Part One

Kelley’s father, Charles Alexander, was a hard man. He was cold and distant, or rather, that’s how Kelley perceived him. He was a man more interested in his money than he was his children. His sister, Marley, would say different. Their father doted on her and she really was Daddy’s little princess.

Despite all that, Kelley was a top student, played football and slept at home every night. They lived in the upper north side in Yorkdare Bay. Their house was situated on the incline of a sloping hill, almost looking down at the rest of the upper middle class of the town. A castle on the hill with Charles Alexander as their King.

Kelley was quiet and reserved when he was at home, avoiding the stern looks from his father and keeping away from his mother. At school he put on a smile, played the role he was assigned as the popular jock, the easy-going life of the party. Kelley wasn’t a talker and he hated the egotistical boasting of his group of friends and the fact that he pretended to be one of them.

They were known as the Elites, the extremely wealthy kids, the ones you didn’t even look at sideways because they had a group of lawyers salivating to ruin someone’s life. They were on the precipice of adulthood, the beginning of their glorious lives and nothing could stop them. Kelley hated everything it represented.

It was just past ten pm and Kelley drove his Escalade through the drive-thru slowly after ordering. He paid for his food and drove down to the beachfront with its small, quaint shops and pulled into the beach parking lot to eat.

He looked out over the beach, closing his eyes at the crashing sound of the waves and inhaled deeply. The lights from the beachfront hotels, Charles’s hotels, restaurants and clubs shining their lights out over the water.

The burger in his hand froze halfway to his mouth as his gaze caught the man and woman rounding the corner of the exclusive hotel, where the private entrance to the suites were. He shifted in his seat as the man turned towards him and he held his breath.

He watched them with a sickening feeling rising in his stomach, the food suddenly making him feel queasy. He clenched his jaw and watched them kiss each other, the man’s hands cupping her breast and his other hand slipping underneath her dress.

Her dress was tight and red and she widened her legs to give him better access. She was young, maybe even too young and Kelley swallowed hard. They broke apart and the man stood watching as she drove away. Kelley had no idea who she was but his hand tightened on his steering wheel as his father climbed into his own car and drove in the other direction.

Twenty minutes later, Kelley threw the half-full bag of food in the trash can and drove home. He lay in bed that night and stared at his ceiling. There were so many things wrong with the image running a loop in his head, so much so that he gripped his pillow against his face and screamed.

Kelley sat his backpack down next to the chair and sat down at the kitchen table. “Morning.”

“I’m making omelets.” Laura Alexander was soft-spoken, beautiful and weak. Kelley didn’t get much from her, except her bright green eyes.

“When did Dad get back?”

Laura turned from the stove and looked at Kelley thoughtfully. “He got in about an hour after you got home. His flight was cancelled.”

Kelley didn’t say anything as his mother placed his omelet down in front of him. He ate in silence as she watched him eat from her chair, seated across from him, with only a cup of coffee in front of her. He wondered briefly if she knew.

“You’re not eating?”

“I’ll have one later.” The look in her eye told him that she most probably wouldn’t be having an omelet later. She was always watching what she ate, his father preferred his women on the skinny side.

“Mom, are you happy?” Kelley placed the knife and fork down gently on his now empty plate and folded his arms on the table.

“What kind of question is that? Of course I’m happy.” Her smile was too bright and it didn’t reach her eyes. Kelley had never really thought of his mother’s happiness before, not until the previous night.

“Ugh, this day couldn’t have started worse! I need an extra-large coffee to go. Bryan’s picking me up in ten minutes.”

Kelley turned his head to the side as his sister, Marley, plopped herself down on the empty chair. He loved his sister, because well, she was his sister but they had absolutely nothing in common. She was a spoilt little princess and their father never said no to her.

“Of course, sweetheart. Let me get that for you.” Laura stood up from the table and Kelley noticed for the first time ever that she was slightly pale, her eyes just a little bloodshot.

