My Lucky Charm (14 page)

Brandon

I sit down at lunch
, and my friends stare at me.

“Well, are you going to fill us in on
Lucky Charm, or are we going to have to hear about it on the news when they show your ugly face?” Cole asks with a smirk.

“You need
to shut the hell up, Cole. Who she is doesn’t change anything.”

“Bullshit. You’re dating a billionaire’s daughter. Do you really think Maxwell Lane is going
to let his precious Leeza date just anyone?” Amber asks in her usual hater tone.

“
You’re not destined for Ivy League, Brandon. A scholarship at a state college is as good as it’s going to get for you, so I have to agree with Amber on this one. He’ll make her dump your ass,” Danny says. He’s another one of my so-called friends, but he’s much tighter with Cole.

“She’s almost eighteen. She’ll be able to do whatever she wants soon enough. Do I have a single supportive friend left besides Anthony?”

“I’ve got your back, bro,” Anthony says, holding out his fist for me to bump.

I look up and watch Leah sit down with her friends. Paul is nearby scoping the entire cafeteria and looking out the long row of windows. As I watch her, I realize
something’s not right. Her friends aren’t welcoming her the way they normally do.

“What the hell’s wrong now?” I yell as I watch Leah
pass our table without a glance. “Leah.” She glances over and frowns before exiting the cafeteria. I jump from the table and follow her. Paul has hold of her arm, stopping her in the hallway.

“What’s wrong, Leeza?” I hear him ask.

“They don’t want to be friends with me anymore,” she says before bursting into tears.

I walk up to them, and like the other times Paul has been around, I’m not sure what to do, but I grab Leah anyway and pull her into a hug. Paul can get over it if I’m breaking some kind of bodyguard code.

“I don’t believe it, Leah. They’ll come around,” I say as I stroke her soft, pastel hair.

Parker shows up next.

“Leah, I think they didn’t know what to say and need time to process this. They’re not used to hanging around anyone like you or anyone with that much money.”

“They
are
used to hanging around people like me. They just don’t want to see it. I’m like them, but I guess I don’t fit in anywhere. Paul, I want to go home.” Leah pulls away from me, and I don’t want to let her go.

“Leah, don’t leave. Let’s talk,” I say.

“No, you stay with your friends. I can’t watch you with them, anyway. I need to go home and think. Maybe this isn’t the city I belong in after all.”

I grab her arm. “Don’t you dare say th
at.”

She rubs her forehead. “I have to go. We can talk tonight. Come on, Paul.
”

“I have to call, Sal. I wasn’t expecting us to leave early.”

“Mr. Jennings.” I turn around when I hear my name and find Mrs. Grove staring at me. “I need to speak to you in my office. Parker you need to go back into the cafeteria, and Leah, you might as well come, too.” I run my hands down my face. What now?

Paul’s talking to Sal on the phone as we walk to the office. Mrs. Grove has Leah wait outside, an
d when I walk into her office, Coach Walker is sitting in a chair.

“What did I do now?”

“Sit, Brandon. First off, you missed tutoring yesterday. Then you missed practice without notifying your coach, and lastly, you left school without signing out and fled the parking lot even when staff and security were yelling for you.”

All that together does sound bad.

“I’m sorry, but you know why everything happened yesterday. It was a spur of the moment thing to keep Leah safe from the paparazzi.”

“That wa
s not your issue to handle, and we still have rules here. I have to take you off the team. If I don’t, ever student in this school will think rules don’t apply to them,” Mrs. Grove says.

I turn to C
oach Walker. “Are you really kicking me off the team?”

“I
’m sorry, Brandon. I really doubt your grades were going to keep you on, anyway.”

“I’ve been working on that.”

Mrs. Grove gives me a look as if she doesn’t believe me. “I seriously doubt you and Ms. Lane have been studying.”

“I know she only tu
tored me twice, but she did help, and my parents were supposed to call my doctor to set up an appointment for me to be evaluated for dyslexia. Leah gave me a test, and it appears I have it.”

“You broke a lot of rules that could get you suspended, as well, but we’re going to let that slide.”

I stand up, pissed as ever. I can kiss a scholarship goodbye now, and I live to play football.

“Whatever, can I go now?” I ask angrily.

“Yes, but I advise you to stay out of trouble with Ms. Lane,” Mrs. Grove says.

“She’s a great person.” I leave her office, slamming the door behind me. Leah jumps in her chair.

“Brandon, what’s wrong?” she asks anxiously.

“I’m off the team. I have to get to class, but we’re ta
lking later,” I say, pointing to her. This sucks. I’m not losing football and Leah. I’m hanging on to her no matter what.

Leah

Brandon is kicked off the football team. That can’t happen. He storms off about the time his football coach walks out of Mrs. Grove’s office. I think his name is Mr. Walker. I step in front of him.

“Sir, please can
I speak to you with Mrs. Grove?”

“If this is about Brandon, a decision’s already been ma
de.”

“Yes, but you don’t have all the facts.
Please let me speak to you.” I clasp my hands together, basically begging. He takes his ball cap off and scratches his head. Mrs. Grove is standing in the doorway with her arms crossed.

