by Sarah Tork
“She touched my shit?” My jaw dropped, horrified. I didn’t like it when people touched my shit. I had attachment issues.
“He actually did.” Xander corrected. “And don’t worry everything is as we found it, not an item missing.”
“For your sake, I hope so.” I told him walking towards the bedroom. Then I remembered I had no bed or desk, all I had was my used leather chair. I stopped before going inside. “I don’t have a bed or a desk, the ones from my old room belonged to Mrs. Lee.”
Xander walked up to me. “Don’t worry about that, I fixed that.” We stared at each other for a few seconds too long. This guy was driving me crazy. He’s fucking disgusting, but at the same time, he’s kind of sweet.
I looked away, stifling a smile. “You’re still a perv.”
“Never said I wasn’t that too.” Xander said and my smile erupted.
“Let’s see what your designer guy did, there better not be a Victoria’s Secret theme going on in there.” I mentioned before opening the door.
“Damn…that’s a good idea. I wish I came up with that.” Xander exclaimed ‘sadly’ as the door opened and I gasped, shocked at the room before me.
“Oh my God!” I screeched, taking in the huge room decorated in soft shades of purple and green. There was a queen-sized bed with a lush purple and green comforter, and four matching pillows. I had a long glass desk with my laptop nestled on top with my used leather chair in front. Beside the bed was a chestnut dresser as high as I was. I turned and gaped at Xander. “I don’t understand?”
“Do you like it?” Xander asked, looking serious.
I gulped. “Yeah,” I said breathily, turning back to take in my new room. I walked all the way in and immediately pointed to a pair of double doors. “Is that a closet?”
“Open it.” Xander instructed, smiling.
I opened it and gasped. “It’s a fucking walk in!”
“That’s right, it’s a fucking walk in.” Xander said breathily, right behind me. “Tomas arranged everything inside here, plus a few things I had Harmony pick up for you.”
My jaw dropped.
“Anyways, relax and look around. I have to go and make a few calls regarding tonight.” Xander explained.
“What’s happening tonight?” I asked on his way out.
He stopped and turned. “We go out for dinner. I’m going to need your help with a client, bestie!”
“I’m not fucking anyone for you!” I snapped.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Anyways, if it were that easy to win people over, I already have girls who would be willing to do that, so no worries.” Xander smirked leaving the room. I heard the front door open and close.
I placed my leather bag on my new desk, running my fingertips along the edges of the smooth glass.
Shit…this was fancy.
Grinning, I took three leaps and jumped backwards into my new huge ass bed. I fell into the heavenly comforter, curling the fabric into my back.
Oh my God, this felt amazing, especially after sleeping on a hard mattress with thin sheets for almost three weeks.
Fuck me, how did that happen? Did I actually go to prison?
It felt like a nightmare, like it didn’t even happen. Unfortunately it did, and sooner or later, I was going to have to tell my family.
But not now.
Fuck it…maybe not ever.
*~*~*
“Hey Darcy!”
“Marisa, you’re back!” Darcy yelled happily from the other line. I hoisted my newly reactivated cell to my ear and smiled.
“That’s right I’m back, I just got my phone back.” I explained.
“Thank God, dad has been going crazy. He keeps asking me questions, thinking I’m lying. I’m like I’m not, her phone's in repair. He was like well then why doesn’t she just use a payphone and I’m like I don’t know you’ll have to ask her the next time she calls. Then he was like well why doesn’t she email and I’m like, dad her internet’s been cut off. Then he was like, well why doesn’t she just go to the library, it’s free there and I’m like, dad, you’re just going to have to ask her.” Darcy said, practically in one breath. I could hear her pant, trying to catch her breath.
“Slow down!” I laughed. “Wow, I made him worry.”
“Yeah, you did. But its okay, everything’s okay right?” Darcy asked.
“Yeah, everything’s fine now.” I told her, lying down on my new bed.
