“Maybe the volunteering club isn’t such a bad idea.” I looked up.
Emma frowned. “I’m not letting you run,” she said. “You want to volunteer, you know I’m there, but you need to do something different.”
I looked into her stern face and knew she was right. There was only one way I was going to find myself, and it wasn’t going to be by following what my father wanted.
“Okay,” I said with a nod.
Heather beamed at me. “Oh this is going to be so much fun. I hope Emilio is a looker.”
She winked and I laughed. That girl could find sex appeal anywhere.
“’Kay, so that one is set. How about we work on another?” Emma grinned at me.
I groaned. There is only so much change one person could make.
“I really don’t think…” I stopped when she put her hand in mine and linked fingers.
“I believe I saw secret handshake on that list.” She grinned.
I laughed out loud. It was one of the silly ones I added that I knew my father wouldn’t like, but he would never really know about. It really was very silly.
“So what do I do?” I laughed.
Heather furrowed her brow. “Didn’t you ever do this as a kid?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t do a lot of things as a kid.”
She took my hand and guided it through several poses with Emma.
Before long, we were giggling and slapping hands. It was fun and silly and totally unnecessary, but then, that was the point. I sighed and threw myself back on the couch when my sides started to ache from all the laughing.
“That was way more fun that it ought to have been,” Heather laughed.
“It’s nice hanging out like this,” Emma said. “We should make sure to do it more.”
I nodded. “For sure.”
“Is that a phone ringing?” Heather looked around the room, and I sat up.
“Shit.” I jumped off the couch. “Sorry, it’s my phone.”
I raced into the bedroom and bounced across the bed to grab my cell.
“Mother” flashed across the top.
“Double shit,” I muttered and hit answer. “Hello, Mother.”
“You sound out of breath,” she sniped into the phone. “What on earth have you been doing?”
“Just hanging out with the girls,” I said, lying back on the bed.
Her disapproving sigh rang clearly through the line. “Maybe you should find a better way to spend your time.”
“Mother,” I groaned. “Don’t start. You never had a problem with Emma before she and Gavin got together.”
“Well, I never had her mother betray me and go with another magazine, let alone Liv Blackstone.”
“You started it, Mother,” I said. “You forced her hand. What was she supposed to do, beg?”
“Or tell her daughter to keep her filthy hands off my son,” she huffed.
“Oh please.” I rolled my eyes. “Gavin wasn’t exactly saintly.”
“Julia would have fixed that,” she countered.
“Julia would have ditched him for someone with more money given the opportunity.”
My mother’s laugh was cold and hard. “That girl won’t get a better opportunity,” she said. “She was already aiming high with Gavin, but she was from the right family and has some wealth.”
A chill ran through me. It was always like this. People from the right line were the only people that mattered.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s with Emma. I think you should get to like her before they decide to elope and never see you again.” My voice rose, and I hoped I hadn’t been too loud. Emma wasn’t an idiot and didn’t seem to care that my parents now hated her, but it was still harsh to hear.
The line was silent before Mother cleared her throat. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said.
Another moment of silence passed, and I opened my mouth to say good bye but stopped when she spoke.
“Your grandmother spoke with your father,” she said quietly.
“Oh?” I struggled with what to say. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know what was coming next.
“Yes,” she said. “He’s not going to bother you about things this semester at your grandmother’s request, but I’d like to give you a warning.”
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. This wasn’t going to be pretty, and she wasn’t happy about being shut out. Mother didn’t like not being in the loop about every little thing.
“You just remember that while you’re having your fun, there are things you can’t take back. If you damage your reputation too much, no man or business is going to have you. And after this year is over, we’re going to have a serious talk about how you spend your time. There’s going to be a lot of catching up to do.” She paused for a moment, and I took in a shaky breath. “Starting with the dropped marketing class you’ve replaced with film.” She said the word as if it were a cuss word.
I lay stunned on the bed for a moment before setting up. They knew? But how? I had only just changed it yesterday. The fact that they were keeping such close tabs on me sent a chill down my spine. This was too much. This was the exact sort of thing grandmother was talking about. If I didn’t start taking the lead on my life, they would control every aspect. I’d never be free. Not even when I married and moved out. They would always be there.
“And you should really call Chance,” she continued, as if she hadn’t just dropped a huge bomb.
I gritted my teeth. “I’m not getting back together with Chance.”
“Well, his family is going through a hard time, and it would be nice if you showed a little compassion.” I nearly laughed at her words. Compassion? That was rich.
“What, is his dad in trouble for goosing the girls at the club again?” I smirked at her gasp.
“Grace!” Her voice got very high pitched when she was angry. “Why don’t you ask him yourself? I’m sure you could be a good influence on his sister.”
“What’s wrong with Vivien?”
Knowing his family for years meant that I also knew his sister well. I had braided her long, brown hair and talked to her about boys. She was as much my little sister as his.
