Scarlett and Her Prince Charming (Scarlett #3)

Chapter 1 – Grounded Forever

Saturday

“Dad!” I yelled. “Dad, please!” I ran after him into our apartment. “Mr. Halifax didn’t do anything...”

My mom put her hand up to silence me. “Not now, Scarlett.”

I wasn’t sure I’d ever heard her so stern before.

But my dad had ignored me all the way home after yanking me out of the homecoming dance early.

And if not now, when were we going to talk about this?

My dad thought I was sleeping with Mr. Halifax.

And he thought that Jacob had called me a slut.

Both of those things weren’t true, and no one was listening to me. “And Jacob didn’t...”

“Scarlett!” my mom yelled. “Go to your room!”

What?!

She cursed under her breath as she pulled my dad into the kitchen. “I think you might need stitches. I’m going to call the doctor...”

“I’m fine,” my dad said and winced. His eye was already swollen shut and the blood on the side of his jaw made me think he needed stitches too.

“You’re not fine!” my mom yelled.

He opened the freezer and grabbed an icepack. “I’m fine,” he said again. “You should see the other guy.” He smiled and then winced again.

My mom threw up her hands in frustration. “I did see the other guy! You and West are both going to be fired if not arrested...”

“Don’t say that asshole’s name in my home,” my dad said.

This whole thing had gotten very out of hand. “Dad, Mr. Halifax didn’t do anything.”

My dad ignored me as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around the icepack. He lifted it to his eye. “Do you really want to talk about this right now?” he asked me calmly.

“Yes! Mr. Halifax was just dancing with me because...”

“Are you sleeping with your teacher?” my dad asked, cutting me off.

“No!”

“This isn’t the time to lie to me, Scarlett.”

“I’m not lying! I don’t sleep with my teachers. I’m not mom!”

My mom let out an exasperated sigh as she tried to blot some of the cuts on my dad’s face with a cotton ball and some peroxide.

“That’s it,” my dad said. “You’re grounded for the rest of your life.”

“You can’t be mad at me when what I said is true!”

My dad lowered the icepack from his face. “You should have listened to your mom earlier. But you wanted this conversation tonight and now you’ve had it. You’re grounded,” he said again. “Go to your room. Now.”

“Dad! I didn’t do anything! I’m not secretly sleeping with my teacher. I’m dating Jacob!”

“No,” he said calmly. “You’re not.”

“I’m not what?”

“You’re no longer dating Jacob Miller. And he’s no longer allowed in this house.”

“What are you talking about? He’s my boyfriend!”

“He was your boyfriend,” my dad said. “Past tense.”

“No, it’s present tense,” I said.

My dad shook his head. “No one calls my daughter a slut and gets away with it. And I’m going to give Matt a call. He should know what his son just called my daughter.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

“Don’t call Uncle Matt! Jacob didn’t call me a slut.”

“That’s not what West said.”

“So you believe Mr. Halifax when it comes to things Jacob hasn’t said, but not when it comes to Mr. Halifax sleeping with me?!”

My dad made a face as my mom blotted one of his cuts. “Penny.” He grabbed her hand. “I’m fine.”

“You always say that when you get into fights, but you’re not young anymore, James! You could have gotten really hurt.”

How many fist fights had my dad gotten into exactly?

My dad smiled at her. “I’m still young enough to kick someone’s ass.”

The tension finally seemed to ease off my mom and she laughed.

My dad put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

I didn’t know what the heck I was witnessing right now... But it felt gross. “Dad, Jacob didn’t call me a slut.”

“This isn’t up for negotiation.”

“Yes it is! This is my life!”

“Which is why you’re going to be grounded for the rest of it.”

That transition didn’t make any sense. “You know, if you’re so worried about a slut living under your roof, you should be concerned with Liam...”

“Scarlett...”

“He’s the only slut in this household. He’s probably in a hotel room right now with his old Russian girlfriend.” Throwing my brother under the bus to get myself out of trouble wasn’t my finest moment. But this double standard was ridiculous.

“Scarlett, for the last time, stop calling your brother a slut.”

“Then he should stop acting like a slut.”

My dad exhaled slowly. “Scarlett, go to your room. And get used to it. Because that’s the only place you’ll be allowed for the foreseeable future. I’ll be homeschooling you for the rest of the semester.”

Homeschool? What? Had he lost his mind?! I turned to my mom for help. “Mom.”

She ignored me. And maybe I deserved that after I said I wasn’t her in relation to banging teachers.

I turned back to my dad. “Dad, please. There is nothing going on between me and Mr. Halifax. And Jacob didn’t call me a slut.

It was...it...” What was I supposed to say?

