I’m still reeling from Aaron’s words when I get home from school. I have nothing but time on my hands so, of course, I stew. I can’t believe his nerve. I’m not some whore. I don’t sleep around. Roman is literally the second person I’ve slept with and I sure as hell don’t allow myself to get passed around like some hood rat. I am not one of those girls.
I pace my room, leaving a worn path in the pale beige carpet, and I finally decide enough is enough. I can’t let his opinion consume me. I know who I am. If he wants to be an ass, let him. I don’t need him.
Powering up my laptop, I catch up on some homework before touching up my resume and sending it off to at least a dozen local businesses. I need a job. All this downtime is driving me insane. I need to find a way to stay busy. I spot the sneakers I bought at Target and an idea forms in my head.
Stripping out of the white skinny jeans and lavender blouse I wore today, I throw on a pair of leggings, a band shirt, and my new Target sneakers. I curse when I realize I don’t own a sports bra but figure what I’m wearing will do. Throwing my hair up in a messy bun, I tuck my phone into the hidden zipper pouch on the side of my leggings and grab my wireless earbuds and a water bottle.
Janessa sent me a calendar notification earlier letting me know Gerald has requested my presence at dinner this evening. I confirmed that I’d be there, though I’m still not sure where there is exactly, since under location it said TBD, but I do know the time. She scheduled dinner for six, so I have a little over an hour before I need to be back in order to have enough time to shower and get ready.
Jogging down the stairs, I tuck in my headphones, blaring some old-school Linkin Park. Numb drowns out my thoughts as I head outside and let myself get sucked into the heavy thrum of music. It’s still fairly warm, despite it being November, and a thin sheen of sweat coats my body within the first fifteen minutes of my run. My breathing is heavy, my legs already cramping, but I push myself to keep going. I need this. I’ve never been much of a runner but already I can tell I’ll be doing this again.
Fifteen minutes turns to thirty before I stumble to a stop. Bracing my hands on my knees I suck in lungfuls of air. The sun is setting, suburban streetlights illuminate the streets. A car rumbles in the distance, growing closer, but I don’t bother looking up until I realize it’s slowed to a stop and is now idling beside me.
I stand to my full height, propping my hands on the back of my hips as I try and catch my breath, while at the same time, I’m ready to run hard and fast should I need to. But then I see it’s Aaron in his WRX.
Mouth pressed into a tight line, he looks me up and down. “You look like shit.”
I flip him off, not even bothering with civility at this point.
He leans over and opens the passenger side door. “Come on. I’ll give you a lift home.”
“I’m only a few blocks away.”
He lifts a single brow as if to say, so?
“Fine.” I climb in, immediately sinking into the cool leather seats. Cold AC fans my face and I sigh, closing my eyes.
“I didn’t realize you were a runner.”
“I’m not. Just … needed to clear my head.”
He’s quiet so I open my eyes and glance at him through my peripheral. He pulls up to the mansion that is Gerald’s elaborate home and I move to open the door. “Thanks for the lift.”
Before I can step out, he halts me with a hand on my arm. “Wait.”
I stop and turn to face him, leaving the door open.
He scrubs both hands down his face before dragging his gaze back to me. “I hate the Devils.”
My anger flares and I suddenly remember what he said to me earlier and why I should still be pissed off with him. “Noted.” I get out and step away from the car, slamming the door behind me.
The engine shuts off and Aaron’s door opens and closes, but I’m already heading for the front door. “Allie, wait,” he calls out, but I don’t bother stopping. I’m almost to the door when it swings open and Gerald’s stern face greets me, bringing me to a hard stop.
“Alejandra, is that you shouting out here?”
His pale eyes flick from me to the boy I know is standing a few paces behind me. “Sorry.” I wilt under his scrutiny. “We didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“Have some decorum. We have neighbors.”
My face falls and I nod. “Sorry,” I mutter, hating that this man I barely know has the power to make me feel two inches small. I’m just about to slip in past him when I feel Aaron step in beside me.
“I’m Aaron Henderson, sir. I go to school with Allie. It’s nice to meet you.” Aaron thrusts out his hand and surprisingly, Gerald takes it, giving it a firm shake and giving Aaron an assessing look.
