Brightly Burning Bridges: A Bully Romance (Kings of Capital)

by Ivy Wild

  “Yes sir. I double checked it myself when I saw where we were headed.”

  We were on the other side of the river in Anacostia. It was an historic area of D.C. but lately, it had struggled with increased poverty rates, gangs and violence. It was a lot of things, but a business hub was definitely not one of them.

  I peered through the window at the supposed building we were headed into. From the looks of it, we were in a residential neighborhood and our destination was a white brick rowhouse. The paint was faded and chipped and the entire street was dead.

  A seriously bad feeling washed over me and I suddenly felt like Captain Hook, hearing the clock ticking everywhere I went.

  Silas seemed to sense my hesitation because in an uncharacteristic move, he reached over and squeezed my hand. “It’s gonna be alright. The area’s not as bad as it seems and I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

  I nodded my head and tried to give him a small smile. It wasn’t the area I was worried about.

  He told the driver to stay put and we exited the car. The cold air gave visible form to my somewhat erratic breathing patterns, condensing in front of me. Silas’ hand reached down and grasped mine again. He turned to me and hit me with one of his lazy smiles. “Come on,” he said, “let’s get this over so we can reclaim the weekend we lost.”

  I hiked the bag of documents I was carrying higher on my shoulder and nodded my head. “Okay,” I whispered in a small voice.

  We’d spent the entire weekend pouring over his financial records. Everything seemed to check out, which made sense. Bob, his accountant, was an extremely dedicated professional. Plus, Silas made enough money that he really didn’t need to worry about trying to defraud the government. When you had as much as he had, paying a fraction of it in taxes didn’t really impact you.

  Leaving my condo this morning, I’d felt good about how this meeting was going to play out. Now, I was a nervous wreck.

  Silas’ hand didn’t leave mine as we climbed the cracked cement steps up to the front door of the building. There was no doorbell so we knocked. When no one answered, he turned the knob and found it open. He looked at me, shrugged and pulled us both inside.

  This entire situation felt wrong. So had all the correspondence from the IRS in the first place. I’d pointed it out to Silas over the course of the weekend. None of the letters were signed, no agent had been formally assigned to his case, and no addresses were included on the letterhead. It was strange and unlike any other audit he’d gone through. But then, he didn’t seem overly concerned by it.

  But that’s probably because he didn’t know what I knew.

  He didn’t know what I did.

  And he didn’t know what I didn’t do.

  “Hello?” Silas called out. I looked around. The home appeared to be set up as a small office, which was a bit comforting. A receptionist desk was along the front wall and further back I could see the kitchen. The front sitting room appeared to be a lobby and a narrow staircase was to our right.

  “Come on up,” a voice called out from upstairs and Silas started pulling me upstairs. I hesitated, tugging at his hand.

  “Don’t you think we should have them meet us downstairs? By the door?” I whispered frantically.

  Silas twisted his features in confusion. “Why?”

  I fiddled with the hem to my jacket. “Just to make sure it’s safe?”

  He shook his head and smiled lightly. “Sky, it’s fine. Whatever this is, we’ll get it settled in an hour. I’m not concerned.”

  He was never concerned.

  And that concerned me.

  “Okay,” I said, relenting to his confidence despite my better judgment.

  I allowed him to lead me upstairs and he didn’t let go of my hand the entire time. The steps creaked under our weight, adding an eerie soundtrack to the already odd morning. We reached the top of the landing and there were three rooms surrounding us. One to our right, one straight ahead and one to the left.

  “In here,” someone called out from the room straight ahead of us and Silas and I walked hand in hand to what I was fairly certain was our doom.

  Past

  “I’m sorry, Skyler, but the University is not in the business of funding students who have no stage potential. You were awarded your scholarship because the scouts saw something in you. What it was, it’s obviously gone now. I know those words sound harsh, but I’m sure I’m not the first person to tell you that show business isn’t a world for the meek. If anything, you should be thanking me. I’m letting you know now before you put yourself out there only to experience the crushing rejection that is sure to come.” Xavier Payne looked at me with narrowed eyes.

  He was the head of the University’s drama department and every barely legal college girl was absolutely crazy about him. He couldn’t have been past his forties, but he sported salt and pepper hair with defined silver temples. His amber eyes were cold and he’d proven to be my downfall.

  “At least you’ll have time to switch your major over. I know plenty of people who decide that their first choice isn’t right for them and go on to a very fulfilling career.”

  I tried to hold back the tears that were fighting to spill down my pale cheeks. I was completely helpless in this situation. Mr. Payne had told me upfront when I’d arrived that he did not support the Board’s decision to award me a scholarship. He claimed it wasn’t about my looks. He claimed it was because I didn’t have the “right stuff.” But, I knew that was a shallow excuse. He was entirely preoccupied with his reputation and that of the school’s. And he claimed that my lackluster performances were putting all of that at risk.

  I’d heard the rumors that circulated around school about him. That he wasn’t just in charge of the drama department. That he had some connections that some people claimed were less than desirable and that he was starting to invest in various businesses across the nation, but no one knew how a college professor could afford to do things like that.

