Sweet Little Lies

by Hollyfield, J. D.

  “No. He just loves money and power.”

  “More than your dad? Wow.” I know she’s trying to ease the tension of what I’m about to do, but with every second that passes, my anxiety threatens to take me out before I even make it inside. “Do you think he’s home?”

  Violet parks and we climb out of the car. “I guess we’ll see,” I say as we walk up to the door. Taking the deepest breath I can to fill my lungs with courage, I knock on the door. We stand there, but no one answers. I knock again. Nothing. Violet leans over and turns the knob. The door opens, offering us a view of his stellar foyer.

  “You got this. I’m here for you, okay?” I nod, squeeze her hand, and enter the house. Shit, what am I going to say? I should have rehearsed something in the car. Speak from your heart, Hazel. I inhale and take two more steps when someone appears from the kitchen entrance.

  Gabriel.

  He sees me and freezes, his expression filled with shock. “Hey,” I start, fighting through my nerves.

  “What are you doing here?”

  I take a few steps closer. “I came to see you. I wanted to—”

  “Stop right there. Whatever it is you’re going to say, don’t.” He stares at me with a cold scowl.

  I know he doesn’t want to hear me whine like a child. And I get that. But I need him to know how I feel. “I’m not leaving until you hear what I have to say—”

  “Hazel, don’t—”

  “Just listen to me. I know we can’t be together. I know that when we started this, it was just sex. But I love you, and I think you love me too. We deserve to be together—”

  “What the fuck?” My head whips to the right. Dad is standing there, eyes wide, his face turning crimson. He whips his head to Gabriel, who doesn’t take his eyes off me. Realizing what I just did, the color drains from my face.

  “You—” He pauses, his face a mixture of shock and fury aimed at Gabriel. When he gathers his bearings, he angles his anger back to me. “What the fuck are you doing here? And—what the fuck—what the fuck did you just say?”

  Immediate panic settles in my bones, and I suddenly have the urge to run. Hide and pretend I never walked in here and severed three relationships in a matter of seconds. My brain can’t conjure up the right thing to say. There isn’t anything that will repair the damage I just inflicted on us all.

  My dad radiates with fury. My panic grows stronger as I catch a glimpse of Gabriel, his expression blank. He’s not going to fight. I’m on my own here. I feel like a child again, terrified and shaking. I want to jump out of my skin. The sound of my pounding heart is like an alarm blaring in my head.

  I take a careful step toward my dad. “Dad, it’s not what you think,” I rush out.

  “You better fucking hope so.” He turns to Gabriel. “Why the fuck is my daughter at your house when she should be at school?”

  Gabriel doesn’t respond.

  “Dad, please just listen to me for a second—”

  I jump back at his booming voice aimed at me. “I don’t know why you’re here, but get the fuck out, Hazel. Get the fuck out of here!” He takes a threatening step toward Gabriel. “Tell me I heard my daughter wrong, you son of a bitch.”

  Gabriel doesn’t move or cower at Dad’s fury. “I can’t.”

  My stomach drops when my dad leaps at him, cocking his fist back and slamming it into Gabriel’s jaw. Gabriel doesn’t fight back, allowing my dad another open shot to his nose. “You fucking piece of shit! You’re fucking my goddamn daughter?” His voice cracks. Another punch. Blood splatters from Gabriel’s nose, his lip.

  I run toward them, needing Dad to stop. “Daddy, stop! This isn’t his fault! It’s mine!” He whips around, the fury in his gaze halting me. “Get the fuck out of here. Wait for me at home. I’ll deal with you later.”

  He turns back to Gabriel. “How could you? How fucking could you!” he yells, his voice hoarse. The anguish in his tone kills me. Pain and regret bleed from Gabriel’s gaze, and I can’t help but hate myself for what I’ve done.

  “Daddy, please! Stop!”

  He grabs at the lapels of Gabriel’s shirt, shoving him into the wall. A vase knocks over, shattering at their feet. “You’re fucking dead. DEAD! I’m going to murder you with my bare hands—”

  “Daddy, stop! You’re hurting him!”

  “I told you to leave. Why the fuck are you still here?”

