“Two minutes with you, Katie, and she fucking hates me. That’s got to be a record.”
Kate rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Shut the hell up, Deacon. Let’s just get the details hammered out and everyone can go home.”
13
***Cass***
The silence in Weston’s truck as he drove us to their house was suffocating. I stared out the window as the lawns got larger and more impressively manicured. I wasn’t feeling as strong without Kate around to run interference. Being in the stewing hate of the Ford brothers alone was a nightmare. It made the way they’d treated me at first feel even more special. And even more impossible.
I was a fool for agreeing to go with them to plan our first public date. I should’ve gone straight home, changed into my pajamas, and turned on the firstHousewivesI could find.
“Is it true? Are you obsessed with The Apex Three?” Hayes’ question made me flinch. If he noticed, he didn’t react.
I didn’t move my gaze from the passing yards. “We were best friends. We grew up together.”
“Were they fucking you before they decided to prey on our little sister?” Weston’s harsh voice made his question hit even harder.
“No.” I was torn between letting them lash me for my crappy decision making and verbally decimating them. I felt the guilt of my actions heavily and wanted to make up for them but they were treating me badly enough that I was finding it hard to not fight back.
“So you agree that they preyed on Savannah?” Hayes grunted. “Who knows what you’d say to carry out your plans. I don’t know if there’s anything we should believe.”
I took a deep breath and turned to face him. “No. I don’t think they preyed on Savannah. I think your sister came to USC to hurt them and realized halfway through that they’re not bad guys. They forgave her. She forgave them. And they lived happily ever after.”
“You’re still stuck up their asses, huh? Still singing their praises? After some of the comments they made about you, that’s surprising.” Cash looked back at me and raised his eyebrows. “I guess that loyalty runs deep.”
I balled my hands into fists and tried to ignore them. They were hurt and they wanted to hurt me back. I’d let them so we could get past it.
“It’s hard to believe those fuckers got you so hung up on them that you’d move schools to try to hurt Savannah. You really fucking made fun of her weight and bullied her but still felt like you weren’t even? You thought you needed to come here and continue your sick games? That’s pathetic.”
I was going to chew a hole in my tongue. I was also going to cry if they didn’t stop. It didn’t even feel worth it to stand up for myself and deny that I ever made fun of Savannah’s weight. I knew the other girls did and I didn’t stop them so that was awful enough but I never said anything about her weight. How beautiful she was just added to how much I hated her. It was hard not to compare our bodies when they were so different.
“I don’t know why you were so shocked that they’d pick our sister over you. Savannah is beautiful, no matter her weight.” Weston didn’t have to say the rest for me to get his message loud and clear. I wasn’t beautiful.
Like I didn’t know that. Like I hadn’t watched Savannah smile and win everyone over daily. Like I didn’t see the way guys instantly called me dude or bro while they drooled over Savannah and chased her down for the smallest amount of attention.
As soon as he parked in front of their garage I was out of the truck and pacing across the yard. It was hard to breathe. I pressed my fingers into my eyes so hard that I worried I’d pop them but I needed something to feel other than pain and jealousy. It took me a minute to calm down and when I turned around I saw that they’d gone inside and closed the door behind them.
Against every ounce of self-preservation I had I let myself in and then froze. The smell hit me first. Rotting food and rancid beer, sweat, and I was pretty sure someone had pissed in one of the fake plants. I covered my nose and looked around at the mess in horror. I wasn’t sure if the partygoers had hidden the stench with their perfume and cologne and the house always looked and smelled the way it did or if that one party had left the house in such a state. I passed a piece of pizza smeared into the carpet and what I was pretty sure was a piece of human shit sitting in the middle of the dining room table.
“Oh, my god…” I dry heaved as the smell got worse the farther I got in the house. How the hell were they living like that? The Ford family had a sparkling reputation, until me, and it was hard to believe the guys photographed so often in khakis and oxfords were living in such filth.
I found them in the kitchen sitting around the island piled high with trash and liquor. I didn’t miss Weston throw back ashot or the way Hayes’ forehead crinkled as he watched it, too. I still had my hand over my mouth but I couldn’t help it. If they were offended, then so be it.
“Let’s just get this over with, please.” My voice was nasally with my nose pinched shut. “I have a thing to get to as soon as possible.”
None of them offered up any excuses for the house but I saw Hayes shifting uncomfortably as he looked around. I couldn’t help wondering why they were living the way they were. It was horrible. I’d volunteered at USC and taken food to some of the homeless encampments over the years. None of those places had smelled anywhere near as bad.
In my desperation I opened a file on my phone that I hadn’t touched in over a year. It held the girly, wannabe romantic part of me, a part I kept hidden away. To get away from them and their stinky house, I scrolled until I got to the list of date ideas I’d hoped Cole would take me on someday. It sent a dagger through my chest to look at them and remember how full of hope I’d been. I felt so much pain for the girl who’d built all of her dreams about a man who didn’t want her.
“I have a list of ideas. Speak up when you hear the one you want to do first.” I only made it through four date ideas when Cash snatched my phone from me.
“What is this? You just have a list of date ideas saved? Single white female much?” He grunted when I threw my elbow into his side as hard as I could and snatched the phone back from him.
“A picnic it is. I have to get out of here. This place stinks like you’re hiding dead bodies and honestly? I’d volunteer to become one of them before willingly staying in this house for one more second. You can be assholes to me. I deserve some of it. You can’t be assholes and stink like this, though. I can’t do both.” I backed away, hand still clenched around my nose. “I’ll text one of you my address so you can pick me up tomorrow.”
“Did you forget how you got here?” Hayes’ cheeks were bright red and I would’ve felt bad for calling out how bad their house smelled if I wasn’t so busy trying to not breathe in.
“I’ll run back to campus.” I turned and rushed out of their house, so thankful to breathe in fresh air once I was outside that I nearly let out an excited cry. Maybe my heart was a little worse for the wear but I could breathe fresh air and a run always did me good so all wasn’t shit.
