The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  “And I’ll double it if we’re there in fifteen,” Ramsey reaching for his wallet to show the guy that he was serious.

  “Ramsey, why are you carrying around two hundred dollars in cash?” Lexi muttered softly next to him. She could feel her jaw slack at the prospect that he would throw about two hundred dollars on a cab ride as if it were nothing. She knew he had money. Of course, she knew. His family fortune along with the clubs made him the wealthiest person she had ever met, but he was generally so reserved about it around her. Sure he had done some extravagant things, but it was never something so completely pointless. Then again, if the cab driver didn’t make it to the hotel in twenty minutes, he wasn’t out any money.

  “It’s New Years,” he told her, his green eyes sparkling as if that explained everything. The mischievous look on his face also told her that he was carrying a lot more than that.

  “Aren’t you afraid you’re going to get mugged?” she breathed.

  It was Ramsey’s turn to look at her like she was crazy. “Have you seen me?” he asked gesturing to himself. No one was likely to mess with him.

  “Two hundred in fifteen minutes?” the driver repeated eagerly.

  “You bet,” Ramsey told him as if the amount were pocket change. And to someone like Ramsey Bridges, it probably was. Lexi was having a difficult time wrapping her mind around that. Even though Chyna shopped more than any other human being and spent two hundred dollars on a cotton t-shirt, Lexi still couldn’t understand Ramsey’s decision. She hadn’t been raised poor, but two hundred dollars was not something you threw away on a taxi driver.

  It did seem to make the driver more adventurous. As traffic began to pick up, he swerved and maneuvered around other cars, racing down streets, and stopping abruptly. Lexi had to close her eyes for part of the ride, because she was pretty sure that they had gone through several red lights and almost been hit half a dozen more. And still they managed to make it to the Plaza in exactly twenty minutes. Lexi hadn’t thought it was possible. Ramsey, true to his word, pulled a crisp hundred-dollar bill out of his wallet, and handed it to the guy.

  “Perfect timing,” Ramsey said grabbing Lexi’s hand and pulling her toward the ballroom. Lexi cleared her mind of the horrible car ride, and rushed after him.

  “Oh my God!” Chyna exclaimed rushing toward them as they approached the entrance. “Where the fuck have you been?”

  “Traffic’s a bitch,” Lexi told her apologetically.

  “I was going to slit my wrists if I had to spend one more minute with that woman. She is quite possibly the devil. I mean literally the devil,” Chyna said throwing her arms in the air. “I think she gives Bridezilla a new meaning.”

  “Is she really that bad?” Lexi asked glancing around to see whom else could be listening in on their conversation.

  “That bad?” Chyna cried. “You have no idea. I have been asked if I’ve gained ten pounds fifteen times since I arrived. I was told that my face looks pudgy, my hips are getting rounder, and that there’s no way my ass is going to fit into the dress she picked out. Not only that, but my complexion is all wrong, my hair color won’t blend in, and my nails are overdone,” she said thrusting her understated French manicure in Lexi’s face. “And don’t even get me started on what she says about my shoes,” Chyna whined pointing at the beautiful black stilettos on her feet.

  Lexi couldn’t help but smile. “You look gorgeous,” she told her leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

  “Thank you, doll.”

  “Agreed,” Ramsey said pinching her arm. “I’m going to get us a seat.”

  “Okay,” Lexi said nodding at him as he walked into the ballroom.

  “He’s adorable,” Chyna said watching his ass as he departed. “He’s in way deep with you.”

  Lexi shrugged noncommittally. “I hope so.”

  “Psh, whatevs. At least you don’t have to deal with this bitch,” Chyna told her motioning to the back rooms.

  “I can’t believe you actually agreed to this,” Lexi told her.

  “Me either. Who would have thought I would have to go through hell and back though, right? I never thought it would be this much hassle.”

  Lexi smirked at her. “The first time you met the woman she told you that you shouldn’t drink red wine anymore because you have bags under your eyes. How could you misinterpret her purpose in life?”

