Wait, what?
Sarah elbows me to signal that she’s trying to help and whatever her idea, I hope to God it works because no matter how much therapy Mom sent me to, I’m still very much terrified of heights. I even tried hypnosis but nothing worked.
Kiara’s smirk tells me that she isn’t buying whatever Sarah is selling and she can smell bullshit from a mile away. “Really? Did France cure your fear of heights together with your lack of fashion sense?”
Damn, how much I hate her! How could I ever have been friends with her?
Sarah crosses her arms over her chest, probably to avoid bitch-slapping our ex-bestie, judging by the murderous look in her blue eyes. “You would fucking know if you had been hanging out with Lenley when she came back. Oh wait, you were too busy trying to take her place, right?”
Kiara snorts. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t touched anything that belonged to Lenley.”
Right. Not the guy I’ve always been in love with, nor the job at my family’s company.
Kiara is looking at me with unmistakable hatred in her eyes, her lips are curved in a cruel smirk when she challenges Sarah. “So let’s hear it. If it isn’t because she’s scared, why can’t Lenley come to the top and dive into the pool with the rest of us?”
“She didn’t bring a bathing suit and she doesn’t have a bra under her dress. I’m sure you don’t expect her to jump into chlorinated water in two-thousand buck dress, right?”
Good one, Sarah. Truth be told, there’s no way I can get into the pool, no matter if I jump in or use the steps by the edge of it. I just remembered that my torn panties are in Peyton’s pockets.
Of course Kiara doesn’t back down. “Whatever! This is the most pathetic excuse I’ve ever heard! As if the guys here have never seen a pair of tits! I’m not wearing a bra either under my suit.” She says with her hands on her hips in a challenging stance.
Sarah snorts. “Well fuck, Kiki! I wouldn’t call the bee stings you have ‘tits.’ Plus, if you want to flash your rack—or lack thereof—to everyone, that’s your choice. Lenley’s mom is here and Kyle is practically her dad!”
I think the stress of tonight’s opening and everything that has been going on with Darrius and the guys, must’ve clouded my rational thinking.
“Oh, but that isn’t a problem. Right, Len?” Anna intervenes with a sickly sweet smile that’s as false as Kiara’s. “We’re all a big, happy family and Len has her own room in our house. Even if they live practically next door! I’m pretty sure you keep a couple of bikinis here, right? And if not, it’ll take you just two minutes to run to your place to get one.”
Fuck.
She has me cornered and she knows it. There’s a perverse satisfaction in Anna’s brown eyes and I know it isn’t just because she’s ganging up on me with Kiara. When Kyle bought this house right next to ours, she threw a full-blown tantrum when her father decided to give me my own room in their house. She was so jealous that it didn’t matter that it was shortly after Papà’s death. She just hated that her own father was treating me like one of his own.
I’m fucked.
I have no choice but to admit that I’m still scared of heights and that I’m the wimp Kiara is implying I am, or to face my fears and jump.
But there’s no fucking way I can jump from over forty feet. Just the thought of it makes me feel lightheaded and dizzy, as if there were air bubbles in my head; all the while my heart is hammering against my rib cage and a hollow feeling rising from my stomach expands, pressing against my chest and I can’t breathe.
I look at the people at the base of the stairs; people I’ve grown up with for the most part. Trent and Niko have been with the Angels for two years and I don’t know them that well. And then there are The Heartbreakers, the Cove Devils. Of all the people in the room, they’re the ones who have treated me like this exotic, sexy woman. To them I’m not little nerdy, boring Lenley. I don’t want them to see me the way the others do.
I don’t know how I’ll manage to jump into that pool, but I can’t let Kiara win.
“Right. Anna is right, I hadn’t thought about it. I should have a bikini in my room.” I put emphasis on the last two words, looking at the two girls who have made it their life mission to embarrass me; and while I was used to Anna being mean to me, I still can’t believe how much resentment and jealousy I see in Kiara’s eyes every time she looks at me.
“Len, you don’t have to jump. I know you’re scared. Go put your bikini on and wait for us by the pool.” Darrius offers, taking a step closer to me and trying to guide me in the opposite direction to the stairs by putting a hand on the small of my back.
Up until this point I was frantically looking for a way out of having to jump from the top deck, over forty feet into the pool. But something in Darrius’ voice seals the deal. His tone is kind on the surface. If I hadn’t known him my whole life I’d think he’s genuinely trying to protect me, to get me out of an uncomfortable situation.
Only I can detect the subtle condescension in his tone; he isn’t giving me a way out to help me, he’s just trying to get rid of poor, childish Lenley so he can get back to his pissing contest with the Devils and his party without having to worry about me.
“No, I’ll meet you on the deck. Don’t jump without me.”
I march up the stairs, headed to my room on the second floor, feeling like Marty McFly in Back To The Future every time someone called him a chicken.