by A. J. Moran
"Well, you know teenagers. Always have something going on. It turns out she had previous plans tonight and couldn't be here. She is sad she is missing it. She was excited."
I held back my snort of disbelief and shared a look with Wade. Probably as excited as we were. Dan was a horrible liar. Not that I was going to let him know I knew he was lying. That knowledge might come in handy later.
“Oh.” Mom sounded deflated.
I glanced sharply in her direction at her tone. I didn't realize she was looking forward to meeting her so much. Why hadn't it happened already? We had met Dan a couple of dozen times. Even had dinner with him at our apartment a few times. Maybe Taylor had been bowing out of dinners all this time. I hope that isn't the case because moving into her house is going to be awkward as hell if she is a spoiled brat. But really with all this what else could she be?
"Will she be here tomorrow morning?" Mom asked after probably absorbing the fact that Dan had just lied, just like I just did. I swear she had a built-in lie detector in her head. Not that it had been the greatest lie. I mean I picked up on it, and that isn't usually something I notice. There is no way she missed it.
Dan rubbed the back of his neck and looked anywhere but at mom. What was he hiding? "Well, she is staying at a friends house tonight. She will probably be home tomorrow evening."
Did he even know where his daughter was? What exactly were we getting ourselves into? I look over to my brother, and he shrugs his shoulders and pastes on a smile. Right, I have to get my head in the game. Mom needs us to support her.
Dan took us on a tour of his massive house. I still can't wrap my head around the fact that only two people live here. When he opened the door for the room I am moving into I could almost feel my jaw drop. A king size poster bed was in the middle of a room bigger than our whole damn apartment. With an area that led out to a private balcony just past a vast area that has two steps down to it with a gamers heaven.
Two massive TVs hang on the wall, and a sound system is attached all around the area to the ceiling, all the wiring in the ceiling unlike our sound system for our tiny living room at home. The area was like a movie theater sound system and the radio that sat on the stand under the TVs, flanked by all the latest game systems, looked as if it would blast out the windows if it were turned up too high.
Two words. Holy shit!
"This is all mine?" Going from a bunk bed shared with my brother that was in a room the size of my new walk-in closet was mind-blowing.
"Of course. If there is anything else, you need just let me know. Wade your room is right next door, let me show you." Dan gestured for Wade to follow him back out into the hallway.
They vacated the room and left me standing in the middle of the floor with a little drool coming from my mouth.
Wow. The privacy. Space.
I could get used to this. I wasn't above realizing it. I pushed the curtain away from the balcony doors and looked out at a pool the size of my high schools with a small building on the other side, which must be what rich people call a pool house. It was bigger than our apartment too. Just on the other side of the house, I could see a basketball court. This place was crazy. It was like we hit the jackpot.
Chapter 4
Taylor
Derrick nuzzled the side of my neck as I gazed absently at the people dancing on the dance floor. Really though it was some random living room. We had all just pushed the furniture back against the walls to make space for dancing. Derrick was leaning against the wall, and I was standing in front of him. He pulled me tighter against him, and I felt his arms flex under my hand. I let out an inaudible sigh. The darkness outside matched the darkness within me at that moment. Not even the moon came out to play.
Perfect for my current mood.
"What's wrong babe?" He mouthed into my neck. The usual tingles were absent, and I toyed with the bottle in my hand, my thumb ran over the rim and made a slight sound inside the half-empty bottle. I didn't feel like talking.
Not to mention my dad was having Claire and her brats over for dinner tonight, and there was no way I was going. Nope, not happening. That was why I was at this party. It was supposed to be the biggest one this year. It was going to be ‘epic.' The party to top all parties, the biggest and greatest of the summer, and the descriptors could go on and on forever.
It was none of those things. They never were.
But that was typically said about every party that the students at Grandview prep threw it was the perk of being parentless most of the time. Sure the rents made tons of cash, but most of the time they were away on business trips and leaving their kids with the maid as if that would help.
My family had been different. We had been whole and happy. The turn of my thoughts has me turning up my drink and inhaling more of the golden liquid. It was gross still, not as gross as the first one, but still gross. The yeasty flavor coated my throat as I swallowed.
“Wanna dance?” I turned in Derrick’s arms and pulled him onto the makeshift floor. I gave him a smile that I didn’t feel and moved further away from him into the center of the room. With a finger I beckoned him closer.
My hands went above my head, the remaining liquid in the bottle swirled with my movements, and I moved to the music as Derrick's hands found my waist and joined me. I took a long swallow of my drink before turning it up and downing it. The slight burn as it went down was right, even if the taste was not. I could feel the drink working and making my muscles lose their tension. Exactly what I needed after my conversation with my dad the other day.
“Isn’t that like your third one in an hour?” Derrick asked with his dark eyes trying to find my own. I looked everywhere but at him. I wasn’t much of a drinker. He knew me pretty well; we had been friends for a few years before we decided to try our hand at ‘dating.' I still wasn't sure how it was going.
He was comfortable for the most part. He had been there while my mom was sick and I used his arms to forget at the time. Vee said his feelings were deeper for me than mine for him, but I wasn't sure, we hadn't mentioned the ‘L' word to each other or anything yet. He was just a distraction from my hellish life. While my mom was sick, I leaned on him. But even he held no sway over my current situation.
