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

“What’s going to
happen now? Where am I supposed to go?”
    Nate lifted Cole’s chin and wiped the tears from his
son’s eyes. “Your mother has agreed that you should come live with
me -for good. Unless, after she gets clean, you decide you want to
live with her again.”
    Cole knew he shouldn’t be happy his mother was in an
accident and that she was currently in jail, but he couldn’t help
but be excited that he was finally going to get what he had always
wanted; to live with his dad. “I want to live with you, Dad. You
know that. But who will take care of her when she finally gets to
come home?”
    “ Cole,” Nate said firmly. “You’re only ten. You’re
not supposed to be taking care of her. She’s supposed to be taking
care of you.” Cole bit his lip as Nate continued. “Listen, when she
gets out she’ll go stay with her mom for awhile. She’ll be okay.
You, on the other hand, will come live with me and be a kid for
once.”
    Cole jumped up and dug the bag he always packed when
he went to his dad’s out of his closet. He looked up at Nate who
was smiling.
    “ Just take what you want. If you need anything,
we’ll go get it.”
    Cole nodded and grabbed a few things that he knew
he couldn’t leave behind. He glanced at the table by his bed and
grabbed the picture of him and his dad at a Cubs game. He put his
hand on the picture of him and his mother and looked up at
Nate again .
    “ Son,” Nate said, kneeling beside him. “Just
because you’re living with me doesn’t mean I want you to pretend
you don’t have a mother anymore. You can have her picture and you
can talk to her whenever you want. When she gets better, I’ll take
you to see her whenever you want, also.”
     
    Cole smiled, thinking about that picture. The only
person who knew he still had it besides his father was Ally. More
evidence that she was his best friend so therefore, he had to stop
these feelings and prevent her from being hurt.
    ***
    “Ally, damn,” Alec cursed, looking at her overstuffed
bag. “We’re only going home for the weekend and you still have a
ton of clothes in your closet there!”
    “Watch your mouth, little brother,” she said with a
smile, slipping her sunglasses off her head and over her eyes. They
stood in the parking lot by RJ’s and Jamie’s cars and waited for
everyone else to arrive.
    Cole and RJ appeared, walking side by side, each with
a bag slung over their shoulders. Cole gave her a cool glance and
popped his trunk. “You two are riding with me,” he informed them in
a clipped tone. “My dad’s going to be at your house.”
    Ally groaned and smacked RJ when he laughed at her.
She picked up her heaping bag and dropped it unceremoniously in
Cole’s trunk. “I’m picking the music,” she informed him before
walking to the passenger’s side and yanking on the door handle.
    Cole waited for Alec to drop his bag in before
slamming the trunk shut. “As you wish, princess.”
    She stood on the door frame, ripped her glasses off
her face and glared at him over the top of his car. “Do not call me
that,” she ordered, pointing a finger at him.
    Alec groaned as Jamie and Ren jogged to the parking
lot. “Jamie,” Alec whined. “Please let me ride with you! I can’t
take an hour and a half of this!”
    Jamie shrugged, wry smile on his face. “Dude, I’m
riding with RJ.”
    RJ laughed harder and motioned for Alec to get in his
car. Ally huffed, her jaw dropping. “Hey, I want to ride with you,
too!”
    “Sorry, princess, you’re stuck with me. Get in the
car,” Cole smirked as he opened the door and slipped in the
car.
    She shot RJ and Jamie a glare before jamming her
glasses back over her eyes and hopping into the car.
    “Good luck, dude,” RJ called with a grin. “See you
there.”
    ****
    “Are you ever going to talk to me again, Al?” Cole
asked after miles of silence – not even a peep from the radio.
    “No,” she pouted, staring out the window.
    He rubbed his forehead,