“Good! Wait a minute, dad’s here.” Darcy began to say. “Dad…. Marisa’s on the phone!”
“Marisa?” Dad answered the phone instead of Darcy. “Are you okay?”
“Hi dad, yes I’m okay.” I answered.
“What happened, I’ve been worried sick.” Dad exclaimed.
“I’m sorry, I just fell behind on my Internet bill and my phone was in repair.” I explained, hoping he’d really believe it.
“Do you need money, because I can send you some money.” Dad offered.
I laughed. “No, I’m okay, everything’s sorted now. But thanks.”
“Hold on a second.” Dad said, then from the sounds of it, he was answering someone. “It’s Marisa, you want to talk to her now?”
Dad comes back on. “Marisa, your mother wants to talk to you.”
My eyes widened, horrified. “Why?” I jerked up into a sitting position.
“I don’t know, anyways, here she is.” Dad said.
Shit!
“Marisa!” Mom’s screechy voice pierced my ears.
“Hi Mom,” I told her, apprehensively.
“I hope you’re happy.” Mom screeched.
And it fucking begins…. shit…not even a fucking hello first.
“Happy about what?” I snapped, bewildered.
“I just came back from Gwen’s house, and let me tell you, she’s horrified!” Mom yelled. “And it’s all your fault. Jesus Marisa, why on earth do you have to be so selfish?”
“What are you talking about?” I exasperated, sliding off the bed and onto the cream coloured carpeted floor.
“I’m talking about Ben!” Mom yelled. “He’s been in a constant state of depression since you left three and half weeks ago!”
“Ben and I hashed things out the last time, if he’s depressed right now it’s not because of me.” I stated.
“You are so selfish, and blind. How can you look at yourself knowing the chaos and misery you left behind, all because of you!” Mom screeched.
“Because of me, it’s not because of me!” I yelled back.
“That boy does not need to be feeling like this,” Mom snapped.
“And I do?” I snapped back.
“You did this!” Mom screeched. “You are nothing but trouble!”
I’m nothing but trouble…. where have I heard that before? I felt water at the ends of my eyes. I couldn’t hold them back. The worst thing was that I had promised myself I would never cry because of her unfair and hateful words again. I just gave back that power to her, and that fucking killed me.
I lay on my back and held the phone next to my ear as she screeched uncontrollably about how much of a disappointment I was. I should have hung up, but I wanted to say goodbye to Dad.
“And Ben, that poor boy, he was always too good for you. We all thought you were lucky to have him. I knew one day you’d ruin it. He’s got everything going for him. He doesn’t need the likes of you to bring him down!” Mom yelled one last time before I interjected.
I fucking had enough of this bitch, and she was going to get it.
“Are you done?” I said nonchalantly, desperately trying to contain myself from exploding.
I heard her gasp. “Excuse me?”
I took a deep breath. “I said, are you fucking done?”
She gasped again. “I can’t believe you just said that to me. I’m your mother.”
“Are you done?” I asked again.
“What kind of a daughter are you?” Mom hissed sounding shocked, as if she just found out I was a criminal.
I was, sort of.
“Not yours that’s for sure!” I yelled all of a sudden. “Give the fucking phone back to Dad!”
“Don’t you dare tell me what to do!” Mom screeched. “I’m your mother and you will listen to what I have to say!”
“You’re not!” I snapped, my voice beginning to sound hoarse.
I heard her gasp again. “Excuse me?”
“You are not my mother! You don’t act like a mother, you haven’t for a while! Now give the fucking phone back to dad!” I snapped, my voice getting hoarser.
“I can’t believe you just said that to me, that language, how could_” Mom cried before I interrupted her at the first sound of sadness in her voice. She had no fucking right to sound sad.
“I said give the fucking phone back to Dad!” I screamed.
Mom hanged up the phone, my jaw dropped as the dial tone echoed hauntingly into my ear. “You fucking bitch!” I screamed into the receiver before tossing the phone across the room, thankfully not breaking it. I curled my face into my hands as a wave of tears cascaded down my face.
