by Rachel Leigh
“No more secrets, Jasper.” He steps closer.
“It’s a little late for that.”
“Where have you been staying? Are you safe?” His head tilts to side, and I can see that he really does care. It’s never been a question, really. I know Dad loves me and wants what’s best for me. I just wish he’d stop thinking that he always knows what that is.
“I’m fine, Dad.” I pull out my phone to look at the time, just to give me something to look at other than his hurt expressions.
I know he’s hurt just as bad as I am. This hasn’t been easy on any of us.
“I can tell you’re not ready to talk just yet. Can you come over tomorrow afternoon?” He drops his hands to his side.
“I’m not going in that house, it’s too close. Meet me at Boulder Park around noon.”
Cars are already lining the driveway when I pull up and it’s apparent that Marco invited the entire town. His mom is out of town for the weekend, and it’s not uncommon for Marco to throw raging parties.
The conversation with Dad weighs heavy on my mind and I feel like I’ve taken a step back on the road to recovery. I park my car on the side of the road, and, still in uniform, I walk into the living room, and my eyes instantly land on Remi. I shouldn't be surprised that she’s here. What does surprise me is that Levi has his arm around her waist. My ex-girlfriend is getting cozy with the guy she cheated on me with— shocker. The dysfunction of this entire situation has my mind blown and I haven’t even had a drink yet.
The fact that I don’t even care blows my mind even more. I should care. Hell, I should drag him out by his back brace… but I don’t.
I continue to scan the crowd in search of her. I’m not even sure if it’s because I want to see her here or because I don’t want to see her here. Yet, I find myself looking for her.
She’s not here.
It’s still early. Afterall, she does take a good hour to do so much as brush her hair.
I walk into Marco’s bedroom without saying a word to anyone that I pass by. I close the door behind me and slowly slide down it. I run my fingers through my disheveled hair and let out a sigh.
I can’t get her off my mind. She’s like a leech that attached herself to me, and no matter how much pain I endure, I can’t shake her. The difference between her and a blood sucking water bug, though, is that I don’t think I want to get rid of her.
I hate that I still love her.
I rub the back of my neck, still feeling the warmth of her breath on it.
Her scent still lingers on me like a blown-out flame.
I lick my lips, haunted by the foul taste of her lies in my mouth.
Even after she dismantled a piece of my heart, I still feel like I want her to put it back together.
“Fuck.” I mutter under my breath.
A knock at the door has me on my feet. I swing the door open on impulse and see Petra looking back at me.
“Hey, everything cool out there?” I brush off the unwanted feelings that were creeping up on me and grab a t-shirt from a box on the floor.
“Yeah, your buddy Marco just showed up with a keg. So things are about to get lit.” Her voice rises with excitement while my mind floods with regret.
I glance over my shoulder and see her lingering in the doorway. I lift my sweaty t-shirt over my head and toss it to the floor, pulling the clean one on.
“Are you okay?” she asks, taking a couple of steps closer. I noticed a swimsuit hanging from her hand. I don’t even ask.
“I’m fine.” I lie, turning around and taking in her presence. She’s wearing a tight red dress that shows every curve. If my heart weren’t already somewhere else, I’d be tempted to take things further with Petra. She’s a beautiful girl, and like Blakely, very misunderstood. If these girls would just put aside their chick drama, they could probably be good friends. Maybe even best friends with their similar taste for high fashion and men. “Let’s join the party. I need a drink.” I hook my arm around her in friendly fashion and lead her out.
Just as we come into view of the crowd, I spot Blakely. Looking at us. Her expression blank and hard to read. She doesn’t show any emotion that signals anger, hurt, or jealousy. She simply turns away as if I’m back to being just the new guy. Not the guy who broke down her walls and opened her up, showing her a world of possibilities. The guy that stole a kiss in the hallway of a hospital when she was at one of her weakest points. No, I’m just the new guy whose mom she watched die on the highway. She no longer pines for me— she pities me.
