Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Nyx
UrWasted – LaLion
Ipull at my skirt, questioning if it's too short. I saw how some of the girls dressed to go to that inauguration. They were elegant, not trying too hard to be sexy and yet effortlessly attractive. I wonder if that's how they go to parties too.
Two post-grads invited me to a party, but I barely know them, let alone anyone else there.
Penelope, or Peach, as her friends called her, sometimes volunteers at the women's shelter on the North Shore.
I've been there more times than I care to admit, and I met her there. Her friend, Ella, seems just as nice as her, and I do need to make some friends. So, I’m jumping at the occasion to hang out with them.
But I also saw them talking to Achilles Duval, and I'm not sure how smart of me it would be to hang around him.
He's dangerous for my sanity; I know that from the way I forgot about Chase the one time I had a real exchange with Achilles at the diner.
Not to mention, he earned that asshole reputation fair and square when he messed with me over my acceptance letter.
I don't think I can trust myself around him.
Or maybe him showing his true colors will help with the fangirling. The more human he looks, the more I can detach from this relentless fascination.
It was horrible to stand in front of all those people a couple of weeks ago at the inauguration, but it was torture to see Achilles at the back, his eyes on me. I thought I was going to die on the spot.
My phone vibrates, and I see Chase's text telling me it's him right as he knocks on my door. I open for him and push onto my toes for a kiss, but he freezes in the doorway, a foot still on the outside step.
"What the fuck?" He chuckles unbelievably.
I step back, hurt by his lack of a hello. His eyes take in my red flowing skirt with some black flower patterns and the black bandeau top I'm wearing.
"I told you two girls from SFU invited me to a party on campus. I thought you were driving me?"
"Yeah, I'm driving you, but you're not wearing this to a college party on the South Bank."
My head rears back from the shock. "I've worn shorter skirts in this town, and you never complained about it."
He moves toward the kitchen, opening the fridge and grabbing one of my dad's beers.
"No one would touch what's mine on the North Shore. Those rich kids don't understand how scared they should be of us, and they think they're invincible."
I cross my arms over my chest. "Chase, you're being insane."
He downs a good half of the beer and shrugs. "You want me to drive you? Get changed. I've got other things to do tonight."
My eyes narrow at him, and instead of going toward my bedroom, I walk to him.
"Things like what?"
Putting the beer down, he grabs me by the waist and sets me on the fragile counter. I automatically spread my legs so he can settle between them, and the second he kisses my jaw, my lower stomach tingles. I can easily forget any argument when he puts his hands on me, and he knows that.
"Things anyone too close to Kayla King shouldn't know about."
That works like a bucket of iced water.
I push him away. "What?"
When he tries to come back, I slap his chest. "Chase, you're not still going on about this whole vendetta against Kay?"
He finally steps back, crossing his arms over his broad chest.
"Who did you lose in the war against NSC?" The seriousness in his tone makes me shrink.
The truth is, I never lost anyone, which isn't the case for most people on the North Shore. My mom left, but it had nothing to do with gang wars. She was just thirsty for money.
"I know you're angry," I try softly.
"Angry?" he snorts. "Nah, baby. Angry is how you are when you break my balls about what I do behind your back.
I'm fucking murderous that our old boss sold her body to the highest bidder and fucked off to billionaire town while we're all still here struggling.
We might not be fighting NSC every day, but you'd have to be real stupid to think this war is actually over.
Only Kay and her little friends like to think that because they're not affected by it anymore. "
"She didn't sell her body." I huff. "You got this all wrong—"
"Nyx," he cuts me off. His hand lands on my shoulder a little too forcefully. "See, when I tell you about what I do, you piss me off trying to defend her. And when I don't, you get all jealous and call me a cheater—"
"You want to talk about jealous?" I snap. Fuck, he pisses me off. "You're the one who throws a fit because I'm wearing a skirt to a party."
His jaw tightens, and so does his grip on my shoulder. "Well, maybe I don't want you to wear it because it doesn't look good on you."
My mouth opens and closes a few times, and instead of defending myself, I end up simply justifying my outfit. "It's the only new thing I own. Everything else is old."
He shrugs. "I'm just saying, you're a pretty girl, Nyxie. Why are you wearing something that makes you look so awful?"
With my stomach twisted in knots, I push him away as I jump off the counter.
"You can leave," I rasp, feeling a ball tightening my throat. "I'll drive myself to the party."
