“I’d never call the love of my life a slut! And ok, maybe getting involved with four guys isn't something I would agree on, but I’m the last person who can judge you. Why do you think that I’ve never told you how I met your father until I had to explain myself with your half siblings? Granted, when we hooked up I didn't know that he was married but all it took him to convince me to follow him into his hotel room was a few minutes of chit chat during the flight we met on and one drink at the hotel bar.”
I hug her tighter.
“Yeah but he didn't dump you straight after ...”
She laughs and strokes my cheek with the back of her hand.
“Didn't he? If I hadn't fallen pregnant after that weekend and I hadn't tracked him down, I doubt that I’d ever have heard from him again.”
I think about it for a second.
Her story isn't that different from mine and Devon’s.
Only, it took me two weeks to capitulate and sleep with him.
So maybe Mom understands how I’m feeling right now.
“Baby, what about that Landon? He believes you.”
“I don't know, Mom. He was with Knox and they both looked so distant ... what if Knox told him that I slept with him and now Landon hates me too? Also, I saw the way he was looking at me yesterday in the library, when Devon told him and Teague that I slept with him.”
Mom sighs.
“Ok, but Aubrey, at the risk of sounding judgemental, this is why you don't mess with more than one guy at once. Regardless of what happens at the end, with Landon or the others, you'll have to face them at some point. You can't keep missing school and you know how important it is to your father that you graduate from BHPA.”
I nod.
“I know. I just—”
“You told them your truth, Aubrey. Now you have to let them come to their own conclusions. I know it hurts but if they don't believe you or if they’ve lost interest after they had sex with you, are they really worth your tears? I know it's easier said than done, sweet child, but if that's the case, you're better off without them.”
She's right.
I hug her tighter: coming home was the right thing to do.
Mom sighs again, she has a sad smile on her face.
“This is the hardest part of motherhood: to see your child cry and get hurt and not be able to take the pain away. To not be able to protect you from getting your heart broken. I wish it was as easy as when you fell from your tricycle, remember? A Band-Aid and a scoop of ice cream would make everything right.”
I smile for the first time since yesterday and I propose:
“Maybe a scoop of ice cream would make us both feel better?”
“You go ahead, baby. Just the idea of ice cream makes me—”
She gets up abruptly and runs into the bathroom, where she doesn't even make it to the toilet but vomits into one of the sinks.
I'm on the threshold and I look at her retching with a hand over my mouth: just the smell of vomit makes me wanna puke too.
“Do you have a stomach bug, Mom?”
She stumbles back towards me and I help her back to bed.
“No. If you’d picked up your phone or came to see me the countless times that I tried to reach out to you, you’d know that you're gonna have a new brother or sister.”
“Fuck me!”
I gasp, surprised.
Ok, I really need to stop blurting out expletives when I’m surprised, because Mom flinches the exact same way the principal did at the school assembly, when I saw Devon again.
And I feel tears starting to pour out of me again.
But this time they're happy tears: another sibling!
And this time, Alex, Abi and I can all see him or her grow up and be a family.
Maybe in a way it will be a way to get back what we missed out on by growing up far away from one another.
“Are you ok, Aubrey?”
Mom looks worried about my tears but I reassure her.
“Yes, Mom. They're tears of happiness.”
She hugs me tight and it must be the warmth of our embrace and the emotional stress that we’ve both been under, but we fall asleep next to each other.
Aubrey
I WAKE UP BECAUSE THE mattress dips with someone’s weight and I know it's Daddy before I even open my eyes.
The smell of his aftershave has always been one of my favourite, my pillow often smelled of it as a child, when he came to give me a goodnight kiss after my bed time had come and gone, if he had to work late or was back from a business trip.
He bends down to kiss Mom and then his dark blue eyes meet mine.
I’m still mad at him: our last conversation was a huge blow up.
To this day, I’m not sure if I moved out or he kicked me out.
His lips stretch in a tired smile but it reaches his eyes and one of his hands comes down to my forehead to move away a lock of hair.
“Baby girl, you're home ...”
Fuck!
The warmth in his voice makes my tears break the floodgates again and I know for a fact that my father hates weakness.
Whenever I cried as a child, he would dry my tears and tell me that Richmonds are strong and don't cry.
But this time his eyes look shiny too and I’m about to say something but Mom wakes up and he asks her how she's feeling.
His eyes are still on me though and I know that we need to talk about the new baby and what he expects from me.
“Maria said that dinner will be served in ten minutes. Aubrey, are you staying?”
I look at the digital clock on Mom’s nightstand and realise that Mom and I slept the day away and my stomach informs me that I’m starving.
So I nod: we might as well eat while we talk.
If you asked me what was for dinner, I wouldn't even be able to tell.
All I know is that I missed my parents but deep down, I’m still fucking furious with both of them for trying to control my life.
Especially Daddy but Mom too, because I honestly was shocked and disappointed that she didn't take my side.