“It’s not fucking fair.” I cried to myself, shaking against the floor. “I didn’t do anything!”
After a while, my tear soaked face dried, but not without leaving that beautiful leftover sticky feeling, a reminder of what had just happened. I needed to wash it off. But I had no energy to get up and go to the bathroom. I certainly don’t want to see my reflection. God knows what I looked like right now.
A big, fucking, disaster.
Three tiny knocks startled me. Without inviting anybody in, the door creaked open slowly, showing Xander hunched behind it.
“Hey,” he said, and then walked in and lay down next to me.
I thought this was my place, I guess not. There will be no privacy, not anymore. Whatever, I don’t care. I don’t care about anything anymore.
“What is it?” I whispered after a few minutes of him staring at me in silence.
I heard him exhale before answering. “I heard…the conversation.”
I turned to my side, facing him. “Yeah…well my mom likes to yell at the top of her lungs when she knows it’s me on the other end of the line. Kind of gives her joy, you know.” I explained nonchalantly, feeling numb.
“Are you okay?” he asked softly, tucking loose strands of hair behind my ear. The tears started again, pouring down my face before I could answer.
I didn’t want to cry in front of him again.
Damn it!
“No,” I sniffed, wiping the tears away.
“Don’t,” Xander said, gently pulling my hand away from my face. “Let me.”
He gently wiped my tears away as they continued to fall freely all over my face. I couldn’t stop them. We lay on the floor in silence as his fingers gradually caressed my face, soothing my skin.
“I’m so tired,” I said all of a sudden, beginning to feel anger course through my veins as memory after memory resurfaced, reminding me of all the shit I had gone through.
It wasn’t fair.
I was a good person. So why did I always seem to get the short end of the stick? I couldn’t win with my mom. That’s why I moved. Even in another city, she had found a way to destroy me emotionally.
“Of what?” Xander asked, pulling his hand away.
“Of being the ‘fuck up’, out of everyone my family knows.” I cringed, the fact giving me a bad taste in my mouth.
“That’s it?” Xander snorted, like he didn’t get it.
I blinked, taken aback by the sudden lack of compassion. “What do you mean that’s it?” I snipped.
“If you think you’re a fuck up, then what the hell am I?” Xander grinned knowingly. He knew the answer to that question.
I pretended to think about it for a few seconds before answering. “More fucked up.” I offered, grinning back.
“Lies!” Xander exclaimed, playfully. “I’m a God! How can a gorgeous being like myself, be the ‘more fucked up’ one?”
“You want the reasons by category or alphabetical order, because I’ve got them!” I smirked.
Xander grinned and tugged a few strands of my hair delicately. “There she is.”
I gave him a small smile. “Thanks.” I whispered.
“My pleasure.” He smiled gently, but quickly turned it from thoughtful to suggestive by biting his bottom lip.
“Oh God, I knew you wouldn’t last.” I exclaimed, looking away.
He laughed loudly, falling to his back. “And how are you going to repay uncle Xander for his heartfelt words?” he said smoothly, turning back onto his side and leaning forward.
Feeling more like my old snarky self again, I decided to play along, my way that is, the fun way.
I leaned towards him, taking him by surprise. His eyes widened, amused.
“What would you like, baby?” I purred, biting my bottom lip.
Xander quickly closed his eyes, leaning his head back. “For you, to never, ever, stop, using that voice with me!” He moaned loudly.
“Anything else?” I leaned a bit closer and before he had a chance to pop his eyes open, I pushed down on his shoulders, taking him by surprise. He voluntarily went down, and then surprising him even more, I quickly hovered over his body and straddled him.
“Surprise!” I sang to him, placing my hands on opposite ends of his face, leaning towards his face.
“I like this.” Xander purred, gazing at my lips as if he were being hypnotized by them.
“How much do you like this?” I purred back, going closer, stopping a few inches away from his lips.
“More than Christmas!” Xander breathed.