“You’re Allen’s boy?” he asks.
Aaron nods. “Yes, sir.”
Okay, hold up. What is going on right now?
“I’m happy to see my daughter making respectable friends. I was worried when I agreed to send her to Sun Valley Public instead of Prep, but it was your father who reminded me he’d made a similar decision with you. Thank you for looking after her.”
Aaron nods. I shoot him a questioning look but he either doesn’t see it or chooses to ignore it.
“Well uh, thanks for the ride.” I give Aaron a small wave, cringing at the awkwardness of it when Gerald does the unthinkable and invites him in.
“Allie, why don’t you run along and get ready for dinner. Aaron and I will be in my study when you’re done.”
What?
Aaron’s expression brightens at the invitation, and when Gerald steps back, opening the door wider to grant us both entrance, Aaron sweeps right on in as though he’s been here a dozen times.
“Uh…”
Aaron meets my gaze giving me a small nod.
Alright then. “I guess I’ll go take a shower.”
Neither one of them respond. Gerald grips Aaron’s shoulder in an almost fatherly embrace as he leads him away from me and toward his study.
I jog up the stairs, stripping my sweat-soaked clothes off as soon as the door to my bedroom is firmly closed behind me. Why would Gerald want to talk with Aaron in his study? Clearly, he knows his parents but …
I rush through washing my hair and body, taking the fastest shower of my life. Something about leaving Aaron and Gerald alone together is setting off alarm bells in my head. And what was all that about looking after his daughter? Why didn’t Aaron mention that our dads knew each other?
I dry off in record speed before pulling my hair into a wet and tangled messy bun. I’m assuming dinner will be here since Gerald invited Aaron to join us. I throw on a knee-length, long-sleeved dress in a soft blue, cinching a belt around the waist and slipping my feet into a pair of strappy sandals.
I don’t bother putting on any makeup before heading toward Gerald’s office. Murmured words greet my ears as I approach but I can’t make them out. I haven’t been in Gerald’s office before. He’s always given the impression that it was off limits and I never wanted to impose. After knocking three times, I reach for the handle and let myself in.
Gerald is sitting at his desk, a cigar in one hand and a glass of amber liquid in the other. He’s smiling. I’ve never seen him smile, but whatever Aaron must have just said clearly amused him.
Aaron is sitting in a leather lounge chair opposite Gerald, a matching glass of liquor in his hand, though his glass looks untouched.
“Umm…”
“Alejandra, come in.” Gerald says in a booming baritone. “Aaron was just telling me all about the camping trip the two of you went on together.”
I frown, worried Gerald will get the wrong impression and I’ll wind up in trouble. He’d given me his permission to go but I’d intentionally left out the fact that I was going away with a boy, assuming he’d think I’d made girlfriends. But he seems pleased anyway, not shocked or upset as I would have expected. Mom would have murdered me. I wasn’t even allowed to have Julio over without leaving my bedroom door wide open. “Oh,” is all I manage to say before taking a seat in the chair beside Aaron. He gives me a reassuring smile. I’m not sure what to think of that.
Aaron certainly looks comfortable. Like this is an everyday occurrence for him. He’s dressed in his usual Volcom black jeans and a charcoal Hurley t-shirt, ever the skater boy and at complete odds with Gerald who’s wearing a custom-tailored suit, crisp white dress shirt, and burgundy tie. Yet the two are chatting as though they’re old friends. Aaron’s even holding himself taller. Like he’s not just your average high-school kid.
My head is spinning. I take my seat and fold my hands in my lap. Gerald’s eyes zero in on the movement before his scrutinizing gaze takes in my appearance. “I see Janessa’s provided you with adequate clothing.”
I nod.
“Though it seems a trip to the salon may still be in order.”
My head snaps up toward him. “Excuse me?”
He turns to Aaron. “Women often need help making themselves presentable. Don’t judge my daughter too harshly. She didn’t have the upbringing she should have. But a project can be rewarding. Alejandra here is our diamond in the rough.”
My cheeks are flaming. I can’t believe he’s criticizing me right now. In front of Aaron.
Aaron laughs but I can hear the strain in his voice. “It’s one of the things I like about your daughter, sir. She isn’t like the girls I’ve grown up with. She’s comfortable in her own skin.”
