“No, Reece. She told Pryce and I that she couldn't choose among us. And we told her that she didn't have to choose.”
“Ok. Look, let's just go out and come back in a while. I’ll apologise and hopefully she'll forgive me. Let's not mention what we saw. It’s up to her to open up to us about it.”
16.
Daddy Dearest
Abi
I’M BRUSHING MY TEETH in Chaz's bathroom when my phone starts ringing.
It's Reece and I quickly rinse my mouth to answer.
I was hoping to see him today and maybe talk about what happened in the cafeteria during lunch.
Chaz and Pryce keep saying that he isn't with Lissa and that he just behaved like the world's biggest douche because he felt betrayed after that Facebook post.
I should be mad at him and I am, don’t get me wrong.
What he did and the things he said are very hard to forgive but at the same time, I saw the hurt in his eyes and if he didn't mean it, maybe there's a chance that we could try to repair the damage to our relationship.
“Hello.”
I try to sound distant: I want him to understand that I’m done apologising for something I didn't do and that if he wants me to even talk to him again, he has to try and get past the rumours and the Facebook posts, whether he believes me or not.
“Abi ...”
It sounds like he's driving.
“Are you coming here? Because if you are, Reece—”
He interrupts me.
“No. I was but then ... I’m on my way to the airport. I got a call from my dad. He’s gonna run for governor and he’s announcing tomorrow. So he wants me there, by his side.”
“Where's there?”
“Washington DC.”
“Oh. Ok.”
“I won't be back for a couple of weeks. He spoke to the Academy and he got the teachers to send me all the homework. I really don't wanna go but I’ve got no say in the matter. He needs some semblance of family to parade in front of his voters. He even got his parents to join this circus. I hate him, Abi. But he's the only parent I have left, so I ...”
His voice fades away for a moment and I almost think that he hung up on me but then he speaks again.
“Abi, I didn't wanna have this conversation on the phone and we’re not having it on the phone but I couldn't leave without talking to you. I’ve been a complete asshole to you. Not just today, from the beginning. I’m so sorry, baby. I’ve no justification for my behaviour other than being a dick and not believing you when I should have. If you never wanna speak to me again, I'll understand and I’ll have to accept it. But I hope you’ll give me the chance to show you that I’m truly sorry and that things can be different between us. That I’ll never doubt you again.”
His voice has that underlying softness again and I hate myself for how much I wanna tell him that I forgive him and that everything’s all right.
But I don't say any of it.
It helps not to have those dark blue eyes looking deep into my soul, reaching where no one else can.
“Ok.”
I cover my eyes with one of my hands and stomp a foot on the bathroom floor to express my own frustration.
‘Ok?’
Why does Reece have the power to reduce me to a speechless mess with tachycardia to boot?
My heart is beating so fast that I can barely talk without panting.
There's a moment of silence and then Reece says it again.
“I’m sorry, Abi. I’ll call you from DC. Actually, no. What I should say is can I call you from DC? If you don't wanna ...”
I interrupt him.
“Yes. You can call me from DC. And Reece?”
“Yeah?”
Reece, I’ll miss you. Please take me on that date when you get back.
I wanna say that so bad but it sounds too desperate even in my own mind.
I’m still mad at him but that doesn't mean that I want him any less. That I feel any less for him.
All I say is:
“Good night, Reece. Have a safe flight. Gotta go.”
That night I seek refuge in Chaz's arms.
He's the most tortured out of my three boys in a way, the one that seems to have more demons and yet he’s the one that makes me feel the safest.
In his arms I feel like I matter, like nothing bad or hurtful can touch me.
His honey and spice scent is something I crave and that turns me on and calms me down at the same time.
It’s like swimming in deep waters but you can see the bottom and you know you're safe.
And Chaz is incredibly sexy.
Most nights we’ve only cuddled and slept in each other's arms but tonight he shows me that Pryce and Reece aren't the only ones who know how to touch me and give me pleasure.
We get to look at each other's bodies and he’s the second naked man I see.
He’s cut, defined and has a few tattoos on his chest and torso.
And he's really big.
He's shaped a bit differently than Pryce and where the first is longer, Chaz has way more girth.
The boys are being patient with me, and Chaz shows me how he likes to be touched and when we're both satisfied, I nestle in his arms and fall into a deep, sound sleep.
THE DAY AFTER THE BOYS have practice and I do too but I’m not looking forward to facing Lissa, after the scene in the cafeteria.
Chaz and Pryce both insist on walking me to practice and they both kiss me smack on the lips in front of the other cheerleaders.
We’ve decided that we don't care about our reputation, that people at school can say what they want about us and that we won't hide our relationship.
Gossips will always find something to wag their tongues about and actually, I wanna see what their next move is.
If I have the chance to catch whoever is behind the Facebook posts red handed, I’ll make sure that they're the ones who get embarrassed.
Practice goes without a hitch and everyone’s surprisingly concentrated on our routines rather than talking.
That all changes when we get to the locker room afterwards.
