by Kay Manis
Luis thought it best to stay away from the hotel for a few hours after Rory’s outburst, hoping the press would die down. Three hours of aimlessly roaming around Miami, it had become obvious the press was camped for the night. Somehow Luis had found a way in through the back entrance shortly before midnight and snuck me into his room.
We spent the next hour searching the Internet, reading all the websites that had leaked Rory’s story. Some sites were kind, quoting statistics on how many people in America are functionally illiterate and how it’s a crime for the government not to fix the problem within our schools. The majority of the sites though were cruel in their comments and jokes, some including horrible pictures and cartoons.
My stomach knotted tighter with every word I read, good or bad, and I couldn’t help but feel responsible for the barrage of rumors and innuendos.
The one thing I thought particularly odd though was the fact that none of the sites revealed their source. Axel was nothing if not sneaky, and I knew no one would probably ever find out it was him who’d leaked the story. Maybe I should tell the press, maybe that would help Rory’s reputation. Doubtful.
In addition to breaking the news of Rory’s illiteracy, many of the sites also revealed that Rory and I were having an affair. That little fact made an already impossible situation even worse. I had no idea how I would ever recover.
Without asking, I knew I’d probably lost my job…and Rory. He would never forgive me after this. A heavy blanket of depression wrapped around me, smothering me with images from my past.
Even though Rory had been a complete asshole last night—embarrassing the shit out of me in front of clients, colleagues, and half the hotel patrons—I knew where his anger and rage came from. It was his own fear and self-loathing personified.
His illiteracy had been a secret he’d held on to for years, perpetuating his own feelings that he didn’t deserve the good things in life. He’d been abused, physically and emotionally, betrayed by people who were supposed to love him unconditionally. And now he felt as if I’d deceived him too. In the back of my mind I couldn’t help but wonder if somehow I had without knowing.
I slipped out of bed, still dressed from the night before, and pulled on my shoes, trying not to wake Luis. I had to find Rory. I had to talk to him. Even if this thing between us was over, I had to let him know the truth, what I had been willing to risk to protect him. Maybe if he knew the truth, the whole truth, he’d understand.
I left the room and waited by the elevators, rubbing my palms so hard on my pants, they heated enough to start a fire. What would I say? What would he say? What if this really was the end for us? As cruel as he’d been earlier, I didn’t want that for us. I was furious with him, but I loved him and I was willing to work through our issues.
I needed to see him, face-to-face, and find out why he’d been so cruel. The Rory I knew would never have lashed out at me like that. Something else had happened. If the lost boy inside him needed me, I would be there.
I walked down the hallway toward his room, each step feeling heavier than the last. The corridor was beginning to close in on me, making it difficult to breathe.
I stood outside his door, my hand trembling. A thought suddenly popped into my mind. Rory was a player. What if he wasn’t alone? What if he’d reached out to one of those skater groupie bimbos who feasted on the athletes like piranhas? Oh, God. What would I do then?
No. He would never do that. I knew him, I trusted him. He may be mad at me, he may even hate me, but he’d never hurt me like that.
I held my breath and knocked on the door, standing back, waiting for him to answer. I remained stock still for several seconds but no one came to the door. I knocked again, this time louder. Maybe he was asleep. I waited for what felt like a lifetime and fought the urge to leave. I needed to see him face-to-face. Good, bad, or ugly, I had to know if we still had a future.
Then I remembered, I still had his key card. Slipping it from my back pocket, I placed it in the lock, holding my breath until the green light finally flashed. I opened the door, my heart pounding as I scanned the room. Everything seemed intact, no broken lamps or glasses. That had to be a good sign.
My shoe caught on something on the floor and I glanced down. “Oh my God,” I gasped, fisting my hand and stuffing it in my mouth to keep from yelling.
Strewn about the floor were Rory’s blue jeans and T-shirt, along with a woman’s skirt and tank top. They didn’t belong to me.
