by SM Olivier
I wanted to reassure him that our relationship didn’t bother my grandfather and to see if we were okay. I hated the look of guilt in his eyes last night. It pained me to know our relationship was putting him through so much.
“We could have stopped somewhere.” Paxton frowned at me. “And I think Zane can handle her.” He gave me a crooked smile.
I smiled back before leaning over the center console to place a kiss on his lips. “I needed the power nap more, plus I heard David ordered a huge spread for us. I trust you guys, though. I really do.”
He grabbed me by the chin and pulled me in for another kiss. I felt the smooth ball of his tongue ring skim my lips, and I opened my mouth to grant him access to my mouth. I moaned quietly as he erotically stroked his tongue with mine. I hadn’t been intimate with Paxton yet, but I thought about it often. Too often, honestly.
He threaded his fingers through my hair and tilted my head to deepen our kiss. I was seconds away from climbing into his lap when a loud knock sounded on my window. I yelped and pulled back.
My door was yanked rudely open before I noticed Leah standing on the other side. “What the hell are you doing here?” she said through clenched teeth.
I had been lulled into a sort of complacency where Leah was concerned. She had completely ignored me in cheer class, and I was more than copasetic with her indifference. I believed Ms. Houser’s presence had kept her in line.
From my understanding, Ms. Houser only accepted her back on the condition that she’d be on probation. She had to walk a line in all her classes. If there was even a whisper of her falling behind, disrespecting teachers, or bullying anyone, she would be permanently expelled from school. She had zero strikes left.
The beauty in it all was David wouldn’t question her expulsion. He had already let it be known that he was keeping an eye on all his children. Claire being taken had been a huge wake-up call for him, I thought. It took him a while to open his eyes to how very little he knew about his other children, but at least he had come around.
“Umm, we’re decorating the float tonight?” I rolled my eyes.
I guess the truce was called off since we were no longer in school. I didn’t want to deal with Leah’s dramatics, but I had to integrate with society.
“Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” She leaned in and hissed at me, “You’re not welcome here. You got my brother suspended. You got me kicked out of school. You nearly ruined my senior year. You got my captain spot taken away. And now, my mom and dad are always fighting because of you. Just because your mother was a whore and ran off with some rando and your dad likes to slap you around doesn’t mean you have to ruin my family. My family. You’re nothing to us.”
I narrowed my eyes at her as she continued her little fit. She behaved as if her words had any effect on me. She was like a broken record; I had heard all this before. She had zero ability of hurting me with her nonsensical babble.
“Since you came into our lives, you’ve caused nothing but trouble. Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, Peyton. I don’t want to see whatever crap you’re going to drag my family and me into next. My sister was taken because of you and then you drag back that psycho and her crotch goblins and thrust them upon us. Leave and take them with you. I wish you would have died in that hell hole.” She shook her head. “I can’t even believe Zane still wants you, knowing you whored yourself out to Principal Boyd and Coach Carson.”
At first, I wanted to take the blame she was laying on me. Claire had been abducted because of me− in a way. It had been a case of mistaken identity. They assumed she was me when she was on the way to my house to vandalize it.
But then my guilt turned into anger. I didn’t have control of the situation between David and Catherine. I hadn’t asked to be his bastard child. And Leah and Dylan had gotten themselves in trouble without any help from me. Their hate for me had crowded their better judgment. I didn’t force them to bully others. That was the decision they had made on their own.
I saw red. I got out of the truck, forcing Leah to move back as I stood before her. I raised my fist to punch her hateful, jealous mouth when my hand was quickly intercepted.
“Do not touch my daughter,” Catherine snarled at me.
My eyes snapped to her and my jaw dropped.
Catherine had never been a big woman. She didn’t have much weight to lose to begin with. Standing before me now, she looked nearly emaciated and twenty years older. Her face was gaunt, and her collar bone protruded at an unnatural angle. Her once lustrous blond hair was limp despite her apparent attempt at styling it. Her heavy makeup couldn’t cover the stress lines around her lips, forehead, and chin.
She looked positively haggard. I knew she had taken the news of Claire's disappearance hard. I was aware that the doctor had prescribed her sleep aids and anxiety medication, but I guess I had assumed she would have bounced back slightly by now.
Anger still coursed through my veins as I glared at her in return. “Teach your daughter to watch her mouth if she can’t handle the consequences, Step-Mommy,” I added as a dig.
Catherine's face flushed red with anger. “You are nothing but my husband's bastard. He never wanted you. If he did, he would have wanted to take an interest in you, but he knew what a slut your mother was and was probably afraid you’d be the same.”
“Mrs. Delaney,” a guard said in warning. Grandpa had hired a sleuth of new guards. Usually they blended in and checked for any threats. He looked uncomfortable as he looked between me and her. He then looked over his shoulder as if he wished someone could tell him what to do.
Catherine reached out and gripped my chin in a painful grip, and out of nowhere, Paxton, who’d gotten out of the truck, snatched her back. Zane appeared as well, helping Pax hold her back.
