Google Maps informed me that I had arrived as I pulled past a huge, white three-story house. It had a double entry door that opened outward. A few large windows were lit up. A fountain bubbled in the circular driveway.
How was this where Dad was now living?
I leaned forward, over the steering wheel, so I could see the house in its entirety. Who lived here? I didn’t even know houses like this existed in our town.
I wanted to throw up. Dad had sold out. He took a fancy life with lots of money in the bank over his family. We were nothing to him. And the note he left?
It was a pity note. I’m sure he felt guilty for abandoning us, so he wrote that he loved us to make himself feel better. I crumbled it up and threw it onto the floor. And I’d fallen for it.
How could I be so stupid?
Before the few remaining pieces of my heart shattered again, I found my phone and called Cade.
Ten rings later, I got his voicemail.
I closed my eyes as I let the familiarity of his voice wash over me. I swallowed when the beep came.
“Hey, Cade. It’s me. You’re probably sleeping right now.” I sighed. Sleeping sounded amazing. I was exhausted. “I got home and my dad was there. He was writing a note to me and Patricia. He said he loved us and that we could visit him.”
I shifted in my seat as I recalled our fight. “I, of course, told him to get out. He did. Then, I felt guilty. I’m so stupid,” I muttered under my breath. “I decided to come to his new house to apologize.”
I leaned my head back onto the headrest. “Get this, he lives in a mansion community just off of 479. Looks like good ole’ dad is moving up.” I sighed. “Anyway, just wanted to talk to you. Hear your voice. I miss you.” The last sentence came out barely a whisper.
I hung up and tucked my phone back into my purse. What was I doing? I was a complete and total mess. I should go home, crawl into my bed, and never come out.
I started up my van and pulled away from the mansion. I shook my head, trying to clear it, as I studied the road. I wasn’t going to try to sort any of this out. I needed to stop thinking for the day.
A bit farther down the road, I drove by Mason’s Grocery and More. As I studied the neon sign, I suddenly had an urge for ice cream. Cookies and Cream to be exact. I was pretty sure I’d finished the last of it a week ago, and, with everything going on, Mom hadn’t been too diligent about restocking. So I flipped on my blinker and pulled into the parking lot.
I grabbed a shopping cart as I made my way into the store. Partly because I wanted something to do, and partly, because I wanted it to hold me up. I was exhausted.
I made my way to the freezer section and pulled open the door. Just as I grabbed out a gallon of Cookies and Cream, a familiar laugh filled the air around me. I glanced through the frosted door to find Tiffanii and Buddha turning down the aisle with a few of their friends.
Heat raced to my cheeks as I turned away, praying they didn’t see me. There was no way I had the energy to talk to them tonight. I needed to get as far away from them as I could. Well, from Tiffanii, at least.
“Hey, Penny,” Tiffanii’s mocking voice said from behind me.
Too late.
I sucked in my breath, hoping that I was just dreaming all of this. But the stinging numbess that raced up my arm from the frozen ice cream told a different story. I was very much awake.
I forced a smile and turned, shutting the door behind me. “Hey, Tiffanii,” I said. I prayed that my puffy, red eyes and swollen nose didn’t give away the fact that I’d just been crying my eyes out.
When her gaze swept over me and I saw her eyebrows shoot up, I knew my cover had been blown. “Oh, man, have you been crying sweetheart?” she asked, wrapping her arm around my shoulders.
I shook my head as my skin crawled. “No, not crying.”
She quirked her head.
She didn’t believe me. And when I caught my reflection in the freezer door, I understood why. I looked like I’d had an allergic reaction while walking through the rain. I was a mess.
So I lied. “I’m having an allergic reaction. I can’t eat…shellfish.” I swallowed, hoping she’d buy my lie and leave me alone.
“Oh no. Shouldn’t you be at the hospital and not here, buying”—she glanced down at the gallon of ice cream I was still holding—“cookies and cream?”
