He wanted to give me the money, a car, and a college education in exchange for some stupid arrangement that he made with my mom. One that would apparently make sure that I didn’t ruin my future or some bullshit. I personally thought it was just another way to control me. Which was precisely why I refused to accept his pathetic offer. Minus the car of course since I didn’t seem to have much of a choice in that.
“Mark says you haven’t taken well to the deal we had planned out for you.” She sounded disappointed like she actually expected me to take the man’s money and run with it.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I’m not really all that keen on being controlled or bought for that matter, as you have seen,” I said with a bit of snark in my voice. “Although I am trying to steer clear of fights and shit that could get me locked up, but it’s not for him or because of the dumb deal. It’s not any easier here than it was when I was at home with you.” I walked around my room aimlessly, bored out of my mind. I couldn’t handle seeing Noelle, therefore I kept myself locked up in my bedroom.
“Just please be careful, and consider your father’s offer. I know it’s hard after everything that has happened, but you only know bits and pieces of the story. There is so much more to be told if you would just sit down and listen.” I sighed. I didn’t know why she always had to bring this up. I honestly wanted to listen to what my mother had to say, but my father not so much. It wasn’t fair or right that he left my mother and I without anything for years. Why the hell should I waste my time listening to his lies and excuses?
“He left us both without a backwards glance, Mom. He threw us out like yesterday’s garbage, and you want me to sit and listen to his bullshit excuses? How could you of all people ask me to do that?” I questioned her in outrage. I didn’t get how she could sit there and defend him like he wasn’t the reason our family was ripped to pieces.
“Enough of that shit, Royal. That’s not even true. I have no idea where you got that idea from, but you’re wrong.” Her tone changed from cheery to anger.
“When you decide to get over this shit, including the hatred that you have for your father and you actually want to know the truth, you can go talk to your father. There is so much more to this story than you can even begin to imagine, and believing only half of it because it gives you a reason to stay angry is ridiculous.” She carried on and it made me want to hang up the phone and ignore the entire issue.
I didn’t care what he told me. Nothing could change the fact that he went off and made a new family while my mother and I struggled every day to get by. Nothing he could say to me would make up for him not being around.
“I’ll talk to him.” I lied. I wouldn’t even try. Not in a million years, but she didn’t need to know that.
“Good.” She sounded pleased for the first time since Mark’s name came up, which caused me to smile. “Now be good, keep your grades up, don’t get anyone pregnant and don’t get into any more fights.”
My own laughter filtered into the phone. My mother knew me so well, and despite the fact I had to be here with Mark and his bitch wife, I was glad my mom was getting a break, even if it was me she needed a break from.
“Yeah, yeah. I won’t. I love you. I’ll call you later this week,” I mumbled into the phone. We exchanged our goodbyes and then I hung up my phone, leaving me to my own thoughts.
I slammed down onto my mattress and allowed myself to think about Noelle, which seemed to be the only thing I could focus on anymore. I hated it here when I first arrived, and I still kind of did. I hated my father and Noelle’s mom, but Noelle herself was growing on me, in more ways than one.
She saw the good inside of me. She didn’t turn her back on me and decide I was unworthy at the slightest infraction. When I first met Noelle, I initially thought she had her head in the clouds. That she was just some spoiled little princess living off my dad’s money, but time and time again I was proven wrong.
She was smart, kind, and caring. She didn’t judge me or anyone else, she just kept to herself like she was biding her time until she could get out. I loved how she didn’t feel that she was entitled to anything just because she came from a family of money and success didn’t mean she had all the friends in the world. It also didn’t mean everyone liked you, unless you were of course Sasha Master’s, but that was a whole different story.
I stared up at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do with Noelle and the situation we were in. I crossed a major boundary. When I found out that she showed up at Sasha’s party even after I told her not to come, I was livid. Then seeing her with Dom sent me straight over the edge. Suddenly I was on autopilot; not even thinking. I wanted to spank the fuck out of her for disobeying me, and then there was the fight. Sure Dom and I were set to fight already, but that was under different circumstances.