She turned an evil stare at them but then whipped her head back around, a nasty smile curving up her lips. “Just like your whore mother. The guys you’re shacking up with weren’t enough for you, huh? You seduced Coach Carson, found out he had some friends, convinced them to take my Claire, and then cried kidnapping when you realized it was a little more than you anticipated.” She shook her head in disgust.
“Catherine, you’re causing a spectacle,” Zane said sternly. “You’re spouting lies, and honestly, you sound crazy.”
“I don’t care!” A glint of madness entered her eyes. “She staged her return so she’d look like a damn hero when we all know she was the person behind it all.”
Zane and Paxton attempted to subdue her, but she wasn’t having any of it. She turned and looked at me. “You’re a slut! You’re a whore!”
“Enough, Catherine!” David bit out as he rounded the corner of the house.
The only silver lining I could find in this situation was that most of my classmates seemed oblivious to the family drama unfolding approximately fifty feet away. However, it didn’t look like it was going to stay that way for long. Kasey and Casey were on their way over right now, and Crew seemed to have picked up on the drama as well.
“I told you, David, I don’t want her here,” Catherine snarled.
David moved forward. He seemed aware of the possible attention we’d be drawing any time now. “I don’t care what you want,” he said in a quiet but deadly voice. “She is my daughter, and this is my father’s house. She can come by anytime she wants.”
She laughed maniacally. “Just another one of your dirty little secrets. You promised me that it was taken care of, yet here it stands before me.”
I blinked in shock, realizing I was the it she was referring to. In doing so, she just contradicted everything I had believed up until now. I was under the impression she had no clue who my mother was, let alone that she had been pregnant with me. It was apparent she assumed my mother was going to get rid of me instead of keeping me.
I didn’t know if David was under the same assumption, but it shocked me, nevertheless.
“And why are we living with your father, anyway?” Catherine gnashed her
teeth together, continuing. “You moved us out of our house, promising it was only going to be temporary. We’ve been here for two years! Two years! You are just as responsible for Claire's abduction as your little whore daughter.”
“I won’t stoop to your level and throw out names, but you forget I dated your daughter,” Zane growled. “If we’re talking about morals or lack thereof, you should look in your own household.”
“Well, I’m not as polite as Zane,” Paxton butted in, snorting. “Your lack of parenting skills was proven long ago. And lying to your husband about your children's behavior? Probably the most detrimental thing you could have ever done. You were content being the housewife and spending the money your husband was bringing in, but you forgot to do your job. Before she was taken, your younger daughter was frequenting online dating sites. Your son’s a pothead and was distributing said drugs, if not still. And Leah lost her virginity to her cousin when she was twelve years old. I’m not slut-shaming, by any means, but before you start throwing stones, let's not forget the glass house you live in.”
“He wasn’t my cousin by blood,” Leah protested, as if that was the most concerning thing from Paxton's outburst.
“Let’s take this inside, Catherine, you’re causing a scene,” David hissed as he noticed people wandering towards us.
“I don’t care,” Catherine nearly screamed. “Claire is seeing a therapist because of you and your daughter. You move your whore sister in with all her kids. You insist on talking to your bastard daughter, even though she’s the one who made our life a living hell. I’ve had enough, David, and I’m taking my children from this toxic environment.”
“Mom, we’re not leaving,” Dylan said from behind me, startling me.
I turned around and saw that Claire was by his side, tears coursing down her face. I could see how protective Dylan was as he hovered over his younger sister. I hadn’t seen either one of them since Claire and I had left the hospital.
“Pack your bags, we’re leaving. Claire, you don’t need to face your nightmare every day, and that’s all you’ll do if we stay here!” Catherine screamed frantically.
“Where would you go?” David furiously asked.
“Don’t you worry about me,” Catherine snarled. “Let’s go, kids!”
“I’m staying,” Dylan reiterated.
“Me too,” Claire sobbed.
Catherine looked like she was going to burst a blood vessel. “Let’s go, Leah.”
“I can’t…” Leah shifted uncomfortably. “I have to decorate my float. I can’t just leave my friends.”
Catherine looked torn between tears and anger. She glared over at David. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers. This place isn’t safe for my kids, and you fail to see that.” She began to storm off but not before she glared at her children.
“You’ll be hearing from ours as well,” Grandpa stated as he walked towards us.
I could see the anger in his eyes. I turned and noticed a wall of guards had prevented our classmates from coming any closer and knew Grandpa had heard enough to have the guards keep our overcurious neighbors at bay. That was a small plus, at least… silver linings and all that.
Less than ten minutes later, Catherine was peeling down the driveway.
So, of course, the gossip mill began anew.
●
“Can we talk?” Claire murmured a while later as she sidled up next to me.
I had picked one of the jobs that kept me away from most of my other classmates. The guys wanted to follow, but honestly, I just needed a little time to process everything. It looked like my short reprieve hadn’t lasted that long, thought.
“What about?” I asked.
I didn’t want to talk. I didn’t want to be here. I wanted to go home, curl up in bed, and sleep until the weekend. I didn’t know why I thought this would be a good idea.
“I never got a chance to thank you for bringing us home, and I wanted to apologize for my mother’s behavior,” Claire said. “The night I was… taken, I planned to vandalize your house. I say that was karma coming around a lot faster than I anticipated.”
