Page 191 of Lucky Mother Pucker

Late last night, after Lucy and I had gone to bed, my mom texted me to tell me that Zoey told her everything that happened between her and Jeff and how I defended her. She also told me that Zoey was staying with her. I was relieved. I didn’t want her going back to her place. Jeff might show up, even though I threatened him to stay away from her. He’s an abuser, and abusers aren’t known for respecting boundaries.

“Really though. How is she doing?” I ask.

My mom lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m not sure, honey. She’s been really quiet. I can tell she’s been crying a lot.” She sniffles. “I just can’t believe I didn’t know what Jeff was doing to her. How could I have been so blind?”

Her voice breaks, and she starts to cry. My throat is tight. I hate hearing my mom in pain.

“Mom, don’t blame yourself. This isn’t your fault. No one knew.”

“I know, honey, but I can’t help it. I’m your mom. It’s my job to protect you and Zoey. You’re my babies.”

Tears burn my eyes at the guilt that’s so clear in her shaky voice.

“Mom, listen. There’s nothing you could have done. Jeff put on a convincing front. He came off as polite and nice whenever he was around you and our family. The only reason I found out is because I walked in on them by accident, and I saw him hurting her. I don’t know if I would have found out if that hadn’t happened.”

A sick feeling swirls through my stomach when I think about how long my sister suffered…and how it would have gone on for even longer if I hadn’t seen what I saw last night.

“I just want her to be okay,” Mom says, her voice sad and weak.

“I do too.”

“I want you to know, Leo. I’m so proud of the way you defended your sister.”

My throat tightens with emotion.

“Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

“I know there’s a lot of stuff going around online and on social media about you, but it’s all garbage. Don’t pay attention to any of that.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Oh, honey. I know it’s hard right now, but it’ll get better.”

“I hope you’re right,” I say through a heavy breath.

I ask her to text me when Zoey gets back to her house. We exchange I love yous, then I hang up.

I pull up Coach’s number on my phone and stare at it for a minute, my anxiety building with each passing second.

I can’t put this off. I need to face it head-on.

My nerves are going haywire as I wait for him to answer.

When he does, he doesn’t even bother with “hello.”

“Peretti. You wanna tell me why there’s a video all over social media of you kicking the crap out of some guy in an alley on Christmas like some sort of deranged thug?”

“I can explain, Coach.” But then I stop myself. Because I can’t tell him what happened.

I think about how Zoey hid the abuse she suffered from Jeff for so long. I don’t know exactly when it started, but it’s clear it had gone on for a while.

There’s a reason why she didn’t tell me or our mom or anyone about it. Because she didn’t want anyone to know. And I know she wouldn’t want me telling people what happened to her, especially not my coach.

I clear my throat. “Actually, Coach, I, uh…I can’t tell you why I did what I did.”

“What?” he barks.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s private, and I don’t want to betray the trust of everyone involved.” I take a breath. “But I swear, I had a good reason. The guy I beat up deserved it.”