I stared at him, not doing much else but blinking and breathing. Even my mind, completely devoid of thoughts, suddenly became incapable of functioning. From somewhere above us a bird trilled, its song out of place in the dour moment.
“B-but,” I sputtered, not entirely sure where I was going with the conjunction.
He sighed and looked at the ground. “I’ve been trying to hide it from you for over six months. I kept thinking that things would get better, that I would be able to pull the company through.” He continued to gaze at the grass. “But that’s not going to happen.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but only a croak came out. I took a deep breath and tried again. “What are you going to do?”
Finally, he looked up at me. “I’m going to New York to see if I can work something out with some shareholders there.”
“Oh,” I said, relieved. “That doesn’t sound so bad. How long will you be gone?”
All I need is one weekend to throw a kickass house party and make all these worries float away.
He shook his head bitterly. “I don’t know. As long as it takes. I don’t know what will happen, Grace.”
My fingers were twisting together and I forced myself to stop. “It’s okay.”
He studied my face. “Grace, the company isn’t just filing for bankruptcy. I am too.”
“Okay.” I got the sense there was more to what he was saying, so I stood there, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Everything will change. We have to sell this house… and the one in Massachusetts.”
My vision blurred. “Wait. What?”
“We have to sell the houses. And the cars… the boat. Everything.”
A strange noise escaped my throat, making me sound like a cross between a rabid fox and a crazy clown. “Not my car. That’s mine.”
He pursed his lips. “Yes, the Hummer too. I’m sorry.”
The tears welled up in my eyes, and the anger surged forward, spilling out of my heart and escaping from between my lips. “How could you do this?” I demanded. “How could you let this happen?”
An expression I’d never seen on anyone settled on his face. I didn’t know exactly what he was feeling, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I tensed, thinking he was about to blow up at me.
Finally, he just ran his hand over his eyes and sighed. “I did wrong by you. I’m sorry… I brought you up, giving you everything you wanted, and now look.” He gestured pathetically at me. “Your mother would be disappointed in me.”
Pain pricked at my chest. I didn’t know what to say. He hardly ever talked about my mom, and to have him finally mention her in such a shitty moment sucked balls.
A quick realization hit me like a truck, and I gasped. “If you’re selling the houses, where will I go?”
I expected him to say Hotel Bel-Air, Rainy’s, or New York.
“I’ve been thinking about that too,” he said. “And you need to get away for a while.”
I guffawed, slapping my thigh. “I hardly think this is the time to plan a vacation, Dad.”
His face became stony, and I shut up. “You stay out late partying. You don’t have a job. You never finished school.”
I crossed my arms. “You make me sound like an awful person. That’s not all I do.”
“You tan and go shopping.” He held his palm up to silence my objection. “Like I said, it’s my fault for letting it get this way. I should have put my foot down when you got kicked out of NYU, but I didn’t. I was too busy working all of the time to be a father, and I’m sorry.”
Some of the tension left my shoulders. The apology was straight out of left field, and I had no clue how to respond to it. How ashamed he seemed of me.
“You won’t want to be in Los Angeles much longer anyway,” he said, his voice ominous.
“What does that mean?”
“North Carolina,” he said, ignoring my question. “I spoke to my brother this morning, and he’s agreed to let you stay with him for a while.”
My head spun, going a thousand miles per hour, a new question popping up with every mile the tornado of my mind gained. North Carolina, where? And what made my Uncle Joe — who I hadn’t seen since high school — so gung ho to take me in? And what was I to even do in such a hick state?
“I’m not going,” I gasped. “You can’t make me.”
He looked at me with sadness. Or was it pity?
“I think you’ll soon find that going there will be preferable to any other option.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
He turned and went into the house, shutting the door behind him. A few seconds later, I followed, immediately running up to my room and texting Rainy before hopping in the shower and washing my clown face off.
*
Ivy at the Shore was just as busy as it usually was on the weekend, but as soon as the hostess saw Rainy and me, she led us to the bar. The spot had been one of our favorite mid-day mimosa stops since both Rainy and I turned twenty-one a year before. Not that we hadn’t drank all the time before that. It had just been more difficult to do at all hours. There were lots of clubs, of course, that looked the other way — and even catered to us once they found out who we were — but restaurants at brunch could be a different matter.
On a typical weekend, we liked to come in and nurse hangovers while keeping an eye out for A-List celebrities and then acting like we could care less when Kim Kardashian or Brad Pitt settled down a table away from us and ordered an organic omelet.
This visit, of course, had an entirely different reason and mood behind it.
The hot, dark haired bartender smiled and nodded at us as we settled into two seats in the middle of the cozy bar. A minute later, our usual cocktails were in front of us. I took the first slow sip, letting the orange juice and champagne seep into my veins.
Rainy studied me from the corner of her eye. With her hair piled up in a big bun on the top of her head and a wraparound dress draped across her lithe limbs, she looked like she belonged in a magazine. All of our friends said it was only a matter of time before just that happened. She’d been trying to break out from the shadow of her dad for years, going to film auditions and modeling calls nonstop. Granted, she wasn’t exactly the best actress — that much I could tell — but we all knew you didn’t need to be talented to make it in Hollywood.