“OK, make it quick,
” he says.

I follow him into her office and take
the seat in front of her desk. “Is Brandon off the team because of yesterday?”

“Yes. He
missed practice and tutoring, and he left school in the middle of the day when staff tried to stop him,” Mrs. Grove replies.

“No, please don’t. He did all of
that because of me. He was confused, and most of all, he was worried about something happening to me.”

“He’s struggling with his grades, too,” Coach Walker says.

“Brandon has dyslexia, and if he can prove it, you can’t kick him off for that reason. He’ll be eligible for help, too. I’ve done my research on it, and I truly believe he has it.”

M
rs. Grove glances to the coach who shrugs his shoulders. “You know I don’t want him off the team.”

S
he sighs and gives me an exasperated look.

I might have worn her down, so I plead some more.

“I didn’t give him any time to think about what he was doing. I promise I won’t cause him any more trouble if you give him another chance.”

“Let us discuss it. We’ll let Brandon know if anything changes.”

“OK, thank you for considering it. He loves football and wants to do well in school, and he’s a great person.”

She lets out a short laugh. “That’s what he said about you. I seriously hope this media situation outside is going to go away soon, but I’m glad the news is out, Leah, or should I call you Leeza now?”

“No, I’m Leah here. I don’t ever want to be Leeza again.”

“OK, you’re dismissed.” She waves me away with her hand.

“Thanks again.” I realize I probably shouldn’t leave school now. I don’t want to upset her if there’s a chance she’ll change her mind about Brandon.

“I’m sorry, Paul, but I have to stay now. Can you call Sal and tell him not to come?”

“Sure, but are you going to be alright?”

“Only if they let Brandon back on the team. Will you walk me to class?”

I don’t tell Brandon that I’m still at school, so for the rest of the day, he never appears at my locker. Parker is the only friend who shows his face. He’s apologetic and wants to hang out after school, but I tell him I need time to think.

If I see Parker
alone outside of school, the paparazzi will start following him, and before you know it, I’ll be the next slutty girl on TV who dates more than one guy, or they’ll find out he’s gay and exploit that, which is totally wrong.

I need to drop out and home school until I graduate. Then I can travel Europe and be alone since it appears
I don’t fit in anywhere.

I’
m going to get hurt if I stay here, or I’ll inadvertently hurt others, and my friends will resent me, probably Brandon, too. He might already be off the team, and it will totally be my fault.

Leah

Paul ushers me to the car, and Sal is waitin
g for us. He shields me, too, from the mass of cameras and reporters who’ve been waiting patiently to get more shots of me. I sink down into the seat and close my eyes, but moments later, my phone vibrates.

Brandon:
How did you do it? What did you say to get me back on the team?

I have to smile. At least I was successful at that.

Me:
I told them the truth. It was all my fault.

Brandon:
It wasn’t your fault! Please let me see you tonight so we can talk.

Me:
No. I can’t cause you more trouble, and besides Parker, I’ve lost my friends. It’s just a matter of time before the both of you resent me, too. The media will make sure of it.

Brandon:
That’s not true. I’m not letting you go. I told you, you’re mine, Lucky Charm, and I’m all for you causing me trouble, preferably in your music hideaway.

I’m smiling again, but I can’t give in. Why does he have to be so damn adorable?
Once we’re home, I say hello to Mom, who’s in the great room, and she tells me to sit down. Sal disappears as Paul takes a seat, too.

“What’s up?” I ask.

“I have something to tell you, dear, and please hear me out before you get upset at Paul and me.”

I glance to him
, and he looks visibly nervous.

“OK, tell me.”

“I didn’t hire Paul. Your father employed him to watch over you, but before you say anything, let me explain why.”

My mother is holding her hand out, aware I’m about to lose it.

“Your father was going to fight to keep you in LA by tying up a custody case in court until you turned eighteen. The only way I could get him to agree to the move was to let him hire his own personnel to protect you.”

“That means you’ve been spying on me,” I spew to Paul
. “He makes you tell him everything, doesn’t he?”

Paul hangs his head for a few seconds.

“I do have to let him know what you’re doing every day. I’m sorry, Leeza, but I was hired to do a job, so I do it. I’ve hated keeping it from you, especially after getting to know you better, but it wasn’t up to me.”

“I’m sorry, dear. I
agreed not to tell you so we could move here. Your father thought you’d be less cooperative with having security if you knew he was getting daily reports.”

“Yes, I would’ve been less cooperative. I don’t care if he’s my father, he doesn’t get to know what I’m doing
every second of the day after the terrible choices he’s made. It’s been bad enough that Paul knows when I even go to pee.”

“Leeza
, I hate what your dad has done to our family as much as you do, but he’s still your father and provides for you. You need to consider forgiving him at some point,” Mom says.

I begin to cry
. I feel like I can’t trust anyone. She moves from a chair to the sofa and rubs my back.

