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THREE
Iwas in the middle of doing my physics homework when Trent walked through the door. He dropped his keys on the kitchen counter, looking tired and worn out. He’d come home a little later than usual, no doubt having to work extra hours. Dad stepped down the stairs with Mom behind him, her hand clasped in his.
“Bailey, what the fuck is wrong with your neck?” Trent demanded.
I internally cursed. I’d gotten so buried in the homework I was doing that I hadn’t even thought to do something to cover my neck. With how tightly Seth had held my neck, I should have known that it would have bruised.
“Bailey!” My mom exclaimed, her eyes widening in horror. I cringed. She rushed over to me and tilted my head back. “It looks like someone tried to choke you!”
He kind of did,I wryly thought, but I wouldn’t dare say that out loud.
“It’s not a big deal,” I told her. “I just got into an altercation after school with one of the cheerleaders. Her boyfriend asked me for help on an assignment, and she thought I was trying to encroach on her territory or something like that.” I shrugged, surprising myself by how easily the lie slipped from my mouth.
It was the first-ever lie I had told anyone in my family, and it left a sour taste in my mouth.
And I had a feeling it would be the first lie of many to spill from my lips after getting tangled up with Seth.
Trent shot me a dark look, one that told me he didn’t believe any of the bullshit I had spewed from my mouth. Mom frowned as Dad crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve got half a mind to press charges on this girl,” Dad growled.
My pulse skyrocketed. I couldn’t let them find out Seth had done this. Trent would kill him. “Dad, no; it’s really not that big of a deal,” I pleaded with him. I knew Dad well enough to know that he would. And he had enough money to make anything happen that he wanted to. “It was a misunderstanding, seriously. She apologized afterward for overreacting.”
Mom frowned and cupped my face in her hands. “If anyone ever bullies you again, you make sure you kick their ass, you hear me?” I laughed, relaxing again. “Your father will make sure any repercussions disappear,” she teased, shooting my dad a flirtatious smile over her shoulder.
He rolled his eyes at her, but I could tell he was amused. “Don’t take anything laying down, Bailey. If someone is dishing it out to you, you dish it right back,” Dad told me, his tone all business. “We didn’t raise you to be a pushover.”
The sound of a car pulling up outside cut off the rest of the conversation. Shooting me one last accusatory glance, Trent opened the door. Gemma rushed into the house, her make-up running down her face and the handle of a suitcase clutched in her hand. There was a bruise forming on her cheek. My eyes widened in horror. Trent clenched his jaw at the sight of her. He may not have feelings towards her, but Gemma was family.
“Bailey,” she sobbed as I jumped up and rushed over to her.
She released her suitcase and tightly wrapped her arms around my back, her shoulders shaking with her sobs. “I told them,” she cried. “And Dad slapped me and kicked me out. I didn’t know where else to go, so I got an Uber here.”
“What is going on?” Dad asked as he placed a soothing hand on Mom’s shoulder. Mom’s face had gone pale for some reason; I put it down to her past. Life hadn’t been kind to my mom.
She kept it hidden from me and Trent, but I knew it bothered her a lot, and she suffered from PTSD, hence why Dad was always coddling her and always being so gentle with her.
Gemma looked at them, pure terror in her eyes. She snapped her eyes back to me. She looked on the verge of getting sick. “I can’t tell them,” she whispered. “Could you tell them for me?” I frowned. “Bailey, please,” she begged me.
I sighed but nodded my head at her. The things I’d do for her were unreal at times. Drawing in a deep breath, I turned to face my parents. Gemma clasped my hand in both of hers. I could feel them shaking. I gave her hands a gentle squeeze of reassurance.
“Mom, Dad, Gemma’s pregnant,” I told them. Gemma audibly whimpered from behind me.
Mom instantly rushed over and wrapped Gemma up in a hug. Gemma burst into tears, sobbing against my mom’s shoulder. Dad instantly took over everything, leading my mom and Gemma to the dining room table to discuss what was going to happen from here on out.
Like I said, Gemma was family. And our little group looked out for each other.
Trent grabbed my arm and pulled me to the living room. I swallowed thickly. I should have known Trent wouldn’t let the bruise on my neck go. He wasn’t stupid, and he knew me a hell of a lot better than that.
He shut the living room door and turned to face me with his arms crossed over his chest. I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my hoodie. “What’s going on?” he asked me, standing in front of my exit.
I fidgeted, not sure what to say. I couldn’t lie again. “Bailey, don’t even think of another lie,” Trent quietly snapped, making sure our conversation didn’t carry beyond the walls of the living room. “You never lie, which is why I can tell when you are. You don’t know how to do it.”
I scuffed my shoe against the carpet. “I can’t tell you,” I finally blurted. He’d kill Seth. He wouldn’t understand why I was doing this.
Trent sighed, dropping his hands to his sides. “Bailey, you can tell me anything,” he gently reminded me. “I’m worried. It really does look like someone choked you.”
I heavily dropped down onto the couch with a sigh. “I told him I wouldn’t tell anyone,” I told Trent, looking up at him.
Trent clenched his jaw. “Him?” Trent demanded. I cringed. That was exactly the kind of reaction I’d been trying to avoid. “A fucking guy did this to you?” he snarled.
