“They do.” It’s so quiet that I almost miss it, but I already knew the answer. Her opening her lips was only to confirm it.
“Motherfucker.”
“Language, Mason.”
When her eyes find mine, they’re hard and disappointed. She’s disappointed in me? That’s fucking rich.
“So the mortgage I’ve been busting my ass to help pay isn’t our mortgage. It’s just rent, and rent to them.” I don’t even try to cover the disdain in my voice. Everyone in this room knows exactly how I feel about the Lopez family and how they ruined my life, I’m not going to start sugar coating that shit now.
“You don’t pay any rent,” Mrs. Lopez admits before my mom fires a few daggers at her and she promptly slams her lips shut.
“Fucking hell.” Lifting my hands, I run them through my hair and tug. This is not fucking happening. So not only did the Lopezes ruin my life by running my dad out of town, but they basically own my life.
“We’d like to do some renovation before we put it on the market. So I’m sorry to ask, but we really need you to move out as soon as possible.”
I stand stock still and watch the panic start to cover Mom’s face. So it appears being on the verge of homelessness is what it takes to make her realize what a dire situation this is.
“But... but we have no money,” she whispers.
“What happened to all the money I thought you were paying the mortgage with?” I ask and watch her pale even more.
“It’s gone.”
“Gone? That would have been thousands of dollars. How can it just be gone?”
“I spent it.”
“On what?”
“Stuff. Nights out.”
My fingers tug at my hair impossibly hard until I think I’m going to start pulling it from my scalp.
“So what you’re saying is that unless by some miracle you find a seriously well-paying job in the next few days, we’re homeless. Well, isn’t that just fucking great.” A cold laugh falls from my lips because, really, why didn’t I see something like this coming?
“Nic?” Mrs. Lopez questions. When I look back at Mom, at least she has the decency to look upset by this. Tears fill her eyes, and fair play to her because her bottom lip actually trembles a little.
“So come on. You must have a plan. When you decided to spend every penny we had, you must have had a backup plan. You’re our mother, after all. You’re supposed to have our best interests at heart. You can’t possibly be standing here and telling me that you’re about to make us all homeless because of your stupidity.” My words might be cruel, and just a tiny bit of regret hits me when she starts to sob, but fuck it, she deserves everything I can throw at her right now.
She shakes her head as she cries. Mrs. Lopez is clearly softer than I am, because as I stand there with my arms crossed across my chest waiting for her to fill me in on her big plan, she pulls Mom into her arms and rubs her back.
“I know it’s been hard since he left,” she soothes in her ear.
“Fuck that. It’s been four years. She’s an adult. She’s supposed to be a mother,” I seethe.
“She’s ill, Mason. Give her a break.”
“Ill?” I ask, an unamused laugh falling from my lips. “Don’t make excuses for her.”
She opens her mouth to respond but clearly thinks better of it, not wanting to get into an argument with the person who somehow manages to keep this family barely above water.
“Come and move in with us—”
“No, Gabriella, we can’t—” Mom tries to weakly argue, lifting her head from Mrs. Lopez’s shoulder.
“You can and you will. Just until you get yourselves sorted. Clint and I won’t be there all that much while we get him settled in New York.”
“No, no, we—”
“No,” I state, my heart slamming against my chest. I can’t live in their fucking house. I can’t live with Camila. Fuck. If it weren’t for the Lopezes then my dad would still be here, and we wouldn’t be in this fucking mess.
“Mason. We have no other option.” There’s hope shining in Mom’s eyes, but I’m not stupid. I know it’s because she just got offered an easy way out. Having a roof over our heads means she can fuck about for a while longer. She doesn’t care that that roof might be the last place in the world I want to be. I think I’d actually rather be homeless. The image of me living in a cardboard box pops in my mind and I realize I’m being a little dramatic, but I really don’t want to have to move into that fucking house.
“I’ll stay with Ethan or something,” I mutter, turning to leave them to it, unable to listen to any more of this bullshit. I have no idea if the Savages will put me up, but seeing as he lives in a huge house and his parents are almost never there, I doubt anyone will even notice.
“Think about your brothers, Mase. They’ll need you.”
Spinning, I pin my mother with a searing look.
“Think about my brothers. Are you fucking joking? All I do is think about them. I’m risking my future, my career, my everything for them right now, not that you have any fucking clue what I do for them.”
She balks, but not as much as Mrs. Lopez who looks like she wants to take a swing at me. I guess that’s the benefit of me avoiding her and her only spending time with my manipulative mother: she doesn’t really know the whole truth about what plays out inside this house.
Storming away from both of them, I poke my head into the boys’ room to make sure they’re sleeping peacefully before silently making them both a promise. I won’t allow her bad choices to ruin your lives. I swear it.
The second I close my bedroom door behind me, I pull my phone out and call work. If we’re going to get through this and get out of the Lopezes’ before I do something stupid then I’m going to need money, and to get that money I need more hours.
