Chapter Thirteen

My phone vibrates on my nightstand relentlessly. I’ve tried to ignore it for the past ten minutes, knowing my luck it’s just Sebastian trying to threaten his way back into my life. I’m unsure what he really gains if he marries me but the douche hasn’t stopped calling me for the last few days but I hold onto memories of the night I spent with Maximus. I haven't asked him if he’s told the others yet, but I feel like Rocky would be the first to call me when he finds out. And I know that he’ll tell them when he’s ready. It was a massive step for him and I know the guys will make a huge deal out of it.

I finally give in and reach for the damn phone, I swear I hate being Bristol. This thing just never freaking stops. People want to talk to me or tag me in a social media post, as if seeing me will help them gain followers, even though I haven't posted in forever people still follow my account.

“What?” I snap, already done with this day even though it’s just started.

“Good morning to you to bitch. Did you forget what today is?”

“Happy birthday?” I guess, hoping that it's her actual birthday.

“It’s not my birthday. It’s shopping day for Formal. We have accessories to buy.” Clarissa chides.

Oh god, I had forgotten about the formal. I don’t even know if I have a dress to wear. Surely Bristol had something that was over the top.

“Okay, I’ll be ready in an hour. I have a feeling I’ll need a new dress and I’m inviting Chloe to join us.”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll be there in an hour.”

She hangs up the call and I reluctantly sit up, flicking off a text to Chloe asking if she wants to come and she texts back instantly that she’s on her way. So I’m guessing Chev is being his wonderful self again today.

Getting up, I head to the ensuite and put my phone on the Bluetooth speaker and blast my Maximus playlist. I always think of him when I listen to it and I think it’s linked to what he’s listening to. Somehow he knows when I open the app and he plays songs just for me. He has me signed into his account and said that if I skip a song he’ll know I’m there. So I do just that before I start to get undressed. A song that I’ve never heard before starts playing and it’s different from what is normally on there. I walk over to my phone and see it’s a song called “I miss you.” by Incubus.

I smile and go back to running the shower and jump in while I listen to the lyrics. As I wash my hair the song changes and it’s another song about missing someone. I wash as fast as I can and decide to call him while I get dressed, even if he can’t talk to me he can still listen.

I wrap myself in a huge fluffy white towel and hit face time. His incredibly handsome face fills the screen and he smiles. I love his smile, it takes over his entire face. His curls are unruly this morning.

“Good morning. I thought I would call and talk while I get ready because I miss you too.”

“You’re beautiful,” he says in a whisper. Most of the time when he speaks to me it’s in whispered tones but I’ll never force the words from him, just cherish the ones I do get. I don’t want him to feel pressured or embarrassed, I’m just honored he trusts me enough to talk to me.

“Thank you, I have to go Formal shopping today, I forgot all about it. Have you guys sorted out your tuxedos for yours?”

“Not going.”

“What do you mean you’re not going? You guys have worked your asses off and should get all dressed up.”

I put the phone up on a small shelf on my wall so he can only see my face while I get dressed. The weather is cooler now and I throw on a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a cute blue top. I have a cute knitted jumper to wear when I leave the house.

“We have other plans,” he says and damn him because he knows I won’t push him to talk more than he wants to.

“You know I’m going to call Rocky. He’s the weakest link and will spill his guts.”

Maximus nods but points behind me. I turn and see Chloe standing in the doorway, she gives me a slight smile and waves to Maximus. I turn back to him but can see he has completely shut down and won’t speak to me in front of her.

“I’ll text you later. I love you.”

He smiles shyly and nods. I end the call and within seconds my phone buzzes with an incoming text.

Maximus: I love you too.

I turn back to Chloe.

“You’re here, thanks for coming. I like Clarissa and all but she’s a lot to handle.”

Chloe looks at the ground and fiddles with her fingers as her face flames a bright shade of red.

“Hey what’s up? Are you okay?”

She looks up at me through her big thick glasses and tears lace her eyes. I sit on the bed and pat the spot beside me. She reluctantly walks over and plops down next to me.

“Do you promise that you’re my friend?” I turn to face her and take her hands in mine.