"No, you won't. Not if you're drinking."
"Then I won't drink! Or I'll find someone else to drive me. Just fuck off."
He grabs the beer on the table, downs the rest of it, and slams it back.
"I'm always doing you fucking favors, and that's how you thank me, yeah?
Drive me, don't drive me. Pay for this, leave me alone.
" He imitates my voice, and my anger doubles.
"I'm not your fucking dog. So sort yourself out and don't call me if you need me tonight because I'm not saving you from shit when those frat boys put their hands under your skirt. "
I stride after him, shoving him as he exits before wiping the tears rolling down my face.
"Make up your mind, asshole. Am I ugly in this skirt or will men take advantage?"
"You're acting fucking insane." He laughs as he leaves.
"Fuck you!" I roar at his back. "Seriously, fuck you, Chase!"
I gasp with surprise when I see a shadow watching me from across the dirt road. Lena’s just gotten out of her trailer, sliding her backpack onto her shoulders.
"Nyx—"
"I'm okay," I say before she can even finish.
She shakes her head, her sadness greater than mine in this moment since I'm fucking fuming.
"Honey, it's the fourth time in two weeks he leaves your place while you're shouting at him to fuck off."
I scratch my throat and put on a fake smile. I don't have a choice. All must be fine with Chase.
"You're going to be late for work," I tell her reassuringly. "And I've got a party to get to."
"I love you, Nyx," she tells me. There's more she wants to say, so I nudge her a little by coming down the two steps from my trailer. "I hope you realize soon that you deserve so much better than someone like Chase."
I think I know, I don't tell her.
"I can't thank you enough for this," I tell Kay as she parks in front of the gates. The party is where the residences are on campus, but she won't be allowed in without a guest pass.
Her feline-like green eyes stare at the gates before she turns to me.
"Why didn't your boyfriend drop you off?" The no-nonsense tone shows this woman hasn’t changed a bit since leaving the North Shore.
Behind me, her daughter, Mia, is in her booster, tapping her feet repeatedly on the back of her mom's seat. Kay turns around, and one dark look makes the six-year-old stop. Then she turns it back to me and cocks an eyebrow, still waiting for her answer.
"Erm, we argued, and I didn't want to drive in case I drink too much. I'm sorry you had to go out of your way for me."
"I don't give a shh about going out of my way for you.
What I care about is that you're still dating an effing loser who thinks he's going to be the new kingpin of the North Shore.
You need to leave his…butt, Nyx. You've got a new life coming for you, and you’ve worked too hard to let him hold you back. "
God, it's hard to remember she runs a mafia empire when she stops herself from cursing in front of her daughter.
I pinch my lips and stay quiet. I don't ever want Kayla to know that Chase is still paying some of my father's debts.
She herself has covered too many of them, taken care of me too many times after my mom left.
I have no right to ask for any more favors.
"Auntie Nyx," Mia calls from the back. "Are you going to get drunk and puke? Ew, are you going to puke? Alcohol is bad. Very bad."
A small laugh escapes me as Kayla turns around again.
"Why do you know anything about alcohol?" she says.
"Daddy says alcohol makes you puke."
"Your daddy's right," I tell her. "Thank you…again," I add to Kayla.
"Tell me when you're home," she says as she puts the car in reverse.
I open the door, but she stops me. "Got anything on you?"
I feel my eyebrows rise.
"To defend myself?" I chuckle. "This is an SFU party. We're far from North Shore trouble."
She shakes her head, huffing like I'm an idiot, and opens the glove box in front of me to pull out a small switchblade.
"You'd be surprised what those rich boys are capable of. They've got the kind of money and contacts that put them above the law. It makes them reckless. If you end up having to use this, you call me, not the cops. Because you are, for a fact, not above the law."
"It's just a house party," I say weakly. "Stop scaring me about those boys."
"Daddy says if a boy talks to you, you have to put your thumbs in his eyes, and scream—AH! AH!" Mia’s little screams pierce through my ears. "And then run, and run, and run, and call Daddy." She shows me her thumbs and smiles. "In his eyes. Do you have Daddy's number, Auntie Nyx?"
"I…don't actually," I answer. "Dear God," I mumble to Kay. "Only if he talks to you?"
She rolls her eyes. "You know how Nate is."
"Yeah, fucking terrifying."
"Bad word!" I hear from the back.