Surprisingly Daddy doesn't talk much during dinner but after the maid clears up the dessert plates he clears his voice and asks:
“What brought you here today, Aubrey? Are you finally ready to reason with me and move back in?”
That ‘finally’ is what makes my blood boil and I almost stand up and walk away.
But I guess one of us here has to be the adult, so instead I try to come up with a diplomatic way to tell him that I want to be a part of this family but that I won't be controlled, when Mom answers on my behalf.
“She had some ... uhm, boy trouble, so she needed her Mommy.”
She smiles softly and I nod gratefully that she didn't tell him that I fucked two guys, almost fucked a third and managed to get dumped by all three.
That there's a fourth guy in the picture but he’s probably gonna dump me too because the others have probably convinced him that I drugged them and got them kicked out of the football team.
All because guy number one, the quarterback, was the one who ghosted me after fucking me last summer.
This is why they think I did it.
Yeah, ‘boy trouble’ sounds much better.
I sigh, Daddy’s waiting for an answer to his loaded question.
‘See reason’ means agreeing to his marriage plans for me and I won't do that.
“Daddy, I don't want to fight with you and Mom again. I'm eighteen but I still need you guys in my life and I love you. So, no, I won't move back in. If I did, I’d have to see the disapproval in your eyes every time I drive my car or do something that you don't agree to. And I'm sorry but I won't marry a guy you choose for me. This isn't the nineteenth century.”
I expect my daddy to say something scathing or try to force my hand but instead he sighs and looks at Mom.
“Well, Eva, I’m afraid your plan is impossible then.”
Hold on a second: Mom’s plan?
I look at my parents and I grab the ar
ms of my chair, pushing myself forward, as if looking at them more closely could help me make sense of the weirdness that my family life has become in the last year.
“Does someone care to explain what ‘plan’ you guys have and what that has to do with me? Pretty please?”
I edited out all the ‘f-bombs’ that my question contained originally, as it formed in my mind.
My parents look at each other again in that unnerving way they do: they always used to do it whenever I asked to do something that I knew they’d say no to.
It's like a silent communication that only they're privy to and it never fails to make my palms sweat with nervous anticipation.
Daddy is the one who explains.
“Aubrey, I know that the last time we spoke it didn't go very well. But before we get into another fight, could you please hear us out?”
“I—”
Mom pleads.
“Please, baby?”
I nod, bracing myself for another shouting session.
Well, my Mom and I yell, Daddy normally looks at us with a quiet fury in his dark blue eyes and I was surprised and a little amused to see Alex do exactly the same when he's pissed.
“Your new brother or sister will be born in less than six months. And your mom and I couldn't be more excited to have another child, despite it being a huge surprise to us. Aubrey you know how much I love you, right?”
I say yes with a sigh: I’ve never doubted that Daddy loves me but let's just say that in the last twelve months, that confidence has been tested by the fact that he and Mom hid that I had two siblings for seventeen years.
And by the way Daddy treats my brother and sister: I can't say that I grew up without his love, because despite being absent a lot due to his business, Daddy has always been a devoted parent to me.
But when I saw the way he let Alex and Abi grow up with nannies and boarding schools, basically denying them the love of a family ...
When I saw how he ‘washed his hands’ of his wife locking her into rehab to shack up with his mistress, my Mom ...
Yeah those facts made me see him under a different light.
Especially the way he treated Abi when her mom passed, trying to marry her off to secure himself a huge business deal and using me as a bargaining chip to make her do his bidding.
But I know that in his flawed, twisted way, he does love me.
“Aubrey, I know that I haven't been a perfect father ...”
“That's the fucking understatement of the year.”
I don't say it out loud and let him continue.
“Your mother asked me to resign from my position as CEO of RGS (Richmond Global Security). I would still be involved in many aspects of the business, but being free of the day to day running of it would allow me to be more present in the baby’s life and to support your mom a lot more. You'll be going to college next fall and I know how hard raising you without my constant presence was for your mom.
This is why at the time, she didn't feel like she could take in Alex and Abi.”
The fact that he wants to do right by the new baby, should make me mad but it doesn't.
I'm actually happy that at forty, Daddy is starting to see that there's more to life than power and money.
“Ok, that’s super. But what does it have to do with our fight? You can quit your job. I have my trust fund and I don't need a rich husband, so—”
“Please, let me finish, Aubrey. I know that to build my legacy, I sacrificed a lot. And I know you don't approve of the means I used to reach my goals. But the company is thriving, especially after the contracts that came from our new governor.”
He means Reece’s dad: when he tried to get Abi engaged to secure a business deal, fortunately for everyone, it turned out that his business partner was Reece’s father.
So despite that fact destroying any residual love that my sister might have harboured for Daddy, she lives with Reece and they got engaged after graduating high school, last spring.
Obviously, Abi got also engaged to Pryce, Max and Chaz but that's something that we don't discuss in the open.
“Ok, so if the company is doing well—”
He stares at me, annoyed by my constant interruptions.