Heather’s hesitant to agree to my plans, but I know she’s struggling for other options seeing as two members of staff have quit recently. That seems to be the only thing about my life that’s falling into place right now.
Tomorrow I’m going to have to make some concessions for my new work schedule. My stomach is already in knots knowing what I’m going to have to give up, but I’ll do anything for those two little boys, to ensure they grow up with at least one person looking out for them.
Picking my phone back up, I message both Jake and Ethan.
I need a drink. You free?
Almost immediately three little bouncing dots appear and replies start filling my screen.
Ethan: Fuck yes. Get your asses over here. Free house.
Jake: Sure thing. Mase, pick me up?
I reply telling Jake that I’ll be twenty minutes before jumping into the shower and trying to ignore everything that happened downstairs.
Tomorrow everything’s going to change, but tonight I can enjoy spending time with my friends. I have no idea when I’ll get the chance again, so I need to make the most of it.
11
Camila
I stayed up too late working, and when my alarm first goes off the next morning, I turn it off and roll over. Bad idea.
When reality comes crashing down, I sit bolt upright in bed and realize that I’ve only got thirty minutes to get to class.
“Fuck.” I jump from bed, drag some clothes on and pull my hair up into a messy bun. I’m still brushing my teeth as I run for my car and throw it into reverse.
The hallways are empty as I run toward my physics class.
Everyone turns to look at me as I crash through the door, and I want the ground to swallow me up. I look terrible, I’m well aware of that. That last thing I want is everyone judging me for it.
“Good morning, Camila. How nice of you to join us.”
“I’m so sorry, sir. Problem with my alarm.”
“You haven’t missed much, go and take your seat.”
I breathe a sigh of relief that he’s not going to roast me for it and do as I’m told. All sets of eyes in the room follow my journey. Well, all
but one. The set of eyes I expected to torment me, or to be filled with joy that I’m once again in trouble, stay locked down on the desk in front of him.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I wanted to look into Mason’s dark, hate filled eyes after the morning I’ve had, I just find it bizarre after the interactions I’ve had with him the last few days.
Ignoring whatever it is that twists at my insides, I drop down into my seat at the desk next to his and pull my books out.
I’m just reading through the information on the board, hoping I can catch up, when I feel his stare.
Glancing at him out of the corner of my eye, my breath catches at the look on his face. He looks exhausted. His eyes are dark, the shadows around them even darker, and his mouth is turned down at the edges. It’s so weird seeing that look on his usual cheerful, if not tormenting, face.
The sudden urge to ask if he’s okay is all-consuming, but I force my lips to stay firmly shut for two reasons. One, I don’t want to be caught talking after already being late, and two, I shouldn’t care.
His eyes bore into mine as our connection holds, and I can’t help but wonder what he sees staring back at him. I fear it’s just the girl he hates who he thinks ruined his life. He’s not stupid, he must know I had nothing to do with that. I guess it’s just my connection to the man who had a hand in everything.
I let out a sigh and turn back toward the board. I don’t want to fall even more behind than I already am.
I don’t see Mason for the rest of the day, but when I catch up with Amalie outside her locker at the end of school, I learn the reason for the look on Mason’s face. It seems that he, Ethan, and Jake had one too many last night.
“They’re all hanging out of their arses,” she says in her British accent that always makes me smile.
“On a school night? I thought they were more sensible than that. Did something happen?”
“Not that I’m aware of. Coach has been pushing them hard for Friday’s game. I think they just needed to blow off some steam. They’re all regretting it today though.”
If I had any sympathy for how Mason looked this morning, then it’s gone the second Amalie told me it was a hangover. Fucking idiots.
“Have you decided if you’re coming Friday night?”
“No, I—”
“Come on, Cami. Don’t miss something you love because Mason’s being a dick.”
“It’s not him, it’s…” I wrack my brain for a reason before the conversation with my parents last night comes back to me. “My dad’s kinda lost his job.”
“Oh shit, I’m so sorry,” she says genuinely as we make her way to my car.
“It’s not quite that dramatic, I don’t think.”
“Oh?”
I wait until we’re in my car until I explain about New York.
“Woohoo, house party at Camila’s,” she says with a laugh. “You must be buzzing about getting some time to yourself.”
Truth is, I am. My parents can be a little overbearing, but as it is, they’re hardly home when I am. I doubt I’m going to see much of a difference aside from them not stumbling their way into the house in the early hours of Sunday morning after whatever event they’ve attended has come to an end.
“It’ll be good. I’ll be able to focus on homework and graduating.”
“Plus, you can have me there whenever the hell you like.”
“As if you have time, you’re always with Jake.”
She’s silent for a few moments, forcing me to look over to make sure she’s okay.
“What is it?”
“I’ve been thinking about something recently, but I can’t help thinking it’s crazy.”
“Go on, I like a bit of crazy.”
“I’ve had all my parents’ inheritance come through, and I want to invest some of it.”
“Invest it how?” If she’s about to ask me for stocks and shares advice, then she’s going to be bitterly disappointed.