“So,” she said, swishing around the contents of her glass.
I glanced surreptitiously around us. The seat next to her was unoccupied and sitting on my side were two older men in suits. Even though no one we knew was around, I lowered my voice nonetheless. “It’s not a rumor.”
Her eyes went wide. “Oh my God.”
I gritted my teeth. “Yeah. Tell me about it.”
She stared at me, looking fearful, which totally sucked because I was kind of counting on her to help pull me through the catastrophe. If my best mate was losing her shit, how could I be expected to keep it together?
“What’s going to happen?”
I lowered my voice even more. “My dad’s going to New York to try and fix it all.”
She furrowed her brows. “Like, sell the company?”
“I don’t know,” I groaned. “I don’t know. All I know is that he wants me to go to North Carolina.”
“North Carolina?” she shrieked, making Mr. Hot Bartender glance up from the sink to look at us.
“Keep it down. I don’t exactly want the entire city to know.”
“I don’t get it. Why there?”
I nervously tugged at a strand of my hair. Despite the urgency of meeting up with Rainy, I’d made sure not to leave the house without washing and blow drying. I’d been growing my hair out for a few years, and it had just gotten down to my elbows. No matter what was going on, taking the time to look my best was a priority. After all, you never knew what might happen or who you could run into.
“Grace,” Rainy said. “Why North Carolina?”
I sighed. “Because my Uncle Joe lives there.”
“But what will you do there?”
I shrugged, suddenly not wanting to talk about it anymore. The further we got into the conversation, the more twisted my stomach became.
“Are you going back to school?” Rainy pressed.
“Nope.”
She grinned. “Are you raising cattle?”
I pursed my lips. “I think you’re getting North Carolina confused with Texas.”
She shrugged nonchalantly, like it didn’t matter either way. And it didn’t. She was staying in L.A. Everything in her life would remain normal and decent. I, on the other hand…
“Heeeey,” a familiar voice said.
From the front of the room, a girl in tight black pants and a crop top sauntered over. Madi pulled her sunglasses off and ran a hand through her short dark hair before stopping between mine and Rainy’s seats.
“Kick ass party last night, Rainy,” she said about three octaves too loud.
Rainy nodded. “Yeah, it was awesome.”
I glanced at Rainy, trying frantically to emote with my eyes how much I desperately needed her to keep her mouth shut about what was happening in my life. Just telling her about it was embarrassing enough — although necessary if I didn’t want to implode from the stress of dealing with the upheaval on my own.
Madi nodded eagerly, sliding her eyes to me, and I just knew. The way her head was bobbing up and down gave everything away. The question was whether or not she was going to mention the scandal.
“So,” she chirped. “What’s up?”
Rainy shrugged. “Just trying to recover.”
Madi’s thick red lips stretched into a malicious grin. I could practically see the wheels turning as she set her gaze on me. “And how are you, Grace?”
“Good,” I responded as naturally as I could manage.
She put on a phony look of sympathy. “I heard a funny thing this morning.”
“Hm.” I clutched the stem of my mimosa glass tighter.
She waited for more from me. I didn’t give it.
Instead, Rainy spoke up. “You guys want to check out that new club in Hollywood tonight? My friend Ricardo is a promoter for it.”
“I don’t know,” Madi replied, drawing the words out longer than necessary. “Can you go, Grace?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. Madi and I had never had a beef with each other. We usually enjoyed jokes at other people’s expenses. The fact that she could so suddenly be snarky after years of being friends was downright pathetic.
And who gets their lips pumped full of collagen at twenty-three anyway?
I thought about going ahead and asking her the question just to put her in her place. She was already opening that ridiculously puffy mouth again though.
“I mean, can you stand to be seen?”
The remark felt like a bolt of lightning. Instead of sending me crumbling to the floor, though, it had me sitting up straighter. I stared my unexpected adversary down. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Wow. You’re really amazing. You know, I really admire you.”
I turned my back to her, choosing to stare at the shelf of liquor bottles while sipping my mimosa. Her last remark didn’t even deserve a response.
“So you want to go?” Rainy asked Madi, as if the whole last minute hadn’t even happened.
“I’ll see,” Madi casually responded. “Who else will be there?”
“I don’t know. Ricardo has promised to get us the best booth. Oh, and I heard Leonardo DiCaprio might be coming.”
“He’s all right,” Madi answered, though she didn’t fool anyone. If the man were standing in front of her at the moment, she would probably be licking the tops of his shoes.
Madi went on. “Can you even afford to go out, Grace?”
That one hit me like a whip. I spun around in my seat to face her. “Yes, I can afford to go out.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Rainy said. “We won’t have to pay for anything at Blase anyway.”
I stared at her. Did she not see how much that dumb comment totally did not help?
Madi giggled. “Well, that’s good. If Grace does get in a bind, she can always wash dishes in the back.”
