Chapter 37

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Sitting in the same spot Shane had been in a week ago, Blaine was absorbing the late morning sun. Her dark brown hair was dancing in the breeze. If her eyes hadn't been closed, they would be sparkling. The laughter from Joe and Shane was the only thing that eased the tension between me and her brother. It didn't ease the daggers being shot at my back.

"Who's ready for some burgers," Shane asked. It was accompanied with a cheer from Joe, and a mocking comment from Heather.

"Let's go, Laine," Luke demanded. His sister's glare was lethal as she focused on him. He slowed his pace as he neared her. When she didn't move it became a staring contest.

"I'm going with Finn." The storm flickering in Luke's eyes had me wanting to jump in. After experiencing her ability to fight back for myself, I stayed put. Shane's hand ran through his hair as he approached the warring Lesters.

"We're all going to the same place." He put a hand on Luke's shoulder and gave him a gentle shove. "You can bicker when we get back."

"Straight to Dillon's," Luke growled, throwing a glare at me. There was a brief moment of silent agreement before we all split up to our own cars. I approached mine and leaned against the rear fender as Blaine watched her brother. Making sure he got the Jeep, no doubt. He'd be unable to abduct her if he was securely in the Jeep. Spinning on the smooth metal, she smiled at me.

"So," she asked, as Joe and Heather left first.

"So?"

"As much as I hate to admit it. He's kind of right."

"Right about what exactly." My arms crossed over my chest. Had she been listening to the conversation? She was always the first person to storm into a room during a conversation like the one we were having. The one to break up an argument before it could start.

"We can't jump back into things and pretend like what happened didn't. It's not possible. You said some awful things, Finn. So did I. Picking up where we left off won't erase them."

"I know. Not that it matters, but I don't believe what I said. I was looking to hurt you. That's all it was."

"But you were right. I have my faults that do mirror that woman's, but she didn't teach me shit. Lucas did, with the help of you guys." She forced a smirk that made my heart ache. There was a hint of the strength she always possessed. It was weak though. I'm sure the combination of my accusation and her mother's sudden reappearance had something to do with it. The loss of confidence was going to take a lot to spark back to life.

"I'm willing to do whatever you want, Lainey. Friends. Couple. Anything that we can do to get back to where we want to be."

"What do you want? I mean, where do you think we should be?" The defeat in those hazel eyes chased away the half lit smirk. My hands cupped her face as I stepped between her legs.

"I want us to be what we were. I miss you, Lainey. Watching terrible movies with you. Studying for history quizzes. I want those moments back." I shook my head, reconsidering my choice of words while my thumbs caressed her cheeks. "I want more of those moments. What about you?"

For a split second I thought that she was going to pull free when her delicate fingers wrapped around my wrist. She had the perfect opportunity for her to put that distance between us that her brother advised, and she agreed with. Her eyes locked on mine before she let out a sigh.

"Three weeks of probation," she offered. "Enough time to let Lucas cool off, and for us to talk this out."

"Why not make it an even month?"

"Because I want to be able to do this..." Her fingers laced behind my neck to pull me closer. The familiar lips pressing to mine was something I had been longing to feel again. The loving touch of her fingers as they teased the hair at the back of my neck. The sweet smell of her shampoo invading my nose. It all ended too quickly. A glimpse of what was to come. A reward for making it through the next three weeks. "As soon as I can."

"For the record, friends can kiss."

"Nice try." There it was. The first sign that she was returning. A grin that had her eyes sparkling. She gave my chest a gentle shove and hopped down from her place on my trunk. She sauntered to the passenger door and smiled at me from over the roof. "Lucas is going to throw a fit if we don't show up at Dillon's soon."

Waiting until I slipped in behind the wheel, she took her rightful place in the passenger seat. My hand reached for hers out of instinct as I steered the car into town. She was willing to give me that second chance I'd been praying for. It was going to take time. Time to work out what had happened. Time to get back to when we were happy. Time to win her trust again.

**~~**

The look on my mother's face when she came home to find Blaine perched on the couch beside me was what imagined Medusa's looked like before her victims became stone. Wide surprised eyes that shrunk to narrow slits. The thin set line of her lips was the most unpleasant, spiteful sight.

"What are we studying," she asked. The polite mannered woman returned with a forced upturn of her lips.

