by Henry, Max
“I honestly have no idea.” That’s why I asked Mags over.
I can’t talk to the guys about this. If I confessed to any one of those idiots that I was worried about my girl, they’d laugh and call me a pussy.
I needed a chick’s perspective on what I should do next.
“I guess she’s on speaking terms with Colt, then, if he’s helping her keep in touch.”
I shrug. “Who would know for sure?”
Maggie frowns, her lips twisted to one side. “Should we perhaps talk to Mandy about what happened last night?”
“I’m sure Amber would have got to her already.”
Her eyebrows bop. “Maybe. But you know how skewed that side of the story would have been.” Mags picks at nothing on the knee of her jeans. “I just think she might appreciate hearing it from us, or at least you.”
I stare at the worn carpet between us, fingers tapping the arm of the chair. “I guess so.” I glance up to find Maggie staring out at the drizzle that’s begun to fall. “Should we do that today?”
Her darkened eyes swing back my way. “I’ve got no other plans.”
Our conversation hits pause when Dad re-enters the room.
He sets our drinks down on the table, glancing between the two of us. “I’ll leave you kids alone.” Kurt snags his phone off the arm of his chair and then turns for the kitchen door. “Got rounds to do before lunch. Nice meeting you, Maggie.”
“Thank you,” she calls after him, whispering as he shuts the door. “You too.”
A moment of silence passes before we both burst out laughing.
“What the hell was that?” Mags cries, still giggling.
“Maybe he’s thawing?”
“Yeah. And I planned a skiing trip in Hell this winter.” She frowns at the steaming cup of hot malty chocolate. “You talked to Johnson yet?”
I tip my head briefly to one side. “No real reason to.” Not that I ever needed one in the past.
The differing point of view on the kids at Riverbourne has driven a wedge between us. A five-foot-nothing platinum blonde wedge.
Maggie leans forward and collects her cup, holding it to her lips to test the heat. “I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“Not as long as he has her to come in.”
She splutters, holding the steaming drink at a distance to save herself from possible injury. “Jesus, Tuck. Don’t do that when I have a hot Milo.”
I chuckle, reaching for my coffee. “Sorry.”
Her chin jerks toward me. “Send a message to Mandy. See when she’s free. We might as well plan out the day, right?”
“I guess.” I take a swig of the brew and then set the cup back down to retrieve my phone. “What are we going to do about Lacey?”
Her gaze follows me as I rise from the chair. “Talk to Mandy first. See where she’s at on all of this. Fingers crossed that by then we have an update from Colt, or Lacey, whoever the hell has the phone.”
“Right.”
“Once we know how much Mandy’s willing to get involved, or share, then we’ll have boundaries for what to do to help Lace.”
I duck up the hall to get my phone, fucking thankful I’ve found a new friend in Mags. Left to my own devices, I probably would have done something stupid.
Like drive back to Riverbourne and finish what we started.
With her mother.
LACEY
Indecision pours from me in a rush of air as I fling the house phone aside. It bounces on the bedspread, landing with its screen face-up, taunting me with the numbers.
I know what Colt said makes sense; Dad deserves to know the things his children go through. But how do I bring the conversation up without sounding like a whining tittle-tale?
The lush carpet tickles the soles of my feet as I walk to the large window and take in the view from Christian’s room, bathrobe bundled tight around me. The property is expansive, the size capitalised by the house’s position at the foremost of the section. The neighbour’s yard is far enough away that all I can see above the perfectly trimmed hedge is the peak of their roofline.
I guess I hadn’t stopped long enough before now, to appreciate the tranquillity this property holds. On any ordinary day, I would have made myself a milky cup of tea and bundled myself in a warm cashmere sweater to sit out on the patio and watch the birds. The little sparrows hop and flutter across the thawing lawn; morning frost melts beneath the rising spring sun.
A few more weeks and the chance of snow on the hills will be long gone.
A few more weeks.
I don’t know if I could take the prospect of staying here in Riverbourne for the rest of the school year. I may not have a choice. Which is why I should call Dad and at least do everything I can to try to save myself.
Heaven knows my mother won’t be the one to help.
I heard Colt earlier make himself a coffee before returning to his borrowed room. There haven’t been any further signs of life from Mum’s end of the house, but the jitters finding home in my legs and feet tell me I should make the most of the situation while I can. Sooner or later she’ll decide to join the rest of us, and sooner or later this blissful peace will end.
“Feel better after a shower?”
Colt’s throaty question stirs me from the spiral of my thoughts. “Most definitely, yes.” I turn to address him.
He takes a step into the room, dressed in only his sweatpants. “Did you talk to Dad yet?” His chin jerks toward the discarded phone.
I shake my head and resume my position. “Didn’t know how to start the conversation. I can’t exactly call and just lay into it. I need a segue.” To my dismay, the birds have left the lawn.
“Sometimes its best if we don’t soften the blow,” he urges. “Packs more of a punch.”
“Like the stunt with Gayle?” I can’t help myself. “I’d say that packed a hell of a punch for her.”
He sighs. The desk chair squeaks under his weight. “I didn’t know they’d frame you for it. All they told me is that they would have you watch so that it put the frights up you.”
