by Ivy Smoak
No response came.
I tried the door handle again and then pressed my ear against the door. It was completely silent on the other side.
“You’re not allowed to go in there.”
I jumped. I hadn’t even heard the bodyguard come in. He was holding a few brown paper bags and I could smell the cheesy, fried goodness from where I was standing. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten. It was hard to make yourself eat when all you wanted to do was cry. I ignored the audible growl of my stomach.
“Where are Mrs. Pruitt and Isabella?” I asked.
He just stared at me.
“Is Mr. Pruitt even married? Does he have other children?”
He squinted his eyes at me like I was some kind of puzzle he didn’t understand.
This wasn’t working. “I need to make a phone call. My friends will want to know that I’m safe.” My stomach growled again.
“We’ll discuss it after we eat.”
After we eat? My curiosity made me follow him. He started to unpack takeout container after container.
“They didn’t have any empanadas,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what else you liked.”
I sat down and lifted the lid off the closest container. It was filled with a bean burrito and rice that were both still steaming. Bean burritos were one of my favorites. He bought me all this food because he didn’t know what I preferred? I stared at him as he grabbed a second bean burrito and started eating it. Was it one of his favorites too? He was significantly younger than Mr. Pruitt. He couldn’t be more than mid-twenties. His hair was dark like Mr. Pruitt’s and Isabella’s. “Are you his son?” I asked.
He started choking. “What? No.” The way he said it made it seem like the thought truly disgusted him.
Being related to the Pruitts disgusted me too. I pushed some of the rice around with my fork. I wasn’t hungry anymore.
“He’s not that bad.”
I looked back up at the bodyguard. “Isabella is.”
He finished chewing his bite. “I’m not supposed to talk about his family with you.”
For some reason that was better than him denying that Isabella was horrid. “What’s your name?”
“You can call me Miller.”
“Is that your first or last name?”
“It’s just what you should call me.”
That was vague. But Miller sounded like a last name to me. “What’s your first name?”
I could have sworn he was trying to hide a smile. “Eat your food, kid.”
Kid. I felt that stab in my heart as I remembered my uncle. Would that feeling ever go away? I got it when things reminded me of my mother too. It was like someone was following me around with a knife, constantly jabbing at my heart. I wasn’t sure it would ever stop.
“Fine. Make your call. Two minutes. Then you eat.” Miller slid his cell phone across the table. “But you’re staying here tonight. So there’s no point in asking someone to come get you.”
“Okay.” I grabbed his phone and slid out of my seat. I wasn’t allowed to ask someone to come get me. But that was fine. Because the only person I wanted to talk to right now was someone that would just show up anyway. Because that was what he always did. He’d figure out a way to get me out of here. He’d fix this. He had just as many resources as Mr. Pruitt. I dialed the number and put the phone up to my ear.
“Hello?” His voice was rigid and cold like he was in the middle of an argument. For a second I wasn’t even sure if it was him. But I’d memorized his number by heart.
“Matt?”
“Brooklyn? Is that you?” The anger in his tone was gone. It was just that familiar warmth I‘d grown used to. Hearing him say my name like that made my tears start again. I turned away from Miller so he wouldn’t see.
“It’s me.” I tried to stop my tears so I could have a coherent conversation. Recently Matt’s arms around me were the only thing that could calm me down. He’d held me as I fell asleep every night after my uncle’s death. I couldn’t be here tonight without him. I couldn’t do it. I needed him.
“Where are you?”
“I’m at the Pruitt’s apartment.” Technically I didn’t ask him to come. But I could still feel Miller staring at me.
“I’ll be right there.”
I gripped the phone tighter in my hand. “Thank you.” Please hurry.
“Are you okay? He hasn’t hurt you?”
Was Mr. Pruitt violent? I gripped the phone even tighter. I wouldn’t put it past him. He was certainly uncaring. “I’m okay.” I looked over at Miller and my untouched food. I’m not. I’m really not. “He had a doctor run a few tests to make sure I’m his.”
