding only getting worse. I had to calm down. They were actually letting us get this out, but Mr. Hiller would stop us if we got out of control. I took a deep breath, wanting to scream when Zane spoke again.

“I just wanted to make you see that there’s still something between us. Our chemistry is amazing. It has been since the first time we danced, and I know you’ve felt it. That pull that’s there between us has always been strong.”

“Chemistry isn’t love, Zane.”

“It’s a good start. You and I can be phenomenal if you give us a chance.”

“No, we can’t.” I smacked a hand down on the table. “We can’t be phenomenal or amazing or anything else. We can’t ever be anything .”

“Why not?” he pressed, leaning towards me like I had somehow done with him.

“Because you scare me!”

Whatever Zane thought I was going to say, it wasn’t that. He froze, speechless. Just staring.

“You scare me,” I said again, softer now, but determination still riddled my words with force, and my gaze was fierce, needing him to finally get this. Needing his delusion to be done. “You never approach me when other people are around. You always wait until I’m alone, and then you make me feel like I don’t have a choice but to stay and listen. And it’s not even just how I feel. Sometimes you are literally blocking me from leaving. Do you have any idea what it’s like to feel caged that way?

“Have you ever thought about how many times we’ve been alone together that I’ve ended up hurt? Last summer, even with knowing about my PTSD, you pinned me against the wall, grabbing my wrist and sending me into an attack as you prepared to smack me across the face, again . There were the bruises you left on my arm in the coffee shop last fall, and I was in the hospital for weeks in December. Even if you didn’t outright push me down the stairs, your actions led up to my fall. I lost my daughter … And today my arms are throbbing and my head is pounding and I keep praying that I don’t get sick again because you got mad– again .”

His hands twitched over the table, my one hint at how my words bothered him. But he needed to hear it. Every bit of what I’d been holding back, he needed to hear.

“And you wonder why I will always choose Tucker. Honestly, there’s no choice. You talk about our chemistry, and yes, we have it, had it. Whatever. But a real relationship is more than that. There’s friendship, which yes, we were growing, but you lost my trust , Zane, and there’s nothing without that.

“I want you to really, finally , understand why it can never be you… Tucker is everything to me. I would not survive without him . He is my rock. The breath in my lungs. I’m marrying him, Zane.” I placed my hand flat on the table for him to see, and he flinched, looking away from my ring .

“As long as Tucker’s here, alive and breathing, I’m his and vice versa. We love each other that much. So much that I don’t feel complete unless he’s near. My world would completely and irrevocably unravel without him in it. You can’t tell me what you feel for me is like that.”

“Yes. I can.” His stare was sincere. Intense. But he was in denial.

“No, you can’t. Did you see how Tucker was with me when he came in here? He loves me so much that it didn’t matter how much he wanted to rip you to shreds for hurting me. And he did. Believe me. But he put that aside to be there for me . He did that for me, for us , because he had to make sure I was okay before he could let himself think about you. You have never, and I don’t think can ever, be that way. Not with me, at least.”

“You won’t give me the chance.”

“Ugh!” I threw my hands in the air. “You’re still not getting it. I know you’re not dumb, so I can’t figure out why you can’t get it. I want Tucker. I love Tucker . When he came in here, I felt at home in his arms. All my pain went away when he held me. You just cause me pain.”

There was a shift in his eyes with my last words, and Zane leaned back, the room silent around us as everyone waited to see if we were through.

“Do we have everything cleared up now?” Principal Hiller asked, breaking the silence.

“A lot of things have been cleared up,” Evelyn replied. I’d seen her watching me as I’d gone off on Zane, but now, she studied her son.

He was still, like he was lost in thought even though his eyes were still on me. Watching me but not really watching me .

“I’m sorry,” Mom cut in, her voice softer but her irritation still present. “I agree that a lot of things have been cleared up, but I’d like to know what’s going to be done about this.”

Principal Hiller cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Mr. Hernandez. “Of course. There was definitely no hearsay today. We have three witnesses, none of which are Mr. Pierce this time, and they’ve all spoken with Ms. Lane independently. All of their versions match. And Izzy’s aligns with what we have on camera.”

Brian Hernandez shifted in his chair, the dominating Hispanic positioning himself in a way that showed he was listening but also ready to jump to his son’s defense the second he saw an opening.

Evelyn’s brow pinched together. “Which means what then? What step are we at?”

Principal Hiller looked down at his notes and looked up with his most serious face. “I’m not going to sugar coat it, Mrs. Hernandez. As I told you earlier in my office, it’s not good. Not only was Zane caught physically shaking Izzy here by her arms, he refused to stop and had to be pried off of her, all but fighting one of our coaches that separated them, and when a fellow student tried to untangle Izzy’s heel from his shorts, a bag of steroids fell out of his pocket.”