Marlene and Kylie keep shooting me dirty looks: they’re respectively Pryce's and Chaz’s rally girls and they obviously had hopes to become much more than that.
Lissa on the other hand is even worse.
She’s standing buck naked in front of a mirror, brushing her long dark hair and she’s talking to the other two.
“I think it's only a matter of time before Reece officially asks me to be his girlfriend. We spent all night together. God, he's absolutely amazing in bed, I’ve never been with anyone so great at fucking.”
Ha!
She looks at me through the mirror when she tells that obvious lie and I’m grateful for his phone call and the photos he sent me this morning of himself running along the Lincoln memorial.
He looked like Captain America in Winter Soldier, only hotter.
If I didn't know without a doubt that Reece was on a flight to DC when Lissa claims that he was in her bed, I’d totally fall for it.
I’ve gotta admit that she's a very good liar: she gives enough details but not too many and she shows no hesitation when she tells her story.
When I make the mistake of meeting her gaze, she turns around and looks at me with false concern and a sweet tone in her voice.
“Abi, sweetie, I hope this isn't too much for you? If it bothers you, I’ll try to be more discreet when I talk about my man. I think Reece likes you enough but as he made it clear yesterday, he doesn't really do inexperienced girls. I hope there's no hard feelings between us?”
I smile back, trying to mirror her sickly sweet tone.
“Oh, no, babe! Of course there aren't any hard feelings! If it's you that he wants, then I wish you all the best. But how comes he isn't at school today?”
Lissa hesitates for a second but then she lies her way through it.
“Oh he was too tired, sweetie. We’re both very athletic and sex gets quite ... energetic between u
s.”
“Sounds like you two have a lot of fun. But could you do me a favour, whenever you see him?”
She looks a little flustered.
“Oh, yeah sure honey. What can we do for you?’
I lower my voice but still speak loud enough that most of the girls in the vicinity can hear me.
“Can you tell him I have his pants? Last weekend I was sitting on his lap and he got a little too happy and made a real mess. My housekeeper is a wiz with stains.”
She gets bright red, her gaze hardens and her false sweetness disappears from her voice.
“Sure! I’ll let him know.”
“Thank you babe! You're a real sweetheart. See you tomorrow!”
As I walk outside, I’m literally shaking.
That’s not like me. Confronting mean girls and responding to their passive aggressiveness with some of my own, definitely isn't me.
I’m not sure I like it but while I’d have no problem telling Marlene or Kylie to quit bullshitting, Lissa’s different.
She doesn't do direct and she’s all about stabbing people in the back.
But I couldn't keep my mouth shut this time.
“Abi, wait! I’m sure I’ve missed something in there?”
Gabbie’s running after me and she looks worried and confused so I explain.
“Reece is in Washington DC. He left last night and there's no way that he was with Lissa all night or at all, really.”
Gabbie nods.
“I told you, Lissa’s not all right in the head. But you might've pissed her off.”
“So be it. I’m sick of being ordered around, judged and mistreated by Marlene and Kylie while Lissa pretends to be super nice to my face.”
I’m so wound up about the mean girls at school that as I walk towards Chaz's car, I almost miss the black SUV that my dad hired to chauffeur me around.
I almost ignore it and walk away but curiosity has the best of me and as I approach the car from the drivers side, the tinted window in the back rolls down and I find myself staring into a pair of blue eyes that look like a mirror image of my own.
“Dad?”
He opens the door and I know I’ve no other choice but to go with him.
I look at Gabbie and she nods and mouths that she’ll let the guys know.
I’m definitely gonna call them later but I know that if they don't see me when they walk out of practice, they’d get worried.
“Hello, Abilene.”
There aren't any hugs or emotional reunions.
I might've have seen my dad every other year since I turned six and quarterly at best when I was a child.
He’s more my CEO than my dad: he looks at my school reports and we have a monthly chat in which we discuss my achievements and what I’m planning next to bring prestige to the family name.
We don't talk much during the drive home but Dad comments on my cheerleader uniform.
“You look good in that. Is cheerleading everything you were hoping it would be?”
I nod but I don't tell him about the mean girls and definitely don't mention that I’m dating three football players!
All my dad knows about me is what he sees in my school reports and maybe he could get a hint about my interests from the extra curricular activities I choose.
However, we're two strangers.
I know nothing about Spencer Richmond: what are his likes and dislikes, his fears, his hopes, and dreams.
I know he’s relentless in making Richmond Global Security a conglomerate giant in everything related to security systems and a lot of other side ventures.
And I know that he treats me and Alex like two assets: we can be valuable to the family name or a disgrace and we better be the first one because any infraction, no matter how small, is dealt with swiftly and severely.
I’m scared about incurring in his wrath more than I was of Sister Lucia, the Mother Superior at boarding school.
When we arrive home, he heads towards the main house which for me is weird in itself because I normally prefer to hang out and sleep in the pool house.