“She’s not doing well,” she whispered. “You’ll have to get the rest from him.”
I sighed. It was a trick. No two ways about it, but I really didn’t have a choice. Either I saw him and found out, or I didn’t. The risk of seeing his mom if I just stopped by would be too high. It’d be better just to get it directly from Chance.
“Fine,” I said.
“Now that’s a good girl,” she cooed in the line. “I’ve got to run. Ta!”
I cursed as the click sounded in my ear. I slapped my hand on my pillow.
When I looked up, Emma was at my door.
“Wanna talk?” she said and slipped in the room.
“Where’s Heather?” I said, looking around her.
She sat beside me on the bed. “Went back to her dorm.” She looked at her hands and then back at me. “Would you rather talk to her?”
I stared at her confused for a moment.
“We just don’t get much time to talk these days, just the two of us, and you two seem to get along so well.” She gave a shy smile.
I took hold of her hands and squeezed.
“You’ve been busy,” I said. “And that’s great. I’m really so happy for you both, but I’m the third wheel. With Heather I’m not. But I do miss us.”
I smiled when her lip quivered.
“I miss us too,” she said.
“Last year was so hard.” I said. “I just don’t want to ever go through that again. Mother tried to tear us apart, and I nearly let it happen.” I sat up tall on the bed. “No more letting people dictate who I’m going to be. I’m going to find myself, and I can’t think of a better person to have at my side while I do.”
I threw my arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. She hugged me back. When we pulled away, she wiped the tears off her che
eks.
“I’m glad to hear it,” she said. “I will make more time for us.”
I nodded in understanding.
"Well," Emma stood and looked down at me, "we should get to bed. First day of school and dancing after." She wiggled her eyebrows at me, and I groaned.
Emma giggled and left me to my thoughts. It was such a long day, and so much had happened. I had no idea how I was going to handle the semester if it was going to be like this every day. And then there were my parents. Prying into my life at every turn or threatening that by not listening to them, I'd become some sort of scorned woman. What the hell? Was this some sort of Victorian novel?
I groaned as I sank into the bed. At least I knew what to expect with them. It was with people like Chance and Dean that I didn't really know where I stood.
I sighed when Chance came to mind. As much as I really didn't want to cave, I worried about Vivien. She was still in high school, and there were so many things that could go wrong.
I closed my eyes and blocked out all thoughts. It wouldn't help to worry about things I couldn't change. It was better to just focus on having a better day tomorrow.
***
Chapter Six
I stretched as I left the last business class of the day. For the first time in forever, I was actually nervous about a class. This film class was outside my norm, and for some reason, it scared the hell out of me.
I passed through the outside doors into the warm sunny day and smiled. It was hard to stay scared with the sun shining like it was. The grass was green and sky blue, and there were no parents around to frown at me.
It wasn’t as if I thought about them all the time, but they did seem to factor into my thoughts more than other college kids my age. Most seemed so carefree. In reality, they were. Gavin and I had a responsibility to carry on the family legacy and keep the money thriving.
I groaned as I continued to think about my parents. Even when I didn’t want to, I still ended up doing it. It didn’t seem like I could ever escape them.
I glanced at my sheet and stopped in front of the doors leading to my building. A whole new world to me. It was rare that I ventured outside of the business side of campus unless I was picking up Emma from class.
The building was much older than the business one. The doors were tall and heavy, and when I pulled on them, they squeaked and groaned in protest. Inside, I noticed the intricate wall work. The business building might be newer, but this place had so much character. I paused at the large spiral staircase and thanked god that I was on the first floor.
Down the hall, all the way to the back. This class was about as far away from everything as it could get. I opened the door and found the lecture hall in near darkness. A series of PowerPoint slides cycled on the large screen at the front.
“Thanks for joining us,” someone said from the front. “Just take a seat, and then we’ll take roll.”
I sat down in the middle and glanced around. It was going to be hard to see much of anything until my eyes adjusted to the dark.
“Just a few more moments, and we’ll begin,” the instructor said. “If you could look at the scenes I have on the projector here. Just pull out a sheet of paper and make some guesses. This is not for a grade, but just seeing where we stand.”
I watched the images flip along and realized something that might have been better to realize beforehand. I really hadn’t watched many movies. Out of maybe twenty movies, I could identify two. I broke out into a sweat. My easy A was suddenly looking like it was going to be a struggle.
The instructor clapped his hands, and my head shot up. This was so not going to be pretty.
“So who can tell me this one?” He clicked a button, and the slideshow ended on a black and white picture of a woman showering.
The room fell silent.
“Psycho,” a deep voice said from the other side of the aisle.
My heart raced as I searched for him. The room was so dark, it was hard to make out which shape was his.
“And this?” A shape of a weird-looking mythical creature appeared
“Pan’s Labyrinth,” Dean answered.
