CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
BIANCA
He kills the engine before looking at me, not making a move to do anything, letting me set the pace, and I almost cry at the familiarity.
Always making sure I’m alright.
“Thanks for the ride.” I’m not even sure he hears me, but he dips his chin while glancing at me. A small smile takes over his face before it leaves.
“Of course.”
The streetlight outside illuminates his ink, and I blurt out something, not wanting the night to end. “How many tattoos do you have?”
He looks to actually consider the question before he pushes out a breath. “I stopped counting after a while.”
I twist my lips. “Makes sense, you’re”—my eyes scan him meticulously—“covered.” My voice gets slightly breathless toward the end.
He smiles. “Maybe I’ll show you them one day and we can count them together.
” My body instantly warms at the thought.
Josh’s Mercedes is parked in the driveway and a groan makes its way up and out of me.
His eyebrow raises curiously, and I lift a shoulder in a half-hearted gesture before pointing at the car.
“You sure you wanna go in right now?” he asks, and I smile, the nostalgia hitting me as I sigh.
“Kinda have to.”
He opens his mouth before closing it. “Yeah, I guess.” I open the door, but he doesn’t let me get far.
He reaches for my wrist and grabs it gently.
“Bianca.” He says my name, but my heart aches for the eight-letter word .
. . The nickname he always called me that caught me off guard tonight.
Still, I turn around and his eyebrows furrow, his pillowy lips forming the cutest pout. “Are we . . . okay?”
He wants reassurance. Reassurance that the moment I walk out of this car, I won’t act the same way. Reassurance that we’re fine, that even with everything . . .
“Yeah.” I smile, a downward tilt forming on his mouth. “We’re okay.” He lets go of my wrist almost reluctantly and I release a breath as I step out. The passenger side window rolls down as I close the door, and he looks at me with blinding jade orbs.
“Good night, Bianca.”
“Night,” I whisper and turn to walk to my house, hoping everyone’s asleep.
My cheeks burn as I haven’t heard his car speed off.
No, he’s still there waiting for me to walk in safe and sound.
I unlock the door before turning around and giving a shy wave.
He sends one back as he drives off and I sigh happily as I close the door.
“Where the hell have you been?” Josh seethes and Olivia’s crossing her arms smugly.
“At the shelter.” I place my keys on the hook near the door.
He groans in annoyance. “So, who dropped you off?”
I turn back around, shrugging. “That’s none of your business.”
“It was Liam, Dad,” the snitch says, and I look at Olivia in shock. Jealousy crosses her face while I stand my ground. She then looks at him with fake doe eyes. “Daddy, I would never hang out with someone like that.” It comes out all sickeningly sweet, and I fight the urge to expose her.
Hypocrite. Absolute hypocrite.
Low whispers echo between them, my name and Liam’s getting thrown around, and I sigh loudly, getting their attention. “Look, Mom gave me her permission—” I start before the door opens behind me, Mom holding some groceries from that place Josh likes that’s forty-five minutes away.
“What’s going on here?” she asks, confused, while putting down the bag. I move to speak, but of course, I get interrupted.
“I was reminding Bianca that she needs to be more respectful by letting me know, as her future stepfather, when she plans to get home.”
I look at him incredulously. “I don’t have to tell you anything. I told Mom I was gonna get a ride since she was gonna be late.” Anger floods my words and Mom glances between us with a worried look. He smirks at me as he wraps an arm around her waist and I look at her in shock. “Mom?”
She doesn’t say anything as Josh hugs her closer, a smug grin stretched across his face. Who is this woman, and what has she done with Mom? Mom would always side with me, defend me, but this woman—I don’t know who she is.
“Consider this a warning, Bianca. You are not to get rides, hang out, or do anything with that boy again. Bad enough we have to deal with his mother.” My eyes widen, and so do Mom’s, but she stays mute.
I scoff, shaking my head in disbelief as he continues.
“You are to wait for us, no matter what, am I clear?” He hugs Mom closer to him, almost to prove a point.
“Whatever,” I mumble as I walk off, closing the bedroom door in frustration and locking it. My mom—I stifle a cry at the thought. It was her and me against the world. No one was ever above her, and no one was ever above me. Yet now, she sides with him when I did nothing wrong.
Is this how it’ll always be? Will I now be second to Josh and Olivia?
In that case, who will I be first for?
I sigh at all the thoughts swirling in my mind. “Bianca?” Mom’s voice comes through the door and I jump slightly, getting out of my bubble.