  But, I didn’t care about any of that. I tried to focus on improving my skills and getting better on stage. I worked tirelessly at my roles, but he never seemed satisfied. He nitpicked every performance I tried to give until just the mere act of going to rehearsal had me breaking down into panic attacks beforehand.

  I was alone in New York and given the target Mr. Payne painted on my back, I’d not managed to make many friends. Those I had during my first year started to dry up as it became more and more apparent that I was the incredibly ironic black sheep of the drama department.

  My mental health declined to the point where I was showing up an hour ahead of rehearsal just so I could sit in the orchestra pit and have a panic attack, because I knew the mere act of walking inside the auditorium was triggering.

  And it all finally culminated in this moment, at the end of the second semester of my sophomore year, where Mr. Payne told me in an all too chipper voice that I was lucky my scholarship was being canceled and that even though I’d have to reimburse the school because I was being put on academic probation, I should really be thanking him.

  “Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Payne,” I murmured as I grabbed my things and walked quietly out of his office.

  I pulled the hood to my grey sweatshirt up over my head to hide my extremely damaged hair. I’d switched it to so many different colors at Mr. Payne’s request that every strand seemed to hold a little bit of the rainbow. Except, instead of looking like a fabulous gay pride parade, it looked like the color of soda when kids mixed every flavor together.

  Tears streamed down my face as I made the long walk back to my rundown apartment. I could have taken the subway, but realizing that I was now a full 100k in debt, I didn’t want to spare the change.

  My feet ached as much as my heart by the time I crashed into my bed. I pulled out my laptop and despite how tired I was, I pulled picture after picture together, blending photographs that I’d taken of my time at school. They piled on top of one another in a beautiful cacophony of
faded and worn memories of my time here. It was something I’d started doing recently to try and process my emotions. I snapped photos throughout my day of random things and putting them all together had become strangely cathartic.

  I looked at it and knew keeping it to myself would eat at me. Maybe I wasn’t meant to be on stage, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t artistic. That didn’t mean I didn’t have talent. And sure, maybe it was vain, but I wanted just one person to recognize those things in me.

  For a second, my mind flashed with images of Silas. Of all the people in the world to see something in me, it had ironically been him. I hated admitting how much I missed him. How much I regretted the way things ended between us, and how much I wanted him to just show up outside my apartment one night.

  But, I knew that stuff only happened in the movies. Given that I never even had a cell phone when I was in high school, we’d never exchanged numbers. I had no way to contact him and by now, he’d probably forgotten about me. I was just the girl he teased in high school to distract him from his own, sad reality. It was my stupid heart that had to go and fall in love.

  This time, it was me who needed a distraction. I wanted to be someone else. Escape my current situation and show even just one person that I had talent and that my soul was full of color even if my skin wasn’t.

  My mind made up, I set up an Instagram account, something I swore I would never do, and typed in the first username that came to me. Maybe I was channeling Silas’ bullying even after all this time. Maybe I was trying to soar above it. Or maybe I was just over it, but @fadedwhitewings was the first thing I typed, and I knew it was right. I uploaded my first post with the hashtags #lookingback and #movingon.

  I cried myself to sleep that night.

  Just like every other night.

  In the morning, a notification waited patiently for me to awake.

  @dontaskmyname: Not bad.

  “Night Johnny,” I called out as I used the back door to the Friendly Pancake. I’d just finished my first full week at the little diner and even though working there wasn’t going to make a dent in my student debt, it was all a college dropout like myself could find at the moment.

  “Skyler?”

  I turned around and almost dropped the to-go box of pancakes I was holding.

  “Vartan?”

  I hadn’t seen him in just about three years now. Technically that was my doing. After the incident at school with Silas, I’d begged my mother to allow me to be homeschooled for the rest of the semester. After seeing how distraught I was, she’d relented and I spent the rest of my months in Potomac in our little cottage behind the Touper residence, tucked away and out of reach from the rest of their high society world.

  I didn’t see anyone from school before I left for college.

  I knew it was only a few years, but Vartan looked a lot different. His hair was still thick and black with the perfect amount of wave, but it appeared D.C. had gotten to him a little because his accent was a lot fainter and so was his tan.

  “It’s so good to see you,” he said, running up to me and pulling me into a big hug. My eyes widened in shock. It’s not like him and I had that sort of relationship when we were younger. But, his easy attitude and apparent enthusiasm at running into me seemed genuine and put me at ease.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him.

  He flashed me a brilliant white smile. “I’m in school at American. Just up the road from here.”

  “Oh,” I said. I really wanted to take a few classes there, and I was trying to save up, but I knew it’d be a while before I could afford it. The school was definitely in the Northwest price range. “That’s really cool.”

  He nodded. “I know this is really sudden and maybe a little too forward, but I always felt like we missed our connection when we were younger. What, with you always hanging around my—around Silas. Do you think I could take you out to dinner tomorrow night?”

  I was fairly certain my mouth literally dropped open and he laughed.

