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A small part of me starts to wonder if Brooke has had to do this for some of the women Ice has shared his bed with, though I cut the thought off quickly. Part of me knows, without a doubt, that Ice would not bring women home to meet his daughter. It is obvious the man goes out of his way to protect her, and I would assume it includes limiting that aspect of his life to her, as well.
Furthermore, why should I care about Brooke detangling the hair of any woman Ice might bring home? He is not my man, and he never will be. As such, it is none of my business if he does bring a woman home.
Grabbing my hand, the sweet and adorable daughter of the hard-ass biker who seems to haunt me, drags me out of the bathroom and back towards the front of the house. “Now that I can look at you and not want to laugh, let’s go to the living room and have some girl talk.”
We sit down beside each other on the couch, and a sadness creeps over Brooke almost instantly. “I miss her like crazy, you know. I get this has to be crazy hard for you because it’s crazy hard for me, too.”
I have been so wrapped up in my own hurt and fear that I have completely forgotten how my sister going missing might affect her best friend. “Yes, sweetie, it is. We have to keep holding on to hope that she will come home soon.”
“I don’t want to scare you, but I don’t believe she ran away. Madyson may be a little crazy, but underneath it all, she has goals and aspirations. She wants to do so much in the future. She wouldn’t risk not graduating.”
My heart hurts a little more at Brooke now defending my sister the way she has her father. It is obvious this girl knows more about Madyson than I might ever know, if Ice is unable to find her. That realization burns. It is a stark reminder that I should have done more for my little sisters growing up. I should have tried harder to get to know then instead of pasting on a fake smile and doing whatever I had to do to appease the adults.
“Mady and I aren’t all that close, Brooke. With her living with me, this is the most she’s ever let me in,” I finally reply sadly.
“She wants to be a marine biologist. She even has two partial scholarships for college lined up. They aren’t much, but it’s something. We only have one class together this semester, but we had two last. She studies hard. She doesn’t even get into trouble at school.”
“How do you have classes with her if you’re a junior?”
“I’m kind of a nerd, I guess. I’m one of the smart kids. My dad is an ass, and if I don’t bring home straight A’s, he’ll ground me. Dad’s version of grounding is torture. He takes everything away, and I mean everything. I’m not allowed to leave my room, a room he takes down to the bare essentials. He literally leaves me with four empty walls, a bed, and a dresser with my clothes set out to the ugliest outfits I own. No TV, no books that aren’t school related, no fashion shows, nothing. I get nothing.
“Hell, once he took all my makeup away. He said it was because I was spending too much time ‘primping’ and not enough time studying. Truth is, I think he can’t handle me wearing makeup and growing up. Mady and I have been trying to be more social; that’s why we went to the parties. Kids at school are afraid of the Regulators, and Mady doesn’t want to bring anyone around your parents.”
Shifting in my spot, I turn to look her in the eyes. “You know fitting in isn’t all that important in the grand scheme of life, right? High school passes and life begins. What any of those people in school think of you or my sister doesn’t matter.”
Brooke’s eyebrows furrow a little and she grouses, “We know that. Still, it would be fun to be popular.”
“I suppose it would, but at what cost? Mady was drugged at the last party. What if you had been, too? Then you wouldn’t have been able to save either one of you,” I chide her gently.
“I guess I didn’t think of that.”
“Look, my parents are superficial. There are a lot of things they’ve done that I don’t agree with. But the thing is, my upbringing made me who I am today, and I’m okay with me. I may not be one of the ‘cool’ people, but I have a great job, solid income, and I have a good foundation for my future. The people around me love me for me, faults and all. Surround yourself with people who accept the nerdy you, like Mady. Find people who aren’t scared off by your biker dad, if that’s even possible. Most importantly, be you and love you just as you are.”
