They weren’t the only ones with something on the side.
Right?
I swallowed hard and bit my lip.
I looked at my phone and it was close to two in the morning.
My day was already planned out and kind of done.
Meaning… I knew what I had to do and what time it had to be completed by. That meant some more work for BFH. Checking in and up with Gia. Packing some stuff. Making sure my mother was going to be okay for a couple days. Think. Eat. And then wait for the guys to show up.
There was a small fluttering of excitement in my stomach. That part I wasn’t completely sold on.
I didn’t want to be excited.
I wanted to be focused and ready for revenge.
Being at the ball - or whatever you wanted to call it - wasn’t about pretending to be as rich and powerful as their families. This was about information. This was about watching how their families worked and finding anything out that I could use to destroy Noah, Easton, and Xavier.
Plus, I was still thinking about what Talon had said to me.
Giving me those little nuggets and hints about some dirty money deals.
I groaned and continued to stare at my phone.
The debate that raged in me came to a sudden end when I clicked on Talon’s name.
Hey. You up?
I shut my eyes after I sent the text.
Really, Winter? You’re beautiful. You can have any Bump you want. And yet you’re texting a Troc at two in the morning. And you know exactly what you want Talon to do. YOU.
I’m always up for you, Winter.
I read the reply and knew I was in trouble.
It was decision time.
A text was one thing. But I knew what I really wanted.
We’re both awake. Want to come over?
My face burned hot as I stared at the screen before I even sent the text.
This was something I had never done before.
And it looked like it was going to be the first time…
Send.
Talon began to reply right away.
My mind flirted with images of what could happen. What would happen. We would have to keep everything a secret. Nobody needed to know about my memory or my enjoyment of a Troc.
Damn, darling. Someone must be lonely tonight. Can’t come over. Have plans. Type me a text message with your finger but don’t touch your phone. Get it? ;)
The wave of heat that had just sorted through me gave way for embarrassment.
Fuck.
I had just put myself out there for Talon, and he rejected me.
And that meant he would bring it up next time I saw him.
I put my phone on the dresser and rolled up in my covers, my heart pounding.
I couldn’t believe what I had just done.
That was stupid.
Really stupid.
All because of jealousy and spite.
My mind played images of Noah, Easton, and Xavier with those girls. All the things they were doing. Or could do. Or would do.
“Ohgod,” I whispered to myself.
As a Bump my life was to avoid anything that resembled work and manual labor. That was just how things went.
But I was certainly good with a shovel, huh?
Digging the hole for myself one breath at a time.
I was almost afraid to look at my phone the next morning.
I expected dozens of texts from Talon teasing me.
But my phone was quiet.
I found that to be a disappointment too.
It was like living in a no-win situation.
That was my life.
No matter what I did, I could not win.
But I could get some coffee and breakfast.
So that was a win. A small one, but a win.
My mother was in the kitchen, which wasn’t a surprise. She looked at me and her eyes told me she hadn’t slept yet.
“Long night?” I asked.
“Very.”
“Was it worth it?”
“Eh,” she said. “I stayed, hoping it would get better.”
“Let me guess… it didn’t.”
“Nothing worse than mediocre,” she said. “You spend hours waiting for the moment to come and then it does…”
She cringed.
“Was it a is it in moment or a that was it moment?”
My mother tilted her head. “Look at you asking these dirty questions. Hmm. How was your night?”
My face instantly turned red.
Because of what should have happened with Talon.
“Boring,” I said.
“The color on your face says otherwise.”
“Trust me, it’s not that.”
“Why are you blushing?”
“You’re my mother,” I said. “The subject matter is…”
“So mothers can’t talk to their daughters about sex?”
I poured myself a cup of coffee and prepared it.
I sat at the counter and took a sip. “No offense, but you were never around. So this is new and weird for me.”
“It always goes back to that, huh?”
“I mean, it’s the truth,” I said. “I’m not holding it against you. I’m not throwing it in your face. I’m just telling you what it is.”
“Does it hurt that I wasn’t around?”
“What?”
“Just an honest question.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t want to think about it.”
“You had a good life, Winter. Everything was taken care of.”
“Maybe I did,” I said. “Maybe that wasn’t what I wanted.”
My mother frowned. “I…” Her phone buzzed on the counter. She looked down at it and then flipped it over.
Her cheeks looked a little flushed.
“What is it?” I asked.
“You don’t want to know.”
“Oh, yes I do.”
“Uh… well… your mother is kind of talented.”
“Okay…? You mean like singing? Writing? Painting?”
“My talents are best in the bedroom.”
“Oh,” I said. “Then… what…”
She smiled.
“Do I really want to know?” I asked.
“My ten second friend from last night into this morning just sent me a picture of what he wants me to have for breakfast.”