“I spoke to the board and we looked for someone to replace me as CEO. We found the perfect candidate but he lives in Seattle right now. He would have to relocate to LA to take the job and the guy in question is hesitant because his son doesn't want to transfer schools in his senior year. I tried to find him a spot at BHPA but your academy doesn't allow transfers once the school year has begun. So he'll have to enrol at Aylesbury.”
I can't contain my question any longer.
“Ok, good for him! But I don't see why I should marry him! Dad, please don't try to make it sound like I need to marry this guy so you can have your CEO. That's ridiculous!”
He sighs.
“Young lady, you definitely take after your oldest brother. You jump the gun and shoot before you ask questions. If you had let me finish last time, I’d have told you that no one expects you to marry anyone. All your mom and I were asking you is to go out with him, show him around. Include him with your friends, so that his father will be happy to move. He feels guilty about uprooting him during his senior year. But he's the only guy the board of directors of RGS will consider to replace me.”
I narrow my eyes, unable to let go of my diffidence.
“When you say ‘go out’, you mean?”
Dad looks straight into my eyes: I have to give it to him, he's got some nerve.
“I mean ‘hang out’. Is that what you young people say these days? If then you liked Tyler as more than a friend, I wouldn't be mad.”
I shoot him a warning look.
“Daddy, if it's a friend thing, I can do it. If you expect more, my answer is definitely no. My love life sucks already as it is. I don't need more complications.”
And I can see the hard negotiator at work when he says calmly:
“I’m not telling you to do anything you're not comfortable with, Aubrey. However, I did take notice of your taste in boys: Tyler plays football for his school.”
He looks at me as if he'd scored a point and I realise that he doesn't even realise how controlling he is.
“Ok. I’ll hang out but don't expect anything else other than me offering this Tyler my friendship.”
And that's when he shrugs and quips:
“Well, since you stormed here to cry on your mom’s shoulder about your ‘boy trouble’, I don't think you're doing that well on your own. Maybe Daddy knows best?”
I’m about to tell him that Tyler can go fuck himself and my baby brother or sister can grow up the same way I did, because I'm not sure that more time with him is such a great thing.
But then I see the desperation in Mom’s eyes and I decide to help for her sake.
“Daddy, I mean it. I'm gonna show him around until he makes friends at his own school. That's it. If I catch wind of any monkey business, me and you are done. And I don't care if you don't let me see the new baby. I won't be blackmailed into a relationship with a guy to help your business. Are we clear?”
His mouth flattens in a straight line.
“Crystal.”
“Fine. Give me this guy’s details and I'll invite him to the game on Friday night.”
I stand up and hug Mom before walking towards the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. I promised Chaz to house sit. So I’m living there for the foreseeable future.”
Yeah, all of a sudden being alone with my own thoughts doesn't sound like the end of the world.
Can I be that surprised that my love life is such a giant mess if my family life is such a royal screw up?
I drive home without turning my phone on: I need to be alone with my own thoughts.
14.
Rumour Has It
Margaux
I SWIPE SOME PINK LIPGLOSS on my lips and check my reflection in the mirror: I look
positively fuckable.
Hopefully tonight I'll finally seal the deal with Devon: make him my boyfriend and make sure that he gets back on the team.
It's up to him: if he plays the game following my rules, his life will be awesome and we’ll rule on BHPA from the very top of the social rankings.
After all, it doesn't get much better than QB1 and cheerleading captain, right?
I don't feel that bad about Knox losing his starting spot, because he only got it after I fucked with Devon's sport drink.
Teague and Landon were just necessary collateral damage because I couldn't make sure that Devon drank the tainted bottle by doctoring only his without making it too obvious that I was the one that fucked with it.
My plan was to have Aubrey take the blame for it all along.
First of all, how dare she fuck the guy I want before me?
And I needed to kill Devon's crush for her: I hated the way he looked at her when he thought that she wasn't looking his way.
And if my plan doesn't work, I have an ace up my sleeve to get retribution against them both.
My sister taught me well after all: always cover all your bases, get the dirt on all the other people involved, just in case you get caught.
Always get your way or raise hell if you don't.
So I'm confident that this date will go like I hope and by tomorrow night, if Devon has passed all his drug tests in the last couple of weeks, he’ll be back on that field being BHPA’s brightest star and leading us towards the playoffs and the State Championship title.
And I’ll be there on his arm, in all the yearbook pictures.
We’ll be Prom Queen and King, and like this, history will be fixed, I owe it to my big sis.
Devon looks so fucking hot!
He’s wearing a collarless dark green shirt that makes his eyes pop and dark slacks that do nothing to hide how muscular his long legs are.
He takes me to this really hip sushi restaurant and I spot at least two major movie stars and a guy that I’m pretty sure plays for the Lakers.
Devon’s kind and charming in his usual quiet and brooding way, but he seems really interested in my stories and asks all the right questions at the right time.
Beverly Hills Prep Academy The Complete Boxset : A Light Bully Romance Page 79
