By the timeI get back to Jayce’s apartment, I’m exhausted. The adrenaline from the day has worn off. My phone’s been blowing up since my video went viral earlier. Mostly reporters trying to get a statement, which I’ve ignored. I also got a few messages from Leon, being a dick, unsurprisingly. He hasn’t texted me in weeks, and I’d thought he’d gotten the picture. I was wrong.
Leon: Regretting ignoring me now, sweetheart?
Leon: Your golden boy is a fucking pervert. Apparently you are, too.
Leon: You might think you’ve saved face, but everyone knows how fucked up you both are now.
Leon: Don’t worry. I still want you, even if nobody else does
I’ve now blocked his number, not needing his bullshit hovering over me along with everything else. Thankfully, I also got a text from Jayce telling me how grateful he is. When Ireceived his message saying to meet him at home, I felt a strange little rush of excitement and left the girls at Stacey’s, thanking them all profusely for their help.
I haven’t heard from Mom or Dad yet, though. That part… yikes. I’m trying hard not to panic about that, focusing on the positive feedback I’ve been receiving so far instead. I just need to hang onto that, and once I’m with Jayce, I’ll be able to keep it under control entirely.
“Jayce?” I call out as I step through the front door of the penthouse. “You here?”
When there’s no answer, I make my way to my bedroom to change and decompress a little bit before he gets home. I’m not going to lie, having a few moments of quiet is kind of nice. Even though I’m eager for him to get home so we can talk through everything and clear up any questions that might be lingering about this incident, I’m glad to have some time by myself. Keeping all the lights off except for a lamp next to my bed, I sit down with my back against the pillows and lean my head back to rest on the headboard. Sucking in a deep breath, I slowly let it back out and just sit in the silence for several long moments.
My quiet time is short-lived. My phone starts buzzing, snapping me out of my mini-meditation. I grab it out of my pocket. Aunt Delilah. I hesitate a moment, and then answer the call.
“Hi, Delilah,” I say, nervous about what she’s going to say. I’m afraid she’ll tell me she’s disappointed in me or Jayce or the situation in general.
“Sutton!” she exclaims immediately. “Oh, my brilliant girl. I saw your video, and you were fantastic. Simply fantastic!”
“Thank you,” I reply. “I was just doing what needed to be done, though. That’s all.”
She lets out a laugh. “It was more than that, sweetheart. You flipped the internet!”
I chuckle. “I think you mean broke the internet.”
“I said what I said. You completely turned public opinion on Jayce around with a few words, and it was flawless. You should be very proud of yourself.”
Her words cause a little flutter in my chest and I can’t help but beam. I am proud of myself, and I’m so lucky that my friends were there with me. We jumped into action like a well-oiled machine. It felt so natural laying out a solution and directing a skilled team to execute the vision.
“Thanks,” I say, snapping myself out of my thoughts. “Really couldn’t have done it without my friends.”
“It’s important to surround yourself with good people, and it sounds like you’ve done just that.”
I grin up at the ceiling and nod. “Yeah, I have.”
“Well, I’m glad.” I can hear Delilah’s smile in her voice. “I’ve got to go now, sweetheart, but I just wanted to tell you that you did an amazing job. I’m so proud of you for being so honest and putting yourself out there to save Jayce. Definitely risky, putting your private business out there, but it seems to have been worth it based on the public sentiment.”
“Thank you, Delilah.”
“Goodbye, my dear. We’ll talk again soon. Love you.”
“All right, love you too,” I reply before hanging up the phone. For a moment, I just lay on my bed, basking in the feeling of accomplishment and pride wrapping around me. I can’t imagine feeling better at this moment.
My phone buzzes again. I absentmindedly pick up to check, assuming it’s another interview request I’ll just ignore, but the breath leaves my lungs in a rush when I see that it’s a message from my dad.
I bolt up into a sitting position and open his text, my heart racing. Oh, God, I still haven’t heard from either of my parentsyet and the anxiety I’ve been doing my best to hold at bay rushes to the surface. My hand is shaking slightly as I read the text.
Dad: I saw the statement you made.
There’s a pause. My heart is pounding. Then I see he’s typing another text.
Dad: That’s CEO material. Proud of you, Sut.
Oh, thank God.