This went on for a few more before he wasn’t able to answer.
“I see someone appreciates movies as much as I do.” The instructor smiled. “I hope you will find things you may not have known before and even see something new.”
“I’m sure I will, sir,” Dean said and I smiled. He just couldn’t help but be polite.
We spent a majority of the time with the lights off ,and try as I might, there was just no way to make Dean out. When the lights came back on, I glanced over to the side and was surprised to find him looking my way. I blushed, gave a little wave and then quickly turned around.
I wasn’t even sure how something like this could happen. Maybe Heather or Emma mentioned the change in classes. This was just too bizarre to be a coincidence.
The instructor passed out the syllabus, and I racked my brain on what I was going to do. I didn’t see how I’d be able to stay in a class with him when every time I was near him I felt the heat of his stare.
I subtly glanced back at him and dropped my pen when he grinned at me. Shit. Oh, this was so not good. I couldn’t even figure out who I was. How was I going to deal with him? I took a deep breath. I didn’t have to. As I wasn’t ready to get into a relationship, this shouldn’t have been so hard to deal with.
“I’ve limited copies of all the films, so it’s best to just pick a film buddy to watch the week’s film. You can answer the questions together and bounce ideas off of each other. This class is big on participation.”
Double shit. I took a deep breath and looked up.
“Thought we could partner up.” Dean smiled at me and took a seat.
“Makes sense,” I said. I wanted to smack my forehead once it had come out. It just sounded so lame.
He leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Didn’t expect to see you in here.”
The rumble of his voice made my nipples peak under my light t-shirt. I quickly crossed my arms to hide my arousal.
“Oh well, I’m trying out some new things this year,” I said.
He cocked his head to the side, and I had the strange urge to pat his head. It was just cute how confused he seemed.
“Grandmother’s orders. She thinks I’m letting my parents control me too much,” I said.
He leaned so close that his shoulder brushed my arm. “Are you?”
“Yes,” I said quietly. “I need to just be me, but first I need to find me. Do you ever feel that way? Like you just don’t know what you want?”
I stared into his deep blue eyes.
“No,” he said slowly. “I always know what I want.”
Heat flushed through me, and even though we hadn’t been talking about us, it still felt like he was.
“Great,” the instructor cut through. “All paired off and ready to go. One of the partners should pick up the video on the way out and agree on a time to meet. Have a great week!”
Dean was the first up, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was making sure to get the DVD, so I didn’t watch it without him and then just pass it on. I’ll admit the thought did cross my mind.
He followed me into the hall and stood to the side.
“What day?” he said and held up the video.
I shrugged. “How about Sunday?”
His face lit up, and for a second, I was stunned by how very good looking he really was. I mean, he certainly made my heart race on most days but that had as much to do with his personality as his looks. But in that one second, I was struck by the fact that he really was picture perfect.
“Grace.”
I cringed at the familiar voice behind me. There was no way this was going to end well. Dean glared behind me at Chance.
“Can you just give me a moment?” I said to Dean.
He nodded, but he watched us as we moved further away.
I turned to look at Chance. He had cleaned
up from yesterday, but the stubble was still there. His eyes were slightly sunken in, and dark circles lined them. A part of me would like to think he felt bad about how things had gone down between us, but I knew better. This was about Vivien.
I placed my hand on his arm to soothe him.
“What’s going on?” I said quietly.
“I don’t know,” Chance said. “Things have all gone to hell at home. Neither of my parents seem willing to talk about there being anything wrong, and it’s only getting worse.”
“Slow down,” I gave him a squeeze. “What’s happening at home?”
“Nothing,” he said and ran his fingers through his hair in distress. “Everything.”
He sighed and dropped his hands.
“Is Vivien okay?” I asked. His behavior was making me even more concerned.
“Something’s wrong, but no one seems to know what. She won’t talk to anyone. Even her friends are concerned.” He leaned in. “She stays out all night sometimes, even on school nights. Her grades have dropped, and she won’t return my calls.”
I nodded in understanding. “Sounds like a little high school rebellion.”
Chance shook his head and stepped even closer. “It’s not though. When we went through this, we did it with friends and still managed to make it in for school. No one even knows where she’s going or who she’s with. She just disappears.” He flung his hands to his sides.
I could see Dean from the corner of my eye. He watched us with interest and seemed concerned by the hand movement that Chance was using. I turned and smiled at him to reassure him.
“Are you with him now?” Chance asked from my side.
“No.” I turned to him. “Not that you get a say.”
His face fell, and I knew it was like kicking a dog when it’s down.
“Listen, you need to stay on task,” I said. “Viv is a smart girl, but you know our world. Something has happened. Best thing you can do is find out where she’s going, then we can figure out the why.”
“But she won’t talk to me. How am I going to do that?” He seemed so defeated.
Elite Page 4