Fuck.
Bile burned in my stomach and I bit down on my hand to keep from becoming physically sick.
I walked further into the suite on shaky legs, my head pounding. Tears burned my eyes when I saw a pink satin bra lying across the back of the couch. I turned toward the bedroom. It was shut. Something tiny and pink hung on the handle.
Stumbling back, I bumped into the wall behind me, the room spinning. I drew in a ragged breath to steady myself but the air burned my lungs, the scent of cheap perfume making my stomach lurch. My entire body began to tremble uncontrollably. I wrapped my arms around my waist to settle my nerves. This couldn’t be happening.
Images of Rory kissing another woman, touching her intimately, having sex with her, being inside her, flooded my mind. I moved toward the trashcan, knowing I was going to be sick.
Suddenly, movement in the corner of the room caught my eye. A woman.
Oh, God. No.
She stalked toward me, wearing a thick terry cloth robe that I recognized. It was from the hotel, similar to the one I’d worn yesterday morning—probably the same one.
As she moved closer toward the light of the lamp I narrowed my gaze to focus beyond the tears.
My eyes went wide and my body burned from the inside out.
It was Geneva.
My knees buckled and I clutched the wall for balance, willing myself to stand tall.
Her mouth curled into a malicious, evil grin. She was proud of what she’d done. Sleeping with Rory was a fatal wound to my soul, she’d known this would destroy me, and she was happy with herself. Her smug expression made it abundantly clear that she’d done this intentionally.
“He’s probably still in the shower,” she said, walking toward me.
I recoiled, shaking my head. This wasn’t real, this was a nightmare. I turned to leave.
The bedroom door creaked open and I glanced over my shoulder.
Rory stood in the doorway, wearing a robe, his eyes heavy and half-lidded.
Had they just showered after spending the night fucking like monkeys? Oh, God. I’d never felt pain like this in my life. Not even when the police had told me I’d been raped.
Rory’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Geneva. “What’s going on?”
Geneva smiled like a cat who’d eaten the canary. “You don’t remember?”
His gaze swung to me and he held his head like he might pass out.
I was paralyzed. I wanted to run, I wanted to scream, I wanted to be swallowed up by the black abyss of emptiness, but my body wouldn’t move.
Rory glanced around the room, his eyes taking in the trail of clothing. Suddenly dawning lit his face. His eyes went wide, and wild.
I’m sure memories of their night together were flooding his mind, like they were mine. Images of him thrusting deep inside her, Geneva’s legs wrapped around his body. Them in the shower, doing God only knew what.
In that moment, staring at the man I had once loved, there was no doubt in my mind now. Rory had fucked my stepsister, probably more than once.
I fumbled with the door handle, finally opening it, trying to escape before I puked.
Rory pressed behind me, pushing the door closed.
I wanted to cry, but I refused to give Geneva Barton the satisfaction of seeing that she’d completely destroyed me. I had to get out of this room before I passed out. Or killed someone.
I turned and stared up at Rory’s eyes. They were bloodshot, the whites tinged with yellow. He was toxic.
He swallowed h
ard, raking his hand through his hair, his eyes darting between mine.
“Let me go,” I growled.
“Hindley, it’s not what you think,” he said. “I don’t even know what to think. I don’t know what the fuck is going on here.”
I peered over his shoulder.
Geneva smiled, pulling the belt of her robe tighter.
I nodded toward her. “She knows.”
She knew exactly what happened last night, and if I stuck around, she’d tell me every last detail.
“Fuck this!” I yelled.
Rory flinched.
“Let me go, Rory, or I swear to God, I will kick you so goddamn hard in the fuckin’ nuts, you’ll never be able to screw another woman again, least of all my stepsister.” The last word came out on a hiss.
His eyes shot wide, knowing I would.
I yanked the door open and stepped into the hallway, disoriented and sick to my stomach. Where did I go from here? Breaking into a run, I was almost to the elevator before someone caught my arm and jerked me around.