I heard a car door slam. I’d never seen Matt drive before. He was always riding with James. I couldn’t imagine James assisting him in this, even though Matt swore James was sorry about what he’d done. Humiliating me in front of the whole school and then coming to my rescue? It didn’t seem like a realistic jump.
Matt’s parents had been at the funeral. Would they help? Would they even think this was an issue?
I heard Matt tell someone where to head.
“Are you with someone?” I asked.
“Rob. He borrowed James’ car.”
Something about the way he said borrowed sounded a lot more like stole.
“Don’t worry, Sanders!” Rob yelled. A car honked. “We’re coming to save you!”
Matt and Rob were coming to save me from being trapped in Isabella’s home. It was such a preposterous thought that I almost laughed. But instead “I love you,” tumbled out of my mouth.
There was a long awkward silence.
So long that my eyes burned. And my throat felt parched. And I couldn’t breathe.
“We’ll be there in ten minutes,” Matt said.
“Okay.” Maybe we could just pretend I never said it. I could take it back. I could…
“Brooklyn?”
“Yeah?” I closed my eyes tight, wishing I could rewind time.
“I love you too.”
I could already hear Rob making fun of him. The call ended, but I kept the phone pressed against my ear. Matthew Caldwell loved me. For just a second, my heart didn’t feel so broken.
Chapter 3
Thursday
I waited for Matt to come. And waited. And waited. Ten minutes turned to an hour. An hour to two. Two hours to three.
Miller showed me back to the room that the doctor had been in. I didn’t bother getting ready for bed. I just laid down and stared at the ceiling as three hours became four. And four became five. I stared at the ceiling waiting for Matt to come. But he never did. And my already broken heart broke a little more.
***
There was a knock on my door and I turned my head to see Miller walk in.
“Did you sleep okay?” he asked.
No. But there was no point in telling him how pathetic I was. That I didn’t know how to fall asleep without Matt’s arms around me. That somehow sadness gave me insomnia. Matt had an uncanny way of lifting my spirits just to crap all over them. It wasn’t the first time that he’d let me down. It was just the first time he’d let me down immediately after dropping the L word. “Yeah,” I lied.
“Mr. Pruitt will be here in about 30 minutes. There’s some things for you in the bathroom so you can shower and freshen up.” He left before I could respond.
I slowly sat up and made my way to the huge bathroom. The water pressure in the shower was amazing. The shampoo smelled like a million bucks. And I hated all of it. I just wanted to be able to go back to Kennedy’s house. I quickly dried off, ran my fingers through my hair, and pulled on the same clothes I’d worn to my uncle’s funeral.
As much as I wished Matt would appear last night, I also wished that I wasn’t a Pruitt. The first wish didn’t come true. So the second one had to. The universe owed me this. Just this one tiny thing. After everything that had happened in the last few months? Yeah, it definitely owed me. I made my way out into the hal
l.
But the universe hated me. Mr. Pruitt was standing in the living room holding a freshly pressed Empire High uniform. That couldn’t be a good sign. I didn’t think I’d be allowed to go back after my uncle died. He was the only reason I was a student there. So if Mr. Pruitt was holding that uniform, it either meant he was really nice and somehow persuaded the board to let me keep attending through the end of the semester. Or I was allowed to attend because… I swallowed hard. No. Please God, no.
He smiled, but it seemed forced. “Did you sleep well?”
I liked him less than I liked Miller. So I didn’t bother sugarcoating it. “No. I didn’t sleep at all.”
“Me either.”
We both just stared at each other. I tried to ignore the fact that he may have said that to imply that we were more similar than I thought. I didn’t want to inherit anything from him, including insomnia. Including a ticket to Empire High. Including half my freaking genes. But instead of saying any of that, I just kept staring. Don’t say it. Please don’t say it.
