Free In My Father's Shadow by Jl Paul Page A

going to let him off that easily.
    Suddenly, images of Ally dressed in a long, flowing
skirt and dancing in his arms flooded his mind. Everything reminded
him of her lately and he desperately wanted it to stop. He released
a long sigh, looked at Jennifer and nodded. “Fine. We’ll go. Now if
you’ll excuse me, I have practice.” He brushed past her and missed
the triumphant look in her eyes.
    His cell phone rang as he entered the music building,
his heels echoing off the floor and bouncing off the walls. He
checked the screen and he smiled for the first time in days.
    “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”
    “Done with classes?” Nate Crawford asked.
    “Yeah. I’m waiting for the other guys to meet me for
practice. How was L.A.?” He pushed open the music room door and
dropped down on the piano bench, forcing Ally’s face from his
mind.
    “Same old, same old.” Nate took a deep breath.
“You’re still coming home this weekend, right?”
    “Yeah. Is something the matter?” he asked, his heart
pausing for the answer.
    “No, not at all. I just want to talk to you about
something. It’s not bad news, I promise.”
    But Cole wasn’t reassured. He could tell something
was on his dad’s mind and he hoped that Nate hadn’t been lying to
him – he hoped it truly wasn’t bad news. “Okay. Umm, I might have
to give Ally and Alec a ride.”
    “That’s perfect, actually,” Nate said. “Liz is
setting up some kind of dinner thing for everyone since you kids
will be home and we’ll be hitting the road soon. You know how Liz
gets.”
    Cole smiled as he pictured Ally’s mom. “Yeah, I know.
She can’t ever resist the urge to get us all together. Is Stacy
going to be there?”
    “Yes,” Nate answered slowly. “Is that all right?”
    “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” Cole asked, lifting
a shoulder his dad couldn’t see. He glanced at the clock hanging
over the door, wondering vaguely where RJ, Ren, and Parker were. He
sighed. “Dad, I like her. A lot. Stop worrying about it.”
    “I know, son,” Nate said tiredly. “I’ll let you go.
I’ll see you Friday night.”
    Cole said his goodbyes and flipped the phone shut,
holding it in his fist. He sat back and wondered briefly what his
dad wanted to talk to him about. He remembered the last time Nate
said he wanted to talk to him.
    “ Cole,” Nate said, sitting down on Cole’s
bed.
    Cole looked up from his desk, surprised to see his
dad at his house during the week. He didn’t usually get to see his
dad until the weekends unless some special occasion dictated that
Cole was able to see his dad on a weekday.
    “ Hey, Dad,” Cole grinned, setting his pencil down
next to his math book. “What’s up?”
    “ I…um…just needed to talk to you,” Nate said,
studying the hands he’d clasped between his knees.
    “ What’s the matter,” Cole asked nervously. His
legs started to tremble and he struggled to keep the fear off his
face. “Dad?”
    Nate ran his hands through his hair and attempted a
weak smile. “Your mom was in a car accident today,” he said. “She’s
fine,” he added quickly when Cole jumped up from his seat. “But,
she was… not herself… when she was driving.”
    Cole narrowed his eyes. “You mean she was drunk,
right?”
    Nate nodded. “The police arrested her, son. She’s in
jail right now.”
    Cole plopped down in his chair, not sure what to
feel. He was relieved that his mother wasn’t hurt – that she was
safe, but he was worried about her being in jail. He’d watched
plenty of cop shows on television and jail seemed like a really
scary place. “What’s going to happen to her?”
    “ I’m not sure,” Nate said, reaching out to squeeze
his son’s shoulder. “I went to see her and she’s agreed to get
help. That’s good, Cole.”
    “ Will it work?” he asked quietly, catching his
dad’s eyes.
    “ I hope so.”
    Cole dropped his gaze to the math problems he’d been
working on, angry at the tears filling his eyes.