Chapter 5
5
Abrielle
THE PAST PART
If I kept a journal it would look something like this:
Colver Caspian is evil. He is pure evil wrapped in hatred. He acts as though I'm disturbing his life when I have no fucking clue what I've done to him. I'm not even on the same floor of this giant house. I feel like he goes out of his way to track me down just to mess with me.
With about fifteen hundred pages of stuff to write.
You'd think it's been, what, a year or two since I met him?
It's been less than two weeks.
I think both Colver and I are shocked this marriage has lasted this long.
Maybe that's the part that bothers me so much here.
Colver and I have been through this before. His father. My mother. The two of them together just feed each other's awful habits. My mother loves to be spoiled and his father loves to spoil someone.
Mom is happy though. She's smiling, eating, drinking, swimming, spending time in the sun. There's a sense of… I don't know. It feels like they've been together longer than this. Maybe that's why Colver is such an asshole.
I finally decided to go for a swim, right?
Mom insisted I get myself a bathing suit.
She insisted on me shopping like crazy too, but I refused. I have what I have. I'm okay right now. If anything, I could use some paint supplies.
Anyway. I end up swimming. The largest in ground pool I've ever seen. With a small cove and waterfall. The one corner rounded off with a hot tub.
There I was, floating around on a float, minding my own business.
Long story short there - Colver snuck up on me and dumped ice water all over me.
I screamed, thrashed and ended up under the water.
Colver laughed and walked off.
That's the shit I'm dealing with all the time with Colver.
Three nights ago while I was asleep… he snuck into my room…
This story is embarrassing to tell.
Look, the prequel to this story is that Colver is big and strong. He does not look his age, okay? He's eighteen but built like a real man. I understand his life revolves around hockey. Which makes sense. I've heard the stories of him playing, setting records, being a terror to other teams and players. I've heard how he can play anywhere he wants, when he wants. I don't necessarily care about hockey. I just appreciate what it's done for Colver's… body…
The muscles, okay? The muscles.
Muscles everywhere. And he loves to wear jeans. A guy built like him wearing jeans…?
Swoon.
There, I admit it.
Colver is fucking hot.
He's big. He's mean. He's sexy.
Have there been moments when my mind gets the best of me and runs off…? Of course! When I'm alone in my bedroom, in my bed, and I'm falling asleep, I can think about anything I want.
That leads me to this part…
When I feel someone touching my shoulder.
Imagine my surprise when I open my eyes and see Colver staring at me.
Inches from my face.
And he's shirtless.
Showing off those muscles.
I'm sleeping in a hoodie and nothing else.
I'm not sure if I'm dreaming or not… but I definitely smile at him.
"You say a word about this and I'll make your life worse than it is. Don't fuck with me, kitten."
I suddenly start nodding.
There's this insane fantasy…
"Cover your face," Colver says as he stands up.
He turns and walks to the sliding glass door.
I realize what this is.
He's sneaking someone over.
He uses the door in my bedroom.
With the covers up to my chin, I watch as some beautiful girl sneaks through the door. Colver's hands are all over her, grabbing her, picking her up.
She loves it.
He just wants her body.
I still blush when I think about that night.
I can't believe for a second I thought maybe Colver… never mind.
Now when it comes to school and learning, good luck there.
I just bounce around when I need to.
Colver isn't the king of high school, which surprises me for a minute. Then I realize he's the evil guy. The king of high school is a clean-faced, handsome guy named Tommy Aden. Star athlete. The cliché thing of him dating the head cheerleader. Ironic enough, her name is Gabrielle.
Of course Colver points out that she's rich enough to afford the G in her name.
So fucking funny, isn't it?
Why am I talking about school now?
Archer Brookes.
He's the off-brand version of Colver.
He's a hockey player too. Nowhere as good as Colver. He's on the team and part of it all thanks to his father. His father has something to do with the athletics and something to do with college and whatever else.
That's a world that means nothing to me.
Other than Archer waiting for me at my locker every single day.
Constantly asking me out on a date.
Chances are he's doing this as a joke. He wants to ask me out, get me to say yes and then humiliate me.
Today is no different.
End of the day and Archer stands at my locker. Completely blocking it.