“Go away,” I mumble.
“Honey?” she tries again, and I turn off my lamp.
She seems to get the hint. Her footsteps leave and this familiar feeling of numbness comes over me.
I used to feel it with Liam, and now it’s bleeding through into other areas like a disease.
Wanting sleep to take me away, not wanting to feel this hollow emotion, I grab my star and Senora Bearington, closing my eyes harshly.
“Come on, guys! We’re gonna miss it!” I whined, and Mom laughed as she wobbled as best as she could, Dad fussing over her per usual.
He opened Mom’s door, sliding his hand in hers to help her into the car. He closed the door gently after having given her a million kisses, then came over to my side to make sure I was buckled in.
“I’m all good, Dad. See?” I pointed to my seat belt, placed across my chest the right way, and he gave me the dad thumbs-up.
We were finally on our way to the county fair and I was beyond excited.
It was a tradition we were wanting to start, and I loved it.
Soon enough, the beautiful lights appeared, the happy musical jingle blocked out the sounds of traffic, and I smiled.
Once Dad found a prime parking spot, I was the first to jump out.
“We’re here.” I glanced back. “WE’RE HERE!”
I knew the drill, so I quickly got in line for the wristbands, and after a couple minutes passed, we were next. I frowned slightly when Dad said Mom wouldn’t be getting one, that we wouldn’t want anything to happen to baby Ezra in her tummy, so I nodded.
I grabbed his much-larger hand and dragged him to the first ride of the night: the Spinning Teacups. I smiled at the very short line, and looked up at Dad with my puppy-dog eyes, as I knew he hated this ride, and he sighed.
“The things I do for our daughter,” he said jokingly to Mom while she rolled her eyes.
“I’m gonna get some hot dogs. Our baby boy is really hungry,” she said and he nodded before leaning in for a kiss. I cringed at them.
“C’mon, Dad!” I said, and he pulled back, laughing and shrugging at Mom, who smiled at us in turn.
After the teacups, we went on a bunch more rides and played a lot of games. Surprisingly, on top of winning Mom a prize, he got me one too. She had gotten a gigantic silver moon while I had gotten a small yellow star. He had tried for the sun one for himself, but didn’t get it.
“It’s okay, Dad. You can get it next year!” He smiled at that and nodded before he mussed up my hair.
“Did you have fun, honey?” he asked, and I nodded excitedly, my mouth full of funnel cake. Content with my answer, he grabbed both Mom’s and my hands.
Nothing could be better than this.
We all jumped in the car after being at the carnival for three hours, and while I wanted to go on the teacups for a third time, Mom was all tuckered out. As we drove home, I played with my little star, pressing it against the window, showing it all the real stars in the night sky.
“You really like that toy, huh, kiddo?” Dad asked as he adjusted the rearview mirror to see me, and I nodded happily.
“It looks like the stars in the sky, Dad. And I’m matching with Mom because she got the moon.
All we needed was the sun,” I said, pouting, and he laughed.
Mom hissed slightly and he glanced over at her in worry.
She smiled at him as he smiled back. As cars passed by in the opposite direction, their headlights illuminating the interior, I picked up Dad mouthing “I love you” to her.
I smiled at them. Even though they grossed me out sometimes, I loved them so much.
Suddenly, before Mom could say anything back, she yelled, “David, watch out!”
Scared, I looked up. A set of headlights were really close to the windshield. Shock took over my body and I hugged my star to my chest, feeling the car crash into something. We began to spin, and it felt like the ride at the carnival all over again, except this time, it wasn’t any fun.
Screeching tires and rough sounds came from every direction. The car flipped over, a small second of silence, before it was torn as the hood of the car scraped against the concrete. I screamed as Mom did too, and the glass shattered all over me.
Gravity pulled me down with each spin and I winced in pain. Dad yelled for me and Mom, and then the car hit something else. Ringing started in my ears as darkness consumed me, and I could no longer hear anything.
I groaned, my heart thumping in my ears, but I didn’t make a move to wake up. There were muffled sounds, and I shuddered as the wind blew over my exposed cuts. My mouth tasted of pennies and my eyelids felt so heavy.
“Bianca? Come on, honey. Wake up, please,” a muffled voice said, and I tried to open my eyes.
The seat belt dug into my chest. Mom was still in the passenger seat, her wails loud even through the fuzz that was in my ears.
My vision blurred once more, but through it, I was able to make out flashing red and blue lights.