“I know I was an asshole to you before my accident but I can promise you that besides the guys, you’re my only true friend.”

“Not even Clarissa?” She questions.

“Nope, not even her. We are friendly because I feel like that’s how we used to be but friends no.” I explain as I shake my head.

She looks up at me, taking off her glasses and wipes her eyes before putting them back on.

“I lost my virginity to Chev.” I try to hold back my grimace as she continues to speak. “He was so sweet and made it so special. Afterwards he cuddled me and I asked him if he wanted to go to the formal with me. He laughed in my face and he told me that the only reason he fucked me was because he didn’t want the pretty boy to beat him to it.”

I’m so shocked, my mouth hangs open lost for words. I know the idiot likes her but to say something that vile after taking a girl's virginity is the most degrading thing I’ve ever heard.

“I’m so sorry.” Is all I can muster up.

“I have all these sweet guys in my life that truly treat me like a princess and yet I held on to the hope that Chev wanted me.”

“He’s a dick and it’s his loss but I heard guys plural, so spill.”

That makes her smile. “Well you know that I’ve been hanging out with Mac but the other night I wanted to blow off some steam and I messaged Mossy. You know, the guy from that party we went to and he invited me to Echo’s house and it was just him and Echo there. They ordered takeout and we watched some movies. They were both super nice to me.”

“That’s awesome! Just be careful with Echo, he’s a nice guy but caught up in a shitty world.”

She nods and goes to speak when Clarissa announces herself by strutting through the door and throwing herself down on the bed. “You girls ready to get your shop on?” she asks waving a card in our faces so fast I can’t even see what it is. “Daddy gave me his card and it has no spending limit. I maxed mine out already this month.”

Shit, I should go and see my father. I don’t actually have any money.

“My step father upped my limit but I think it’s because I never actually spend anything and Chev keeps maxing his out. So he lowered his and upped mine.”

“Good.” Clarissa declares. “That guy is a total dick.”

I quickly change the subject. “Let’s head down and I’ll stop by my father’s office.”

We all head downstairs and the girls head outside to Clarissa’s car as I knock on my father’s office door.

“Come in.”

“Hey,” I say nervously. I still don’t feel like his daughter and I feel super awkward asking him for money.

“Bristol, what’s wrong?” He asks, looking up from his computer.

“Oh nothing. I’m just going shopping with the girls for formal and I was wondering if I could have some money.”

“Of course you can.” He reaches into his desk drawer, pulling out a black card and holds it out to me. I walk closer to him and take it. “Buy whatever you need, no matter what the cost.”

“Thank you. I shouldn’t need much.”

“I just heard Clarissa Carmichael’s voice, you’ll need to spend money. We have lots of it so please go and enjoy yourself. Don’t be looking at price tags because I know Chloe is also here and her step father tells me he can’t get that girl to spend anything.”

I smile because that sounds exactly like her, she doesn’t care about money or belongings but Clarissa does, she was raised in this lifestyle.

“Okay, I promise that I won’t look at price tags.”

My father nods and says good.

I leave his office and head out to the car, Chloe is sitting in the back seat so I take the front. I turn to the back and smile. “My father says I’m not allowed to look at price tags today and that you shouldn’t either. Word is your step father wants you to spend. So Clarissa is on duty today to make sure we go to all of the places that don’t display price tags.”

I only know these exist because I was watching all of my old videos online and I made a comment about how sad it is that poor people need price tags. I was a serious snob.

“But,” Chloe says, going to protest.

“No but’s bitches unless there’s a dick involved. You’re spending your rich daddy’s money whether you like it or not and I’ll make sure of it.”

We all laugh and Clarissa speeds off down the road.

It isn’t long before Clarissa finds the shops she’s looking for and pulls up right out the front of the store in a no parking zone. I go to say something but figure her daddy will just get her out of any tickets she might get.

We all exit the car and head inside of Delaney Boutique. It actually looks like a quaint little store. I look around and it seems like this place is designed for accessories. There are racks for little bags that wouldn’t hold more than a tampon, cases full of jewellery, and every pair of shoes imaginable. You name it, they have it.

