19. Breeding Grounds #2
A look at my reflection in the mirror makes me decide to whip out my lip-gloss for a quick swipe. Jamie will probably kiss it away within seconds, but I want to look pretty when he sees me.
Once I’m satisfied with the look of the girl in the mirror, I zip my purse closed and turn around to leave.
The noise of someone retching stops me in my tracks. When I came in, I hadn’t noticed that one of the stalls was occupied. I wonder if someone else had a special flask like Candace’s to make their soda more interesting and if they’ve been pre-gaming too hard and are now paying the price.
I should probably just go, but a new onslaught of vomiting noises reaches me.
I take a deep breath. I’m one of those people who feel sick when they hear someone else being sick. If I smell vomit? It’s game over that gets me every time.
However, if someone is in trouble in there, maybe there’s someone I can call on their behalf to come and help.
“Hey there,” I say loudly enough that they can hopefully hear me through all the gagging and puking. “Is everything ok? Do you need any help?”
My question is answered by silence, and I’m conflicted if I should go knock on the stall’s door or if I should just go.
Before I can make up my mind one way or the other, the stall’s door opens and the person who was puking their guts stumbles out into the main room.
“Aisha.” I gasp when I find myself face to face with my former best friend. “Are you ok?”
She ignores me, making her way to the row of sinks on shaky legs and rinses her mouth.
“Are you ok?” I repeat when she’s done.
Aisha meets my gaze through the mirror, and our eyes lock as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.
Without even thinking, I open my purse and offer her my packet of tissues. Paper towels might be bad for the environment, but you can’t dry your mouth in the stations that blow air on your wet hands.
She accepts the tissues without a word, taking one out and giving the rest back.
“Are you ok?” I ask for the third time.
I was so focused on getting her the tissues that I missed how gaunt she looks. I guess the fact that she’s pale shouldn’t be much of a surprise since she was just sick, but it’s the hollow, haunted look in her eyes that shocks me.
“What does it look like?” Her tone is surprisingly vehement. “Do I look ok to you?”
No, she looks absolutely terrible. Rail thin, and yet strangely bloated.
“Did you eat something that went wrong with you? Or had too many beers from the concession stands?”
She wouldn’t be the first of Dad’s clients to gorge on junk food and alcohol the second she was away from the strict diet imposed on all the occupants of the Pure Shine house.
“No. Just the smell of greasy food and stale beer makes me want to gag. Oh, fuck.” She turns around and bends over the sink.
Her stomach must be empty at this point, though, because she’s mostly dry-heaving.
I inhale, holding my breath in an effort to steady my own stomach. Her gagging noises are making the mixture of popcorn, tequila and soda in my stomach stir dangerously.
“Would you like some water? There are some vending machines outside, I can run to get you some. I wouldn’t drink the tap water here. Maybe I can get you something dry to settle your stomach? Like some crackers or something from the vending machines?”
Aisha looks at me as if I had just sprouted a second head.
“Are you for real?” she asks.
“I don’t know what you mean. I’m just trying to help you.”
She leans against the sink, her eyes sweeping over the length of my body as she assesses me. “After the way I acted since you left the house, I’m surprised you’re even talking to me.”
“I know you didn’t mean any of that stuff, Aisha.
” I sigh. “I did the same thing last time someone left, remember? My dad gives you no choice. If anyone leaves or is kicked out, he makes sure they lose all their followers; and if you don’t help by trash-talking them, you know you’re gonna be next. So I don’t blame you.”
Tears well in Aisha’s eyes. “Fuck. You’re way more generous than I would be if roles were reversed. Especially after I said you were jealous and blocked you when you tried to warn me about Kurt.”
The mention of my ex causes my hackles to rise. “Why? Did he try to hurt you like he did me? Aisha, please, if he tries to convince you to sleep with him before the wedding, don’t do it. I trusted him, and after he flipped out and…” I tell her what happened the night before my wedding.
Aisha’s tears begin to fall. “I don’t know if I should feel better or worse that I’m not the only one he beat the crap out of.”
She lifts the long sleeves of her hockey jersey, and I can’t help but cover my mouth with horror.
Aisha’s pale skin is mottled with black and blue bruises.
My heart sinks. “Oh no. Aisha, Kurt is a psychopath. A monster. Why did you agree to marry him?”