“You can’t say ‘morning’ before demanding coffee?” Marley gave Kelley a look and rolled her eyes.

“Morning.” The word was dragged out and she rolled her eyes again.

A hooter sounded from the driveway and Marley jumped out of her seat and grabbed the travel mug of coffee from Laura’s hand, almost knocking her over in the process. The front door slammed a few minutes later and Laura sighed audibly.

“Thanks for breakfast, Mom.” Kelley placed his plate in the sink and this time Laura’s smile reached her eyes.

“You’re a good son, Kelley.”

Kelley picked his backpack up from the floor and slung it over his shoulder. “Are you coming to the game tonight?”

“Your father has a dinner meeting in town and I have to accompany him. I’m so sorry.”

Kelley shrugged as he looked her in the eye. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Kelley placed a quick kiss on her cheek and left the house. The drive to school took only fifteen minutes and he straightened his tie before exiting his Escalade. The parking lot was filling up with students and new cars gleamed in the parking lot.

“Kelley!”

He put a smile on his face and turned around to the sound of her voice. Norah Kensington was preppy in a way that only a cheerleader could be. Her father was business partners with his father and the two of them dating had been an obvious move between the two men.

She had long, straight blonde hair and like most girls in school were rake thin. The girls had their own group, the Queens, and they were known for making the other girls’ lives hell if they so much as looked at the Elites.

Their game that night would either see them go through to the finals or fall out until next season. The school year was almost over and then they’d be seniors. Kelley’s one wish was a football scholarship to college and as far away from Yorkdare Bay as he could get with Norah right along with him.

“Tonight’s party is at Lewis’s cabin and we’re sleeping over. Are we going? Please?” The smile on her face suggested they wouldn’t get much sleep and Kelley grinned as he placed his arm around her shoulders.

“Sure …”

Norah smiled victoriously as they headed to the assembly hall and sat down in their respective class groups. The principal droned on about that night’s game, school spirit and the current seniors that would be leaving in a few short weeks.

They were released forty minutes later, quietly making their way to class. Kelley played for the varsity team and soon he’d have to decide what to do with his future. His coach had already told him that he was being watched by scouts and that he would definitely get a football scholarship.

The day passed swiftly and after school he finished his homework in the library like he did every single day and headed to the locker rooms to change. He rarely went home after school, if he could avoid it, and instead stayed at school for practice and returning home in time for dinner. It was usually a stiff affair, his father demanding he wear a tie and jacket just to eat at the table.

He walked past the coach’s office who gave him a solemn nod and opened the locker room doors where his team mates were cheering each other loudly, already celebrating a victory that he wasn’t sure were theirs.

“What do you say, Kelley? Are we going to the finals?” Marcus Holt was shorter than his six foot four inches.

“I don’t think we should be too eager. Public’s got a good team. We’re half and half as things stand now.”

The public school in Yorkdare had a great football team, an even greater coach than they had and their players were tough. They played for honour, not for scouts, and the majority of the students there came from low and middle class families.

“I heard Mason James is injured, got his wrist broken in a street fight.”

Kelley quirked a brow and pulled the football jersey over his head. “That would be to our advantage. What about their defensive end? He could probably take down a pro baller and still play the rest of the game.”

“He’s one tough bastard. Heard he’s been to juvie.”

“What does having been in juvie have to do with how he plays?” Kelley could only wonder where they heard all these wild stories.

“You get meaner in juvie. I heard he hasn’t smiled the whole year he’s been in Public.”

Kelley laughed and moved to the middle of the locker rooms as Coach Henley strode inside with his assistant coach, Coach Heller. Their pep talk was about slaughtering the enemy, playing as if this game was the last one of their lives.

The lights on the field were bright and the cheers from the stands broke through the haze Kelley’d been in. ‘Breathe, breathe,’ he told himself as he got back to his feet. The hit Kelley took had been a hard one. Mason James’s face came into view as he grinned at Kelley.