I tied a balloon to the chicken wire, contemplating my response.
“I couldn’t leave you, and you’re not responsible for your mother’s actions,” I said. “You can’t take any blame for your abduction any more than I can. What those men did to us was due to their depravity. We didn’t deserve any of it. But there’s one question I have.” I turned to her with a mixture of hurt and anger.
I still lived in fear, knowing Tormentor roamed freely somewhere. Claire and Ava had claimed he had never been there. Because of them, I was continually anticipating his appearance back in my life. Once the media released our escape, I knew he would resent me for taking his “family” away from him.
“Why did you tell the FBI that Pearce wasn’t there?” I elaborated. “Why are you and Ava protecting him? He took us. He hurt us, and goodness knows what he did to Aaron and Chasity and Charity’s mom.”
Claire looked down her interlocked fingers and shrugged, looking somewhat ashamed. “I love him,” she mumbled. “I know I’m fourteen,” she quickly interjected as I began to argue that logic. “I’ve been with many boys and men. I know what love is. Sure, he was tough on me at first, but he was really sweet to me when we were alone.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. I knew there was no convincing Claire about her flawed belief. “He kidnapped us. He raped you. He burned me. He took some of our trust in the world away from us… trust we’ll never get back.”
I wasn’t trying to discredit Claire due to her age. I knew having older siblings made her grow faster than many of her peers. I was even certain her experience with older men made her mature a lot faster. However, at the end of the day, she was emotionally immature. I was confident that she would look back at this experience one day and realize it wasn’t all sunshine and roses.
“Reginald and Carson took us,” Claire refuted. “And Pearce never raped me. I wanted to be with him. I’m sorry he hurt you. He had a rough past. Sometimes things triggered him. I know I’ll be forever changed by that experience but,” she shrugged, looking off into the distance, “it changed some things for the better. My mom is still struggling, but I can’t ever remember Dad being this attentive. He took Leah to dinner, Dylan to a football game, and me to the movies. I can’t remember the last time he spent any time with us outside of Sunday dinners. He’s taking an interest in our lives, and he doesn’t work nearly as much as he used to.”
I wanted to be happy for her. I’m glad she got her father back, in a way. However, because of her unwillingness to tell the truth, I would forever be looking over my shoulder unless the FBI could link Pearce to the cabin and us.
“Hey, Peyton? Food’s here,” Paxton stated as he held a hand out to me.
I gladly took it. Paxton pulled me close so our bodies were brushing. I could see the concern in his gaze. He cupped my cheek, and I leaned into his hand, sighing. I was thankful that he seemed to ground me with a simple touch.
“Do you mind if I come join you?” Claire piped up. “Leah won’t let me hang out with her anymore. She hates that I get all the attention. As if I wanted this kind of attention.” She grimaced.
I felt Claire's hopeful gaze on me. I wanted to hate her. I tried to keep my distance from her, but this tragedy had linked us forever. Sure, she began to love her captivity, but she had experienced what I had, to a degree.
It was an undeniable link that would tether us together. Plus, a small part of me reluctantly recognized that Claire was my half-sister. It was apparent she was attempting to forge a bond between us. It was easy to remember her abhorrent behavior before her abduction. However, it was clear this experience had changed her as well.
I nodded. “You coming?” I asked her.
She seemed surprised by my invitation, but she still popped up and smiled. “Really? I wish Dad would let me go back to school. I’m amazed he even permitted Leah to host
the float-making here. I’m glad he spends more time with me, but sometimes I swear I can’t use the restroom without him wanting to know where I’m going.”
Paxton squeezed my hand, and we walked to the patio where the food was set up.
“It’s good to have a protective father,” I said with a touch of bitterness. I would never know what that was like. Sean seemed only to enjoy inflicting pain on me, which I was sure stemmed from his own insecurities. Yes, David was trying now, but a part of me felt like it was too little too late.
“After you grab a plate, can we talk?” David asked, appearing as if I conjured him from my thoughts.
“I think she’s had enough attacks tonight, don’t you?” Paxton interjected protectively.
David pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m delighted that Peyton has so many people wanting to protect her. I just want a moment of her time.” He looked at me. “I should have had this discussion with you a long time ago, Peyton. I’m sorry I didn’t, but since,” he barely contained a sneer at this point, “Catherine decided to tell her half-truths, I’d like to tell you my side of the story.”
I sighed deeply.
Why? Why did everyone feel the need to “talk” to me tonight? I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to pretend for two seconds that I was a normal teenage girl in her senior year of high school with her future spread in front of her. I wanted to pretend my past didn’t exist, that my life contained fewer trials and tribulations.
If that which didn’t kill you made you stronger, I should have been strong as hell by now.
●
I sat down at the table and immediately took a bite of my pulled pork taco, nearly groaning in satisfaction.
Usually my emotions had a direct effect on my appetite. However, it seemed like subconsciously I realized I needed to eat. I had expended a lot of energy in dance, cheer, and then dance once more. It seemed like I couldn’t eat enough today.