He had our housekeeper prepare roast beef, Brussels sprouts, and mashed potatoes for dinner and before sitting with Dad at the huge dining table that seats at least twenty five people, I excuse myself to go and change out of my cheerleading uniform.
I know that Pjs or leggings and a tank top won't do, so I opt for a dark blue sheath dress that looks way too formal for a dinner at home but I hope will be appropriate.
Before I go downstairs, I shoot a quick text to the boys informing them that my dad is home and that I’ll call them later.
We eat quietly and I catch dad looking at me when he thinks that I’m not paying attention.
We get served chocolate cake for dessert and this is when I learn the reason for his visit.
“Abilene, there's a reason why I’m here, my dear. There's no delicate way to say it, so I’ll just go ahead and tell you. It's about your mom. She was high on painkillers and she fell down a flight of stairs. The doctors can't do anything to save her. She's in a coma and there's so much damage to her brain and to her other organs that there's no way she’ll ever recover or even wake up. They called me to ask for my permission to cease life support.”
No, this can't be true!
It must be a mistake, I got an email from her just last week.
I don't say anything to my father, but the pity in his dark blue eyes, so similar to mine, makes it impossible for me to rein in my tears.
“We aren't allowing them to do that, right? I mean, miracles happen ...”
Dad sighs.
“Abilene, the only reason why I didn't allow them to do it when they called me last Sunday, is that I thought you and your brother might want to say goodbye.”
“You’ve known almost for a whole week? And you tell me only now?”
I wanna yell at him.
I think I should yell at him but my voice comes out low and almost flat.
He doesn't care.
No, actually to hell with manners! The nuns aren't here to reprimand me for swearing, so let's be real.
He doesn't give a shit!
At least my father has the decency to look uncomfortable about the whole situation.
“Abilene, I got here as quickly as I could. Alex will be here tomorrow morning and we can go see her. We can all say goodbye. As a family.”
‘As a family’.
I don't have a family. I never had one and I know it's as much Mom’s fault as it's Dad's but they both chose other things rather than to raise their kids.
I dry my tears: he doesn't deserve to witness my emotions and my suffering.
I rise from my chair and I realise that he probably doesn't care about how I feel anyway.
“Very well. Let me know what time we're going. I do wanna see her.”
I try to make myself walk out of the dining room as slowly as I can.
I want him to feel uncomfortable, if anything.
He’s only here because he has to sign a form and he has to do it in person, not because he cares about me or my brother.
As soon as I’m out of earshot, I go to my room to get my phone and then I let myself out of the backdoor in the kitchen and retreat to the pool house.
I dial Chaz's number and he picks up immediately.
“Chaz, I need you. Can you come over?”
“I’m here.”
I take my phone away from my ear and look at it as if it could project his hologram or something.
“What do you mean, you're here?”
“I’m right outside, by the pool.”
I run to the patio door and as soon as I slide it open, I throw myself into Chaz's arms.
There's worry in his gorgeous hazel eyes and his hand is gentle when it cups my jaw while his thumb chases away a stray tear.
“Angel, what's wrong?”
I tell him everything and he holds me tight in his arms, his scent of honey and spice comforting and alluring at the same time.
When I calm down, his lips brush mine softly.
“Chaz, can you stay with me tonight? If we sleep in here, Dad will never know.”
“I’d sleep on a bed of nails for you.”
It isn't late but I feel exhausted, so Chaz and I climb into bed in the guest room that I was using at the beginning, when I was staying here.
I miss Chaz's bed and his house: I hadn't realised how much I felt at home there, while this place has never felt like mine.
We spend a long time kissing.
He drags his lips all over my face and neck and then brushes them against my own lips slowly and lovingly.
It reminds me of that first afternoon that we spent alone together, when he was supposed to ‘teach me’ how to kiss.
“Chaz, how did you get here?”
The thought hits me all of a sudden: the security system in the house is crazy advanced and I need to know if my dad could be aware that I have a boy in here.
I’m eighteen but I’m pretty sure that he’d have a problem with this.
“One of your security guards used to work for my band. He agreed to give me the code for the security system and his ID, so I can sneak in. I explained that you're my girlfriend and ... he knows I’m not a weirdo. I promised that if your father finds out, I’ll give him a job. I hope this is ok with you?”
I probably should be worried that one of the guys who's supposed to protect the property gave up codes and access to it but I guess that he didn't do it for money, he did it because he knows Chaz?
Regardless, it isn't my problem, I don't even know why Dad feels the need to protect this house the way he does.
But what attracts my attention is that he called me his girlfriend.
“Am I your girlfriend?”
He smiles, one of those smiles that lights his eyes from within.
“I hope so. I know that Pryce asked you and I definitely want in.”
“I’d love to be your girlfriend, Chaz.”
He looks suddenly serious and he holds me closer, the tips of our noses touching.
“I know only one thing, Abi. I want you and I wanna be here for you whenever you need me. I need you too. You're my angel. What I’m trying to say is that I love you, Abi.”
“I love you too.”
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 49
