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Fucking anything.
CHAPTER
FIFTEEN
Aspen
I fully expected my mom would call me. I’d outed myself, my location, and expected to hear from her. I also expected to feel sick because I knew what she’d do. She’d freak out, and then this detour to Pembroke University would be short-lived.
I expected this.
What I hadn’t expected was the news she was giving me now while I sat on my bed, and I was sick.
I was damn near nauseous.
“You might as well,” she stated, continuing on after breaking the news to me. “Everyone in this world knows where you are, so you might as well do some good.”
Some good. I nodded. “A charity concert?”
It was the first thing she mentioned when she called me. She didn’t ask how I was doing or even rant about how I’d outed my location. Of course, she’d heard about it. The minute people saw me here at Pembroke, the selfies went up on the internet and the news reports followed. A few reporters tried to come down to break the story, but Pembroke’s chancellor took care of that real fucking quick.
Fuck, you’re an idiot.
I normally didn’t give in to my temper. With a momanager like Eugena Davis, not giving in to daily frustrations was damn near impossible. I had to be in control, cool in all aspects of my life, but Thatcher fucking Reed took me to my breaking point. He’d read me the riot act outside my own damn dorm room.
He hurt you too.
I’d like to say I didn’t fucking care about what he said to me. I’d like to believe my heart was steel and I didn’t care, but I was a goddamn human, okay? I had a heart. I had a soul, and he’d trampled all over that shit. I was a stupid girl who literally got attached to someone who abused me in the past. Basically, I was a goddamn idiot.
I knew that too.
I brought my legs up. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I normally didn’t question my mother. I mean, what was the point as she nearly always got her way. My jaw moved. “Mom, the threat…”
“Oh, don’t talk to me about that right now. You’ve let the whole world know where you are, and the only reason I’m not pulling you out of that place is because Chancellor Richards and your security have guaranteed to me that they have the situation handled.” She paused, rustling around. I figured she was in downtown LA today. She enjoyed shopping. “I still don’t know why you fired Franklin, but this new firm seems good.”
And God fuck did she not know that firm was the Reeds’. She would pull me out of Pembroke.
You should let her.
I’d self-sabotaged deciding to work with Thatcher’s dad’s company. Mom would definitely have an issue if she knew I was close to the Reeds, but I hadn’t cared when I’d done it. Thatcher just made me so fucking crazy.
Physically making myself calm down, I closed my eyes. “But a charity concert? I know I’m here, but I probably should continue to lie low.”
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to do something for charity. In fact, if my mom told me to go down to the local Red Cross, I’d work myself to the point of blisters and exhaustion to help them out. I really enjoyed helping others, loved it. It was just…
My mom’s sigh was evident, but best believe it was impatience, frustration. The sound caused my stomach to flip, and I remained silent. “You’re going to do it, Aspen, and I’ve already set up your appointments with Mare and Jillian.”
My stylist and nail tech. Of course.
“Speaking of appointments, I was surprised to hear from your personal trainer that you’ve been dodging her emails,” she said, and my stomach flopped again. “She’s been trying to contact you to set up a time to check in and see how you’re doing with your solo workouts.”
I really had nothing to say to that. Just that I hadn’t been doing anything but lying around and binge-eating since Thatcher Reed had called me a bad lay. I tended to emotionally eat when I was stressed…
That guy had way too much power over me, and I got to hear another one of my mother’s sighs in my ear.
“I don’t think I need to inform you that you’re a public figure and have an image to maintain, Aspen,” Mom said, and I glanced at the ceiling. It wasn’t just enough the music had to be perfect, but I had to be as well. Perfect body. Perfect playing… “Maintaining yourself physically also helps with your stamina. It keeps you playing at your best for long periods of?—”
“I know.” I heard the growl in my voice, but I couldn’t help it. My mom was always too fucking much.
