Chapter 6 Family Drama

Aellorah

“Get… off!” I whined, shoving against Jonah’s chest until he released me, smirking victoriously. “You’re both assholes, you know that?!” I threw a glare into the mirror at Casey as well. “What are you even doing here? You’re supposed to be in New York!”

“Yeah, well… Daddy isn’t thrilled you’ve been ignoring our texts,” Casey replied from the driver’s seat, turning to look at me as he waited for the light to change. His gaze wandered over me, darkening with displeasure as he took in what I was wearing.

“I’m at school! I can’t reply to every text!” I protested, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“Yet you can find the time to attend house parties dressed like a little tramp?” Jonah asked, spreading his arms across the headrests.

“It’s a dress!” I snapped, crossing my arms defensively over my chest. “You’re acting like I was walking around in my underwear or something.”

“Oh, sweetheart, that dress is practically underwear,” Jonah countered with a grin, his eyes fixed on my bare legs.

I hated it when they did that shit. Just like daddy, they thought they owned everything and everyone—me included.

“So, you decided to drive down here and embarrass me in front of my classmates?” I demanded. Angry tears pricked my eyes as I shrank back against the seat, falling silent. There was no point in arguing.

Minutes and miles passed in silence. I clenched my jaw as I watched the scenery scroll by the window.

“Relax, baby,” Jonah crooned, his hand moving to rest on my thigh. “You know this will all be so much easier if you just apologize to Daddy and promise to be a good girl again…” I stiffened as he stroked his fingers affectionately over my skin.

“Where’s Momma?” I asked, turning to stare out the window again.

“With grandfather,” Casey replied, giving me a knowing glance. It was always safer at home when Momma was around. When she wasn’t…

I shuddered.

“I have to be back for class on Monday,” I mumbled.

“We know, sweetheart. We’ll drive you back tomorrow.” Jonah replied, his hand slipping higher up my leg. I swallowed the lump of nausea that rose in my throat and prepared myself for a long, painful evening…

Max

I didn’t have to go looking for Aellorah. Monday night, she found me in the gym on her way into the studio. I was mid-set when I felt something small nudge my shoe. I glanced down to see her ballet slippers standing beside me.

“Hey, Superstar,” she greeted with a sad smile. “How was the party?” The smile on her face was forced, and an almost-haunted look lingered in her grey eyes. I set the weights down and sat up on the bench.

“Yeah, well, you didn’t miss much. Just a bunch of rich kids acting a fool until the vomiting began.” She grimaced at me.

My gaze roamed over her form, taking in the way her leotard clung to her delicate curves. With her standing in front of me again, my determination to stay out of her drama began to weaken. “Though I have to admit, the highlight of my entire evening was dancing with you,” I confessed with a smirk.

“Yeah, me too…” she admitted in a tiny whisper. “It was nice to feel normal, even if it was only for a few minutes.” She sighed heavily, her fingers reaching up to tighten her ponytail. “Look, I’m sorry about my brothers. They’re assholes…” As she spoke, the memory of her brother kissing her flashed in my mind, and I felt like I might be sick.

My hand snapped out, gripping her elbow and tugging her closer. “Assholes?” I echoed. “That’s putting it mildly,” I growled out, anger simmering just below the surface of my skin. “So, what? Your brothers think they own you or something?” I asked, searching her eyes for any sign of disagreement or disgust. “Tell me, little mouse, did you give your brother permission to put his filthy lips on yours like that? Because it sure as hell didn’t seem like it…”

Her cheeks flushed pink, and she averted her gaze, staring down at her feet. “I don’t want to talk about that…” she mumbled. There was obviously more at play than just her brothers being overprotective, and whatever it was clearly made her uncomfortable.

My temper cooled at the sight of her distress, and I softened my approach, not wanting to upset her. “Hey, it’s okay,” I soothed in a reassuring voice. “We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I just… I was worried about you, that’s all…”

Aellorah

Worried. Max Stonehall was worried about me. My insides flipped as he reached out to cup my cheek, tilting my face up to look at him as he stood. His thumb brushed back and forth across my cheekbone, the tenderness contrasting starkly with the brutal demeanor I’d seen him exhibit.

“We can figure it out later,” he added. We… A nest of butterflies had broken loose in my stomach as I stared up into his green eyes.

“Do you want to grab a cup of coffee with me, Max? We can just… I don’t know, hang out?” I asked in a hopeful whisper, my heart racing with nervous excitement. I knew it was a dangerous offer after Jonah and Casey had seen us together at the party, but I couldn’t stop myself. Something about Max drew me in, despite the pang of warning in my gut.

“Coffee sounds perfect,” he agreed, a slow grin spreading across his face. “I think we both could use a little downtime.”

Max slipped on his sweatshirt and picked up his gym bag before reaching for my hand. My heart skipped a beat as our fingers intertwined, and I let him guide me out of the gym and toward the campus square.

“Now we can get to know one another—outside of party scenes and family drama…” he said, pulling me toward the coffee shop.