I move Petra to the side and weave through the crowd.
“Blakely,” I shout, as she reaches for the door. She turns for a moment, and just when I think she’s going to come back, she keeps walking.
“Good game tonight.” One of the guys from the team swings his arm around my neck. I’m not even sure what his name is. I keep my eyes on the door and watch as it closes.
I try to squirm away, but another guy joins us, “Hey, thanks for inviting us, man.” He hands me a bottle of something dark, but I shake my head.
“Thanks guys, but I gotta go.”
I finally break free from the packed room and Petra stops me.
In a bikini.
“A few of us are going in the hot tub, wanna join us?”
I look her up and down.
“I can’t.” I turn away, avoiding distraction.
I swing the door open and wouldn’t you know, more people. They’re everywhere. I think this is the first time we’ve combined a party for LV and Redwood, and I get the inkling that this night isn’t going to end well for some of these people. Fights, chaos, and broken hearts.
We’re rivals for a reason.
My head moves back and forth about as quickly as my feet move across the yard, until I reach the driveway.
I watch as headlights turn on, and I realize it’s Blakely.
I jet to my car, patting myself down for my keys, when I realize I don’t fucking have them.
Son of a bitch.
I turn around, relax my tense muscles, and close my eyes momentarily.
The only reason that I even invited the team was because of the possibility she might come. I’m not sure what I want from her. I just need something.
Now that she’s gone, I don't even wanna be here.
I head back inside with no hurry behind my steps. Brushing off everyone who tries to make small talk. Making circles through the maze of drunkards, I grab my keys and phone from Marco’s dresser and go out the same way I came in.
There’s a group of girls standing to my left, giggling and whispering in each other’s ears as they watch me. The tall blonde with skin as white as a sheet signals me over by pointing her finger at me. I shake my head and keep walking.
I almost make it to my car when Knox stops me. He’s got a couple beers in his hand. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him drink before.
“Aren’t you a little young for that?” I acknowledge his drink, joking but no humor in my words.
“Aren’t we all.” He hands me an unopened can and sits down on a large rock at the end of the driveaway that’s positioned between two large oak trees. A gate at the end of the driveaway is wide open, allowing cars to keep pulling in.
“Thanks.” I hold the can up, but don’t open it.
“Party time.” A guy yells from a silver Aston Martin with his head hanging out the window and one hand on the steering wheel. That car is worth more than my life, and he’s driving it like it’s a fucking replaceable toy.
“It’s been a hell of a week.” Knox raises his brows in an attempt to begin a conversation.
I know exactly where this is going.
“She’s hurting too, ya know.” He takes a swig and waits for a response, but I don’t give him one. “You’ve changed her. For the better. When you two first started hanging out a couple of weeks ago, I was worried for her. Now, I can see that you and her make more sense than her and I ever could.”
“We don’t make sense at all. In fact, w
e are fire and water. We dissolve each other. It’s no good for either of us.” I hang my head down and toss the unopened can back and forth between my hands.
“If that’s true, then why did you chase after her?”
“Fuck, man. I don’t know.” I throw my head back and sigh. At myself. Because even I don’t know the answer to that question. “I can’t stop thinking about her. I just needed to see her again.”
Normally, I’d give him shit and tell him to mind his own business. But tonight, it feels pretty damn good to get this shit off my chest.
“Then why are you still sitting here?”
“Wait a minute,” I turn my head to face him, “are you telling me that you want me to chase after her?” I’m taken aback. Knox is not my biggest fan. He’s expressed multiple times how against he is with something as little as a friendship between Blakely and me. Now he wants me to pursue her?
“No, I’m saying that if it’s what you want then it’s what you should do. You don’t seem like someone who gives up without a fight. I’ve got the scar to prove it.” He points to his face and laughs. Even though I didn’t actually leave a scar.
I hang my head down with a smile. “Shit man, I don’t know how I can ever talk to her the same way again. Especially now that I know…” I don’t finish the sentence. Saying it out loud hurts too much.