My face turned red again.
“Let me guess…”
“I better go freshen up.”
“You’re leaving?” I asked.
My mother shrugged her shoulders. “At least I know what to expect now. Why not, right?”
“Sure,” I said.
She moved from the counter and stopped. “Wait. Are you leaving today?”
“Yeah,” I said.
“Make sure you have your phone,” she said. “And text me if anything happens. I mean it, Winter. If you need help. You need a ride. I’ll call in something fake to break up the ball and get you out of there. Whatever it takes.”
“Really?”
“Believe it or not, I don’t want anything to happen to you,” she said. “I know I’m years too late, and that’s fine, but when I got the call about your accident, it hurt me. It ripped right through me like nothing had ever done before. You don’t want to get into it, which is fine, but when I left your father, my thinking was that it was all for the better. For all of us. Nobody was happy. Did I use him for his money? Damn right I did. Did I get a baby out of him for that same reason? Yeah. That doesn’t mean I didn’t love that baby. But there came a time when…”
Her phone buzzed in her hand.
She looked at the screen and smiled.
“I better go,” she said. She looked at me. “Be safe. I know what you’re doing here isn’t safe, but I hope you’re as safe as you can be. Don’t let them win, Winter. Don’t fall for their eyes, muscles or words. Trust me.”
She waved her phone.
“So don’t do what you’re doing rig
ht now?” I asked with a smile.
“See? Don’t ever say I didn’t do anything for you.”
My mother hurried out of the kitchen.
I lifted my coffee mug and took a deep breath.
I had no idea what to think of her.
Crazy, lunatic bitch.
Hiding her pain and regret by fooling around with men.
Yet, she was my mother.
I wasn’t sure if I loved her.
But I really wanted her to love me.
The rest of the day was as busy as I expected it to be.
The lonely coffee and breakfast was the quietest part of the day.
I luckily didn’t hear from Talon at all.
My only hope there was to not hear from him until I got back from the ball thing. By then my stupid text messages would hopefully be old news. And even if they weren’t to him, I could just wave it off as old news.
Simple.
The last thing I did was supposed to be the first thing.
Which was packing.
I stood at my dresser with Gia next to me.
She hooked her finger around a pair of panties and lifted them up.
“These?” she asked with a grin.
“Can you not?” I asked. “I don’t need you touching my clothes. Not with that smile on your face.”
“Sorry,” she said.
Gia was in a really good mood today. Which I kind of greedily needed her to be.
She backed away from the dresser and sat down on the edge of my bed.
“I’m just making sure I have everything. Just in case.”
“What could go wrong?” Gia asked.
“Too much,” I said.
I walked a handful of clothes to my bag and dropped them down.
I was packed like I was going away for a month.
But, seriously, I had no idea what to expect.
And with all these rich people, I didn’t want to be caught off guard. I wasn’t sure what was going to be fancy or casual or in between. Even my bathing suit… I had to pack three. Just to be safe. I didn’t want to be seen swimming and then have the same bathing suit seen again later or the next day.
Like it mattered, right?
But it did matter.
These were rich and powerful people.
Their opinions didn’t matter to me as much as making Noah, Easton, and Xavier think that I cared so they would get closer to me. That was always the goal.
Get close but not too close.
I walked to my closet and let out a sigh.
I shut my eyes and just grabbed clothes.
I walked them to the bed and dropped them in a bag and half zipped it up.
“Done,” I said
“Winter…”
“I know,” I said. “I’ll organize it.”
I hurried into the bathroom and shut the door.
Suddenly, my heart was in my throat.
I was jumpy.
Nervous.
The door opened behind me.
“Okay,” Gia said. “Time to talk it out.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said.
“Oh, I think there is.”
I spun around and leaned against the sink. I opened my mouth and almost confessed what had happened with Talon. Or what I had texted him. What I had wanted.
But I knew better.
That would only make Gia mad at me.
“You’re really nervous about this,” she said.
“Maybe I am.”
“Why?”
“It’s all new people, Gia. It’s strangers.”
“Are you worried about their power or something?”
“Not really. I just don’t know how the guys are going to introduce me. Or what I should do. Or if the accident is going to be brought up. Or maybe they already know about the accident.”
“Who cares?” Gia asked. “Own it. That’s why you’re there, remember?”
“I remember everything,” I said. “That’s the problem.”
Gia laughed. “It’s not a problem.” She sighed. “I can tell you what’s going on here and you’re going to hate me for it.”
“Good. Don’t say it.”
“You like them.”
“I said don’t say it.”