Zane’s mom gave him a death glare. “Drugs… You’ve been on drugs.” She shook her head in disgust. “I still can’t believe it.”

Zane scowled. “Steroids. It’s not like it’s meth or anything.”

“That’s not the strongest argument, Son,” Brian stared down at him .

Evelyn sighed. “Don’t you know what they can do to you? Just look at what they made you do to Izzy.” She motioned across the table. “I want to know where you were getting them.”

Zane just stared straight ahead, his expression hard and unmoving.

“Someone at school?” his mom pressed.

Silence.

“Stop ignoring your mother,” Brian barked, and Zane shot him a wounded glare.

“David Vasquez got arrested for dealing at a party last weekend. They’re pretty much best friends,” I said when Zane wouldn’t.

“David? Really?” Evelyn looked surprised. “I suppose that’s why he hasn’t been around the house this week. I’d ask why you didn’t tell us, but I think I know.” She looked at her husband, and her eyes narrowed when she must have read something in his expression. “Did you know?”

“It’s all being sorted out.”

Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed. “Don’t do that. We own that firm together. If there’s a case that may concern our son in some way, I deserve to know about it.”

“I can’t talk to you about work here, Evelyn. Whether or not there’s a case is something we can discuss back at the office.” His look warned her to leave it alone, but when hurt flashed in her eyes, Brian sighed, and I could see the harsh mask removed from his face in an unspoken apology.

Evelyn looked back at Zane. “Regardless of where you got them from, you know drugs are not something I will tolerate. Not something as serious as steroids. Just look how they’ve affected you. Look at everything they’ve caused you to jeopardize.”

Zane scowled, and mother and son held each other’s gazes for what had to be a solid minute before Evelyn calmly whispered. “I’m so disgusted and disappointed in you.”

She looked back at Mr. Hiller, and he cleared his throat. “Right, so, this isn’t something we can ignore. Drugs of any kind are under a zero-tolerance policy here at school. And what happened with Izzy…” He shook his head. “I can’t say what Miss Donovan will do outside of school, but here, assault falls under another zero-tolerance situation. If it had just been the assault, we could have probably gotten away with In School Suspension, but the magnitude of the situation is just too great. I don’t see any other choice than to expel Zane.”

“What?!” He jerked forward and slammed his hands down onto the table.

“Absolutely not,” his dad said.

His mom just looked sick. “We’re two weeks away from graduation.”

“I’m sorry. That’s my decision, and I think the school board would back me one hundred percent on this.”

Evelyn shot her husband and son a look like she was daring them to speak before she was through. “Mr. Hiller, please. Isn’t there something we can do? Anything? Can’t we at least work it out so Zane can graduate?”

“No.” Mom jumped in. “I do not want this boy anywhere near my daughter again. Mr. Hiller, if you allow him to attend school here even another day after what he did, you will have so many complaints filed against you that you can bet on not working here next year. ”

I gaped at her threat while Mr. Hiller held up his hands. “Whoa, Mrs. Donovan. There’s no need to get so upset. I have no intention of letting Zane come back to school.”

“That’s not a wise decision,” Brian warned. “I’m sure there are plenty of people in this community that would not be happy to hear that the man in charge of our youth’s education is refusing to let someone finish their last few days of school.”

“Oh, take your law degree and shove it,” Mom spat, and Uncle Blake had to hide his smile behind his hand. “Your son wouldn’t be denied his education if he could keep his temper in check.”

“Yes, because you’ve always been an expert on that, haven’t you, Bridgette? If your daughter has a temper anything like yours, I’m not surprised if my son couldn’t control his own around her.”

Mom leaned over the table to deliver her most intense glower yet. “Your son better stay far away from Isabel, Brian. She’s been through more than enough, and she doesn’t need any more trouble from him . Mr. Hiller’s wise not to let Zane back in school. I’m sure the restraining order I’m going to make sure my daughter gets would cause a problem here on campus. And don’t get me started on the assault charges I’ll make sure she brings against him.”

Brian jumped up from his seat, shrugging off his wife, and I jumped when his hands smacked down hard against the table. Uncle Blake stood, alert and ready to step in.

“Throw all the charges our way that you want. I’ll find a way around them. My son will graduate and go off to college. And as for that restraining order? Zane having to avoid a loose, teenage mother that likes to pin all of her own problems on someone else would be a fucking perk. ”

I winced. That wasn’t how it was at all.

“Brian!” Evelyn exclaimed, horrified.

