Chapter Four
I ran out of my room as fast as my legs could carry me, my heart thumping wildly beneath my ribcage.
Panic seared through my chest when I spotted my father lying at the end of the stairs.
A pained groan escaped his throat, his hands pushing at the floor in a pathetic attempt to push himself up, but it was useless.
“Dad?” I questioned nervously, hurrying down the steps. “Are you okay?”
He seemed a bit disoriented, his ankle twisted at an odd angle. I winced at the sight. That didn’t look good.
His muffled response sounded more like another groan than anything else.
“Fabian?” My mom’s panicked voice echoed, her footsteps slapping against the wood as she hurried for the staircase and peered over the banister. When she saw he was mostly alright, she blew out a quick breath of relief. “I’ll call 9-11.” She turned on her heels and disappeared again.
“I-I must have tripped.” Dad frowned, a crease forming between his brows.
I wasn’t sure what he possibly could have tripped over, considering how clean our house was. Maybe he was mistaken and had simply missed a step.
He attempted to move his leg, only to hiss out in pain when it became too unbearable. Finally, he slouched on the ground in defeat.
A better daughter might have stayed with him to make sure he was okay when the ambulance arrived.
Hell, a better daughter might have even gone to the hospital with him and doted on him.
Maybe if he was actually a dad I could be proud of, I’d do those things for him.
Mom was only three weeks post-birth, and all he ever did was make her feel alone and undesired.
Therefore, he deserved to feel even a fraction of the same.
Rising, I started my trek back up the stairs. When he called out for me, I kept walking. Maybe some alone time was exactly what he needed to get his head on straight.
At least … one could only hope.
***
My family was pretty well off financially.
We had a nice house and more than enough room.
However, nothing could have prepared me for the monstrosity of a mansion standing before me.
It loomed above us, two large trees casting shadows on the exterior.
Loud music boomed from within, followed by laughter, shouts, and chatter.
“Wow,” Lizette mumbled, unable to contain her excitement. “This place is insane.”
I nodded my agreement, staring at the building before me with trepidation.
I was half tempted to bolt the other way, jump into my car, and go back home where I knew I’d be safe. Unfortunately, I knew Lizzie wouldn’t let me get away with it.
Luckily, I came prepared—even if it wasn’t much.
Lizette grabbed me by the crook of the elbow and steered me toward the house against my will. Nervous energy danced down my spine as we approached, the ominous feeling only seeming to amplify.
Just as she went to knock on the door—as if anyone would actually hear it—the door swung open, startling us both. Two drunk girls stumbled outside, laughter echoing around them.
“You don’t have a curfew, do you?” Lizzie asked, shoving me through the door.
I shook her off, annoyance trickling through my veins. “Yeah. My parents want me home by midnight,” I lied.
When my mom found out I’d been invited to a party, she was ecstatic.
She told me to have fun and not get pregnant.
Those were her only rules. Most kids my age probably would have been thrilled if they had parents like that.
But for me … I craved structure. I wanted it to feel like my parents actually loved me and wanted the best for me.
There were probably so many kids here who either lied about where they were going or snuck out for a night of fun.
“I’m going to get us some drinks. Want anything?” Lizzie asked, eyeing the kitchen where a few jocks were hanging about.
“No thanks.”
It wasn’t that I had a problem with alcohol. I just didn’t trust these people enough to let my guard down around them, and alcohol only weakened the mind. I needed to stay alert at all times.
“Come on, Ember.” She pouted. “It’s a party.”
I ground my teeth together in frustration. “No. I agreed to come with you, but I draw the line at drinking.”
She put her hands up in defense, her eyebrows rising. “Noted.”
I waited until she was gone to scope the place out more. I loved my best friend, but the girl had no awareness whatsoever. She wanted to fit in so badly that she allowed it to cloud any sense of rationality.
Juliett was in the dining room with a drink of her own in hand, her boyfriend’s arm wrapped around her shoulders.
He’d been coming onto me behind her back, and I sensed she knew about it.
It would make sense why she hated me so much.
He was attractive, but he was also a piece of shit.
In fact, he reminded me a lot of my father.
That thought sent a tremor of disgust rocking through me.