I laughed, but it came out more forced than I’d hoped. I dropped the gallon bucket into my cart, and it made a rattling sound. “I was just at the doctor. He told me that ice cream is great for inflammation.” I winced. Wow. My lies were getting stupider the longer I stood here.
Tiffanii tilted her head as she studied me and then turned her attention over to Buddha and his minions, who were leaning against the freezer doors, talking. “Can you guys give us a minute?”
Great. She wasn’t leaving.
I guess I could just abandon my cart and take off running through the sliding doors. I’d slip into my van and drive home, where I’d disappear into my room and never come out.
As if she sensed my sudden desire to sprint like a bat out of hell, Tiffanii tightened her grip on my shoulder. “You can talk to me, Pen. We’re friends.”
I snorted. Just as the sound left my throat, I covered my mouth with my hand. I hadn’t meant to do that. “I’m sorry,” I said, hoping to cover it up.
Tiffanii pulled back and looked at me. “I get it. I come across as mean and witch-y.”
I nodded. Yep. That’s exactly how I would put it.
She sighed. “But that’s just how I have to appear. It’s my persona. Underneath it all, I’m nice.” She smiled down at me. There was something genuine about her.
Was it a lie? Probably. “Ummm,” I said, hesitation in my voice.
She leaned forward. “Why don’t you just try me? After all”—her gaze swept up and down the aisle—“I’m the only one here. What would it hurt?”
That was true. Cade wasn’t answering his phone, and if I went home, I’d be sitting in my quiet house with all these thoughts and worries clouding my mind. All I needed to do was talk. That, I could handle.
“You can trust me,” she said as if she’d read my mind.
I closed my eyes and steadied my thoughts. It might be nice to talk to someone else about this. I’d dumped all my problems on Cade when he had his own to deal with. It might be good to get another person’s opinion.
Before I talked myself out of it, I parted my lips, and the whole story came tumbling out. Dad. The divorce. His new girlfriend and their new home. Everything.
By the time I was finished, heat raced to my cheeks. I hadn’t meant to say that much.
Tiffanii had remained quiet the whole time. She was listening intently. The expression on her face was…soft. Like she understood me.
“So I’m just trying to get over all of this and move on.” I forced a smile. “It’s for the best.’’
Tiffanii hesitated before she shook her head. “Honey, I don’t think so. You have been hurt. This woman came into your life and destroyed it. And what? She gets to go back to her fancy house with your dad?” She shook her head and raised her finger. “That woman needs to pay. She needs to know what kind of people she’s screwing over.”
I parted my lips to protest, but before I could say anything, she called Buddha over. I stood there, dumbly, as they spoke. Their conversation flew by me, and before I knew it, they were pushing me along with them to go buy some spray paint. Something about revenge.
What had I gotten myself into?
Chapter Eighteen
I don’t really know how I got to this point.
Somehow, I let Tiffanii convince me to buy a few bottles of red spray paint and drive with them to Dad’s new house.
Now I sat inside her car as the engine idled, listening to them talk about what they were going to write. What was happening to me?
Deep down, I was terrified. What would they do to me if I didn’t go along with it? Now that they knew where Dad lived, I
worried that if I didn’t follow through, they’d come back here and do something worse, then blame it on me.
No. The only way for this nightmare to end was to finish this and never speak to Tiffanii again.
“Hey!” Tiffanii’s voice broke through my thoughts.
I turned to see her staring at me.
“You okay?” she asked, reaching out and resting her hand on my arm.
I forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah. Um-hum.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “It’s okay. Trust us. You’ll feel better once this is all done.” She shifted on her seat as she pulled out a flask and handed it over. “Wanna sip?”
Great. Now drinking was involved. I wanted to run so far here. But I couldn’t, so I just shook my head. “No thanks.”
She wiggled it in front of me. “You sure?”
I nodded.
“Suit yourself. More for us.” After she took a few sips, she passed it around to the guys in the backseat.