"What are you, the beer police?" I attempted to joke with him, but I could see it fell flat when he didn't smile.
"You know that isn't what I'm saying. Drink as much as you want. You know you're safe when I'm around. I want to make sure you are okay." He took my empty bottle from me and slowed our movements as he talked. His free hand came up and guided my face to look at him. "Taylor, come on, it's me." The real look in his eyes had me cracking a little.
"Just home stuff. My dad and stuff." I shrugged. "I don't want to talk about it." I met his eyes so he could see I was telling him the truth. I couldn't talk about it. I would never go home if I did. I might never want to talk about it. Hell, I might never want to go back again.
“Fair enough.” He nodded. “You want another beer?”
I was thankful for his understanding, and I nodded at him. He left me dancing, and I closed my eyes and moved to the music as I pushed my emotions back down. Down. Down. Down. Down back into the black hole that held them contained.
“Tay!!!” Vee called to me moments before she was on the floor dancing with me. "You look hot tonight like always, love what you've done with your hair." Her eyes took me in from head to toe, clearly checking me out.
I did the same to her. Her blonde hair was bone straight, and her blue eyes were glorious like always, it was something she did with her eye makeup that just made them the first thing people noticed. My eyes were more of a dark murky brown color. If I outlined them in black like she did they do not have the same effect, I looked more like a raccoon. I barely needed mascara. My eyelashes were so thick and dark. Some would call that lucky. Including myself. It was one of the things I did like about myself.
She had on skinny jeans, a simple tank, and a pair of floral vans and she looke
d amazing with her curves. She was the right kind of size, the kind I sort of envy. Not too large, not too small. And her personality was what brought it all together. She was my best friend and had been since the second grade when Gregory Miller pushed me down on the playground, and she came storming over and told him exactly why it was not okay to push girls down.
When she reached out and tugged on a curl, I fingered my newly colored hair. It had been an act of rebellion after my conversation with my dad the other day. I had the tips dyed red, and I thought it went well with my black hair. It was naturally curled at the moment because my focus was on staying the hell out of that house, so going home to straighten my hair was a no go. I really didn’t want to sit in the chair any longer and have someone else do it for me.
"Thanks," I replied and put my hands on her hips as we started to move in sync. "I needed a change."
"I love the top too. Is it new?" She asked her hands slightly tickling my sides as she ran them up and down the soft material.
I looked down at my new top. The off the shoulder baby blue tunic fit my curves well, and I thought the leggings really made it all come together. Even with me being not as curvy as Vee I felt good in the new shirt and leggings. "Yeah, I got it at Saks. Retail therapy with my dad's card." I broke away from her and twirled, the soft material ruffling with the wind of my motions.
She let out a low whistle as she pursed her pink glossed lips. “Well if you ever need a friend to help you with that I could use some retail therapy myself. And if you ever decided you want to experiment with the same sex, I’ll be here. God, you are sexy." She laughed and bit down on her lower lip. She offered to help me experiment at least once a week. It had become sort of a running joke between us. Although sometimes I wasn't sure she was joking. She was 100% for females.
“It’s a date. And you would be the first to know if I decided to test those waters. You are pretty hot yourself.” I winked at her and then Derrick was at my side another beer in his outstretched hand.
"Well, looks like prince charming is back, so I'm going to go find Tasha. She was going to meet me here. But I got sidetracked by you." She gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and then she disappeared heading for the back of the massive house.
“Vee seemed in good spirits tonight. How is she?” Derrick asked as he took her place in front of me. His hands found my waist and pulled me to him. His blonde hair fell forward onto his forehead as he looked down at me. His blue eyes watched me for a response.
I shrugged. We hadn't talked about it, flirted a little. Normal stuff. Instead of answering I put the bottle to my red lips and took a long swallow, the next morning would be hell, but I had all night to forget about it.
I downed the fourth beer in record time, and then I let my hands run over Derrick's chest and feel all of the muscles under his shirt from all the sports he played. He was the perfect guy. He had it all, personality, looks, and a great sense of style. If only it were enough.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, the drinks I had made me more open to PDA's than usual. He stumbled a little before steadying himself and catching my full weight against him. He brought his head down and started to nuzzle my neck. It felt nice. We stayed like that for a while before I decided I needed another drink.
I lost count at seven.
◆◆◆
I woke up to footsteps moving past my door. It was like they were stomping. God, what time was it? I rolled over and grabbed my phone to check the time. With a groan, I read, 7:48 am. Ungodly. Who woke up at that time on a Saturday? I had crawled into bed around 4:50 am after Derrick had dropped me off.
I had been drunk.
That was an understatement.
I barely made it up the stairs on my own and thought I’d have to call for my dad or pass out right there on the stairs. Talk about embarrassing and not so pleasant. I would have been in a world of trouble.
Closing my eyes, I tried to roll over and ignore the noise. I stuffed my feather pillow on top of my head and pulled my Cheshire cat to my chest to try and drown out the muffled talking and other noises. After about 20 minutes of trying to ignore whatever the hell that was going on in my hallway, which really should be empty, I gave up.