  Gabriel finally reacts, shoving my dad off. “Watch how you talk to her,” he growls.

  Everything happens so fast. Like two wild animals, they attack. Hit for hit—each punch landing on its target, blood splattering against the walls and across their expensive dress shirts. I stand there frozen, forced to watch with wild eyes. My heart races. I grab at my head, forcing my brain to stop the madness. A shrilling scream tears up my throat, and I almost throw up from the intensity. But my screams fall on deaf ears. The only saving grace is when Violet takes control of the situation.

  “Heath, that’s enough,” she says, her voice stern.

  Dad whips around. “What the fuck are you doing here? Did you know about this?” He aims his anger at her now. He releases his tight grip on Gabriel, wiping blood from his cut lip, and walks toward Violet, then abruptly turns back, facing Gabriel. “You’re fucking dead to me. Stay the fuck away from my daughter.”

  Gabriel doesn’t respond. He doesn’t make eye contact with me. My dad grabs at my shoulder to shove me out of the house, and I cry out at his painful hold.

  “I’m not leaving.”

  “The fuck you are,” he barks.

  I fight out of his grasp. “I said I’m not—”

  “Leave.”

  My head whips in Gabriel’s direction. “I’m not—”

  “Listen to your father. Get out of my house.”

  His tone is harsh, his cold stare void of emotion. I open my mouth to fight. For him. For us. But Violet gently taps my shoulder. “I think we should go.” I can’t believe this. Again, I prepare to fight, but Gabriel wipes at his bloody jaw and walks away.

  I become blind with my own fury. My pain and disappointment intertwine and create a tornado of emotion. Then I turn my raging vehemence toward my dad. “How could you!”

  “How could I? Are you kidding me right now! You have some nerve, Haze—”

  “Don’t you Hazel me! You’re a fucking hypocrite! You pull this shit on me and ask me to accept it—which I do—then you react like this!”

  “He’s my best fucking friend! He’s more than twice your age!” he booms back.

  His anger doesn’t scare me; it only fuels my own. “Again, hypocrite! Last I checked, Violet is my best friend and the same age as me!”

  “This isn’t about us. This is about you.” He jabs a finger at me, and I storm toward him, stabbing him in the chest.

  “No, it’s about you expecting everyone to be open-minded about your decisions while shutting down the idea of someone else finding love in the same way.”

  Dad throws his head back and snorts, dragging his hands down his bruised and bloodied face. “Don’t even say that. You’re not in love with him. That’s fucking ridiculous.”

  “No, what’s ridiculous is you!”

  “Watch it.” His growl vibrates the floor under my feet.

  “No. I hate you! Stay away from me.” I turn on my heel and head toward the front door.

  “I’m going with Hazel,” Violet says, following me.

  “No, you’re not. You can stay and explain to me—”

  “Save it, Heath. She needs me more.” She doesn’t stop at my dad yelling demands and follows me out, helping me into the car. I’m suddenly in shock and running on autopilot. Throwing the passenger door shut, Violet runs around and jumps into the driver’s seat. “Where to?” she asks, pulling away from Gabriel’s house.

  “Back to school. I can’t be anywhere near either of them.” She nods, and I hold myself as the tears flow and the devastating reality of what just happened sinks in. I’ve ruined everything.r />
  Dad blows up both our phones the entire drive back to campus. Thankfully, Violet doesn’t answer and allows me the peace I need to wrap my head around what just happened.

  “You know your dad. He’s gonna drive up here. He’s not going to let you ignore this.”

  I rest my head against the cool window. “I know, but I can’t deal with him right now.” I can’t get the memory of Gabriel’s rejection out of my head. I bang my head against the glass. “Why the hell did my dad have to be there?” Why is life so damn cruel?

  “I’m sorry. I should have called him. I could have saved us the visit. Maybe some ER visits. Pretty sure they both have broken noses.” I peek at her, curious why she’s making jokes.

  “Aren’t you mad? Concerned for him? He is your man.”