She laughs, but there’s no mirth in it. “You should know why. Like with bullying you on social media, I wasn’t given a choice.
Your father put us all into lockdown after you left.
” I can detect some resentment in her voice.
“For about a week, no one was allowed to leave the house unless they wanted to be found in breach of their contract. Our schedules were changed to a more intensive pace. He expected us to produce more content to make up for losing you. When the week was over, I was called into his office, and he told me that Kurt needed a wife. He didn’t want to go to Hartford alone next year. ”
Aisha isn’t the only one who feels like crying. I can imagine exactly where this is going. “So he offered you that reality TV show to sweeten the deal?” My voice is breaking.
She nods. “At first I thought that your leaving was the best thing that ever happened to me. That show is a huge deal. Placing well in that competition or winning can make someone’s career overnight.
I’ve always thought that Kurt was hot, and the idea of having a rising hockey star as a fiancé and then husband was good.
I knew Byron had reserved all that stuff for you because you’re his daughter; with you gone, I felt like I finally had the chance of a lifetime. ”
Bitterness coats my tongue. “Yeah. Not so cool being a nepo baby in my father’s house, huh? So why did Kurt hit you? Did he convince you to break the no touch rule and then call you a slut like he did with me?”
My former best friend exhales a shuddering breath as new tears fall down her face.
“No touch rule? Once the lockdown was lifted, your father made me move into the apartment he had set up within the property limits for you and Kurt. He said that since Kurt and I needed to get to know each other better, the no touch rule was lifted for us. He’s milking our relationship for every drop of publicity he can get out of it and he wanted us to look like a happy couple. ”
“Unbelievable.” I snort, disgusted. “So my dad encouraged you to sleep with him.”
“Yeah. And I mean, Kurt wasn’t my first. But with all those muscles and all the female fans he has, I expected something better. Sex with him was quick, cold, almost transactional. And after we were done, he started calling me a slut and…”
She’s overwhelmed by tears, and I can’t help but want to comfort her.
Aisha flinches when I close my arms around her, but eventually relaxes in my arms.
“Did you tell anyone? Did you tell my dad what Kurt did?”
“I tried.” She sobs. “The day after I moved in, I asked Byron if we could talk, and I told him what happened. He wasn’t interested.”
That should surprise me, but for some reason, it doesn’t. “Why didn’t you leave?” I ask.
She pushes me away, her gaze hard, full of anger. “And where would I go? Even if Byron hadn’t made everyone cut ties with their families and friends, I didn’t have anyone. You know I grew up in foster care. I have no one and nowhere to go.”
Fury mounts in my chest. “So what did you do? You went back to Kurt?”
“I had no other choice. And the beatings only got worse.”
Fuck this and fuck Kurt. “Then leave now. You can stay with me.”
“And what?” she laughs bitterly. “Lose all my followers? I was at Bridgeport on a scholarship, Rebecca. I’m pretty sure that if I leave, I’m going to get expelled.
Oh, and I’m pretty sure you must have found out that Byron is pocketing ninety-nine percent of our earnings.
I have like two hundred bucks in my account, I realized that when I thought about leaving.
I’m sure you must have been in a similar situation?
But I don’t have a brother who can take me in, so I’m stuck marrying Kurt if I don’t want to be homeless and broke. ”
I understand how scared she is, but I don’t agree with her decision.
“I would rather be homeless and broke than live with that monster and let him touch me again. Please, Aisha, leave him. You have me. I’m going to help you. You can stay with me. I mean it. Luke and I can help you get a job.”
“Jesus,” she scoffs. “You’re much nicer than I am. I would never have offered you my help if you had treated me the way I treated you since you left.”
I take her hand in mine. “I told you. I know you had no choice. Come on. We’ll figure everything out.”
Aisha pulls her hand out of mine, covering her face as she weeps. “I can’t leave. I’m pregnant.”
The last word hits me harder than if she had physically slapped me. “What? With Kurt’s baby?”
“Who else?” she sobs. “I just found out yesterday. I missed my period two weeks ago. I didn’t worry at first. With the new stricter diet we’ve been all put on and the stress I’ve been under with the reality show and with Kurt, I thought it was just that.
But then I started feeling sick all the time, and my boobs got so tender.
I asked Helga to book me a doctor appointment, and when I went to see Byron, I told him what happened with Kurt. ”