“You son of a–” Mom started.

“Enough!” Mr. Hiller yelled above them. “Mr. Hernandez, I’ve been plenty tolerant, but that last remark was over the line. You need to leave.”

“I have every right to be in here.”

Mr. Hiller stood, crossed his arms over his belly, and set his jaw. “You need to leave.”

Furious, Brian held the stare at first but then slowly stepped back. He gripped Zane’s shoulder as he passed before stepping out.

“I’m going to make sure that goes smoothly.” Uncle Blake followed him from the room.

“I’m so sorry, Bridgette,” Evelyn said once the two were gone. “That was an awful thing for him to say.”

Mom gave her a tiny, sympathetic smile through her frustration. “You know as well as I do that you can’t control what he says.”

Evelyn sighed. “Mr. Hiller, please. Isn’t there something we can do here? As much as I hate it, I completely understand the restraining order.” She looked at me, then Mom. “But I just can’t stand the idea that the last thirteen years of my son’s education are about to go down the drain along with his future. Just a couple of weeks away from graduation on top of it. He has scholarships for next year. This is his future on the line.”

I was watching Zane and how his smug, confident air had diminished now that his dad had left the room and he had to deal with the reality of his consequences shoved in front of him .

“Evelyn, I don’t want to ruin anyone’s future. I just want to make sure that my daughter is safe. Please, don’t take this the wrong way, but Zane needs help.”

He scowled, his familiar anger flaring to the surface, and Mom fixed him with a stern glare. “Like it or not. Believe it or not. You do.”

“So, allow him to get it. Please .” Evelyn looked around the room, her gaze pleading. “Expelling him and placing assault charges on him won’t make things better. I’ve seen too many cases in court where things go wrong. Where kids and people just get worse.”

“I don’t want to have to expel him, Mrs. Hernandez. But there’s just too much against him for me to allow him back here at school.” Mr. Hiller shook his head sadly, and Evelyn’s shoulders visibly sank.

“So, there’s nothing you can do for him?”

She sounded so defeated that I couldn’t help but feel bad for her, and Zane shifted, starting to look the slightest bit worried.

“What if we sent him to the alternative school?” Ms. Lane cut in.

Mr. Hiller leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling as his lips pursed, his fingers drumming the arms of his chair. “I’ll have to check into it since we’re so close to the end of school, but if they’ll take him, I’ll okay it.”

Evelyn took a deep breath in relief. “Thank you. Anything.”

“But this does mean that he won’t graduate with his class. He’ll likely just get his diploma in the mail over summer after he completes the placement.”

“You’re kidding,” Zane snapped, and his mom shot him a look .

“You’ll take what you can get. It’s a diploma.”

“Which I’m supposed to get, how , if I’m in jail on assault charges?”

Mom and I glanced at each other, and I wished at that moment that I could talk to her like I could with Annie. That sense and just knowing that my sister and I shared with each other.

I sighed, looking back at the rest of the table. “I won’t file it.”

“What?” Mom and Evelyn said together as Zane started to smirk.

“Don’t you dare,” I told him. “Smirk or act like this is a win for you in any way, and this deal will unravel so fast I will head for the police station as soon as I walk out of here. This is my peace offering, Zane. Take it, but don’t be a pig about it.”

“And the restraining order?” Zane’s smirk had dropped, but he raised an irritated eyebrow.

“Non-negotiable.” Mom cut her hand through the air and looked at me. I nodded, telling her I agreed before she looked back at Evelyn. “But I’m going to make my daughter angry here and say that the assault charge being dropped has conditions.”

“Okay…” Evelyn said, wary.

“First, you have to get Zane help. Send him to rehab or counseling, though both would be preferable, and I want it documented. There needs to be proof that the drugs are out of his system and that he’s receiving help for his anger issues because, from what we heard earlier, it sounds like he already had some before the steroids. As long as he’s clean and he’s showing progress, I’m okay with Izzy not filing. ”

“That sounds pretty fair,” Ms. Lane commented.

Evelyn nodded, her eyes growing a little moist. “Yes, it is.” She reached across the table for Mom’s hand. “Thank you. To you, too, Izzy.”

“You’re welcome.”

Zane shot up at that, shoving past the chairs to throw the door open, and stormed off down the hall. A security guard passed by the window right behind him.

Evelyn sighed, and again, my heart went out to her. If only Zane was more like her than his dad. He might have been a decent human.

When everyone left, I was dying to get home and crawl into bed. The pillow calling to my pounding head. But Mom pressed a hand to my upper back to guide me out the door as soon as I was through checking out at the front desk. “Come on. I heard what you said to Tucker. It’s doctor time.”