Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 538(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Fuck them.
Shaking the morbid thought away, I kick my legs and push through the water until I break the surface. I suck in a deep breath and ignore the laughter coming from the rest of the party. I swim to the other end of the pool and lift myself out of the water. Without another look back, I walk to the truck and sit down on the other side of it, where no one can see me.
With my back against the large tire, I wrap my arms around my torso. I’m soaking wet. The thin dress I’m wearing is completely useless in keeping me warm. It doesn’t take long for me to start shivering.
I play with the thought of just starting to walk home when I hear Colt and Nix approaching. I push myself up off the ground just as they come into view. I don’t need to be on the floor, cowering at their feet when they get here.
Neither one of them says a word. They simply unlock the truck and climb in. I get into the back seat, hoping to ruin the leather with the pool water dripping off me.
We’re about halfway home when Nix breaks the silence. “You know if you tell anyone about tonight, all the people at the party will say you’re lying.”
“Contrary to what you might think of me, I’m not stupid. I already figured that’s the whole reason you brought me along.”
He doesn’t give me an answer. It’s not like I expect one, either. We drive home in silence the rest of the way.
Nix parks the truck in front of the garage. He cuts the engine, and I open my door to jump out as fast as I can. I’m still shaking, partly because I’m freezing and partly because I’m so fucking angry. Angry with them and angry with myself for letting this happen in the first place.
I haven’t even made it to the welcome mat when the front door flies open, and James appears. “What the hell is going on? Why are you shaking and soaking wet?” He looks past me to his approaching sons. “And what happened to your face?”
“Leni fell into the pool. She freaked out a little, and when I pulled her out, she accidentally scratched me,” Nix explains. The lie falls from his lips so easily that if I didn’t know better, I would believe him too.
“Is that true, Leni?”
“What’s true?” My mom comes up behind James, looking between us in confusion. “God, Leni, why are you not wearing a bra?”
I look down at my dress, realizing the thin material has basically become see-through, the outline of my nipples clearly visible. Even though I’m still cold, my face suddenly turns hot, and I’m sure my cheeks are bright red.
As quickly as I can, I wrap my arms around my boobs. “Can I please just go to my room?”
“Not until you tell us what’s going on? Did you really fall into the pool?”
“I…” Shit, what am I going to tell them? My hesitation is enough to spark James’s suspicion.
“You two, go to your rooms,” he orders his sons. To my utter shock, Nix and Colt obey without a word. They push past James and disappear into the house.
James motions for me to come in while my mom goes to the living room to grab a blanket. I step into the foyer, and James closes the door behind us. My mom wraps a blanket around me, and I pull it tight, trying to get warm.
“Amanda, baby, why don’t you go lie down. You need to rest. I’ll make sure Leni is okay.”
“Yeah?” My mom looks so confused, unsure what to do.
“It’s okay, Mom. You can go back to sleep. I’ll be fine,” I assure her.
“Okay, honey, I’ll see you in the morning.” She lets out a yawn, rubbing her eye with her fingers before slowly making her way back up the stairs.
“Now, tell me what happened tonight. What did my idiot kids do to you, and why are you soaking wet?”
This is it, the moment I’ve been waiting for. I have a chance to tell him everything, all the things his sons have done to me, and what they forced me to do tonight.
Yet when I open my mouth, all the words I want to say are stuck in my throat. I can’t make my voice work, and I don’t know why. I want to tell him. I want to confide in him so badly, but when I try to force the words out, I hit a roadblock.
Maybe it’s shame, guilt, or simply fear that won’t let me speak. Whatever it is, it makes my whole body clam up, and my tongue feels heavy in my mouth.
I can’t tell him, at least not today.
“Nix was telling the truth, I fell into the pool, and he pulled me out. I didn’t mean to scratch him.”