Maybe they were perfect for each other.
Around the table were a few more cheerleaders and football players. They had set the area up for beer pong and were in the process of playing.
I felt just out of place here as I did at school.
Suddenly, the urge to drown myself in something strong penetrated my mind. I wouldn’t actually do it, even if it sounded appealing. Anything could go wrong, and I wanted to be prepared for anything.
Moving away from the door, my eyes roamed around the room. The floors were all tiled, and appeared to be freshly polished, too. At least it would make cleaning up vomit, and spilled drinks easier. Then again, they probably had a maid for that kind of shit.
Pretentious fucks.
Near the den, a bunch of people were surrounding the coffee table. It looked like they were playing some kind of drinking game that required a lot of making out. The room was so thick with hormones, I could practically taste the lust rolling off the partygoers taking up the building around me.
“Ember, right?” a deep voice asked from behind me, the heat of his body searing through my flesh. He was much closer than I would have liked and I had half a mind to tell him as much.
Whirling around, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end when I realized who it was. Felix Oscura, the host of said party.
He was much more attractive up close. He had dark brown hair, tan skin, and hazel eyes. It also didn’t help that his shirt was clinging to him like a second skin, revealing the contours of his abdomen and muscles.
He’s friends with Russel.
Russel was Juliett’s boyfriend, the one who hit on anyone he deemed pretty that wasn’t his girlfriend. I doubted Felix was any different.
When I didn’t reply, a small smile tugged at the edges of his mouth, a challenge entering his gaze as he assessed me with intrigue. “You don’t talk much, do you?” he pressed, taking a step toward me.
“Not when I have nothing to say,” I replied reluctantly.
He slowly closed the distance between us, his hands reaching out to rest on the curve of my waist. My stomach flipped with nerves, confusion tearing through me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I demanded cautiously, moving to place my hands on his in case I needed to shove him away.
“You’re on the dancefloor.” He smirked, nodding his head toward the swarm of bodies dancing around us.
The tension slowly rolled from my shoulders, my heart beginning to calm. Maybe he was simply just flirting. There was no harm in that, right? We were surrounded by people and Felix was probably just drunk and had on beer goggles. There was no way he’d be interested in me otherwise.
Felix tugged me flush against him, the hard planes of his body pressing against me. I’d never been this close to a boy before. Well … when he wasn’t groping me against my will.
“I can’t dance,” I replied hesitantly, pushing my hands against his chest in a silent plea for him to release me.
To my surprise, he didn’t try to force it. He dropped his arms and took a step back to put more distance between us. “Maybe a drink instead then?” he suggested.
“I don’t drink.”
It was obvious. We had nothing in common at all. The fact that he was still trying told me he wanted something, and I had a feeling that what he wanted wasn’t something I was willing to give.
He pressed his lips together in a thoughtful gesture, a crease settling between his perfect eyebrows. “What do you like then?” he asked after a few moments, cocking his head to the side like he genuinely cared and wanted to know.
It caught me off guard.
“Books mostly. I’m pretty boring.”
“Nah.” He smirked. “If all people enjoyed the same things, then that would be pretty boring.”
Maybe Felix wasn’t as bad I thought. He seemed intelligent enough, he was definitely attractive, and he appeared to be more mature than his friends. Maybe I wouldn’t mind hanging out with him for a little while longer.
“You’re in luck, though,” he continued, grabbing me by the crook of my elbow and leading me off the makeshift dancefloor. “We have a decent sized library if you want to check it out. Just say the word, gorgeous.”
“Oh. Um…” I glanced around the room, hoping to spot Lizzie somewhere but she was nowhere in sight. How long did it take to grab a fucking drink, anyway?
“I saw Lizette talking to Pete on the way over. It seemed like they were hitting it off,” he explained when he noticed my confused expression.
“I think she’ll be safe without you for a few minutes.
” Amusement sparkled within his eyes, and there was this welcoming air to him that seemed to hypnotize me.
Against my better judgement, I nodded. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”
I wasn’t about to stare at the wall all night while Lizzie flirted it up with some football player. Felix’s smile widened and he led me toward a secluded hallway. The music thumped loudly, vibrating through the walls as we walked between them.