“In property.”
“You want to buy a house?”
“Yeah. I figure that I’m eighteen and don’t have to live with Gran, and Jake, well, he doesn’t exactly have the world’s greatest home, so I thought—”
“Hold the fucking phone. You’re not talking about investing in a rental here, are you? You’re suggesting buying a house for you and Jake to... live in?” The idea sounds so absurd coming from my mouth, but I realize that as I say the words, it’s also actually kind of perfect.
“You think I’m insane, don’t you?”
“If I didn’t know you both then I’d say hands down yes. But actually, for the two of you, it could be incredible. So long as you don’t fall out.”
“We won’t,” she says with every confidence in her boyfriend. My stomach drops a little because it’s the kind of confidence that I used to have in Noah, but seeing as he blew me off for his friends this afternoon after we agreed to spend time together, I’m starting to get more and more suspicious after everything that’s happened.
“Does Jake know about this?”
“No, I haven’t said anything yet.”
“What about college?”
“That’s what we need to figure out, but I’m pretty set on staying close so I can be here for Gran. There’s a lot to consider.”
“It all sounds very grown up.”
“If I was still in London, I’d be living on my own right now at university. I don’t really see it as any different, and Jake’s basically been living on his own for years, so not much will change for him.” Every time she mentions Jake’s hidden life, my heart aches for him a little. Much like everyone else at school, I just thought he was a cold asshole. I had no idea what had been happening to him behind the scenes. Almost everyone still thinks that about him, there’s only a select few of us that now know the truth about his life, and I can’t help thinking that a stable life in his own home with Amalie will be incredible for him. Being abandoned in your uncle and aunt’s damp trailer at the bottom of their garden is no way to live.
“You meeting Noah tonight?”
“Apparently not. He’s busy.”
“Oh right. Have you spoken to him properly about what happened at the party?”
I’m not sure what she means by properly, but no, I haven’t brought it up again, or my growing suspicions that something isn’t right with him.
“Nothing to talk about.”
“If you say so. Fancy a milkshake before we’re forced to do more schoolwork?”
“I don’t think I can say no to that.”
I chuckle as I make the next right and head toward Aces. The boys are at practice, so I know I’ve got my best friend to myself for the next couple of hours and I intend on making the most of it.
We end up going back to her possible house purchase and find ourselves searching for houses on the outskirts of town so that it would be a reasonable distance to both Rosewood High and Maddison if they do end up going there. It’s crazy that I’m not even eighteen yet and I’m sitting looking at houses. I thought this kind of thing was meant to happen way in the future. I guess it is for ‘normal’ kids, but with everything Amalie has been through and the amount of money sitting in her bank account, I guess she’s anything but ‘normal.’
By the time I get home, I know that I need to start on my homework if I’ve got any chance of getting a full night’s sleep tonight.
I don’t bother going to the kitchen and risk being distracted by whoever is crashing around in there and instead head straight for my room.
I’m not a nerd. Well, I don’t think I am, but I’m also not one of those students who leaves everything to the last minute and hope that it’s going to be okay. I pride myself on being organized, on doing my homework the night it’s assigned then sitting back knowing that I’m sorted and can enjoy my weekends. Alyssa is the former, which is one of the reasons we started to grow apart even before Amalie arrived in town. She wanted to hang out every night of the week and then would spend all weekend trying t
o catch up. I hated it. So when Amalie appeared and turned out to be on my wavelength, I couldn’t be happier. It’s just a shame she was forced to start at Rosewood as a junior. If she were a senior, I think we’d have been great study partners.
My mind wanders back to when Mason and I first started at Rosewood. We’d hop off the bus and head for one of our houses so that we could do our homework together. My strength has always been English whereas his leaned toward math. We were a match made in heaven as we helped each other out and studied for tests together.
I let out a sad sigh. I miss those times. When I allow myself to think about it, I miss a lot of things that used to involve Mason.
Pushing my thoughts aside, I look down at my calendar to see what I’m going to do first when a knock sounds out from my bedroom door.
“Yeah,” I call seconds before Mom pokes her head inside.
“Hey, sweetie. Good day at school?”
“Yeah, not bad. You had a good day?”
She lets out a sigh that tells me all I need to know and falls down onto my bed. “Sorting out your dad’s stuff. It kind of feels like he’s moving out. I hate it.”
I walk over to the bed and wrap my arm around her shoulders. “I thought you were okay with this?” She seemed so set on the idea when we all spoke yesterday.
“I am. I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for your dad. I’m so proud of him. I just want to be a part of all his new experiences.”
“He’ll make sure you are. Plus, you can go with him and experience it firsthand as often as you like.”
“I don’t want to abandon you.”
“Mom,” I start but pause to consider my words. I don’t want to hurt her; it appears she’s already having a hard enough day. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not here all that much now. You spend evenings and weekends either planning or attending events, and Dad’s been working more late nights than ever.”
“You’re right,” she breathes, regret filling her voice. “We haven’t been here enough for you.”
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