Chapter 2
“Have you been here before?” my mother asks, closing the car door behind her.
“No.” I shake my head, a bit confused by the question. “Why would I have been here before?”
“You went to school with Colt and Nix. I thought you three were friends.”
I almost laugh at the idea. Us, friends?
We couldn’t be further from it. Of course, if my mother would have listened to me back then, she would know that.
But just like my mother has always been, she only listens to the part she wants to, and her daughter being bullied wasn’t something she was interested in.
Tilting my head up, I take in the large three-story family home.
Of course, the Alistairs live here. A beautiful, luxurious, and well-taken care of home.
A perfectly manicured yard and a garage big enough to hold three cars.
Everything is flawless on the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that I’m worried about.
I sling my backpack over my shoulder and follow my mom up the small path leading to the front door. My heart beats irrationally fast against my ribs, and my stomach churns at the thought of what awaits me behind this door.
My mother doesn’t knock. She simply reaches for the brass handle and pushes it down. The door opens, and we step into the large foyer. The old sneakers on my feet squeak on the polished tiled floor while my mother’s high heels click and clack, both sounds echoing off the walls.
An eerie feeling festers in my gut. Something tells me I’m not supposed to be here. I don’t belong here, and I still don’t believe my mom does either. Nothing about this feels right.
“There you two lovely women are,” a deep male voice fills the space. My head snaps to its origin, and I come face-to-face with James Alistair.
I have only seen him once before, at a school event, but I’ve never actually talked to him. He is leaning against a doorframe, his body language relaxed. His light blue eyes are soft as he smiles at me with genuine fondness. His demeanor takes me by surprise.
James looks very much like an older version of his sons. His short hair is graying, and his masculine face weathered, but he clearly still works out. The white polo shirt he is wearing stretches over his muscular chest and arms. Most people would say he is a handsome guy.
“James, meet Lenora—my beautiful daughter,” my mother coos.
“She is beautiful, indeed. Just like her mother.” He grins at my mom like a lovesick puppy.
Wow. This is so weird.
“Oh, stop it with your compliments. You’re such a charmer.” My mom giggles and swats the air. “Let me finish dinner. Why don’t you show Leni to the dining room?”
“Don’t you need help?” James seems nice and all, but if his sons are around, I’d rather not see them.
“No, no, it’s fine. I prepared everything this morning. Just need to heat it up. You go and relax. I’ll bring dinner out in a few minutes.”
“Uhm, okay.”
“Come on, Leni, let’s sit. I’m sure you’ve had a long day.” James motions for me to follow him, and I do so begrudgingly. “How was your flight?”
“Oh, I took the bus, actually.”
“All the way from Wisconsin?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t too bad, though. I only had to switch buses a few times. Plus, I slept most of the ride.”
“I don’t like the idea of you being on a bus by yourself, especially sleeping. That’s not safe. I would have bought you a plane ticket if I had known.” There is a real note of concern in his voice, and I’m so taken aback that I don’t even notice how he is walking me straight into a lion’s den.
“Don’t be fooled by her looks, Dad. Leni can take care of herself. She bites.” Nix’s voice meets my ear, and my legs stop moving immediately.
My gaze swings past James to the two guys sitting at the dining room table. I haven’t seen Nix and Colt in two months, but it feels like yesterday. Being tormented every day is not something you forget easily.
Nix has always kept his hair buzzed while Colt grows his out at the top. Besides that, they look almost identical with their piercing blue eyes, dimples, and athletic bodies. In school, they were regularly mistaken for twins, though they were actually born ten months apart.
“Boys,” he warns. “Be nice. Please, Leni, excuse these knuckleheads. Sometimes they forget their manners.”
Once again, I’m left shocked by the way James so easily takes my side, almost as if he is protective of me. Maybe he is just being courteous, but with only us four in the room, there is no one to put on a show for.
James takes a seat at the head of the table while I stand in the doorway with my feet cemented to the ground.
“Come on, Leni. Sit with us,” Colt invites, but I don’t miss the undertone of sarcasm nor the devilish smirk on his lips.
It takes me another few seconds before I’m able to make my legs move and slowly make my way to the chair farthest away from Colt and Nix. Dropping my backpack on the floor next to me, I sit down, looking around the room to avoid looking at them.
“So Leni, how was your summer? Did you have a good time with your grandmother?” James asks curiously.
“Sure. It was nice. I hadn’t seen her in a long time.” I’m very cautious not to give too much information. In high school, I learned the hard way that bullies will use everything against you. It’s better to keep to yourself. Stay quiet, hidden, invisible. That’s where I’ll be safe.
“Do you have any plans for the rest of your break?”
“Not yet.” I need to get a job as fast as possible, so I can get out of here. I have less than a hundred dollars left from helping my grandma’s neighbor with yard work and cleaning houses. That’s not going to get me far.
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something to fill your time. Or you just relax until school starts. We have a pool, you know? You are free to swim whenever.”
Relaxing? Unlikely.
“Yes, maybe we can go for a swim after dinner,” Colt chimes in.
“I don’t have a bathing suit,” I blurt out a little too fast. Lifting my gaze to the brothers, my blood boils when I see their smug faces.
“We won’t look.” Nix smirks. “We can go naked as well if it’ll make you feel more comfortable.”
Instead of giving him a snide remark, I grind my teeth together and hold my tongue. Under the table, I fist my hands and dig my nails into my palm. I concentrate on that pain just so I won’t feel the emotional agony bubbling up from being in the presence of Colt and Nix.
“I hope you guys are hungry.” My mother’s cheerful voice breaks the awkward silence.
She walks into the room holding a large serving bowl, and James immediately jumps up to grab it from her. I also moved to get up and help her, but both James and my mother tell me to sit down. Together, they quickly grab everything from the kitchen and set the table so we can eat.
I can’t remember the last time I sat at a table with my mom and ate a meal that didn’t come out of a microwave.
I didn’t even know she could cook food that tasted better than a piece of cardboard.
When I was training for the Olympics, and she would prepare my meals, it was about nutrition and not taste.
Boiled chicken, steamed vegetables, and tasteless protein shakes were my daily life for years.
If it wasn’t for Colt and Nix sitting across the table and ruining my appetite, I would wolf this down like a starved animal. But thanks to their presence, each delicious morsel lands heavy in my empty stomach.
Completely oblivious to the tense mood in the room, my mom goes on about how great of a week she had. “I just love working at the office. Everyone is so nice. It makes the day go by in a breeze.”
“Everyone is nice to you because you are so amazing.” James smiles, placing his hand over my mother’s, who giggles like a little schoolgirl.
They look so happy, and I am glad my mom finally found someone who makes her feel this way. I just wish he didn’t have kids, or at least different ones.