  I stumbled around for what to say and he looked at me with pleading eyes. “Just say yes, Skyler. Come on, make my day.”

  I blushed and looked down at the pavement. I laughed quietly before looking back up at him. “Yeah, okay,” I said.

  Another grin broke out across his features and it was infectious. I smiled back at him, unable to stop myself.

  “Is here a good place to meet up tomorrow, around six maybe?”

  I scrunched my face. “You want to eat here?”

  Vartan laughed. The gesture sounded so natural on his lips. “No, no. Not here. But I can meet you here and then we can go somewhere. Sound good?”

  I smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair away from my face. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

  “Goodnight, Miss Skyler,” he said and I laughed.

  “Goodnight, Vartan.”

  “This place is amazing!” I exclaimed as the waitress put another plate of the most delicious vegan food in front of us. “I can’t believe I’ve never heard of it!”

  The Fancy Radish was apparently the hottest new gourmet vegan restaurant in downtown D.C. and I’d totally missed its appearance on the map. It was probably for the best. Their prices were high but totally worth it. I knew I was going to bankrupt myself weekly trying to eat here.

  Vartan smiled and reached for another crispy cauliflower taco. He smiled as he bit into it and I couldn’t help but laugh at his face. Pure bliss. He wiped his mouth clean of his napkin and winked at me. “It’s really hard to get a reservation right now,” he said.

  “How did you, then?” I asked, reaching for a Peruvian potato slice.

  “I’ve lived in the city for a bit now. I know a few people. Even some vegans,” he said with another wink.

  I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of him winking at me.

  Hanging out with Vartan had my insides swirling in a tornado of hot and cold. On the one hand, just being around him made me think of Silas. We hadn’t spoken to one another since the incident on the bridge. My mother told me he’d tried to visit, but every time I refused to talk to him until he gave up and I left for school.

  It was entirely irrational, but I knew I still loved him. I’d meant what I told him and sure, maybe for some people their feelings would have burned up along with that bridge. But for me, they didn’t. Silas was always my second hand smoke and for whatever reason, the fire only made that scent stronger.

  But, I’d managed to bury those feelings and now, hanging out with Vartan, for the first time in a long time, I felt—almost happy. It made me sad that I’d avoided him all during school because of Silas. Silas always made him out to be this horrible guy. But maybe, he just didn’t like him because he was genuine. And Silas didn’t do real.

  The hot and cold I was feeling for Vartan and Silas swirled together inside of me until I was dizzy. But I was fairly practiced at burying my feelings about Silas and despite the heavy weather going on internally, I managed to enjoy myself the rest of the evening.

  The cab pulled up in front of my apartment and Vartan got out.

  “Don’t you want it to take you home?” I asked him as he paid the driver and waved him off.

  “I’m not far from here,” he said. “You live pretty close to the school, after all.” He paused. “Plus, I was hoping I’d get an invite upstairs. A guy can dream, right?”

  I giggled. I really didn’t want the evening to end. I was having such a good time. I understood now why people say laughter is the best medicine. Because I felt higher than a double-dose of Percocet and just as out of touch with reality.

  “Well, I can’t promise anything will happen,” I said slowly. “But, if you want to come up, you can.”

  Vartan grinned and moved forward, pulling me into a crushing hug. I laughed as he put me down and he followed me up the stairs to my loft.

  I unlocked the door first and threw my purse on the hook as he closed and locked the door behind him. “Do you want anything to drink?” I asked, heading i
nto the kitchen to look at what I had in the refrigerator. I grabbed a few bottles of water and soda from the bottom shelf and turned around, that stupid smile still plastered to my face.

  It died when I saw his expression.

  It was different.

  It was cold.

  It was mean.

  He stood with his back pressed to the door, his hand on the lock, almost as if trying to tell what I already knew was true. That was my only way out and I’d apparently gotten myself into a lot of trouble.

  “So, do you still keep in touch with Silas?” His voice was different. It wasn’t kind or light, like it’d been before. It was biting and his accent was almost entirely gone.

  “Vartan, what’s going on?” I took a step back, trying to put space between us.

  “I’m just asking a question, that’s all.”

  “Maybe you should just leave,” I said, as the alarm bells rung wildly in my ears.

  “I’m not leaving until you answer the question, Skyler.” His voice left no room for argument.

  “No, I don’t keep in touch with Si,” I said, his nickname slipping past my lips.

  Vartan raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t sound like you’re telling me the truth.”

  I grit my teeth. “Well, I am. I haven’t spoken to him since high school. Can you please leave now?”

  A sinister smile spread over Vartan’s face. “Do you want to know a secret, Skyler?”

  I shook my head but he continued anyway.

  “Silas is my half-brother.”

  His words shocked me but I tried not to show it on my face. I had no idea where this was going or the reason for any of it, and I didn’t want to give something away that could help me out of this situation.

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “I’m not surprised. Nobody does. Not even Silas, apparently. You see, dear old dad kept a secret.”

  I gulped. Percy Jenkins was a lot of things and while I’d never met the man, what Silas told me about him made me rather glad of that fact.