“Good news,” he said with that same fake smile. “You are in fact my daughter.”
I was pretty sure I was grimacing.
“So…” he cleared his throat. “Classes start in half an hour. I’ll have someone stop by this afternoon to take your measurements. But in the meantime, Isabella said you could borrow this one.” He draped the uniform on the back of the couch.
He wanted me to wear a uniform that belonged to Isabella? Was he kidding? There was no way that his daughter was okay with that.
He smiled again. It almost seemed like it was a new action for him, it looked so forced. But he was trying. I could tell he was trying. He wasn’t nearly as cold toward me as he was yesterday. And yet…I still didn’t like him. Not even a little bit.
“Miller will escort you to and from school,” he said. “I’ll officially present you to my family tonight at dinner. So make sure the stylist gives you something to wear for that.”
“I…no.” I shook my head. “I don’t want measurements. I don’t want dinner. I don’t want any of this. Please just let me go back to Kennedy’s place.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible. But Miller will also grab all your old things this afternoon and set them up in your new room so you’ll feel more at home. Speaking of which…what’s your favorite color?”
“My favorite…what? No, I’m not moving in here.”
“I know. You’re moving in with us.”
I just stared at him. “Right. Moving in here.” I pointed to the bedroom down the hall that I had no intention of ever calling mine.
“This isn’t my home.” He laughed.
Then what the heck was it?
“I’ll see you tonight. You’ll have a busy afternoon, so don’t make Miller wait long for you after school. And Isabella said to make sure you sit with her at lunch. She’s excited to get to know you better. She’s always wanted a sister.”
I was pretty sure I vomited a little in my mouth. There was no way that anything Mr. Pruitt had just said about his daughter was true.
He turned to leave.
“Wait.”
He stopped but didn’t turn around.
“Why are you doing this? Why can’t I just go back to the Alcaraz’s place? Please. We can have dinner once a week or something to get to know each other. Just…not…not this. Please, Mr. Pruitt.”
“You’re my daughter.” That was his only reply before he stepped onto the elevator. He didn’t even look back at me.
That one fact alone wasn’t enough. Not when I knew the truth. He didn’t want me. He told my mom to get rid of me. I wasn’t the daughter that he wanted.
“We need to get you to school before you’re late,” Miller said and lifted up the uniform.
“I’m not wearing that. We need to swing by Kennedy’s place so I can grab…”
“There’s no time.” He shoved it into my hands. I looked down and the tag was still on it. Isabella had so many uniforms that she didn’t even need to wear all of them? I only had one Empire High uniform. And it was second-hand. I’d never even touched a new one before.
I shook my head. “I can’t do this. I can’t be related to him. Can’t we run another test? Maybe they mixed something up at the lab?” I tried to hand the uniform back to Miller.
“He’s not that bad,” he said, just like he had last night.
But I didn’t believe him then. And I didn’t believe him now. When I’d asked him if he was related to Mr. Pruitt, he’d almost choked on his bean burrito. I’d seen his face. I’d seen the truth. Mr. Pruitt was horrible. He was just like his daughter.
I could refuse to go to school. Throw a fit. But even thinking about it made me feel like I was already becoming Isabella. I didn’t want to be anything like her. And if that meant not getting what I wanted right now…then so be it. “Just give me one second,” I said.
Besides, there was a silver lining in all of this. I’d get to see Kennedy. And Matt. At least I didn’t have to worry about Matt suddenly hating me. I’d told him I was at the Pruitt’s house. And…I wasn’t. Apparently. So him not showing up was because of that. Not because he flaked.
I was in Isabella’s uniform and in the car before I could change my mind. It’s going to be fine. It’s going to be fine. It’s going to be fine. I said it over and over again until we pulled up outside of Empire High.
“Have a good day at school, kid,” Miller said.
“You too.” I cringed.
But his laugh made me smile for the first time all morning. I climbed out of the black sedan. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but it felt like everyone was staring at me as I stepped out onto the sidewalk.