  Chyna giggled at the memory. “True. At least I won’t have to spend any more time with her after this goddamn wedding is over.”

  “Speaking of wedding, don’t you have a bride to finish getting dressed?” Lexi asked dodging out of the way as Chyna motioned to punch her.

  “Don’t fucking remind me,” Chyna grumbled. “I’ll meet you inside. I clash too much with her twit friends, so I’m not going to walk in. She’d rather me just sit and then stand once everyone has come inside.”

  “Are you serious?” Lexi asked in disbelief. The dumb woman that Chyna’s father was marrying was really crossing a line with that one. She had asked her to be a part of the wedding, more to keep an eye on Chyna than anything, which had become quite apparent. She had, thus far, put her in the ugliest dress and forced her hair up in an unflattering manner. Still Chyna had managed to look gorgeous. Lexi was pretty sure that had pissed the woman off even more. Then after all her efforts to keep her soon-to-be stepchild from being prettier than her, she was now not even allowing her to walk down the aisle. She couldn’t bear the thought of anyone drawing the spotlight away.

  “Don’t even get me started,” Chyna said wiggling her fingers at Lexi as she reluctantly retreated.

  Lexi wandered into the massive ballroom crowded with people. She found Ramsey near the front of the room on the groom’s side. As Lexi drew closer, she realized that she recognized the other man who would be seated next to her.

  “Adam!” Lexi exclaimed in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  “Hey,” he said smiling sweetly and accepting a small hug in greetings.

  “It’s so good to see you,” she gushed, a genuine smile appearing on her face.

  “Good to see you too. I’m here for Chyna. She asked me to come,” he told her.

  “Wow. I didn’t know you two still talked,” Lexi told him. Chyna rarely continued to talk with guys after having a fling with them. The fact that Adam had managed to make a lasting impression on Chyna was something that Lexi was really happy about. Lexi had instantly gotten along with him, and much preferred him to Chyna’s other choices for dates. He was actually someone Lexi wouldn’t mind going on a double date with. He was so laid back and charming in his own way, and she could never thank him enough for saving Chyna that night.

  “Yeah, we do,” he said smiling politely back at her. Their eyes locked for a brief second before he added, “And I see you’re still with Ramsey.”

  “Uh, yeah,” she muttered breaking eye contact and looking back at Ramsey, “we are.”

  Music filled the air and silence fell on the waiting audience. Lexi hadn’t noticed Chyna sneak in so she assumed that had happened while she had been talking with Adam. Her friend was sitting demurely in the front row, a frilly lavender t-length dress hugging her features perfectly with a black satin sash cinching in her miniscule waist. Her long black hair had been swept up into an intricate design and pearls had been knotted into the strands.

  As the procession began, Lexi realized that Victoria, the bitch fiancé, had actually been right. Chyna did not fit into this mold. Not that Chyna fit into any mold. Each girl that walked down the aisle in the same lavender dress that adorned her friend’s body looked insignificant in comparison. All were pale with honey blonde hair, which truly did make Chyna stand out as she stood up next to the final woman. If the goal of a bride was to make sure the bridesmaids didn’t distract from their big day, then Victoria really had her work cut out for her.

  All eyes flocked to Chyna’s graceful stature. She stood tall, her exotic features highlighted by the pale beauties standing next to h
er. Those that knew her connection to the family were quickly murmuring the latest gossip to anyone seated near them. The rest just marveled at her and wondered idly to themselves.

  Richard took his stance in preparation for his bride as the Catholic priest asked everyone to rise. Lexi stood and turned with the crowd to face the back entrance of the ballroom. In a flowing mass of white lace, Victoria appeared in the entranceway. A gasp echoed throughout the room at her sheer beauty. The strapless, princess cut gown fell to her feet and a long train trailed behind her. Her father escorted her down the aisle to the traditional Canon in D played by a string quartet.

  The ceremony went off without a hitch and within the hour Chyna had a new stepmother. This time Chyna was allowed to follow the processional out since all glory was already been bestowed upon Victoria. Ramsey laced his fingers with Lexi’s as she followed behind Adam to the reception hall. Since they had been near the front of the room and several hundred people had been in attendance, they were some of the last people to enter.