“And?” I urged like a sex phone operator.
“And birthdays!” Xander continued.
“Wow, birthdays, huh?” My eyes narrowed and I continued, whispering as if I was the one amazed now. “That’s a big deal.”
“It’s not the only thing that’s big!” Xander grinned, playing with his eyebrows. He pushed his hips upwards. “Feel that?”
I jerked my chin back, pretending to be confused, even though I could feel his dick getting hard. “Not really.” I purred, trying not to laugh. He was so sure of his manhood and the size of it, I knew this would probably bother him.
His eyes widened, clearly astonished. “Lies!”
I burst out laughing and he quickly did this karate move that puts him on top, straddling me. I didn’t stop laughing as my hands were pinned over my head.
“How dare you!” Xander hissed playfully.
“How dare I what?” I smirked, staring into his amused sparkling blue eyes, which surprisingly knowing exactly who he was, gave me the butterflies.
“I’m disappointed in you Marisa, I thought you better than anyone would have known to never, ever, joke about the size of a man’s hard on.” Xander threatened, playfully.
I tilted my head back. “Guilty as charged.” I bit my lip while blinking innocently. “How are you going to punish me?”
Xander raised an eyebrow, all of sudden looking deadly serious. He leaned his face all the way down, stopping an inch away from my grin. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
The bastard smiled and jumped up off of me. He took out his cell and tapped against the screen. “You’ve got one hour to get ready, and then you and I, we have a dinner to get to. Got that bestie?”
As he left my room, I yelled out a concern. “What kind of dinner?”
He stopped in his tracks and turned. “I need you to look like a nanny out on the town, looking to be fucked in every way possible.”
My jaw dropped. “You’re not serious!”
He started laughing all of a sudden. “You’re right, I’m not. Which was a damn shame, because that would be a sight I’d never, ever forget. Dress nicely, not enough to get fucked, but enough to warrant a double take.”
“A double take? I’m not sure anyone’s ever looked at me like that.” I said warily, trying to remember a point in my life where a guy, or a girl, looke
d at me more than once.
“As always Marisa, your humor amazes me!” Xander chuckled, shaking his head, walking out of the condo.
“I’m serious, I’m not trying to be modest you asshole! And don’t think you can barge in anytime you want. If I’m going to stay here for a year, I need my privacy, bitch!” I yelled as the front door shut.
Exhaling, I got off the carpet and opened my new walk in closet. All my clothes were neatly hung along with a few other pieces I didn’t remember owning. They must be the new pieces Xander had his personal shopper get for me. I pulled a black cocktail dress out from the new section and held it against me in front of the full-length mirror.
It wasn’t slutty, and it wasn’t too modest either. This should do it.
But before I could indulge in taking my first private shower in weeks, I had business to attend to, thanks to mom.
She practically screamed my ear off, stating that Ben was all depressed because of how I left things. Since that princess boy puts everything up on Facebook, I think I’ll pop open my laptop and check his old page. I pushed the power button on my laptop, squealing at the sound of the gadget working.
Did you know what it was like being locked away, denied every single electronic you used to use at any moment’s notice?
It fucking sucked.
And to make sure that never happened again, there would be no more fighting, and no more assaulting officers.
Before leaving for Toronto seven months ago, I deactivated my Facebook account, not wanting any contact with anyone from my past. I opened Facebook, reactivated my page and quickly spied on Ben’s page.
Not surprisingly, I was no longer listed as his girlfriend and he’s single and looking for women. I scrolled down his page, stopping at a recent album he had just updated.
‘Movie Date’
Movie Date?
I opened the album and twenty pictures popped up. I leaned back in my used leather chair, shaking my head. “Mom, exaggerate much?”
That fool had his arm around a tall blonde, grinning from ear to ear.
I checked the tag box to see what this bitches name was.
“Reilly.” I read off the screen, rolling my eyes.
Seemed like someone’s moved on and not really that depressed over losing me.