My palms were sweating. Hopefully, Dad and his girlfriend would see this as a defiant teenager thing and forgive me. I just prayed that they didn’t catch us.
A few minutes later—after I was pretty sure the flask was empty—everybody whooped and the car doors were thrown open. My stomach churned as I followed after them.
We snuck up the driveway. I kept my gaze trained on the windows and doors. Tiffanii and her crowd weren’t exactly stealthy. Especially when they had alcohol in their systems. They kept stumbling and knocking into each other. Once they righted themselves, they would laugh while shushing the other person.
It felt like an eternity before we finally got to the garage door. We needed to get this over with as fast as possible. Tiffanii shoved a can of spray paint at me.
“We’ve decided to write ‘Homewrecker’ on the door.” She giggled and then held her finger up to my lips. “Shush,” she said.
I doubted she even realized she’d been the one laughing.
Instead of correcting her, I popped off the lid and nodded. Anything to get this horrible evening over with.
I was instructed to write the letter H. I sprayed the first few lines. The paint landed on the door. It was faded and needed a few more swipes, but, as I focused on the lines, I realized that I was now defacing property. I was breaking the law.
I was breaking the law.
Why was I doing this? How had I let this horrible person convince me that this was okay?
I released my finger on the trigger and stepped back. I didn’t want this. Sure, Dad made me mad. And his new fling? Livid. But this wasn’t right. I shouldn’t have allowed Tiffanii and her crew to manipulate me.
“Guys, wait,” I said, holding up my hand. “This isn’t right.”
Everyone stopped and turned to look at me. Their eyes were wide as they studied me.
And then Tiffanii stepped into view. Her jovial expression had turned to anger.
“What?” she spat.
“I don’t think that we should be doing this,” I said, my voice growing quieter the closer she got. My stomach dropped as she approached me.
“I knew it,” she said. The look in her eye sent shivers down my back. It was full of anger and hatred.
“But—”
She held up her finger. Her lips pursed as she turned her gaze toward the ground as if she were trying to compose herself. “You act all tough. Pretend that you deserve Cade. But in the end, you’re just a stuck-up rich girl who throws tantrums.” She leaned closer to me. “Oh, I’m so sorry that your parents split up. Boo hoo. Rich girl didn’t get what she wanted.” She shoved my shoulder, causing me to stumble backwards. Luckily, I caught myself before I fell over.
“You’re wrong,” I said, narrowing my eyes.
She placed her hand on her chest dramatically. “Oh, no. I’m wrong? What ever will I do?” She fanned herself with her hand.
This night was sinking faster than the Titanic. I needed to get them to leave. Now.
“I think you should leave,” I said, stepping up to her.
Her eyes widened as she studied me. “Wow. Rich girl’s got some big-girl panties.” She glanced over at her friends. They were waiting for her commands. “Finish up, guys,” she said. Then she turned to me. “Then we’ll be out of your hair.”
I grabbed onto my purse and moved closer to the garage. There was only one thing that I could do. I needed to call the police. They weren’t going to leave, and I doubted the vandalism would stop at the spray paint. I did not want to see what they were capable of.
When Tiffanii wasn’t looking, I grabbed my phone and dialed 911. Tipping my head, I raised the phone to my cheek and waited as the ringing tone filled my ear.
“911, can I get your name and address?” the dispatcher asked.
I lowered my voice as far as it could go and still be heard. “I need some help. There are kids at a house vandalizing it.”
“Okay. What’s your address?”
I closed my eyes, trying to see the piece of paper and recall what my dad had written on it. I rattled it off, hoping I didn’t get a number confused.
“I will send a patrol car there to check it out,” she said after she read the address back to me.
“Thanks,” I said and pulled my phone from my cheek. Just as I turned back to the group, Tiffanii came into view.
“Whatcha doing?” she asked, grabbing my phone from my hand. “You snitched?” Her gaze met mine as she rolled her eyes. “What a dork.” She motioned to the people behind her. “Come on, guys. I guess our damsel in distress isn’t loving us anymore. Let’s get out of here.”