  The wedding had been a success despite Chyna having to deal with Victoria’s behavior. Yet, as Lexi stepped foot into the reception area, she instinctively knew that something was amiss. Searching around for Chyna, Lexi let her eyes roam the large room with individuals milling around conversing about the wedding.

  Then she spotted the group of lavender dresses standing at a side entrance. Without a second thought, Lexi made a beeline for the group. She didn’t bother turning around to find out if Ramsey and Adam were in tow, but she assumed that they would be. As she approached, her feeling of apprehension only grew. Looking at her friend standing amidst that group of women, Lexi just knew something was off.

  “Chyna,” Lexi called as she approached.

  Chyna turned in place, her face showing all the anxiety of her situation along with a wave of appreciation at Lexi’s presence. “Alexa, thank god!”

  “Aren’t you glad that’s over?” Lexi asked hoping to lessen the tension.

  “I would be,” she said turning her back on the blonde bimbos standing around her. Lexi raised an eyebrow in question.

  Before Chyna was able to answer, a woman came storming out of the entrance they were standing in front of. Lexi had never seen Chyna’s mother before, but at first glance there was no denying their relation. Except for the nearly twenty-year age difference, the two were identical. Her mother was taller, but it was unclear if that was due to the seven inch heels on her feet or not. Her skin was a deeper bronzed color and her eyes even more vibrantly green than her daughters. She was utterly beautiful, and was wearing a look that Lexi had seen a number of times on Chyna.

  “Richard, there is no use in speaking with you further,” she muttered, her foreign Italian accent still thick on her tongue after all these years.

  Chyna’s father appeared from the doorway looking furious at the distraction. As he entered the crowded room, his temper only continued to flare as more eyes turned his direction. “Andrea, honestly,” he crowed, latching onto her thin upper arm and yanking her backward.

  Lexi’s eyes opened wide in surprise as he pulled her out of the busy room. “Let go of me,” she said smacking his hand. “If I bruise, they’ll cancel the Brazilian shoot next week.”

  “They’ll cover it up,” he growled.

  “You’d know,” she spat back viciously.

  “Welcome to my childhood,” Chyna mumbled, sidling up to Lexi for the show.

  “What’s your mom doing here?” Lexi asked averting her eyes from the couple.

  “That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?” Chyna grumbled.

  “I thought she wasn’t in the country. Isn’t that what you said?” Lexi waited for her to nod then continued, “When was the last you saw her, C?”

  “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “When was my birthday?”

  “June,” Lexi whispered afraid of the forthcoming answer.

  “Yeah, June…three years ago,” Chyna answered staring forward unblinking at her mother.

  Lexi tried to cover her surprise. She knew that Chyna’s mom wasn’t in the picture. Well, up until recently, her father hadn’t been around much either. But she hadn’t known that it had been quite that long since she had even seen her mom. Lexi couldn’t imagine going that long without seeing her own parents. Not that their relationship was even comparable to what Lexi was currently witnessing.

  “Mom,” Chyna said her voice carefully controlled. She took a confident step forward and into the conversation that was going on in swift Italian between the couple, so as not to draw more attention to them.

  Her mother stopped abruptly at Chyna’s interruption and looked at her own daughter as if she were nothing more than fly she wanted to swat. “Oh…Chyna, you’re here.”

  “Yeah,” she stated awkwardly.

  “Isn’t this nice,” Andrea commented sarcastically.

  “Having all three of us in one place was never considered nice,” Chyna replied sincerely.

  Andrea huffed at the statement her green eyes calculating. “Perhaps.”

  “What are you doing here?” she couldn’t keep from asking. “Don’t you have a flight your always late to catch or a shoot you’ve been invited to…or something?”

  “Precisely my point,” Richard exclaimed.

  “Still Daddy’s little girl, aren’t we?” Andrea said directing the comment more as an insult that anything.

  “I was hardly agreeing with him,” Chyna muttered.

