Chapter 25
Ren
If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be doing this, I would’ve told them they were crazy, but here I was.
I knocked on the door and waited. There was no response, but I knew Vicky was in her room. The boys were not the only ones with a network of spies. I knocked again and heard a loud groan before footsteps thumped across the floor.
In classic Vicky fashion, she yanked it open and posed in the doorway like a magazine cover model. Expensive dress, flawless makeup, hair in a sleek bun. The faint scent of vanilla and hairspray floated into the hallway.
“Yes. What do you want? Or is your plan to stand there like a garden gnome, all wide-eyed and annoying?”
“What do you have against garden gnomes?”
She obviously didn’t like my attempt at humor, as she just stared at me.
“I came to see how you were. I wasn’t expecting to find you…”
Vicky cocked her hip and folded her arms.
“Let me guess. You thought I’d be curled up in bed, a tragic little puddle, crying into a bowl of snacks?”
“Not exactly, but yes. I figured you were upset. Thought you might want to talk.”
Vicky walked away from the door. I took that as the best invitation I was going to get and stepped into the room I used to share with her. The scent of lavender dryer sheets hit me, mingling with Vicky’s perfume and creating a sweet combination. It was weird that I kind of missed being in here.
“Well…speak. I have five minutes before my date arrives,” Vicky said, settling at her vanity with practiced poise.
Wandering over, I glanced at the photo of her on a beach with a girl I didn’t recognize. There was another of her mother, and one of her and Dad. I viewed them all with new appreciation.
“Oh…who’s picking you up?”
“That’s none of your business.” She looked at me in the reflection of the mirror. “I don’t need you trying to take this one, too.”
I ignored the dig and got to my real reason for being here.
“I’m sorry the whole sister reveal got blasted out to the school the way that it did.”
She shrugged, but the movement was stiff.
“It is what it is. I’ve had worse this year. Like finding out my boyfriend never loved me, then he left me and secretly married my sister. Or that the man who raised me isn’t my biological father, and neither of my parents will tell me who is. So yeah…this doesn’t even crack the top ten.”
I watched as she applied a shade of red lipstick that I’d never be able to pull off with my skin tone. It looked incredible, making her untouchable, a weapon in cosmetic form.
“So, you’re okay?”
“Do I not look okay?”
She capped the lipstick and dropped it on the desk, then switched off the makeup lamp and stood to face me.
“Look, the truth about you was always going to come out. No one knows about the bio thing unless you or one of your merry men decides to be a dick and talk. So…whatever. You’re the heir, good for you. I’m done crying over it. Instead, I’m getting on with my life.”
Vicky walked past me, grabbing her long coat and scarf as she headed for the door. She opened it and then looked at me.
“Unless you have something else to say, I’m leaving.”
“No, I guess I don’t. Just know that I’m here if you need someone to talk to,” I said, stepping into the hallway.
“I won’t.”
Vicky strode away and then vanished around the corner. I stared after her, unsure if we would ever get past the armor and resentment.
One difficult conversation down, one to go.
It only took a few minutes to walk over to the boys’ dorm and find Sabastian’s room. I knocked and waited once more.
“Coming,” he called out.
He opened the door with a twenty in his hand like he was expecting a delivery, but it was the two girls sitting on his bed that caught my attention. One I recognized as a cheerleader friend of Vicky’s, the other I didn’t know.
“Thanks—”
Sabastian looked up and froze. Grabbing the handle, he stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind him.
“Ren, I wasn’t expecting you,” he said.
“Clearly. Who are they?”
Sabastian looked over his shoulder at the closed door.
“Just friends.”
“Don’t do this,” I said, and shook my head.
“Do what?”
“Whatever you were planning on doing with them. If you do, I can promise that if there is any part of you that loves and still wants Ivy, that it will never happen. And I will not be put in the position of lying to her about this,” I said.
“Oh, I see. You won’t lie to Ivy, but you’ll lie to me about who your father is for months,” he said.
“That’s not remotely the same. And those girls inside are more than friends.”
I pointed at the door.
“Don’t insult us both by pretending otherwise. And I only just found out the truth about my father. I’m still trying to process.”
“So, in the meantime, you continue lying to my father, who thinks you’re his.” His voice rose. “And I’m the manipulative one? That’s rich.”
“Your father isn’t exactly innocent, no matter what you want to think.”
I held up my hands.
“I’m not here to fight with you, Sabastian. I just wanted to come and explain why I hadn’t said anything, but clearly you’ve already made up your mind, and…” I glanced at the door. “Moved on.”
I walked away, but only got two strides before he grabbed my arm.
“What?”
He sighed. “I’m not having sex with them. I swear. We were assigned to a group project together. My roommate will be back in twenty minutes.”
“Then why be so cagey? Why not just say that?”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Cause I was annoyed with you, and…”
“Wanted to be an asshole. Got it,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Sabastian winced.
“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my dad. But you don’t want to believe anything negative about yours, so it’s hard to talk to you.”
Sabastian leaned against the wall, the hallway’s dim overhead lights catching the blond in his hair.
“If I wanted to know more, would you tell me?”
“If I can, yes. There’s a lot I’m still trying to piece together. But your father and Lawrence being best buddies should’ve been a red flag.”
He looked down at his feet, and for just a moment, he reminded me of the little boy I knew when I was younger.
“Do you blame me for Ella’s death?”
“Did you know where Lawrence was hiding out?”
Sabastian’s head snapped up.
“No. I swear. When he visited, I never heard anything but normal business talk. Sometimes they went to the cigar lounge, but I wasn’t invited. Did I know Lawrence was dangerous? Yes. But not…that insane. I had no idea about the shit at Volatile or with the O’Briens.”
Sucking in a deep breath, my eyes wandered over his face, and there was nothing that screamed liar. That gave me a little bit of comfort. Thinking that my stepbrother didn’t care what happened to the O’Briens, Neil, or even Mya hadn’t been sitting well.
“You believe me, don’t you?”
“I do. But I also think you could’ve asked questions if you wanted to. But let’s be honest, you didn’t want to help Nash, and you didn’t think that it would come to this.”
He swallowed hard. “Okay…yeah. I haven’t slept much thinking about that.”
“It might not have changed anything,” I said gently. “But from now on, if we say someone’s a threat, take it seriously. Next time, it might be you who gets hurt.”
His mouth curved upward.
“You almost sound like you’re worried about me. Unless that was a threat.”
“It’s not a threat. I care about you, but if you sleep with those girls, you’ll be on your own. I’m team Ivy forever. Got it?”
He chuckled. “Got it.”
A door at the end of the hallway creaked open, and a terrified freshman shuffled toward us with takeout bags.
“That’s my food,” Sabastian said.
“You scare kids into delivering for you?”
“No. I pay them.” He smirked. “If they’re scared, the service is faster.”
“Goodnight,” I said, laughing and turning away.
“Hey…those photos we talked about. This weekend?”
I glanced back. “Sure. Text me.”
At least this conversation ended better than the last. Now I had to figure out what to do about Vadin.