  She shrugs. “Nah. He’s a big boy. And maybe this is his karma. He got off easy with you. You could have made our life hell. You could not have given us your blessing, and I could have walked away. He has a lot to be thankful for when it comes to understanding. And who knows, maybe he just needs some time to let the news simmer. It’s definitely a lot to take in. I mean, think about it. Gabriel is even bigger than your dad. He’s probably having to imagine him doing all sorts of nasty things to you. Not to mention, how big he probably is down—”

  “Seriously, Violet?”

  “Hey, I’m just pointing it out. It sure does explain all your mood swings. The times you were on cloud nine to the times when you looked on death row. Getting it, not getting it—ouch! I’m driving!”

  “That’s not helping.”

  “Well, beating me up isn’t either. What do you want to do? Go back to the dorms? Go spend a ton of money on your dad’s credit card? I’m not sure there are that many worthy shops on campus, but—”

  “I want to get drunk.” I need to numb the pain eating away at me.

  “Darn, I thought you’d say that. Daddy Heath doesn’t take too fondly to me drinking.”

  I give her my biggest smirk. “Good.”

  “Ugh, I also knew you’d say that. Well…drinking it is.”

  Violet doesn’t disappoint. She’s never been a big drinker, even before she was claimed and given rules and restrictions by my possessive dad. But tonight, she doesn’t let me down. We head to a local hole-in-the-wall bar and start a tab for the entire bar, courtesy of my dad’s credit card, and she matches me shot for shot. We’ve been at it for well over an hour when someone startles me, grabbing at my shoulder.

  I jump in my seat and whip around to see Evan. “Geez, Tyson, don’t hit me.” He laughs and backs away as I lower my fists.

  “Oh, sorry, I thought you were going to be someone else.” We have a stare-off, as if he’s waiting for me to say something. “So, what are you doing here?” I ask.

  “Wild Wednesday. Drinks are super cheap.” He waves at Violet, and they exchange small talk. I excuse myself to go to the bathroom, a little lighter on my feet. When I catch my reflection in the mirror, I groan. I look like I lost a battle with a beehive. My eyes are puffy, and my face is blotchy from crying. Not to mention, I think I’m drunk. Actually, I am drunk. I grab the counter and take a few deep breaths, hoping they help me sober up some, but then I break out into a fit of giggles. “What the hell is wrong with me?” I start to laugh harder. “I just singlehandedly blew up my entire life,” I yell out and bend over, holding my stomach as more laughter tears through me. To anyone else, I must look certifiably insane. I mean, how am I laughing right now? I not only lost the man I love, I told my dad I hated him and probably just got disowned. He’s most likely canceling the checks for my tuition and enrolling me into a convent on Mars.

  My erratic laughter takes a downward spiral, turning into sobs. “Shit, don’t do this here.” In and out, I try to catch my breath. When I pull it together, I slap water on my face and pee. When I head back out, Evan is sitting in my seat.

  “Thought you fell in,” Violet says. “Your turn keeping Evan company. I have to pee. Maybe make a quick call to make sure campus security isn’t searching for us.” She winks at me and takes off toward the bathroom. I dread making small talk, so I accept the drink he hands me and busy myself drinking it.

  “You left in such a hurry this morning. Everything okay?”

  So much for hoping he wouldn’t bring that up. “Yeah, it’s just…I—”

  “Had to call your boyfriend back?”

  His tone is less friendly, his eyes missing their normal friendly look. “I told you, I don’t have a—”

  “Boyfriend. I know. You’ve said it a bunch of times. But you wanna explain to me why your family friend calls you nonstop? Seems like more than a friend to me. I looked into him. The name.”

  I’m not what he’s getting at with this, but I’m not liking where the conversation is going. “Listen, I’m not sure that’s really any of your business.”

  He grabs my bicep, pulling me toward him, and I stumble between his thighs. “It is my business when I’ve invested the whole semester on you.”

  What the fuck? “And I’m pretty sure I’ve never given you any reason to think we were anything but friends.” His grip on my arm tightens, and I yelp in pain.

  “Is that so? Flirting with me for my notes. Promises for coffee and lunch. What? Did you think I was helping you out just to be nice?”

