It sounds genuine, but it feels like an excuse.
In the background, I hear the jingle of the bell and the sound of the cook’s voice as he shouts that an order is up.
I sigh and I’m about to stand up when an arm is tossed around my shoulder and Trenton slides into the booth next to me. He gives me a quick squeeze.
“Hey gorgeous.”
I blink and look at him, bringing myself back to reality. “Hey!”
He throws Spider a glance and a quick greeting, but it doesn’t matter because Spider is already standing and scowling down at us. His face is pale as he pivots around and marches out the door, leaving me feeling winded and very what the hell just happened.
“Was it something I said?” Trenton asks, his eyes studying my face.
I shake my head. “No, don’t worry about it. He’s just . . . in a hurry, I guess.”
In a hurry to stay away from me . . .
Rose
I GO THROUGH THE REST of the week weighed down by a rock in my gut.
Spider consumes all my thoughts.
I try tossing him out of my head. I go to dinner with Trenton and let him kiss me. I hang out with Oscar and Lexa at the library. I work an extra shift at the diner for Cyndi just to keep myself busy. I even attend a study group for my calculus class that’s kicking my ass, but nothing works to eject him from my brain.
Anne and Robert arrange another family meal on Friday evening. I look forward to it anxiously, planning on wearing a pair of white slacks and a yellow silk tank with a cream sweater that Anne bought for me at one of her favorite stores. Oscar is in the room when I pick it out and he calls it a “rich old lady outfit”, but I don’t care. I’ll wear anything as long as I get to see Spider.
I dress in the silk tank and the pants in the bathroom then dash out to the bedroom to let Oscar have a look. I’ve put my hair up in a sleek ponytail, and I do a little twirl for him.
Oscar gives his approval and I head to Highland Park for dinner.
It’s not until I get there that I discover Spider isn’t coming. I eat my dinner, feeling disappointed and just . . . bereft. It’s that state of mind that prompts me to bring up the NYU issue again, this time with Robert present.
Anne’s back goes ramrod straight. “We’ve had this discussion already. I don’t want you so far away.”
“But why?” I need a freaking good reason!
Her lips tighten. “You need supervision, Rose.”
Her words sting me.
“I’m almost eighteen,” I blurt. “I can go to college in another state if I want to.”
She shakes her head. “I’m only paying for Winston. It only makes sense that you attend a school nearby so I can supervise you. Plus, that way you can still speak at the galas. Don’t you want to help those kids?”
My jaw tightens at her manipulations. “Of course I do, but you’re trying to make me feel guilty about wanting to go away to college, Anne.”
“I don’t like your attitude,” she says sharply. “Please use a respectful tone when you talk to me.”
Here we go with the manners . . .
I set down my dessert spoon and stand, needing to get out of here.
“You haven’t been excused,” she says, wiping her mouth.
Robert shoots her a soft look. “Rose probably has plans, dear. It’s a Friday night.”
She lets out a breath and nods. “Fine. It’s obvious you need some time to cool down anyway.”
I’m about to go but decide to turn back around, my anger too sharp to let go. “Make no mistake, Anne, I know exactly who I am—and I don’t need supervision. I lived a whole life before I ever met you. I took care of myself when Mama didn’t. I kept myself away from Lyle. By the time you came along, I’d seen things you can never imagine.”
Her mouth compresses. “Enough of that.”
I shake my head and clench my fists, trying to not raise my voice when all I want to do is yell. “And by the way, I’ve already applied to NYU and been accepted. Whether you pay for it or not, I’m going to New York.”
She inhales a sharp breath, her hand on her stomach.
I give them a brief look and stalk out of the dining room. I’m running on adrenaline as I get in my car then squeal out of the driveway and away from Highland Park.
Before I realize where I’m going, I’m headed to Robert’s penthouse in the city, where Spider is staying.
The doorman recognizes me from when I helped move some of Anne’s things and greets me warmly as he escorts me to the elevator.
With nervous fingers, I push the button for the penthouse, my eyes taking in the opulence of the mirrored walls. The elevator comes to a halt, easing open to a marble-tiled floor. I hear music vibrating through the steel front door.
I knock.
And knock again.
The music is turned down and I hear rustling sounds from behind the door.
“It’s me,” I say. “The girl you’ve been avoiding.”
The door swings open, and the guy standing there isn’t Spider. He’s around Spider’s age with scruff on his chiseled jawline and wild blond hair that flows off his face like a lion’s mane. He’s wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top, and sweat drips from his forehead.
Ice blue eyes crinkle in the corners as they study me.
I give it right back and rack my brain, trying to recall why he seems so familiar.
I snap my fingers. “Sebastian? Lead singer of the Vital Rejects?”
“Yeah, angel.” He wipes at his forehead and leans against the doorjamb, sending me a cocky grin. “And you must be the girl.” He waggles his eyebrows.
The girl? With emphasis?
What does that even mean?
Has Spider been talking about me?
“Back away from my stepsister, douchebag,” comes Spider’s voice from down the hall, although I don’t see him. He must be in another room.
“Fuck off,” Sebastian yells over his shoulder. “You forgot to mention how hot she is.”
“Watch it. I’ll beat your arse if you touch her,” Spider warns him in a sharp tone, and I feel a blush coloring my cheeks. I guess that answers the question of whether or not he’s been talking about me.
Sebastian opens the door farther and nods his head toward the interior of the apartment. “Come on in. He’ll be out in a minute. He’s got to get gorgeous before we go out.”
“Oh?” They’re going out?
Probably to a bar . . . where there are older girls . . . and alcohol.
Activities I can’t participate in.
Suddenly I’m rethinking everything. I shouldn’t have come.
But, I’ve come this far, and I need to see him. I follow Sebastian into the apartment and stand uncertainly in the den as he gets me a soda from the fridge.
I pick at the sides of my jeans. “Where are you guys headed?”