“Didn’t work though, did it?” I mumble.
“What happened at the principal’s office?”
I turn and frown. “Your bed-buddy didn’t tell you?”
He scowls.
“Libby and I are suspended until further notice.”
Colt blinks. “Hey?”
“Yeah.” I take a few steps toward him, my confidence growing. “But that’s not the best part. Mum’s boyfriend will get a work out too.”
Colt groans, setting both hands behind his head to lean back.
“Gayle’s parents are suing us both for damages.” I huff out my nose, leaning a little closer. “I would say that I deserve that from them in the very least except for the little fact that, you know, like, I didn’t do it.”
He pinches his bottom lip between his teeth, chest rising with a deep breath. “I can testify that you had no idea what they’d planned.”
“Would you though?” I spin away to seek out clothes for the day ahead. “When it means going against your side-piece?”
He shifts his legs, staring off to the side with a hard jaw while I tear jeans and a tank top from my drawer. “You’re family, Lace. There’s no comparison.”
“Really?” I gesture for him to spin around. “Because you picked them over me once before.” I’m that mad that I don’t even care the underwear I pulled out is mismatched. “Or was that three times? I’ve lost count.”
“Things were different then,” he argues, back to me as he faces the desk.
“How? Because you thought you still had an ‘in’ with them?”
“Because I thought by fucking things up for you in Arcadia you’d want to come back here with me.” Colt’s head tips back; his sigh resounds off the wall before him. “As much as I suck at it, I’m trying to help you, Lacey. I’m not the enemy here.”
“Maybe not.” I shed my robe and tug the bra and panties on. “But you’re stil
l far from my friend.”
He spins just as I pull the tank down over my belly. “No. I’m your brother.”
Knowing that nothing I say in the heat of the moment will lead us anywhere good, I choose to remain silent while I tug on my jeans. Colt fidgets with one of the cameras on Christian’s desk, then checking the drawer while he waits for me to finish.
“What about you?” I grumble, a little more subdued now that I gave myself time to cool off. “You don’t get a free pass from school like I do.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“Will you?” I gesture to his swollen lip and bruised eye. “Where’s Libby today, huh? Have you heard from her?”
He shrugs. “Not yet.”
I stare at him until it sinks in.
“What?” he protests. “You think because Libby isn’t with me that she’s with him?”
I lift an eyebrow.
He scowls. “Wait there.”
I fill in the time it takes him to retrieve his phone, tying my hair into a loose braid and applying light makeup to hide how tired and worn out I am. Colt reappears, head down while he scrolls the screen in hand.
His stunted sigh says it all.
“Was I right?”
“They’re heading out to the races together.” He pockets the phone, lips tight.
“You’ve got to ask yourself what that means for you, Colt.”
He folds his arms high on his chest, still standing barely inside the doorway. “It won’t last.”
There’s no point arguing this with him. He’s blinded by lust for that girl. And as much as I hate him for siding with the Riverbourne jerks and leaving me isolated and vulnerable, I have to admit that I’m only human.
I worry about him.
His fascination with Libby, with the privileged lifestyle we had, led him to make some shitty choices. And those will be his to live with forever.
If he doesn’t break away from this toxic social system now, then it will slowly wear him down for the rest of his life.
As long as I cower under my mother’s iron fist, he’ll believe that these people hold the power over him. If I want my brother free from this life of miserable servitude, if I wish to myself free from this prison, then I need to show him we have the power to fight back and carve a path of our choosing.
I need to lead by example.
“Where are you going?” Colt jerks back to make way for me.
I hesitate in the hall, giving myself one last chance to reconsider.
Nope. Still feels right.
“It’s time to wake Mum.”
LACEY
A fierce wave of anger courses through my veins. When it was only my wellbeing at stake, I could turn a blind eye to what she does. But when I look at my brother and recognise his strength waning a little more every day … she’s crossed a line.
Colt used to be the leader, the confident one. My big brother was always my protector, sure of his decisions in life.
Not any more. He sits there in Christian’s room as lost as I am.
We’ve woken from our mother’s dream, and neither of us wants to play anymore.
I slow my steps when I crest the end of the hall to find the woman of the hour strolling toward the kitchen and the coffee machine. Her satin gown flows behind her like some damn queen’s cape, and I guess in my mother’s mind that’s probably exactly what she is.
The ruler of our world.
I’ve never known her to be anything other than false nobility. For a woman who has never done a damn thing in her life unless it benefited her, she sure seems to view herself as the saviour of us all.
“Mum,” I call, garnering Alicia’s attention. “Can I have a word?”
“You’re home.” She gathers her gown tighter at her waist, stalling at the end of the enormous marble island. “Do I have you to thank for this, Colt?” She peers around me, eyebrows raised.
I take an unsteady step to one side, turning slightly to find Colt close behind.
He folds his arms and leans against the end of the hallway wall. “Nope. She came back here because she wanted to.”
“Damn it,” our mother cries. “What happened to you?” She rushes forward, halted by the lift of Colt’s hand.
“Penance for my sins.”
I roll my eyes at his dramatics.