My smile quickly evaporated. No, I wasn’t imagining it. Heads were literally turning in my direction. I looked down at the ground and hurried up the stairs. Before I even reached my locker, Kennedy threw her arms around me.
“Are you okay? I can’t believe Uncle Jim didn’t tell you that you were related to Isabella. Does everyone already know? It seems like everyone already knows.” She gave someone an evil glare before pulling me into her arms again. Instead of demanding answers to her onslaught of questions, she just let me rest my head against her shoulder. “It’ll be alright,” she said and squeezed me harder.
She didn’t need an answer. She’d always been able to read me.
“My mom will figure it out,” Kennedy said. “She has a meeting with the lawyer that filed the paperwork for her to be your guardian this afternoon. It’s going to be fine.”
“I’m related to Isabella,” I mumbled into her shoulder. “Nothing is fine.”
Kennedy laughed. “And you are truly the better sister in every sense of the word. Sweeter. Smarter. Prettier.”
God. “I’m a Pruitt.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe I’m a Pruitt.”
“No.” She held me at arm’s length. “Your mom raised you. You’re a freaking Sanders. Always have been. Always will be.”
I felt my bottom lip start to tremble. “How was the rest of the funeral?” I couldn’t believe I’d been forced to miss it. That wasn’t something Mr. Pruitt could ever heal. He’d taken saying goodbye away from me. All the fake smiles in the world wouldn’t make me forget.
“I was a little distracted trying to figure out what happened to you. But it was beautiful. Uncle Jim was really loved.” Now it looked like she was going to cry too. “I miss him so much.”
“Stop it. You’re supposed to be holding me together.”
“I know.” She wiped away any tears before they could even fall. “It’s just been a really hard week.”
“I know. I miss him so much.”
“Ahem,” someone said from behind us.
I closed my eyes and prayed that it wasn’t Isabella. Even though I already knew it was. It took every ounce of energy I had left to unwind my arms from around Kennedy.
Isabella was standing there, surrounded by her minions, with a smile as fake as her father’s
. “Hey, Sissy.”
Sissy? So…fake friendly was how she was going to approach this? Great. “Hey. I should get to class.”
“Not so fast.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I wanted to invite you to sit with me at lunch. You can both come, I guess,” she said and smiled at Kennedy too.
I knew the friendliness behind the lunch invite was fake. She knew it was fake. But she was still doing it. And I was beyond shocked. Apparently the only person Isabella listened to and respected was her father.
“Um…” I didn’t really know what to say.
“Come on,” Charlotte said. “It’s going to be so much fun getting to know you better.”
This was the same minion who always got me in trouble in class. The same one that said she’d make me disappear. She was almost as bad as Isabella. Almost.
“Maybe another day,” I said.
Isabella flashed that smile at me again. “Daddy wants us to get to know each other better.” She reached out and grabbed my hand. “Pretty please? I’ve always wanted a sister. And that new blazer looks so cute on you. I’m so glad it fits. Oh my goodness, I just realized we’re going to get to share all our clothes!”
Ew. Just…ew. “Yeah, sure.” All I wanted was for her icy fingers to release me.
“Great. Later, babes.” She blew us each a kiss and then clicked away in her high heels.
“Daddy?” Kennedy said and pretended to gag. “Gross.”
“Yeah.” I opened up my locker and pulled out a few things. Most of my books were at Kennedy’s place.
“We’re not really going to sit with her at lunch, right?” Kennedy asked. “Because all that was over the top fake. And if I hear her say Daddy again I will actually hurl. Especially if I’m eating.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
“Okay, good. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t buying it.”
“Definitely not.”
She pulled a folded-up piece of paper out of her blazer pocket and handed it to me. “Before I forget…Matt summoned you.”
I laughed. “How do you know that?”
“I accidentally read it.”
“Accidentally?”
She shrugged. “He wants you to meet him outside.”
