AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So call your dad,” she says, and I look down at my phone again. Her tone goes softer, yet more persuasive. “He won’t know, Justine. And even if he did, you’ve done nothing wrong. Neither what happened with Dean nor with Sade make you any less of a fantastic woman.”
I gulp down my anxiety, my fingers curling harder around the tea mug. I could use something stronger right now, maybe a shot of tequila or some whiskey, but I won’t find any booze in my friend’s chambers. Mel hasn’t touched alcohol or pills since Dogg, so there normally isn’t anything like that within a mile of her.
None of my friends drink or do drugs, as incredible as that is. Annie was once curious about weed, but her Alabama-born mother told her enough horror stories that they turned her into a scaredy-cat around it. As for Eva, I can’t imagine her even trying. Such frivolities are beneath her.
Me? I’m the earthy, working-class kind of girl. A mere mortal. The only thread I have to divinity is the poetry I write, which is truly an elevating experience, but it always seems to flow better when I drink. The poetry helps me work through my deepest and most secret fantasies.
“You’re gonna have to talk to him sooner or later, babe,” Annie says, bringing my thoughts back to Dad.
“That’s right,” Eva whispers.
With another deep breath, I take the phone.
Dad’s anxious voice answers after the first ring.
“Baby.” There’s so much love behind that simple word that it brings tears to my eyes. A feeling of sadness washes over me like I don’t deserve to be loved like that. But then Mel squeezes my knee, Annie cups my cheek, and Eva’s hand curls on my shoulder.
“Hey, Dad.”
It’s a difficult conversation, and it takes all of my friends’ silent yet empathetic encouragement for me to carry it out to the end. The air leaves my lungs in a long whoosh when I’m done, and Annie hits end call for me.
Hers is the face I look into first, a silent plea in my eyes. She nods, brushing my hair behind my ear.
“I’ll take care of everything you need, Justice, don’t worry. I’ll lie to your dad for as long as you need me to. Even if that means my hand will fall off for swearing falsely on the Holy Book.”
“You’ll save yourself in the confessional later,” Mel says, and Annie answers with a vulgar gesture. The banter is natural between them, but they brush over it quickly this time.
“You need healing, and it’ll probably take more than just a night or two,” Mel continues. “How about you stay here the whole week? For starters.”
“It’s a good idea,” Eva chimes in. “What’s also a good idea is that no one but your dad should know where you are. Annie could tell him that you’re working on a super secret project with Mel and me, and he can’t tell people your location, so they won’t bother you.” She locks eyes with the others before she says, “especially not Sade or Dean, if they come asking.”
“They won’t,” I say, disappointment settling in my chest. I only want to hear from one of those two bastards again, but that’s toxic as fuck, and exactly why I need time away from this entire mess. I need to pull myself back together and get my priorities straight. I open my mouth to say it, but Eva speaks before I do.
“I wouldn’t be so sure. I still believe Sade Royales knew exactly what he was doing when he stepped in between you and Dean. He knew that his attention would cast a blanket of protection over you.”
I huff out a breath. “Yeah. The college sadist, who gets off from bashing people’s skulls in, turns out to be a knight in shining armor. Who knew, right?”
“Be sarcastic all you want, but Eva’s got a point,” Mel says, standing up and heading towards the adjacent bathroom. Her mansion isn’t quite the gothic castle that the Royales’ estate is, but it’s still one of those impressive villas in a thick forest, where even the guest rooms have a walk-in closet and a private bathroom. “If all he wanted was to use you, he would have done itafterthe party,” she calls from the bathroom, turning the water on before she comes back. “It would have been so much easier to get you at the mansion. No one would have found out.”
I wipe the snot from my nose with the back of my hand.
“He needed the element of surprise with Dean’s videos. Plus, it wouldn’t have been as fun,” I argue.
Mel snorts as she starts to peel Sade’s shirt off of me. I’ve been holding on to it for dear life since I came here.
“Not to mention that whatever happened at the mansion could easily be seen as rape,” I add.
I shudder as the shirt comes off of me, and it’s not because of the air that licks at my skin or even at the memory of what happened.
“He must think the worst of me,” I mutter.
A little slap lands on my cheek, enough to shake me from my self-pity.
“I’ll be damned if I let you go down that road, Justine Pracht,” Mel barks, acting every bit like the future prosecutor she intends to become. “First of all, you don’t owe that bastard anything.”
“That all sounds good and nice, people’s inherent value and all, but let’s face it. He’s Dad’s employer. He’ll never look at Dad the same way again, and the things he’s going to do with me in the future–” I shake that image out of my head. “Maybe there’s a universe out there where women aren’t judged for their past, where men like Sade Royales don’t rule the world, and where all the sugar-coating becomes true like magic spells, but this isnotthat universe.” I suck in a shaky breath, looking up into the light that pours down from Mel’s chandelier.
“I’m gonna have to find a way and live with this without telling myself sweet lies,” I breathe.