“Hindley, wait. I don’t know what’s going on. I’m sorry, it’s…” He fumbled with his words, scratching his head. “Please, don’t go.”
Obviously, the reality of what he’d done was hitting home.
“Why her, Rory?” I choked through my tears. “Of all the women you could have fucked last night, why her?” I slapped my hand over my mouth to quiet the sobs that threatened to escape. I hated that he was seeing me totally breaking down.
“Hindley, it’s not like that.” His hands trembled and his eyes darted back and forth, silently begging me for something. He looked like a caged animal fighting for his life.
This time, I wouldn’t save him.
“Just for the record, I never told anyone about your secret. It was Axel who leaked your story.”
His eyes narrowed as he studied me like I was insane. “What?”
“Axel has known about your illiteracy for a while. He was threatening to go public with the information. He gave me an ultimatum—sleep with him or he would go to the media with the story.”
Rory clenched his jaw, as he stepped closer.
I held up a hand. “Stop. Don’t touch me.”
He swallowed hard but obeyed my request. “I’m confused.”
“I’ll make it clear then. Your story went viral, which means I didn’t sleep with him. Do you know why?”
He stood silently, just as paralyzed as I’d been in his room.
“I never slept with Axel,” I said. “I never would. I would never do that to you.”
His eyes darted over my shoulder and I turned my head, following his gaze.
Geneva stood in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest, wearing a shit-eating grin.
I jerked my head, unable to look at the bitch. I stared up at Rory, tears now streaming down my face. Gasping for breath, I clenched my trembling hands by my sides to ease the shaking. “But I guess I can’t say the same for you,” I choked out. “It’s pretty obvious you fucked my stepsister,” I spat the words at him.
I studied his face, committing every detail to memory so I would never forget how much I hated him at this very minute.
“I loved you, Rory.” I hiccupped on a sob. “I would have done anything for you. You have no idea what I’ve already done for you. To protect you. To protect us.”
He reached for me but I swatted his hands away.
“Don’t you dare touch me.”
He stumbled back, eyes wide as if I’d shocked him.
“You’ve completely destroyed me,” I whispered. “Shattered me.”
He shook his head, his eyes welling with tears. “No, Hindley. I didn’t do this.”
I laughed sarcastically, pointing back to my stepsister. “You did.”
I wanted to hurt him, make him feel the agony consuming me, and I knew exactly how to do it. I could scream out, ‘You’re right, Rory, you do fuck up everything you touch! You’re a fucking idiot!’ That would crush him. But I couldn’t do it.
As much as I wanted to hurt him, I didn’t believe those words. Despite his betrayal, I still loved him, more than I hated him. I cursed myself for being so weak.
Without another word, I shoved past him and walked toward the elevators, not surprised when he didn’t come after me, but relieved that he didn’t.
As the elevator doors closed, I sunk to the floor and curled into a tight ball, sobbing hysterically, wondering how on earth I would ever survive without my Skater Boy.
Chapter 31
-RORY-
A cool breeze blew over my face as I reclined in the rocker on Jack and Kara’s front porch.
Their house was nestled in a wooded area not far from Denver. The scenery was picturesque, with giant trees surrounding the property and the snow-covered mountains dotting the horizon.
Even in this serene environment though, I couldn’t find peace. My heart and head were a mess. I spent long hours wondering if I would ever be able to function normally again.
Thankfully their home was void of cameras and reporters, for now. It was the escape I needed to lick my wounds. But I knew it was just a matter of time before someone discovered my hideout.
Ten days. Ten fucking days. That was how long it’d been since I’d stood in the restaurant at the swanky hotel in Miami and cursed Hindley out in front of God Almighty and two hundred plus customers and guests.
I’d tried a hundred times to relive the memories, but for the life of me, I couldn’t. I had no recollection of the evening whatsoever.