“Is this your doing also?” she accuses me, gesturing toward Colt. “Did he get hurt defending you?”
“Oh, right,” I sass. “Because that’s the logical answer here. Not that Colt brought it on himself like he just told you.”
She tips her head to one side, eyes narrowed. “Sarcasm is not attractive, Lacey. You’re already on thin ice after taking it upon yourself to sneak out with some uncultured boy.” Alicia turns away, shaking her head. “Stupid girl.”
“Excuse me?” I stand firm despite how my hands tremble. She’s just a woman. A human being, like me. “How do you know he was there?”
“It’s the twenty-first century, for crying out loud,” she groans. “Phones have cameras. Kids have social media. Did you honestly believe none of those needy little bastards would have captured the evidence on their phone for five minutes of fame?”
Ugh. I was so wrapped up in her finding out through people we know that I didn’t even consider the ones we don’t. Damn it.
“You think you can make a fool of me,” Mum growls, closing the space between us, “and then come back here like nothing happened?”
There isn’t anything special about this woman that gives her power over me. Nothing. No reason for my heart to race like it does.
“That’s why I want to talk to you.” Chin high, I suck in a deep breath. “I understand there will be consequences, and I accept them willingly.”
“Oh, how noble of you,” she sasses. Alicia’s hand trembles where she clutches the dressing gown at her waist. “I had not one, but three messages from the ladies this morning about your shared antics last night.” Her mouth twitches. I’d say our mother tries to smile at the stupidity of it all, but all she does is grimace. “You knowingly brought those unruly country kids to our suburb to let them run riot at Christian’s get-together.”
“Get-together?” I sputter. “You think underage drinking and fornicating is a get-together?”
“You watch your mouth.”
Colt pushes off the wall, moving closer to me.
I shake my head, done with paying respect to a woman who doesn’t deserve it. “Don’t bullshit me and say that you have no idea what goes on at those parties. You’ve pushed me out the door to them, dressed like a high-end call girl, since I turned sixteen hoping I’d score myself a future husband.” I run my gaze the length of her with my top lip curled. “You and your pristine ‘ladies’ are nothing but pimps for your daughters, sitting around sipping tea while each of you hopes your daughter is the first to get hitched or knocked up by a guy with the right surname.”
Her face is red, the anger radiating from Alicia as she drops the hold on her gown and steps toe-to-toe with me. “You insolent little cow.”
All I can do is stare down at her and wonder if she wears Victoria’s Secret to make herself feel young, or because Derek likes it. “Just saying it how it is.”
“You have no idea ‘how it is’,” she mimics using air-quotes and all. “I dedicate my life to ensuring yours is the best it can be. What would you rather I do? Let you run riot on the streets with those hooligans from Arcadia, getting hooked on drugs or something worse like ending up pregnant to one of them or in prison for some petty crime?”
“Wake up,” I holler, causing her to flinch. “The only people who can afford the drugs they do use is the spoilt kids around here, and I’ve already received an assault charge after attending a Riverbourne party.” I let out a disgusted huff. “The world you want us in is the one that destroys us.”
Her focus flicks between my eyes before she stiffens her jaw and repeats what I had hoped was a heat-of-the-moment mistake. Her palm crosses my cheek, yet this time
I’m prepared enough to reel back and collect only the very tips of her fingers across my face.
“What the fuck, Mum?” Colt launches between us, ushering me behind him.
“I have had it up to here with your disrespect,” Mum yells around him, flinging one stiff hand over her head.
“And I’ve had it with you hitting me,” I holler back.
Colt glances between the two of us, one hand on Mum’s shoulder to keep her at bay. “This isn’t the first time?”
I pointedly stare at our mother, giving her a chance to backtrack and apologise.
Like the matron of our family that she is, Alicia holds her ground. “You keep giving me cause to.” She jerks free from Colt’s hold and steps back.
Tears spring forth; I can barely hold myself in check. Colt reaches out to console me, yet I push him away and lean toward Mum.
“The fact you think that slapping me will make me fall into line shows how badly you clutch at straws,” I growl. “You have no control over us, but instead of blaming the real person at fault for that, you try to threaten and manipulate obedience out of us.”
“And who is at fault?” Alicia yells. “Who?”
“You are,” I shout. “Ever wonder why not just one, but both of your kids are disrespectful toward you? Because we can’t stand you and the way you use us for personal gain.”
She glares at Colt with a mixture of fury and hurt. He’s her golden child, and he’s let her down.
Well boo-fucking-hoo. Mum let us down a long time ago.
“Is this really how you both feel?”
“Admit it,” Colt says softly. “You lie and cheat to get what you want, and then you expect us to be picture-perfect model children. How? How can we be so when we have you to learn from?”
For a fleeting second, I believe she might hit Colt too. But he’s bigger. Bigger and stronger and not one to stand and take it as I do.
“You both embarrass me,” Alicia says in a low, guttural tone. “All I want is for our family to succeed in this goddamn world, and yet you two selfishly run in pursuit of short-term gratification.” She shakes her head, disgusted as she looks at the two of us. “Do you have any idea how many years it took your poppa to build our name?”