“You like that they give you attention. That you’re going away with them. You don’t have anyone in your life who is telling you not to go. Your mother is a psycho bitch who loves drama.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I think this is crazy,” Gia said. “I also know what it means to you. To get back at them. To find your peace with what happened. I also know if you do have some kind of feelings for them, staying away is only going to make it worse.”
“So what’s the solution?” I asked.
“I’m not sure,” Gia said. “I’m your best friend. So I’ll be here for it all.”
Gia reached behind me and opened the medicine cabinet.
She looked around and let out a hmm sound.
“What?” I asked.
“I’m looking for something.”
“What?”
“The most important thing to pack.”
“Which is?”
Gia looked at me. “Common sense.”
“Oh, shut up,” I said.
I pushed her away.
She laughed. “Sorry. Had to. But… common sense, Winter. Just please use common sense. No matter what.”
“It’s two days,” I said. “Or two nights. Whatever I’m trying to say here. I’ll be fine. I just need to know as much as I can. I need to put it all together and then break them for good.”
“Leave your heart here then,” Gia said. “And your desires for them.”
“Again… shut up.”
I walked out of the bathroom and Gia followed me.
I reorganized my bag and zipped it up for good.
I put my hand on the bag and looked at Gia.
I took a deep breath.
She did the same.
“It’s going to sound dumb,” she said. “But I’m going to miss you.”
“I’m going to miss you too,” I said.
“Ugh, we’re such good friends,” she said.
“That we are. Messed up lives and all.”
My phone lit up on the nightstand.
I looked and I sighed again.
It was time to go.
Chapter 18
ours now
I put my bag into the backseat of Tank Two. I carefully hung the dress so it wouldn’t fold or wrinkle. I still loved that the guys had no idea what I had done.
Xavier sat behind the wheel of his SUV.
It almost dwarfed mine.
Big, sleek, everything custom (as always).
It screamed money.
The exact kind of vehicle you’d take to something like where we were going.
“What are you doing?” Easton asked as he smoked a cigarette in my driveway.
“Driving myself,” I said.
“No way, Winter. That’s not-”
“I’m driving myself up there,” I said.
“It doesn’t work that way,” Easton said.
“Actually, it does,” I said.
I got into the driver’s seat of Tank Two and stared at Easton in the mirror.
Right on cue, Noah got out of the other SUV and hurried toward me.
I locked my door just to be safe.
I did put the window down though.
So Noah and I could argue.
“This doesn’t look good,” Noah said.
“Do you think I care?” I asked.
“Winter,” he said.
He looked back at Easton.
I looked in the mirror.
Easton dropped his cigarette and stepped on it.
He walked back to the other SUV.
Noah looked at me again.
His eyes were different. They were almost kinder. Almost innocent.
Then he said a word I never thought I’d hear
come from his mouth.
“Please.”
“What?” I asked with a grin.
“Winter, please,” he said. “I know you’re a bad-ass tough girl who can drive herself. I get it. You want to prove to the world that your accident didn’t change you.”
“What do you know about my accident?” I asked.
Noah’s lip curled.
“Winter. I’m asking you to do this for me.”
“And what are you going to do for me?” I asked. “Why should I do you a favor? I’m already going to this fucking ball thing.”
“Stay home then,” he said. “Fuck it. I just don’t want anything to happen to you. That’s all I care about.”
“So you think something will happen to me when I’m driving?” I asked.
“I didn’t say that,” Noah said. “It’s about looks. We show up. You’re with us. It’s known you’re with us.”
“Wait a second… do you think whoever is following me is going to be there?”
“I don’t know, Winter,” Noah said.
Xavier beeped the horn.
Noah waved his middle finger.
I watched in the mirror as Xavier threw the door open and jumped out.
He hurried toward Tank Two with speed.
“What the fuck is this?” his voice boomed.
“She won’t listen,” Noah said.
“Surprise there,” Xavier said.
“Fuck off, Xavier,” I said. “I’m driving myself up-”
Xavier opened the back door and grabbed my bag and the dress.
“Hey!” I yelled.
“Don’t care!” Xavier yelled back.
He walked toward the other SUV.
I looked at Noah.
“At least I said please,” he said. “Let’s go. Now.”
I guess I had no choice.
I got out of Tank Two and walked side by side with Noah.
“Don’t hate me,” he said.
He touched my back and I elbowed him away.
“I’m done with you all,” I said. “You’re taking me to this knowing it might be dangerous. How is that protecting me?”
Noah didn’t answer me.
I walked to the back door and opened it.
Easton sat there with a smile on his face.
“Move over,” I said.
“This is my seat, Winter.”
“Move the fuck over!” I yelled.
Easton’s eyes went wide then he slid across the seat.
I got into the back and slammed the door.
Xavier looked at me in the rearview mirror.
Damaged Love (Bay Falls High NEXT Book 2) Page 15