They all nodded, dropped the spray paint, and made their way to her car.
She clicked her tongue, drawing my attention back over to her. “What a disappointment, rich girl. And I thought we could be friends.”
I glared at her. Deep down, I hated her. She’d exploited me. Took advantage of the fact that I felt vulnerable. What a horrible person. “We will never be friends.”
She widened her eyes in a mocking manner. Then she raised her hands and backed away. “Wow. Don’t break my heart,” she said, clutching her chest.
“Leave. Now.”
She gave me one last grin and a wink, then turned and left. After she slipped into the driver’s seat, she started the engine and pulled away.
And I was left alone. With a half-spray-painted garage door.
I sighed as I picked up the cans of spray paint and piled them together.
“Pen? What’s going on?”
My heart sank at the sound of Cade’s voice. It had to be a dream. Or in this situation, a nightmare.
I turned to see him standing there with a confused expression on his face. I parted my lips. I wanted to say something, I really did. But no words came.
“What did you do?” he asked, turning to study the half-finished graffiti. HO WREC was written across the white garage door.
“It wasn’t me,” I finally managed. And then I shook my head. That wasn’t true. I was the stupid person who had allowed Tiffanii into my life and brought her here. “I mean, it was me.”
He pointed toward the letters. “You did this?” Then he furrowed his brow. “Why?”
I shrugged. “I was angry.”
He shoved his hands into his front pockets. “I just don’t understand.” He leaned over and picked up a spray can. As he turned it over, he quickly set it back down on the ground. Apparently, there had been some paint on the outside, and now he had it all over his fingertips.
I stared at him as he rubbed his fingers together.
“I know.” I didn’t know how to explain this. Did I tell him about Tiffanii? It felt a little like I would be justifying my actions by blaming someone else. Truth was, I’d allowed her to manipulate me. And then my stomach heaved as the realization that Cade was here hit me.
He was a great guy. He’d heard my distressed voicemail and came here to comfort me. I swallowed against the lump in my throat. I was the worst person ever. I didn’t deserve him.
Here I was, with my life in complete shambles. The only thing that I could do was drag him down with me.
He needed to get as far away from me as possible. I forced a steady look as I met his gaze. Mustering all the strength I could, I parted my lips and said the four words that I knew were going to shatter my heart, “You need to go.”
He raised his eyebrows as he studied me. “What?”
Bile rose up in my throat, but I had to push on. “You need to go. You don’t belong here. We’re done.” I swallowed. “This is what happens when I get involved with someone. You’ve rubbed off on me.” Ouch. Those words were squeezing my chest. Why was I saying these things?
His eyes narrowed. “You’re saying you did this because you’re involved with me?”
I nodded, fighting back the tears that brimmed on my lids. “Why else would I do this? You’ve influenced me. I was a good kid. Straight-A student before we became”—I waved my hand at him—“whatever it is we became.”
He took a step back. “What are you doing? Are you breaking up with me?”
I steadied my gaze, hoping I wouldn’t break down in the middle of this. “Yes. You need to leave. The last thing I should have ever done was agree to help you.” I turned, wrapping my arms around my chest. “We’re done.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Cade study me and then turn and make his way down the driveway. Not wanting to stand there alone, I ducked my head and made my way around the house, where I could hide.
I was such a mess. My life was such a mess. How could it have come to this?
Cade was gone. Because I forced him out.
My parents were split, and I was literally standing in the backyard of Dad’s mistress’s house.
How was I ever going to come back from this?
Just as I passed the back of the garage, a flood light clicked on. I blinked as its brightness blinded me. Spots clouded my vision as I rubbed my eyes.
The sound of a door opening caused my heart to pick up speed.
“Penny?” Dad’s deep voice asked.
Rule #2: You Can't Crush on Your Sworn Enemy (The Rules of Love) Page 12