"You look pretty today," he says.
"Yup," I say.
"I'm not moving until you kiss me."
"I will knee you in your balls so hard you'll sound like a cartoon character for the rest of your life."
"So you're thinking about me down there then," Archer says.
"Go away," I say.
"Make me."
"If I hurt you… just think about your reputation…"
"You can try to hurt me," Archer says. "But I promise…"
Archer's voice fades away and he steps to the side, allowing me into my locker.
It's like someone smacked him across the face and told him to shut the fuck up.
It's weird.
"We're far from done," Archer growls at me before he walks off.
I look behind me, then to my right.
I see the towering figure of Colver.
Colver didn't scare Archer off… did he…?
Colver's father buys me a big, fancy easel.
It's in my room waiting for me, along with Mom as she holds a glass of wine.
Her eyes are glazed and she looks tired.
That's the first uh-oh moment.
I wonder if I should just pack my bag now…
"Look what Jack got you," Mom says.
"Wow. That's nice of him to do."
"It sure is. It's nice to be welcomed somewhere. To be accepted."
I almost burst out laughing.
"You know, I'm in the mood," I say with a forced smile. "I think I'll paint right now."
Mom walks right by me and leaves the bedroom.
The easel is really nice.
Way too expensive.
I'm going to take advantage of it as much as I can. Without emotion. I used to let emotion get to me with Mom's love life. Now I just go with the flow. Eat the good food. Enjoy a full fridge. Swim. Enjoy a nice sized room. And now, enjoy this easel.
When I start painting, time doesn't exist.
It truly is my escape.
Today I'm just painting… anything.
It's more abstract than anything else. Seems fitting for my life at the moment.
Maybe it's a horizon. A jagged one. Above the horizon, below the horizon. A tale of two pieces of the painting. Of life. Of my head. My heart.
It's peaceful yet depressing.
But in some ways, that's just art.
My happiness is insanely halted the second I see Colver appear at the glass door.
He grabs the handle and shakes it.
He just stands there. This monstrous figure. Jeans. Black t-shirt.
He's fucking evil.
I stand from the bed, walk to the door and unlock it.
Colver walks into my bedroom.
"Sure," I say. "Come right on in."
"This is my fucking room, kitten," he says.
"Oh, it is?"
"You've been here for ten minutes, Abrielle. This is not your room. It never will be."
"So sorry you have to go to the next bedroom to screw your girlfriends," I say.
"I don't have girlfriends. Never have. Never will. I see something I want and I have it. That's it."
"How romantic," I say.
Colver stops and looks at my painting. "What is this supposed to be? It looks like someone threw up."
"That's exactly what I was going for," I say.
Colver curls his lip. "You need to be careful near Archer."
I laugh so hard I think I scare Colver.
His eyebrows hook down and he looks like a viper ready to strike.
"You're going to tell me who to avoid?" I ask.
"Friendly warning."
"The word friendly isn't in your vocabulary."
"You're right. Yet I look at you and I guess I want to be nice once in a while."
I'm taken back. Heat floods my cheeks.
Colver then steps closer to me.
I'm lying to myself if I don't admit that there are chills moving up and down my body.
Want me to stay away from Archer? Give me a reason then… do something about it…
I can't believe what I'm thinking and feeling right now.
I live in the same house as him.
His father is married to my mother.
So? What does that even mean?
"I gave the warning, kitten," Colver says. "Don't be fucking stupid about it."
His nostrils flare.
I'm too mesmerized by his evil eyes and my insane fantasies to realize he's grabbed my paintbrush… until it's too late.
Colver paints a black X through my painting.
"You're a bastard," I growl.
He looks at me. "Of course I am."
He then presses the paintbrush to my forehead and makes a wet paint line between my eyes and along the bridge of my nose.
Colver places the paintbrush down and walks through the bedroom door this time.
I stand there, shocked.
The guy who is sort of my stepbrother ( until this marriage blows up ) just ruined my painting and painted my face.
And he wants to tell me who to hang out with?
I start to smile.
I wonder if Colver's warning about Archer is… you know … jealousy…
Like, really?
Am I able to make this big, bad, evil ‘stepbrother' of mine… jealous?