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She smiles at me before jerking her head toward the French doors leading out toward the balcony. There’s more to this girl than I would’ve imagined. It was highly annoying and puzzling why she caters to her mother who clearly doesn’t give a damn about what she wants to do. With everyone else, she’ll fight back.
Cool, fresh air immediately hits my skin as I follow her. Watching her take one of the wicker chairs, Liv sits and pulls her legs into her chest before she wraps her dark pink lips around the joint.
“What’s really up with you and your mom?”
Liv’s blue eyes slice to me but she doesn’t falter. “What about her?”
“You don’t seem to care what anyone else thinks but when it comes to her…you go out of your way to fake date a dude like me.”
She exhales, smoke billowing through her lips, and averts her eyes when I take the adjoining seat in front of her. “Guess I’ve stupidly always wanted her approval.”
“Why?”
“Who cares?” She’s shutting down on me and hands me over the blunt without sparing me a glance.
“My dad was a real piece of shit,” I offer up. “Alcoholic, kept losing his jobs, and would steal money out of my mom’s purse for his drinking habit. I remember one time he hit her because she wouldn’t fork over cash. I beat his ass and he died about two weeks later.”
I expect Liv to ask me how or what had happened, but she doesn’t.
“Choked in his own vomit,” I fill in for her. “Found him in a hotel room naked. He was probably fucking a bunch of prostitutes and that was his go-to spot.”
“Your mom…she’s okay?”
“Died when I was eighteen.” Liv bows her head but doesn’t say anything. “We would all love to make our parents proud but some are unreachable, Opie. Remember that, baby.”
Her blue eyes skate to me. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I don’t think your mother deserves your time. And I’d hate for you to get into a mess like this again with some other dude just to appease her.”
“It was stupid,” she replies flatly. “Never should’ve…This is the last time.”
“You sure about that?” Liv lifts her shoulder dismissively and it irritates me that she didn’t give me an answer. “Yes or no?”
“I can’t tell the future.”
“What does she have on you?”
“Hope,” Liv emits sourly. “She’s the only parent around because all my dad does is travel. I have friends who have the closest relationship with their moms and it bugs me. It actually infuriates me. I don’t understand why I can’t have that. I bust my ass, I don’t ask for money. I have a place of my own and I go to?—”
“Some things can’t be helped,” I state calmly. “It’s not your job.”
“I don’t like your answer,” Liv mutters, plucking the blunt that I haven’t even taken a hit of yet out of my grasp.
“But do you hear it?”
“Yes.”
“Are you gonna listen, though?”
Liv bats her damn eyes at me. “Don’t I always?”
“No.”
She winks at me but doesn’t say anymore, leaving me to simmer in the fact that she’s too good for this family and stretches herself for no good reason.
eleven
. . .