“Sweetheart,
the media will leave soon and things will settle down. Um, I’m telling you this tonight because your father is flying in tomorrow. He’ll be here after school.”

I stand up and throw my hands in the air.

“No! I don’t want to see him!”

“Leeza, you have to. He misses
you and loves you very much.”

“No, he wants to talk me into going back to LA
, and he wants me to pretend to be something I’m not. He probably hates the way I look and the bad press it’s causing him. That’s why he’s coming.”

“He does miss you,
and no one is going to make you move. He assured me he isn’t going to force anything. He only wants to talk with you.”

“I’m going to my room,
and I’m not going to school tomorrow.” I stand with clenched fists as tears drip down my cheeks. Traitors.

***

I hear the knock at the door and open my eyes. When I glance at the clock, I see it’s seven in the evening. “Come in.” I sit up in bed. I’m in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt I’d changed into to be more comfortable.

Paul walks in with a tray of food. He’s the last person I’d expect to see walking into my
bedroom. He’s in a t-shirt, too, and jeans.

“I brought you dinner. I didn’t want Martha to have to ca
rry it up.” He pinches his bottom lip with his fingers. “OK, really I wanted to talk to you.” After sitting the tray on my bed, he points to the spot next to it. “Can I sit?”

“Sure.”

“Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I couldn’t. It’s my career we’re talking about, and your father is a powerful man.”

“I get it
, Paul. I don’t like it one bit but I understand. I know we’re not really friends, and you were gathering information.”

“Do you
really think that?” He sounds surprised and hurt.

“Why should I believe
different?”

“Leeza, you’re
like the little sister I never had. We’ve only known each other a few months, but I went from feeling like you were a client I needed to keep safe to a family member I wanted to protect.”

“You don’t have to
say that.” I look away. This is weird, and he probably doesn’t mean it.

“I’d imagine Maxwell would be furious to find me in your room having a heart to heart, but I wanted you to know that I care. I hope you’ll still come to me when you need something or have problems.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, I mean it.”

“Is this because you like Casey?”

He sighs. “No, Leeza. I really care about you. How long are you going to make me sit here uncomfortable?”

I have to grin. He’s cute. “OK, I’ll believe you. So, are you really wanting to produce independent films or was that made up?”

“It’s a dream I have. I’m trying to save up enough money to make it happen.”

“I’m guessing you have more than Boy Scout training then, huh?”

“
Yes. I was a marine. Do you remember Clyde from when you were little? He used to drive for your father.”

“Yeah, I remember Clyde
.”

“He’s my d
ad. He was a marine, and as much as I had no desire to be one, I was expected to follow in his footsteps, but I didn’t reenlist when the time came. That’s why I say you remind me of myself.

“I finally stood up and said I was going to do what I
want and be who I want. Maxwell and Clyde have remained friends, so your father trusted me to watch out for you.

“
I only took this job, so I could use the money to produce a film, but I take protecting you seriously, so don’t be stubborn about it.”

“Is Maxwell
mad about Brandon?”

“I told him
Brandon seems like a good person. I can tell from the glares he gives me that he wants to protect you as much as I do and wishes he was the only one doing it,” Paul says with a chuckle. “He’s not going to be your dad’s first choice, but I’ve tried to convey that he’s kind to you.”

“
Thanks for talking to me.”

“I don’t share every little
detail of your day with Mr. Lane, OK?”

“OK. I hope you and Casey work out, an
d thanks for looking out for me.”

“Thanks for listening. Your cousin’s pretty hot, but I need to keep that on the down low because of my job.” Paul gets up to leave, so I have to throw out the phrase reserved only for him.

“Peace out, Boy Scout. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He turns and smirks. He’s one handsome guy, and now I believe he’s
one of the good ones. Casey will be lucky to have him. Picking up my phone, I see that Brandon has been messaging me for a couple of hours. The last one wasn’t so nice.

Brandon:
You better text me back, or I’m coming over there and beating on the gate like the damn paparazzi!

Me:
I’m sorry. I fell asleep. Please let me go.

Brandon:
I can’t believe you’re giving up this easily. I thought you cared about me.

Me:
That’s why I’m doing this. Don’t you see?

Brandon:
Sorry, Lucky Charm, but you’re not allowed to break up with me. I’ll be strong enough for the both of us. This is not the kind of trouble you’re supposed to be giving me.

Unfortunately, you can’t tutor me tomorrow, and I was really looking forward to touching you in the cubicle. Mom’s taking me to the doctor to discuss the dyslexia. I think they’d do about anything at this point to make sure I get a scholarship.

I so have to tease him for that comment.

Me:
Cubicle … is that what they’re calling it these days?

Brandon:
Can I come over and high five you or give you the metal signs for how far in the gutter your mind is right now? I’m glad you’re coming back to me. Don’t give up on us, Leah.

Me:
Big, dramatic sigh. OK, but I’m not going to school tomorrow. Maxwell is flying in, so I need time to mentally prepare.

Brandon:
Don’t you dare move away on me. I will find you. Please let me come over after he leaves.

Me:
We’ll see. Good luck at the doctor’s office.