I flung my covers back with a sigh and threw on my PJ bottoms and a sleeping cami that I didn't really sleep in and stormed out of my room into an empty but bright hallway. With a grimace, I turned around and went back into the sanctuary of my darkroom and grabbed my sunglasses to help my sensitive eyes adjust to the blinding brightness.
When I exited my room for the second time, I took in the empty hallway and listened for the voices. They were not up here anymore. I headed for the landing and looked down into the foyer and at the open door. A moment later my dad came in carrying a box followed by a small looking woman, who I assumed was Claire. She was short and petite; she was the opposite of my mom. They were talking and laughing lightly, and I felt something painful twist in my stomach. That should be my mom, not some random woman my dad met. That was my mom a year ago. Hell, that was my mom less than a year ago.
I blinked back tears and swallowed to steady myself.
They didn't notice me standing on the landing because they were so absorbed with each other. My dad and Claire had started up the stairs when a tall guy in low riding jeans and a cute blue shirt came into the house carrying a box. He was lean, and I could see that he was also toned and in shape. His dark hair was on the long side, a few inches above his shoulders, and naturally unruly with the way it fell into his eyes as he walked. Or swaggered really, even with a box I could see the attitude in his walk.
Another guy who looked a little shorter and a little more built also carried a box and followed him. He had a similar outfit on, but his shirt was a dark green. Although his hair was cut short, almost buzzed. I could see that it was also a dark shade like the other guys. They were laughing together. It was obvious they were related to the woman. They both had similar features, just manlier, strong jawlines and a dusting of stubble on them.
"Oh, I see you got help with the move," I said cheerily to my dad and Claire as they reached the top of the stairs and spotted me. My voice bounced around in my hung-over head, and I held back a groan. "It's always nice to have hired help." I gave a smile. It was fake, as fake as my cheer.
“Taylor, you’re home and awake!” My dad replied, surprised to see me. “I didn’t think you were home, didn’t you say you were staying at Vee’s last night?”
I ignored him. I hadn't said anything before leaving for the night, and he knew it. "You must be Claire. I've heard so much about you." I gushed, my hand on my chest. My dad wanted nice? Fine, he would get it. It just wouldn’t be real.
"Hi, yes—" She paused, apparently still stuck on my comment about hired help as her gaze went down to her boys and back to me. She didn't seem to know how to address my ‘mistake,' and she looked at my dad helplessly. I smiled. I knew I was acting exactly the way that they probably expected me to be, a fake, spoiled rich brat. I let my eyes drift back down at the guys.
They stared up at me. The tall and shaggy one had a glare on his handsome face. The short one had a little smirk lifting the corner of his lips. I raised an eyebrow and mirrored the smirk of the short one while meeting the tall one's glare. All of it was a bluff.
“Taylor, these are Claire’s boys that I told you about. Wade and Marcus.” He told me, at the simple look from Claire. He pointed to each one as he said their names but I didn’t watch whom he pointed at. The tears were just barely held in check behind my sunglasses.
"Oh, silly mistake. Honestly, though you boys could have a future helping people move, you look the part." I told them with a fake ass smile as I looked down at them. The even faker cheer in my voice, again.
They were frozen in the foyer, both pairs of eyes watching me warily, their faces were now unreadable. I looked down at them like the royal bitch I was being, and my lip curled up in disgust before I turned on my heel and went back to my room and
slammed the door.
I let my tears come as I locked myself in my room. I wasn't sure I could do this. It was too much, too soon.
Chapter 5
Taylor
Hours later my stomach rumbling made me leave the safety of my room. My tears had long ago dried, and my make-up was in place showing the world what I want them to see. I had also pulled on one of my favorite sundresses. My dad had ignored my temper tantrum. I couldn’t blame him, I had been a real bitch. He was probably still in shock. I might be in trouble once he got over that shock though. My behavior wasn't how I usually acted, he knew it, and I knew it. I had no excuse, besides not wanting them to move in.
When I left my room the sun had set, and the hallway was dark and empty, filled with only the shadows. I made my way silently to the kitchen where our cook, Mario, was finishing up a batch of chocolate chip cookies. The smell was divine.
I inhaled deeply. “Mmm, Mario, how did you know this girl needed sweets?” I teased him. He had been our cook for as long as I could remember. He was more like an uncle than hired help.
"Mia Zucca, Mario always knows." He told me with a smile and offered up a plate with a couple of the warm cookies on it.
My hand outstretched, I went to grab a warm cookie off of the plate. When a hand shot out from over my shoulder and grabbed up the cookie, I was inches away from grabbing.
W.T.F!
I spun around to find the thief happily munching on my cookie. It was one of my new housemates, Wade or Marcus. I wasn't sure who was who and I definitely didn't care. The only thing I knew was that he was the one I dubbed ‘the tall and shaggy one.' I narrowed my eyes at him as he stood before me with a smirk on his cookie crumb covered lips.
“Really?” I put my hand on my hip on autopilot. I could not believe that this guy was going to move into my house and steal my cookies right out from under me.