“Welcome ladies...Oh Bristol, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Nice to see you again also.” I say, even though I don’t remember her, but she’s being polite and I don’t want to seem rude. She does a double take and Clarissa doubles over in laughter.

“Mercedes, meet the new and improved Bristol Montgomery. This version is nice.” Clarissa says and I smile. Mercedes seems to visibly exhale. Gosh I wasn’t even nice to anyone.

“Is there anything I can help you girls with today?”

“We need some accessories for our formal,” Clarissa says.

“Okay, show me pictures of your dresses.”

Clarissa and Chloe pull out their phones, flicking to pictures they have of their dresses. I see Chloe’s is a red A line, off the shoulder dress with the most gorgeous layering in the tulle skirt. She will look absolutely stunning in it, especially with her complexion and hair colour. Clarissa’s dress is a lot sexier, a rose gold with a pattern embroidered into it and it looks very tight.

“And what about you Bristol?” Mercedes questions me with a raised brow.

“Um, I don’t have a dress yet,” I tell her honestly. The old me probably had something over the top ordered.

“Yes you do,” Clarissa answers and starts scrolling through her phone. “You had two actually, one you really liked and one your mother wanted. She was lucky enough to get hers from Giselle’s in Briar Bay. Not many people can get in to see her and let alone have two dresses.”

She hands me her phone and the first dress I can tell is my mother’s choice. It's bright pink, a very tight fit like Clarissa’s with a huge split right up the leg. I scroll to the second image and I smile, deep down Bristol had good taste. It has a plunging neckline but with a sequin bodice and a soft falling chiffon skirt in a very pale pink. It's beautiful and exactly what I would want to wear.

“Let’s go with this one.” I say, turning the phone around and showing off the second dress. “There’s no way I’m wearing the other one.” I wrinkle my nose in disgust.

Chloe giggles and must agree with me. Mercedes shows us around the store and by the time we’ve finished shopping, we all have everything from shoes to hair accessories. And as promised Chloe and I haven’t looked at a single price tag.

“Just make sure not to tell these girls how much they’ve spent. Their daddies want them to have the best,” Clarissa says and Mercedes nods as she rings up our haul. I don’t miss the side glances, as if she is waiting for the old me to pounce out and blow up at her. Once she has rung me up I hand her the card my father gave me.

When we have everything bagged up we all head out of the store. Clarissa has been talking non stop about a party at Ambrosia’s house all day and I agree to go as long as Chloe can come. She says it won’t be a problem.

***

Chloe decided to stay at my house and get ready for the party while Clarissa went home. We agreed to meet her there because I didn’t love the idea of having to rely on her for a lift home.

We both manage to find something in my old closet to wear. I opted for a pair of leather pants and a sheer black shirt with a black bra underneath, something out of my comfort zone but it’s super sexy. Chloe opts for a plaid lace up shirt dress and knee high boots. She looks so damn hot dressed that way.

I manage to find a pair of heels that aren’t a million inches tall to finish off my look.

Chloe is confident that she knows where Ambrosia lives as we both pile into her car and head off with “I knew you were trouble,” by Taylor Swift blaring through the speakers.

Apparently Ambrosia only lives a couple of streets away but with how massive the streets are around here there’s no way I could have walked there in these heels.

Chloe pulls into the driveway and we can hear the music pumping over her radio. We both get out of the car and walk up to the front door which is already wide open. Walking into mansions feels so alien to me yet this is how I grew up. I grab Chloe’s hand and lead her through the mass of people until we see Clarissa and Ambrosia sitting out on the back patio underneath an outdoor heater. The entire crew from school is here.

Chloe and I head towards my old friends and find some empty seats.

“Are we still hanging out with the pity project?” Lydia snaps and I glare at her, squeezing Chloe’s hand tighter.

Clarissa turns to Lydia. “Are we still screwing other people’s boyfriends behind their backs?”

“Burn,” Oliver exclaims and the rest of the guys laugh.

“She is welcome to Sebastian all she wants. I’m not interested in him but be warned he still messages me daily.”

Lydia snarls at me and gets up to leave.

