Sullivan's Chance

Sullivan's Chance- Chapter 3

Chapter 3





The next morning Rowan rushed to get ready.  She still had to make her father breakfast and walk a mile back to the house Levi thought she lived at.  She quickly scrambled a few eggs, plopped them onto a plate and poured her father a cup of coffee.  She always made him a cup of coffee even though she knew he was simply going to spike it with whatever alcohol he had on hand.  Rowan tiptoed into the den and placed the plate of eggs and cup of coffee on the coffee table.  She turned to go when her father’s gruff voice stopped her. “Where you sneakin' off too?”


Rowan smoothed her shirt while she mentally prepared herself for an unnecessary lecture.  “I’m on my way to school Dad”, she said while careful to keep her tone neutral.


“Sure you are”, he grunted. “Probably running off to meet some boy for sex.”


Rowan felt her face heat up at the accusation.  She had never brought home a guy to meet her parents, much less talk about one to them.  No matter how perfect she was, no matter how high her GPA, no matter the absolute lack of proof, her father still found a reason to think the worst of her. “Actually, Dad”, Rowan said fighting her temper, “I don’t have a boyfriend.  And now I’m running late for school.”


She turned to head back into the kitchen when she was jerked to a stop by her father’s firm grasp on her arm.  He spun her around to face him then roughly jerked her closer as he leaned down into her face.  Rowan cringed at his stale, alcohol laced breath.  “Don’t you get cocky with me girl”, he growled.


Rowan flinched when he tightened his hold on her arm. “I’m sorry Dad”, she pleaded, and “I didn’t mean to sound cocky Please let me go. I don’t want to get in trouble at school for being late.” 


Mr. Cassidy looked down at Rowan with a look of disgust then shoved her away from him. “Get out then!”, he snapped.


  Rowan quickly spun around and fled to the kitchen. She grabbed her book bag off of the table and ran out the back door.  She jogged the mile to the white house relieved to see that she had beaten Levi and Davey.  Rowan sat on the curb in front of the house and pulled her knees up to her chest.  “Do not cry Rowan Elaine, DO NOT CRY!”, she whispered to herself.


Rowan pushed the sleeve of her shirt up and checked for any marks or bruises. She couldn’t see any at the moment and hoped none formed later during the day.  Rowan had been forced to hide bruises before. The ones she couldn’t hide, she made up excuses for.  Rowan heard Levi’s truck before she saw it. She stood and hefted her book bag onto her shoulder. She pushed her hair behind her ears and waited while Levi pulled up beside her on the road.


“Mornin’ Butch!”, Levi shouted from the drivers seat.


Davey jumped out of the truck and held the door while Rowan climbed in. 


“Thanks again for the ride”, Rowan said as she slid in next to Levi.


“No problem”.  Levi threw the truck into gear and pulled onto the road.


Davey chatted to Rowan during the three-mile drive to school.  He seemed much more at ease around her now.  Rowan shared a smile with Levi when Davey started talking about his trouble with girls.  He liked them just fine, but they were all at least “five feet” taller than him. 


“Don’t worry”, Rowan encouraged him, “You’re almost as tall as me already. You’ll catch up with the girls in your grade before you know it.”


Levi laughed. “Yeah kid, then you’ll zip right past them and you’ll be the one who’s five feet taller than them!”


  Davey smiled, “Like you and Rowan, right Levi?”


Rowan blushed at the implication and Levi laughed.


“Yeah, like me and Butch!”


Levi pulled into the school parking lot and parked in his assigned parking place.  Davey hopped down from the truck and waited while Rowan scooted across the seat to jump down.


“Are you gonna let Levi give you a ride home too Rowan?”, Davey asked anxiously. 


Rowan smiled down at the blond waif.


“Sure, why not.”


He smiled a crooked smile and skipped off across the parking lot to the junior high building. 


“He really likes you”, Levi said from beside Rowan. 


She turned and smiled up at him. “I like him too.  I miss having a brother around.” 


Levi tried to take Rowan’s book bag from her again, but she refused to let him.


“I’ve got it today”, she told him. “You have more than repaid your debt where I’m concerned.” 


Levi laughed at her. “Sure you’re not just trying to get rid of me?”


“Now why would you think that?”, Rowan teased.


Levi fell in step beside her as they made their way across the parking lot.  People would literally stop whatever they were doing and stare as Rowan and Levi passed by.  Rowan pulled her hair from behind her ears and let it hang in front of her face.  “Maybe no one will recognize me”, she thought.


Levi stopped at the double doors leading into the school and held one open as Rowan entered.


“Okay, well I guess I will see ya after school”, Rowan said as she hurried to her locker.


Levi jogged to catch up with her. “Why are you always trying to get away from me?”, he asked in confusion.


Rowan stopped suddenly and looked around. There was no one else in the hall so Rowan grabbed Levi by the arm and pulled him closer.  Levi furrowed his brow at her.


