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I wink. “Looks like money can't buy you everything, asshole.”
Chapter 5
Rhiannon
17 years old
The prom is a big deal in most people’s life. In most seventeen-year-old girl’s lives. But, not mine. I couldn’t care less. My dream date was Xavier, but with him in his own apartment with Dean, and not really aware I’m alive, it didn't happen.
I text Morgan to hurry up and get here.
Be there in ten, she replies.
Taking one last look in the mirror, I smile at the strapless black dress I’m wearing. It's simple, with a hint of shimmer, and whispers against my skin. The dove Xavier gave me three years ago is my only jewelry. I know he's around today, courtesy of Hannah, and hopefully, he’ll finally notice I’m not a little girl anymore.
I slip on my heels and step outside my room. The house is quiet as I make my way down the wide staircase to the landing where Hannah stands changing out flowers in the tall bronze floor vases that decorate the foyer. Her eyes light up when she sees me. She stops what she's doing and hustles over to me.
“You look so grown up, Rhiannon.” She gives me a hug.
“Thank you, Miss Hannah.”
“You remember what I told you?” she asks, arching a dark brow.
A blush heats my face remembering Hannah’s lecture about sex and condoms. I already know these things, but I'm sure she feels it's her duty since my own mother seems not to realize I'm on the brink of adulthood.
“How could I ever forget,” I tell her.
Aside from the fact that's a conversation no teen wants to have, having it come from the mom of the guy you're pining after made it a hundred times worse.
She laughs a little and continues to mortify me. “Sex isn't something to be ashamed of, Rhiannon, but it shouldn't be taken lightly.”
“Yes, I know,” I reassure her. “There will be no sex tonight.”
She smiles and kisses me on the cheek. “Smart girl. Now go have fun,” she says before leaving me.
I’ll admit, I’ve thought about it...a lot. With Xavier. Somewhere along the way, my feelings of friendship morphed into infatuation. Unrequited infatuation. He’s never made a move. Not even last year at Tina's sixteenth birthday party when we were snuggled together on the hammock in her parent’s backyard. It was the perfect opportunity. The definition of perfect. We gazed at the blinking stars. We laughed about the future and my plans to attend MECA, Maine College of Art.
I pulled out the quirky hand drawn card, with a tiny screwdriver on the front, I made for Tina inscribed with “Happy Birthday! Get Screwed” and then he got quiet and leaned in close. I know I saw something in his expression. And just as I closed my eyes, ready and willing, he pulled away and stood so quickly from the hammock, it almost sent me crashing to the ground. More like crashing down to reality.
After that party, things changed. There was no more talk of the future.
Xavier stayed away, going to parties with new friends, and... he started dating girls. Lots of them. Holly, Noel, Faith. His very own Christmas card. On and on. Since then, our friendship has basically been non-existent. No more watching movies and just hanging out. I haven't even told him I received my acceptance letter to MECA a few weeks ago. No one knows, actually. In secret, I applied. Now, I must convince my parents. I'm ready to use the bargaining skills I've been mastering.
On my way to the kitchen, I pass my father’s office and halt when Xavier says, “I won’t be working for you, ever.”
My eyes widen. No one has ever talked to daddy that way.
But, the main reason for my surprise is Xavier’s words. Hearing him standing up to my father sets a flame of hope alight in my stomach.
It extinguishes when I hear my father laugh. Such a sinister laugh. The kind of laugh that makes grown men cower in fear. The kind that makes me feel five and afraid again.
“Xavier, you’ve always been a smart kid. Why waste your talent?” My father rises from his chair. “This is my fifth security system you’ve broken into.”
“Not that hard.” Xavier clears his throat. “But the fact of the matter is, I won’t ever work for you.”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Yes, we will.”