Rainy laughed as well. “Or mop the floor.”
I resisted the urge to kick her in the shin. Some best friend she was being.
“I gotta go,” Madi announced. “I’m meeting Katie and Amber.” She gave a half ass wave and walked away, weaving around the tables.
“You’re a bitch,” I snapped as soon as Madi was out of hearing.
Rainy looked clueless. “Huh?”
“You’re making fun of my life here. Or did you forget this is real and not some stupid movie you’re auditioning for?”
Rainy wrinkled her nose. “Geez. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
“You were completely on her side.”
Rainy sighed. “Okay. I’m sorry. I got carried away. This is all so… new, you know?”
“Yeah, I know,” I dismally answered before downing the rest of my drink.
“Are you coming tonight?”
“I don’t think I should.”
She tilted her head, authentically confused. “Why not?”
“Because it will be just like the last ten minutes… except way worse. Everyone will be there.”
I thought of Eli, and a pang ripped across my chest. What would he think of me once he found out I was poor? Would he even want to see me ever again?
I’d heard the term social pariah before, but I’d never thought the day would come when it could be applied to me.
“Oh my God,” I groaned. “I’m done for.”
“Stay with me,” Rainy said. “Don’t go to North Carolina. You know my parents won’t mind.”
I bit my lip, giving it some thought. “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because it won’t change anything. Everyone knows about what’s happening. How can I face everyone?”
“They’re going to know whether you live in L.A. or some town no one’s ever heard of.”
“Unless they don’t know where I went.”
Rainy cocked her head. “You’re going to lie?”
I squared my shoulders. “I’ll tell everyone I’m going back to NYU.”
“You got kicked out of NYU.”
I glared at her. “I know that. But I’m sure they make special exceptions sometimes. They’ve got to take students back.”
Rainy looked doubtful. “I guess…”
“It’s a great idea,” I told her. “As long as you go along with it.”
Rainy sucked in a slow breath. “All right.”
“Good.” I grabbed my clutch. “Let’s get out of here. This place is depressing me.”
I threw some cash on the bar and then stomped off, leading the way to the sidewalk. At the hostess stand, we passed a few men in suits. Rainy waved to them, then stopped like she was going to start up a conversation. Snatching her hand right out of the air, I dragged her through the front door.
“I don’t want to be here anymore,” I hissed through my teeth.
She yanked her hand away. “God. What’s your problem? I knew that guy. He was a producer on whatever that last film was my dad did.”
“So what?” I kept walking, heading past the valet parking stand and down the street.
“So he’s nice. And kind of cute.” She ran to catch up with me.
“And old.” I walked faster.
“No, he’s not. He’s only, like, forty.”
“He won’t give you a part in his next film.”
“Where are you going?” she asked, still a couple steps behind me.
“I don’t know. To drown myself in the ocean maybe.”
She finally fell into step next to me. “You know, you brought this into your life. You used the Law of Attraction.”
I shot her a look intended to kill. “Do not start with that bullshit.”
She scoffed. “What? You went to the worksh
op with me. You know it’s real.”
“Then how come you haven’t gotten a part in two years?” I threw back at her.
She shut her mouth, her lips drawing into a tight line. “I’m glad you’re not coming tonight.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Nu-uh, you said—”
I cut her off. “I don’t care what I fucking said, Rainy! My life is falling apart here, and all you care about is whether or not you’ll get a bottle service booth tonight! You think this is all a joke! You’re supposed to be my best friend, the person who’s there for me no matter what.” I stopped walking and turned to face her. “And right now you’re anything but.”
“That’s not all I care about,” she fiercely said.
I scoffed. “Oh, sorry. That’s right. You care about whether or not Leonardo DiCaprio is going to be there. News flash. Even if he is, he won’t be sitting at your table.”
She clamped a hand on a hip and opened her mouth to say something else but was interrupted yet again.
“Hey, Grace!” someone yelled.
We both turned to see two teenage boys standing on the curb. One of them had his cell phone pulled out and was apparently filming me.
“You going to sell all your designer shoes?” he asked.
Next to me, Rainy gasped. Instantly, my face started to burn.
I turned my back to the boy. “Come on,” I told Rainy. “Let’s go.”
I started walking, but she didn’t move. “Rainy,” I hissed at her. “Let’s go.”
The boy with the phone came closer, getting within a few yards of us. “Say something to the world, Grace. Tell them what it’s like to fall from the top.”
I kept my face passive, glad I was wearing sunglasses that hid my eyes so well.
Never once had a random person on the street known who I was… and now?
Fame truly wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
“Fuck off,” Rainy told the kid.
“Rainy,” I repeated, keeping my voice even and emotionless. An outburst was what the guy was looking for, after all. The more passive we stayed, the fewer hits the video would get on YouTube.
Our aggressor only took a step closer, coming within inches of Rainy.
“Hey,” he said to her. “Why don’t…?”
Wrecked (Crystal Book Billionaires) Page 2