“What’s going on?”


Rowan shook her head at him, “Nothing. I just need to talk to you.”


“Sounds serious.”


“Listen, Levi, I really appreciate you helping me out the other day.”


Levi narrowed his blue eyes at Rowan, “But?”


“But, you really don’t have to keep…you know…being friendly to me.”


Levi rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. “Really Butch, are you being serious?”


Rowan’s eyes got big, “YES! I am being serious.  I know it doesn’t make sense to you, but you talking to me is causing me all sorts of grief.”


Levi ran a hand through his hair in confusion. “Sorry Butch, I don’t get it. I thought we were friends now.”


Rowan turned her back to Levi. Why was he making this so hard? “We are friends, I guess. The problem is that I’m down here on the social status scale and you’re way up here.”


Rowan used her hands to demonstrate t


he difference in heights.  Levi frowned down at her.  “Are you calling me a snob?”, he asked in shock. 


Rowan giggled. “No, not at all. Well I mean, before I met you I probably thought you were a little cocky. But you are definitely not a snob.”


Levi cocked an eyebrow at her. “Cocky huh?”


“Not anymore though. Not since I’ve had a chance to get to know you.”


Levi placed a large hand on Rowan’s shoulder.  Rowan fought not to pull away from him. She prayed that no one was around to see him actually touching her.


“Look Butch, I don’t care where you fall on the ‘social status scale’ as you call it. When I want to be friends with someone, I am. No one and nothing tells me who I can and can’t talk too.” 


Rowan felt tears begin to well in her eyes. She quickly brushed a hand across her face and turned away to hide them from Levi.


“I wish it were that easy”, she said. “But we are from two different worlds. I’m not sure it’s possible for us to be real friends.”


Levi reached out and spun Rowan around to face him. “You’re being ridiculous Rowan”, Levi snapped. “People are people no matter where they come from, how they dress, how they look, or what sport they play in school!”


Rowan closed her eyes and let the tears she was fighting fall silently down her cheeks. She jumped when Levi used his thumb to wipe them from her face.


“I didn’t mean to make you cry”, Levi said softly.


Rowan shook her head at him. “It’s not you, it’s me. You’re right about people being people. I just don’t like lots of attention and being seen with you…well…you sort of draw lot’s of it everywhere you go.”


Levi laughed out loud, “HA!”


He ruffled Rowan’s hair. “Well to bad kid. You might as well get over it ‘cuz you’re stuck with me!”


Rowan pushed Levi’s hand away from her head and started smoothing her hair back into some semblance of order.  “Yippee for me”, she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.  Levi simply grinned as he grabbed his backpack off of the floor and headed to class. 





         Rowan rode to and from school with Levi and Davey for the rest of that school year.  Her fellow classmates had finally gotten used to seeing her and Levi together.  To Levi, Rowan was a kid sister he never had. To Rowan, Levi was the perfect guy she could never have.  Rowan managed to keep her secrets from Levi.  He still thought she lived in the nice white house a mile from her real one.  Rowan always avoided talking about her family, other than Patrick whom she talked about constantly.  Levi had invited Rowan to his parent’s house several times, but Rowan always refused. She was convinced that they wouldn’t approve of her due to their social standing in the community.  Mr. Marshal was a respected lawyer and Mrs. Marshall was a pediatric physician.  To Rowan that was a night and day difference compared to her alcoholic father and overworked mother.  She and Levi had become close friends regardless.  Rowan would vent her frustrations with being a freshman to Levi and he would ask her advice on girls and dating.  It amazed Rowan that someone so seemingly self-assured as Levi Marshall would have girl troubles.  He was gorgeous, so attracting them wasn’t a problem.  Levi simply didn’t know what to do with them once he had them.


Rowan always looked forward to their time together.  She loved Levi’s wit, his charm and his love for his little brother and family.  If Rowan were being honest, she would admit that she loved Levi, period. However, poor Levi was oblivious.  Friendship was just fine with Rowan though.  Levi had even invited her to homecoming, as a friend and only to watch him play football, but Rowan knew that he hadn’t planned to attend the dance afterwards because he didn’t have a date. So she and Levi ended up going out to eat with Davey to a fast-food restaurant.  Rowan had never told Levi, but his friendship probably saved her life.  She simply couldn’t imagine surviving her home life without Levi and Patrick as her backup.  The school year was drawing to an end and Rowan was more than a little concerned about her friendship with Levi.  There would be no more car rides to and from school. There would be no more walking to every class together or eating out after football games.  Rowan refused to let Levi call her at home. She knew if her dad found out that she was talking to anyone other than Patrick on the phone, he would start accusing her of being a slut again.  Plus, Rowan didn’t want to risk being on the phone with Levi when her dad flew into another booze-induced rage.  It was going to be a long, boring if not incredibly stressful summer.  Rowan prayed it went by quickly.