“Pretty girls are always welcome here,” Oscar says and winks at Chloe, causing her face to go red.

“Let’s go and get some drinks,” I say to Chloe and she nods. We head back inside the house and go and hunt down the kitchen. She grabs my arm and stops me, pointing to the top of the stairs. I look up and see Carter and Sebastian arguing. We can’t hear what they’re saying but it's obvious they’re fighting about something. Carter grabs him by the throat and Sebastian smirks back at him. My vision starts to go black and I reach out and grab Chloe by the arm before I go down.

“What the fuck are you doing screwing Lydia? That wasn’t part of the deal.” Carter snaps.

“Neither was Bristol not putting out and if she marries me, this is just the way our world works.” Sebastian says with a smirk.

Carter backhands Sebastian and his lip splits open, a small drop of blood falls from his lip. Carter leans over and wipes it away with his thumb and sucks it into his mouth.

“We need this to all run smoothly. There’s a lot riding on it for both of us, so keep your dick in your pants and focus on the end game. You can fuck all the sluts you want when there’s a ring on her finger.”

Carter’s phone starts vibrating and I slip back behind the wall and walk away.

“B, snap out of it,” Someone says and everything’s still blurry. “Damn B, I thought you were dead.”

I blink a few times and see Echo is squatting down beside me, why is he here? He helps me sit up and I see Chloe’s crying and being consoled by Echo's friend Mossy. Carter looks down at me from above with a smirk and Sebastian is nowhere to be seen.

“What are you doing here?” I ask him and he smiles, helping me up into a standing position.

“Selling drugs to these rich pricks is easy cash, double the price and I clean up within an hour. I’m providing a public service.”

I shake my head at him with a slight laugh. “And we get to see our girl.”

“Our girl?” I repeat, back to him.

“Yeah, since you closed the door on me having any chance, I have a soft spot open and Chloe’s more than willing to take that position.”

He flashes his pearly whites at me and I grab his thick gold chain and pull him in close so only he can hear me.

“You better not hurt her, she’s too good for the likes of us. If you think my uncle is scary, just wait until you make me mad.”

I release his chain and he stands up straight. “Yo B, I really like this girl.”

“Good, you better treat her like a damn princess.”

“What the fuck!” Someone roars from behind us. We all turn to see Chev and his dickhead mates walking our way. Both Echo and Mossy step in front of Chloe protectively and I smile at the anger simmering in Chev’s eyes. I cross my arms over my chest, excited to see Chev put in his place.

“Move!” Chev demands and Echo laughs in his face.

“Unlikely bro,” Mossy says, his large frame blocking Chev’s view of Chloe.

Chloe steps out from behind him and places her small hand on his arm and smiles.

“What do you want, Chev? You’ve made your feelings very clear and it’s time I accepted them.” Tears well in her eyes and she sniffles.

“We need to talk,” Chev says and I step forward, cutting him off.

“Just back off, you’ve done enough already. Why can’t you just let her be?”

“Why can’t you Bristol? You’re dragging her into your life and you have no idea how fucked up that even is. Your unhealthy relationship with your older brother, your other brother looks at you with stars in his damn eyes and you can’t even remember any of it.”

“Shut up, you don’t know anything about my brothers!” I snarl, getting defensive. I quickly shake off the anger not understanding where it came from. “You don’t get to speak about Milo.”

“Fine, but Carter is a few crayons short of a box. I was surprised when you went to the looney bin and not him.”

Chloe steps forward and slaps Chev across the face. “Just leave!” she screams. “You’re an asshole, Chev Abrams.” Chloe turns and runs away, weaving through other people at the party. I watch where she runs to, then turn back and shake my head at Chev.

“You just lost the best thing that you had in your life.” I leave him with that and follow after Chloe.

I find her sitting on the front steps. “I’m sorry,” she sniffles.

“For what? You did nothing wrong. Let's go back to my house and watch something mindless on TV and eat a ridiculous amount of junk food that we’ll regret tomorrow.”

She smiles weakly at me but gets up and loops her arm with mine. Maybe we just need a girls night to heal some of our wounds.