Kelley barely had time to grip the ball as it was snapped up and step back when the massive defensive end broke through their line, pushing his teammates to the side and flattened him on the grass. Kelley was pretty confident he had a cracked rib. Breathing hurt but he had to keep breathing. They’d won no field but that didn’t matter now. The new line could see them get a touchdown and there was no way Kelley was getting off the field now.

“Make this one count, Alexander!” Kelley heard the coach and gave a slight nod as he bent his upper body forward to receive the ball.

Kirk wasn’t where he was supposed to be and the fake hand-off to Paul who had run past Kelley left him with the ball still in his hands. It took Kelley two seconds to start moving as he ran wide around his own defensemen and towards the touchdown line.

Kelley’s head hit the grass a millisecond after he scored the touchdown and the heavy weight on top of him lay still for about five seconds. He grunted and then he pushed himself off of Kelley. He turned on his back and breathed hard.

They were down twelve to ten and they needed this win, desperately needed it. A hand appeared in his line of vision and then a face, the face of the massive defensive end and someone Kelley didn’t know. “Nice run.” He was pulled up and the giant patted Kelley on the back as they went back to their respective teams.

“Who was that?” Kelley ignored the question from Johnson because he knew the giant’s position, not his name.

“You look in pain. You okay?” Marcus’s hand landed on Kelley’s shoulder and he shrugged it off.

“I’m fine.”

Needless to say, Kelley was taken down to the ground every single time he had the ball. Public demolished their defensive players and stormed at them like Kelley and his team held the key to their futures. It felt like war. Kelley’s body hurt and they lost thirty to ten, the finals slipping away as the seconds ticked down on the scoreboard.

The mood in the locker room was a quiet kind of desolation. Their pride hurt, their bodies hurt even more but worse was the disappointing look in Coach Henley’s eyes. They had the best equipment, state of the art gyms at school, everything Public didn’t have and they still kicked their asses.

The drive to the cabin took about an hour and was located between Yorkdare Bay and Munro Bay, the next town over where the university was located. Norah and her two friends, Bethany and Missy, drove with Kelley and Marcus.

By the time they got to the cabin, or the log mansion that it really was, the party was in full swing. It seemed like half the school was there and loud cheers rang around as they entered through the front door.

By the third beer Kelley’s ribs didn’t hurt anymore and they were laughing at having lost their chance at going to the finals. Public was trash talked and they vowed that revenge would be theirs the next year and laughing at the thought of Mason James and his friends flipping burgers after school while they made money and lived the high life.

At some point during the night, Norah took Kelley upstairs to their room and the bed creaked loudly to the beat of the music. Kelley loved Norah and nothing she did could make him think any less of her. They had promised their lives to each other and their futures were planned together.

“I love you, Norah.” She lay with her head on his chest and his fingers stroked her hair.

They fell asleep with their limbs entwined. Kelley’s dreams were troubled as darkness enveloped him and the feeling of not knowing what was coming seemed to attack from the dark shadows in his sleep. He woke up with his heart beating a crescendo in his ribcage.

He couldn’t quite place the feeling but it felt faintly like loneliness, that he might be missing out on something, even though he had no idea what that something was. Norah was still asleep as he headed down the stairs and picked his way through bodies sleeping wherever there was space.

“You look like shit.” Hanson’s voice felt like a loudspeaker right inside Kelley’s head.

“I feel it, not that you look any better.”

Hanson laughed and handed Kelley a fresh cup of coffee. “I can’t believe it’s over.”

“You’re not talking about the game, are you?” Kelley looked questioningly at Hanson.

Hanson shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand over his close cropped hair. “My parents are getting a divorce.”

“Finally.” Hanson smiled sadly and nodded his head at Kelley's one-word answer.

“You know what’s the worst thing with this life we have? These people are all just feel good people. Are you a feel good person, Kelley?”