“She was a kid. A girl who was brainwashed by a man who tried to be her father. Things weren’t always bad, but they were never good for her. Her entire life has been one disappointment after another. I’m not telling you this because I want you to feel sorry for her. I’m telling you so that you can understand her.”
“What do you mean a man who tried to be her father?” I glance at him in confusion.
He takes a long swig of his beer and looks down at the can in my hand. “You gonna drink that?” I shake my head and hand it to him. He sets the empty on the ground at our feet. “I shouldn’t be the one to tell you this. But, I’m going to tell you anyway, because, at this point, you have a right to know.” He takes a deep breath and looks directly in my eyes. “Mike Porter isn’t Blakely and Talon’s dad.”
I cock my head and hesitate to speak, thinking that he’s just screwing with me right now. He’s had a bit to drink, he’s a lightweight. While this is no joking matter, I don’t know how alcohol induced Knox behaves. “You’re lying,” I huff, finally getting the words out.
He shakes his head. “God’s honest truth. Blakely was only six years old when Anna and Mike started dating and moved into the house next door. Anna was a single mom who didn’t have two nickels to rub together. It’s a long, fucked up story, that’s not my story to tell. But, eventually, they got married and Mike adopted the kids.”
“Whaaaaat?” My expression twisted and my body tense. “Why didn’t she ever tell me this?” I sit down on a much smaller rock next to Knox.
“Like I said, it’s a long story, and I think she should be the one to tell you about it. But, after the adoption, Mike basically staked a claim on those kids. He was good for a while, but eventually, it was all about power. Which is what he lives for. When he realized he couldn’t control his wife, he wanted to control Blakely and Talon, in every sense of the word. He waved money in their faces, controlled their time away from the house.”
I can’t even wrap my head around what I’m hearing. There is so much that I don’t know about this girl. So many secrets, and such a grief-stricken life. “What about her real dad?”
“I have no idea where he is now, but last Blakely knew, he was serving ten years in the Arizona State Penitentiary. She hasn’t heard from him since Anna took them away from him.”
My head moves back and forth in shock and in sadness for Blakely and her brother.
“None of this is her fault. Blakely was brainwashed by that man. She was left with no voice in the matter.”
“She could have said something, anything.” I retort.
“To who? How? She was a kid, Jasper.”
He’s right. Even if she wanted to tell someone, maybe she never knew how. Maybe she was scared. Her Dad is a monster, after all.
“You’re right.” I throw my hands up. “I guess it was just easier to blame her. I’ve gotta go find her.” I spring to my feet. “Do you know where she went?” I pull out my phone and begin to call her. Knox stops me by grabbing it out of my hand. “What the hell?” I try to grab it back.
“Don’t call her.” He presses the side button to shut my phone off. “She won’t talk to you, and she definitely won’t tell you where she’s at. She’s convinced she’ll only cause you more pain if she talks to you.” He pulls out his phone and hands mine back to me.
I stuff it in the back pocket of my jeans and watch as he punches in a text to her. He raises his brows in anticipation as he waits for her to respond.
“Power lines outside of town?” he reads from her text, “Do you know what she’s talking about?”
“I do.” I shuffle past him and head toward my car. “Thanks, Knox,” I holler, as I open the door and climb in.
I know exactly where to find her.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Blakely
My feet dangle off the hood of my SUV, and the silence is everything I need right now. The only sound is the crunching of the dried leaves as the wind picks up.
Here I am, trying to live in the moment. I’m always thinking so far ahead that I tend to destroy my future before it even gets here. I was so sure I would be the homecoming queen. I can’t predict something like that. I can hope for it, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to get it.
I lived my life in hell just for money. I sold my soul to a monster, just so that I could protect my future. If this last week has taught me anything, it’s that money doesn’t buy happiness, what other people think of me is none of my business, and it’s okay to just be me—Blakely Porter.
My eyes continue to search the sky.
