He didn’t, and he hadn’t for a long fucking time.
Josie looked concerned, so I gave her a small polite smile, knowing it wasn’t really her fault our little tour went sour.
“Thanks for showing me around, Josie. I might go and wait in the car while you and Max finish talking. You have a beautiful home.”
I could be polite when I wanted to be.
She went to hug me but stopped herself last minute as my whole body visibly tensed.
“That’s okay. We won’t be long,” she nodded before I excused myself and headed back through the house.
As I wandered through the kitchen, I heard a snort, making me glance up to find a guy my age with hazel brown hair scowling at me like I was the devil incarnate.
“So, you’re the girl that’s moving into my house to spend my mother’s money?”
That got my hackles up instantly and I clenched my hands into fists, deciding against punching his lights out.
Fucking rich prick.
“No, I’m the girl that had no idea she was moving in, and don’t worry, I don’t want your mother’s fucking money. I look after myself.”
“You’re just a charity case that my mother’s taken interest in. You know Max has been coming here for years, right? I’ve heard a lot about you, and I’ll tell you right now that you need to stay out of my way,” he said bitterly.
Who the fuck did this guy think he was?
Hate burned under my skin as I managed to speak confidently.
“Gladly. Spoiled over-privileged rich kids aren’t exactly something I like to hang around anyways, so maybe you should be the one to stay the fuck away from me. Got it, rich boy?”
An amused smirk hit his face just as our parents walked in, halting when they saw the stand-off between us.
Josie frowned with confusion. “What’s going on? Do you two already know each other?”
Her son chuckled almost cruelly, grabbing a beer from the fridge and popping the top to take a sip, his eyes landing on me again before he smirked.
“We were just talking, weren’t we, Aurora?”
I rolled my eyes, figuring it would be better than telling him to go fuck himself.
“Sure, if that’s what you wanna call it.”
“Aurora,” Max warned in a low voice, but I raised an eyebrow, biting one of my lip rings for a moment before answering him.
“You don’t get to decide how to parent me now. I raised my damn self, and you know it, so if you wanna put on some act in front of your coincidentally rich girlfriend, then be my guest. I’m not playing along, and I sure as shit won’t be lounging around by the pool, acting grateful to be here. Josie’s too fucking good for you, and I hope she learns that you’re a using piece of shit before you spend the last fucking cent she has. Does she know about the gambling and the drinking? How about the illegal poker games and hookers? You only care about yourself. It was nice to meet you, Josie.”
I ignored the furious look on my father’s face and the stunned one on Josie’s son’s as I turned and headed out the door, shutting myself in the car.
It was worth being fucking backhanded once we got home.
Caden
Aurora was a fucking brat, plain and simple.
I was going to destroy her piece by piece, and Jensen was going to have a fucking field day with her.
He liked crushing people more than I fucking did, and that said a lot.
Problem was, she seemed more broken than I first realised.
Watching her with her dad made me wonder what the fuck he did to her to make her the way she was.
Max hadn’t done anything wrong towards me or my mom, but I still had never grown to like him.
I’d heard my dad talk about him before, and since dad liked him, I knew Max was a piece of fucking shit.
Dad had warned me that Aurora was a little cunt, so I guess I had to find out for myself.
Who was Aurora Donovan, and why the fuck did I have to fight my smile when she shot Max down like she did?
I headed up to my room, watching her from my bedroom window as she sulked in the car, but my eyes narrowed as Max stalked out after a while and waved his hands around, obviously yelling at her.
I didn’t miss the way she flinched.
I needed to know what the fuck was going on, and I had every intention of finding out what kind of man my mother was dating.
I had to be fucking nice to her, didn’t I?
If she wouldn’t tell me the easy way, the guys and I would get it out of her the fucking hard way.
No matter the cost.
Rory
A sigh escaped me as I glanced around my new school the next day as I walked through the gates.
Fucking rich pricks.
I’d never really made close friends anywhere, so I knew it would be like every other time I went somewhere new.
I’d just stick to myself like I always did.
I headed to where my locker was assigned, slightly surprised to find Josie’s son leaning against it, and the way people stayed out of his way, made me realize he was a big deal.
His arms stayed crossed as I approached, but he silently moved out of my way as I jammed my jacket inside.
I turned to face him and scowled when I found him still watching me.
I sneered. “What?”
His eyes scanned my face, pausing as he noticed the bruise on my cheek, before he met my hard gaze.
“The fuck has my mom gotten herself into with Max?”
My body relaxed slightly at his concern, before I shut my locker with a sigh.
“Honestly? He’s a piece of shit and she should get the fuck away from him. She’s too damn nice to deserve what will happen if she lets him stay. He ruins everything around him, and I like your mom, so you need to convince her to leave him.”
I turned and walked away, chewing on my lip ring as I went, but I was surprised when I noticed he was walking beside me when he spoke again.
“The gambling and shit’s true?”
“Yep. My aunt gave me money for my birthday every year as a kid. She stopped when she found out Dad was stealing it to gamble,” I shrugged lazily.
“The hookers?”
“Basically thinks he’s Charlie Sheen after a big night of booze. I watched him snort coke off a hooker’s tits one night, so that was fun,” I muttered, heading across the yard towards my classroom and trying not to shiver at the horrid memory.
He suddenly grabbed my arm, instantly letting go as I spun around and yanked myself away from him, my whole body tense from his simple touch.
He seemed curious by the way I reacted, but he masked it quickly and leaned against the wall, his voice serious.
“Is he violent towards women in general, or just you?”
My face stayed unreadable as I shrugged. “I’ve never seen him hurt a woman in my life. Look…”
“Caden.”
“Huh?” I asked, watching his lip twitch with amusement as he fought a smile.
“My name’s Caden.”
Good for you.
“Oh, okay. Well, Caden, I’ve watched my father get into trouble that he can’t get out of so many fucking times, so listen when I tell you to get your mom to leave him. He’s poison, and the only people who get hurt are those around him. He’ll throw anyone under the bus to save himself if he needs to, trust me on that.”