  What a jerk. I tug at my arm, and he releases me. I rub my bruised arm and step back. “Sorry I mistook you for a nice guy. Clearly, my asshole radar was off.” I slam my drink, place the empty glass on the bar, and turn to grab Violet and get the hell out of here and away from him when I sway back into the bar. Shit. My head spins. “What the hell…?” I grab for the bar stool as my vision blurs. Evan stands, pulling on my arm. I fall into him, and he forces me toward the exit.

  “Yeah, bitch, so is your radar for nice guys. You ain’t getting away without giving me what I’m owed.” The world around me tips on its axis, and my mind goes blank as my body becomes not my own. My mouth opens to scream, but no sound comes out. The second I’m placed in his vehicle, I make the mistake of closing my eyes, and within seconds, lose consciousness.

  Violet

  Maybe I’ll do that thing he likes with my tongue. Tie myself up and tell him to punish me and get it over with. Maybe if I text him a boob pic, he won’t be as mad when I have to…

  I make it back to the bar, but the two seats once filled by Evan and Hazel are empty. I twist around, searching the bar. “Um…” I turn to the bartender, “did you see where my friends went?” Maybe they decided to grab a seat outside the bar.

  “She left,” he says, wiping his hands on a dirty bar towel. “You wanna close this tab out?”

  “What do you mean she left—with him?”

  He slaps the long receipt on the bar. “Exactly what I said. She was hammered. Could barely even stand. Good thing he got her out of here. I don’t need any underage girls getting me shut down.”

  “What are you talking about? I showed you my ID…Whatever. Who got her out of here? Evan?”

  “No, that wasn’t his name. Guy said his name was Gabriel.”

  “Gabriel?” This doesn’t make sense.

  “That’s what he called himself. Listen, girl, I don’t have time to get the third degree. Did you want to close out your tab or not?” I give him a nasty look and sign the receipt, hoping my eyes are playing tricks on me and there’s not an extra number there, and walk outside. Heath is going to kill me. Once outside, I search for them, hoping they’re still in the parking lot. The thing is, I don’t see Gabriel’s fancy SUV.

  I reach for my phone and call her, but it goes to voicemail. “Hey, girl, just making sure you’re all right. Call me if things turn south, and you need me to save you. Love you.” Something about this feels off. How could Gabriel have shown up, and they have left so fast? And the bartender pointed out Hazel was wasted, but she seemed to have control of herself when I went to the bathroom.

  I debate calling Heath back, but the last thing I need to tell him is
his daughter is with the one person he despises. “Shit.”

  I can only hope he’s smart enough to take her home. I get in my car, probably not the smartest after drinking, and drive back to the dorm. When I get into our room, I call her again but get sent straight to her voicemail. My phone rings, and I hope it’s Hazel. Heath’s name flashes across my screen. I give him the end button, and just as quick, a text pops up.

  Heath: Answer your fucking phone.

  Ugh, he doesn’t sound happy. I have a lot of explaining to do…and probably a lot of making up to do too. Definitely sending a nude pic.

  Me: I love you. I’ll answer when you calm down.

  Heath: Answer your phone, naughty girl, before I go ballistic.

  I feel like he’s past that. And considering I’m not with Hazel, I don’t know what to say when he asks. Dammit, Hazel, thanks for leaving me high and dry here.

  Heath: I’m coming up there. You both better be in your room when I get there.

  Well…shit. I call Hazel again, and again, it goes to voicemail. “Haze, we have a problem. Your dad is on his way here. You need to call me back and let me know what I should do. I can only hold him off for so long. I’m going to have to tell him you’re with him. Call me. Please.” I hang up.

  Instead of another text, Heath calls. Shit. Here we go. “Hey, babe. Miss you—”

  “Violet, I swear to God when I see you, I’m going to spank the living shit out of you. Let me talk to Hazel.”

  Ugh… “Yeah, about that…”

  Gabriel

  “Shit. Careful,” I growl.

  “Sorry, Mr. Walker, but I need to clean out your cut, or it will get infected.” Maria takes another dab at my split lip, and I hiss.

  “Jesus!”

  “Stay still. You’re like a little baby right—”

  My phone dings, notifying me someone has entered the gate code. I pull my phone out, slapping Maria’s hand away to see who’s welcoming themselves onto my estate. I swear, if she came back, I’m going to lash her—

  Heath.

  Great.