Where the hell is it?
I look to the left, then to the right. Narrowing it down, that’s not it—that’s not it either.
I let out a sigh and grab my phone that sits in reach as I keep my head glued to the hood. Maybe Google can tell me where it’s located.
The sounds of a twig snapping and the rustling of the leaves has me whipping around as my heart beats a rapid speed.
“She’s not visible tonight. Too many clouds.” I spring off the hood and attempt to land on my feet, but my ankle fails me and gives out as I stumble to the side. Caught by his arms.
“Besides, we should have never picked her.” He sets me back on my feet. His dark eyes masked by the dark night.
I press my lips into a hard line. Looking down at my Converse high tops, because looking at him will only hurt more. A lump rises in my throat, feeling like it’s going to cut off my air supply. I swallow hard, hoping that he isn’t here to make me feel any worse than I already do. I don’t know if I could handle it.
He hops up onto the hood and looks at the sky as he speaks, “Cassiopeia deserved what she got. She wasn’t a very kind Queen.”
Here we go again.
Jasper made it no secret that he thinks I’m as vain and intolerable as that stupid constellation. It isn’t even real, it’s Greek mythology. What does he know?
I roll my eyes, although he can’t see it. Crossing my arms over my chest, shielding myself from the wrath of whatever words spew out next.
“But her daughter, Andromeda,” he continues, “she was something else.” His fingers tap on the hood of my white Lexus. “She was as beautiful as her mother boasted her to be. But, because of her mother, she was punished and sacrificed to a monster.”
“Ok, are you making stuff up now?” I swing around to face him. It’s dark, but I’m able to make out the outline of his face. I don’t have to see it to know that he’s looking at me—I can feel it.
“No,” he laughs, “it’s real stuff. Andromeda was the daughter of Cassiopeia and Cepheus. Not by choice. But, like many things in life, we are
n’t given a choice.” He hops down off the hood and stands directly in front of me. I watch his lips as he continues to talk, “Lucky for Andromeda, there was Perseus. He came and rescued her from the evil monster.” He takes a step closer, and I can feel his warm breath on my face. “He didn’t judge her by her past. He saved her from it.”
I place my hands on my hips. “So this Perseus, did he love her?”
“He loved her so much that he got rid of the monster for good.” He stops for a beat. “Are you following?”
“I think so.” I nod.
He lifts his arm and places his hand on the back of my head, sending chills down my spine. I take in a deep breath and hope like hell that this isn’t some sort of arrogant Jasper move. That he’s not here to punish me further.
“You’re welcome.” He leans forward and whispers in my ear.
“Wait a minute,” I take a step back. “Are you…” I dig for the words, “Did you send my dad away?”
The monster. Is he referencing Dad?
He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t have to.
“My trust fund? Talon’s trust fund? Was that you? But, why?” My pulse is rapid and my legs begin to feel weak. I lean into my SUV and watch him—waiting for him to say something.
“It was only right. I was given the opportunity to make this right, and it was the best way I knew how.”
“Thank you for that,” I whisper into the space between us.
The wind picks up, blowing my hair in my face. Jasper steps forward and brushes it away. “You didn’t deserve any of this. The way I treated you wasn’t fair. I know that now.”
I bury my face into my hands and fight back the urge to break down. Just the thought of how much Jasper has hurt all of these years. Not having any answers into his mom’s death, the entire time I had them all. I was just a kid, but I also grew up with this secret. “If I had known, I swear…”
“I know.” He nods as he takes in a deep breath. His eyes close as I instinctively place my hand on his cheek when he pulls my body against his, resting his chin on my head.
“What now?” I ask, fearful of his response. But, hopeful for something that will lead us back to where we were. Even if it wasn’t a relationship, it was the closest I’ve ever been to what I think is love. I’m hanging by this moment in his arms. Melting into him as his touch radiates through every fiber of my body. I want so much more. I need so much more. I’m so scared that he’s going to walk away and leave me.