That Sophie was trying to seduce Mr. Halifax?

And that I was just helping her? Because that sounded terrible too.

“This conversation is over.”

“But I love him.” My voice cracked.

“You love Mr. Halifax?!”

“No! Jacob!”

“Well, he clearly doesn’t love you.”

And just like that, I burst into tears again.

Because half an hour ago, I thought that was true.

That Jacob didn’t love me back. I knew the truth now.

But the up and down of it all felt too real.

And I was losing him all over again. My dad had just forbidden me from seeing him.

My first real relationship had lasted all but half of one night.

“Scarlett,” my mom said and lightly touched my shoulder.

“Screw both of you.” I ran out of the kitchen. And I kept running until I reached my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and collapsed face first into my bed. My body shook with my tears.

I hadn’t slept with my teacher.

Jacob hadn’t called me a slut.

And yet I was grounded forever and wasn’t allowed to be with my boyfriend anymore? What the actual F?! I screamed into my pillow.

My phone started ringing. It was probably RJ.

I hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to him after the fight.

And he knew who my kiss thief was. I rolled over and tried to answer my phone, but I couldn’t.

Ugh. I grabbed my glasses from my pocket and slid them on.

My phone unlocked and I saw Jacob’s name on my screen.

I quickly answered. “Jacob,” I sobbed. “My dad doesn’t believe me and he says I can’t see you anymore and that he’s going to call Uncle Matt and I’m going to be homeschooled...”

“Scarlett, everything is going to be okay. But I honestly can’t understand a word you’re saying.”

I laughed through my tears.

“How about you just let me in so we can talk?”

“What?”

There was a knocking noise.

“You’re here?” I tossed my glasses onto my nightstand and slid off my bed.

“Of course I’m here.”

I pushed open the trapdoor and smiled down at him through my tears.

“I needed to make sure my girlfriend was okay.” He climbed into my room and pulled me into his arms. He held me just like that as I cried. Until my body stopped shaking and the tears dried on my cheeks. “Now, can you please say everything you just said again?”

I laughed, but it caught weirdly in my throat. “My dad has banned me from seeing you. He thinks you called me a slut.”

“Yeah, I heard him and Mr. Halifax yelling that. Sophie explained what happened to me.”

I groaned.

“I’m sure we can figure out a way to explain it to him,” Jacob said.

“He’s not listening to anything I say. And he threatened to call Uncle Matt...”

Jacob’s phone started ringing. He pulled it out. “Seems like he probably already did that.” He showed me his screen. It said that Coach was calling. Jacob put his phone back in his pocket.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“Nope. I’m a little busy.” He smiled.

“You’re acting all cool, calm, and collected right now, but I’m freaking out. My dad said he’s going to homeschool me and that I’m grounded for literally forever.”

“I’m sure he just needs a minute to cool down.”

“You don’t know my dad.”

Jacob laughed. “Actually, I do. And it’s going to be okay. I’ll explain everything to him tomorrow morning.”

I stared at him. “I don’t think you’re allowed into the apartment.”

He shrugged.

“I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m saying. We aren’t allowed to date anymore. My dad made himself very clear.”

“Scarlett. I’ve waited my whole life for you to like me back. And you’re crazy if you think anything is going to keep us apart now.”

“But what if my dad won’t listen to you?”

“Then we’ll keep dating anyway. It’s not like he can actually keep us apart. Your secret lair downstairs helps with that.”

“You’d date me in secret?”

“I’ll do whatever we have to do. I meant what I said. Nothing is going to keep us apart now.”

“I love you.” I’d said it earlier tonight accidentally. But I wanted him to know how I felt. And I did love him.

“I love you too.” He pressed his lips against mine.

I wound my arms behind his neck.

His phone started ringing again.

“Are you sure you don’t want to answer that?”

“He’ll just tell me to come home because he wants to talk to me. And I don’t have any plans on going home right now.”

“You don’t?”

He shook his head. “I was kind of hoping my girlfriend would ask me to stay the night.”

I laughed. “Jacob, will you spend the night?”

He kissed me again. Slower this time. Like we had all the time in the world. “Is your door locked?”

I shook my head.

“Well, we don’t want you to get grounded for longer than forever.” He dropped his hands from my waist and walked over to the door. He turned the lock with a satisfying click. And then he started unknotting his bowtie. I watched him unbutton his vest.

I wasn’t sure if he was undressing to climb into bed. Or undressing for something else. So I just stood there staring. Yeah, I’d definitely be grounded for longer if my dad walked in on this.

Jacob pulled off his tuxedo jacket and walked over to my desk chair. He frowned when he saw Axel’s varsity jacket on the back of my chair.