One thing I knew with certainty, there was absolutely no way I’d drank alcohol that evening, so I couldn’t blame it on a blackout. The only change in my routine had been the herbal supplements Luis had given me the day before to calm my anxiety. I’d taken two capsules that evening before dinner, hoping to settle down.
The supplements had to be it. But Luis assured me the herbs would never have produced such a profound effect on me. Sleepy, yes, blackout and belligerent, no.
Turns out, I didn’t need my memory after all. Plenty of people had captured the entire event on video, and had been kind enough to publish it on every social media site known to man. The rag mags and talk shows had labeled me the “Illiterate Bully,” an ignorant monster who intimidates women and children. That one hurt most of all.
I hadn’t skated in over a week, and with the X Games only six days away, I knew I needed to do something. My legs felt like lead and my heart was even heavier, making it nearly impossible to do anything, let alone fly through the air on my board with any real passion.
And to top it all off, Hindley had found me semi-naked and alone with her stepsister. How could I have done this to Hindley? The guilt was crushing me.
I’d tried to call her a hundred times since then, but as expected, she never answered. Eventually, Luis told me to stop trying, so I did. He said she needed time to cool off and I needed to give her the time and space to do so. At this point, I had no choice but to take his advice. He was my only link to her, and I wasn’t going to lose that.
Luis also shared with me Hindley’s dire situation with Axel and all she’d endured on my behalf during his reign of terror. He explained how Axel blackmailed her with my secret, even going so far as to demand sex from her to keep him quiet. It made me want to smash his ‘pretty boy’ face in every time I thought about it.
What had I been thinking? Even blacked out in a fit of rage, I still should have known Hindley would never betray me.
Watching the videos of my verbal assault on her in the restaurant was surreal. I didn’t even recognize the man who stood in the middle of the space, shouting obscenities at her. Even in my darkest days of drinking and drugging, I’d never acted so horribly, especially to someone I claimed to love.
The most devastating part of it all was the fact that I couldn’t undo what had already been done. I’d hurt her so tragically, I was convinced I’d never get a second chance. No excuse in the world would ever justify my actions.
<
br /> Every day that passed meant Hindley was a little further away from me than the day before. The chances of getting her back dwindled with each passing minute.
Sometimes, the physical pain of that realization was too excruciating to bear and I found solace in the woods, releasing my tears, screaming my frustrations within the safety of the trees.
I’d always known from the start that I didn’t deserve her. Now, it seemed I never would.
“Hey.” Jack’s deep voice called out.
I turned and saw him walk out from behind the screen door. “Hey,” I said.
“I just got off the phone with Luis.”
I sat up straight. “Did you talk to Hindley?”
He shook his head.
And just like that, my hopes were dashed. I leaned back in my rocking chair and exhaled a heavy sigh, wondering how on earth I was going to survive without my Drunk Girl. She was my rock, my anchor, my best friend. As usual, I had totally fucked it up.
Jack walked closer. “He wants you to do some television interviews.”
I jumped up from the chair, hands clenched. “No way, Jack. There is no way I’m letting some jackass TV host make a fool out of me on national television.”
“It’s not going to be like that.”
“What’s it going to be like then?”
“They want to come here, to Denver, to get your story.”
“Why? Who the fuck cares about my story?”
“Apparently, a lot of people do. Illiteracy is a big deal around the world.”
I braced my hands on the railing, staring down at the ground. Kara had planted brightly colored wildflowers at the bottom of the porch. The vivid colors made me think of Hindley. Everything made me think of her. Suddenly, I felt his hand on my back.
“Maybe she’ll see it, see the interview,” he said.
His statement was the first glimmer of hope I’d had in over a week. I whipped around, staring at him wide-eyed. “Do you really think so? You think Hindley will watch it?”
“I don’t know. But we have to do some damage control, and Luis thinks this is the best way.”
“I don’t give a shit about what people think,” I said more defensively than I should have.