Gerald looks like he’s just bitten into a lemon. “Hmm. Yes, well, she could still use some lessons in behaving like a proper young lady. Really, Alejandra. You look like you have a bird’s nest on top of your head.”
I force my hands to remain in my lap instead of adjusting the bun on my head. I don’t care what he thinks. He’s not anyone to me. A sperm donor who decided to show up too late in the game. I clench my jaw and tilt my chin up. “I didn’t realize I needed to impress my own father when I’m in my own … home.” I keep my tone even, but this isn’t my home. It’s a halfway house until I get to wherever it is I’ll be going after graduation.
“You need to be presentable at all times, even in your own home. You never know who may be stopping by. Just look at yourself. And you have a guest here, one you were well aware of before you came downstairs.” He shakes his head, his upper lip curling in disgust. “If I’d known about you sooner, we could have gotten a handle on this, but at the rate you’re going, you’re going to end up just like your mother.”
He may as well have just slapped me the way he spoke of her, as if being anything like my mother is an insult. It’s not. My mother was a proud, hard-working woman. She was compassionate and loving and she always, always, made time for me, despite working two jobs. Which is more than I can say for the man sitting in front of me. He missed out on seventeen years of my life, yet I can count the number of times I’ve seen him on one hand since moving to Sun Valley.
I’m not ashamed of my mother. I aspire to be like her.
I bite the inside of my cheek until the tangy bite of copper hits my taste buds. My anger rises and with it comes a crashing wave of emotion. Blinking rapidly to keep my vision clear, I push myself out of my seat. “You’ll have to excuse me. I forgot I have homework I need to catch up on.”
Gerald doesn’t even acknowledge my departure, too engrossed in whatever subject he’s moved onto with Aaron. I storm up to my bedroom, opening my laptop to send off another dozen resumes. I need a job. I won’t allow myself to be trapped here any longer than I have to be.
Twenty minutes later there’s a knock on my door. But before I can tell whoever it is to go away, it opens and Aaron steps inside. The chagrined look on his face is the only thing that keeps me from snapping at him.
He pads over toward me, claiming the seat beside me on the bed as I roll onto my back and stare at the ceiling. He’s quiet for a moment before heaving a long-suffering sigh. “I’m sorry about that,” he says.
I keep my eyes pinned on the light fixture above me. A stupidly feminine bedroom chandelier with wrought-iron roses and dangling crystals. “Why? Are you worried I’ll end up like my dead mother too? Am I doomed to become a commoner?” I sneer.
He scrubs a hand over his face. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
I flick my gaze toward him. “Do I? You seemed pretty chummy with Gerald there.”
He sighs. “My dad works with yours. They golf together. He’s been to my house for holidays.” A shrug. “I’ve never been here before we went to Shadle Creek. I didn’t put two and two together until he opened the door or I would have said something. I… I don’t really know what else to say. Gerald is an ass. He shouldn’t have said what he did and”—another sigh—“I should have come to your defense. I’m sorry. That was a dick move.”
I push myself into a sitting position. He sounds genuine, but… “Then why didn’t you?”
Green eyes search mine, no doubt trying to understand what’s going on inside my head. “Because I’m an idiot. Our parents have certain expectations. I guess I just fell into the comfortable role of not wanting to rock the boat.”
I nod because, yeah, it sucks, but I get it.
“You hungry?” he suddenly asks just as my stomach rumbles. We both laugh.
“Yeah. You could say that. I was supposed to have dinner with my dad, but I think I’ll go back to avoiding him after today.”
He pushes to his feet and holds out a hand for me. “Come on, I know the perfect spot. A hole-in-the-wall diner with the best burgers in town.”
I hesitate. “Aaron I—”
“Allie,” he cuts me off. “I was an ass. I’m sorry. Not just for now but for earlier too. At school. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I was being an asshole because I was jealous. It won’t happen again. I promise. Give me another shot at being your friend. I won’t fuck up this time.”
I worry my lower lip, indecision sweeping through me. Then again, it’s not like people were knocking down my front door begging to be my friend. “Alright. But can we not talk about my dad? Or the Devils. Or anything that will upset either one of us?”
He chuckles. “Deal.”