  “Are you still running around like your father too?” she asked looking her up and down in disgust.

  “I don’t even feel as if I should justify that with an answer.”

  “Oh come on, honey. You and I both know that he’s only going to hold onto this one until the next young thing waltzes into his office,” Andrea cried in frustration.

  “You say these things as if you aren’t with every cabana boy who appears on set,” her father cried incredulously. “You are the most hypocritical person in the world. You show up on my wedding day spouting old, petty bullshit about a life that no longer matters to me. About a time that might as well not have existed for me. That’s how insignificant and unimportant those years were with you. Now my personal welfare might not mean shit to you, and that’s fine, but don’t come in here and expect me to allow you to insult me. My new, yes young, and beautiful wife is waiting for me. Find your own way out.”

  Andrea wild green eyes stormed over. The look she shot him was of pure hatred. “Well congratulations to your new whore. May you two have a wonderful life of fidelity and eternal devotion to one another. If you are even capable of being devoted to anyone but yourself,” she spat, turning on her heel and rushing away from the group. If she hadn’t acted like a complete bitch to her best friend, Lexi would have felt bad for the woman. But under the circumstances, she was just glad to see her go.

  “And you,” Richard began turning on his only child. The cold calculating man Lexi had met in Chyna’s apartment had returned. He wore all the anger that had boiled up with the appearance of his ex-wife, and was redirecting that fury toward the next closest victim. “What part did you play in this?”

  “What?” Chyna asked surprised.

  “Don’t give me your innocent act.”

  “Did you not see how she treated me? I didn’t even know where she was,” Chyna said defensively.

  “Bullshit, Chyna! You’re out to ruin me. I get your game now. After the way you treated Victoria! I thought it was petty, and you would get over it, but this draws a line. I no longer want you in my sight.”

  Chyna’s jaw slackened. “Let me tell you about your pretty princess, you fucking asshole. She is a bitch, a terrible excuse for a human being. You think she’s a goddess, because you’re getting your dick wet. But let me tell you,” Chyna growled stepping forward to her father. He usually held such an upper hand that it was incredible to watch her stand up for herself. “She’s nothing more than a new toy to you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s fuck
ing someone on the side already. Just look at her, she obviously just wants your money. If you can’t see that, then you really are dumber than I thought.”

  “You will not speak….”

  “No, I will speak to you however I see fit,” she said looking him up and down, her nose turned up. “You raised me to be strong willed and independent. No matter how much you want me to disappear from your life, that’s not happening. I’m a part of you, and you can’t act like I’m a child any longer. Grow up and deal with your mistakes.”

  With that she turned on her heel and followed in her mother’s footsteps. Lexi, Ramsey, and Adam followed quickly behind her unsure of how to approach Chyna at this point. Lexi wanted to talk to Chyna, but she knew now wasn’t the time. Chyna was angry. No, she was pissed. And when she was in this state, she was a force to be reckoned with. Nothing anyone would say was going to calm her down at that moment.

  When they reached the bottom floor, they piled into Chyna’s town car. Without a word, the driver zipped them across town to the party that was already in full swing for New Years. They had anticipated showing up fashionably late to the event. Chyna had originally thought they would be even later than they actually were, but they had skipped out on the reception increasing their departure by nearly an hour.

  Chyna’s silence made it pretty clear that she was still livid about what had unfolded between her and her parents. Not that Lexi could blame her. If her parents ever treated her or each other like that, she would have been mortified. The fact that Chyna had been able to grow up a semi-normal human being was a bit of a miracle in and of itself. With parents like that, she should have been completely fucked up.

  When the car came to a standstill, the group rushed into the lobby of the building to escape the frigid night air. “Party is on the top floor,” Chyna told them gesturing toward the elevators. “I’m just going to…uh…take care of a few things.”

  Lexi looked at her suspiciously. The last thing that Chyna needed right now was to be alone. “Do you want company?”

  “No, no, don’t worry about me. I’m making sure things are in order,” she said vaguely. “Go on up and have a good time. I’ll meet you.”