"History," I bit out. The defiant tone evident as Blaine raised her nose from the textbook to eye us. Not that I had needed to, but I confessed my parents disapproval of her. Another challenge we would need to face when the time was right. Given my mother's reaction, we weren't going to get that chance.

"Such an interesting topic." She flitted from the living room to the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready by five."

"We're actually going to eat at Shane's. He's promised Joe ribs and we're in charge of side dishes."

"You're father is coming home tonight. I'm sure he'd like to catch up with you."

"We'll talk tomorrow."

"You should stay," Blaine whispered. "No point in starting a fight over something so basic."

Siding with my mother had been the last thing I expected from her. I tucked the textbook in her lap under my arm. The confused frustration contorting her face made me smile. I offered her my other hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Tell Dad I'll see him in the morning." Blaine was half way out the door when my mother's stern face appeared from the kitchen. Her arms crossed over her midsection as she studied me. Blaine mumbled she would be outside, then shut the door.

"I thought you were done with her."

"It was a rough patch. We've gotten past it, and you should too."

"That girl is not someone you should be associating yourself with."

"Why is that? What is it that you don't like about her?" She pursed her lips as I called her out. "Is it because of her home life?"

"What home life? This whole town knows that those children are staying at the Russel's. Living off them like leeches. No doubt it's because that sorry excuse of a mother has come back. Unruly children whose father couldn't keep a grip on them."

"Are you that bored? You have nothing better to do then gossip with your haughty friends," I grumbled, a hand raking furiously through my hair. "Not that it's your business, or the towns, but the Russels took them in willingly. Blaine helps out with cooking, which she's really good at. Luke does the grocery shopping using his own money. So stop trying to find a reason to hate them. They are good people."

"No good comes from a broken home, Finn."

"At least their family never pretended it was a perfect home."

My mother looked at me in horror and anger. I hadn't confronted her about the dark secret filling these four walls. Their prim and proper behavior did nothing to hide the coldness that had grown between them. Whether it was an affair, or just the loss of the spark that they had shared, I didn't care. They could play house all they wanted, but I wasn't going to.

Blaine was fidgeting as she leaned against the passenger door. Her eyes fixed on her worn converse. The slump of her shoulders didn't sit well with me. My mother's influence had taken its hold. Mere minutes with the woman and the light was snuffed out once more.

"I'm thinking we should get two pounds of coleslaw," I offered with a smile. The corner of her mouth ticked up before she looked at me.

"Shane hates coleslaw."

"It would be totally worth the rampage he goes on."

After an hour of arguing over the type of potato salad we should get, we were pulling up to the Russels monstrous house. I had four bags dangling from my fingers while Blaine took the other two. Shouldering her way into the house was like watching her make way into her own home. Something my mother would never notice.

Blaine entered my house with a stiff back and her head on a swivel. Waiting for the attack that was lingering in the shadows. I hated that. I wanted her to feel safe and comfortable in my house. Shane's couldn't be the only place that she saw as a sanctuary. Only a few more months until I wouldn't be under that roof anymore. A college dorm would be a far cry from bliss, but hell, I'd take it. The next problem involved the beaming brunette with big hazel eyes and the potential distance college would create.

There had been one melt down about losing her brother to his next step. The lack of guarantees about the future was unfair. They would take their toll, too. Maybe being friends was all we are meant to be. A stepping stone until we found the right people to build our lives with. The tale of first loves that our grandkids would idolize. The dreams of what could have been until another magical moment reminded us why it wasn't.

"You good, man?" My attention flicked to Joe, who was hovering at my side. I had pulled everything from the bags and was just staring at its contents. Lost in the rabbit hole of thoughts. Blaine was outside with the rest of our crowd. Shane was manning the grill with Blaine laughing at his side. Luke watched his sister with an easy smile.

"Yeah. Just thinking about next year." A heavy hand fell on my shoulder. Joe gave me a little shake before taking some of the food and tucking it away in the fridge.

Assuming he and Heather were in it for the long haul, he'd be facing the same decisions I was. Luke and Shane were the only ones who'd be moving on to the next chapter without worries. Well, honestly only Shane could go on freely. The rest of us had someone we couldn't imagine being apart from. These next few months were going to be hell.

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