Real Girl (Aston Creek High 4)

I get down to the kitchen and start rifling through the cupboard which holds every pill in the house. I grab the big box and not giving a shit about making a mess, I tip the fucker over and spread it out, listening to the rattle as containers roll off the counter and drop onto the ground.

I find the good stuff and grab a glass of water to help wash them down.

With that sorted, I start searching for something to ease my hunger and find a pot of spaghetti Bolognese which Maria’s chef must have cooked last night. My stomach growls again and I don’t wait another second.

I grab the pot and drop it down onto the counter before finding a bowl and filling it up, making sure to top it off with cheese. Once it’s piled high, I put it in to heat and figure that I should at least do a quick clean up of the pills scattered all over the kitchen. After all, it’s not Maria or Lucien who would be tasked with cleaning it up, it’ll be the staff who don’t deserve to deal with my shit.

As I’m busy putting the box back into the cupboard, a voice rings out behind me. “Oh, Miss Skylah. What a pleasure it is to have you home.”

I look back over my shoulder to find Morley, the head chef who cooks for Maria and Lucien every night. “Thanks,” I grumble.

He walks deeper into the kitchen and upon hearing the microwave, his brows furrow. “Oh, you’re hungry?” he questions. “You should have said something. I would have made something fresh.”

I shrug my shoulders. “I wasn’t in the mood to wait.”

The microwave beeps and I dive for it, pulling out my spaghetti and checking that it’s warm the whole way through. Morley glances over my shoulder. “Oh, um…” he cringes. “Are you sure? I could put together a nice salad. Maria mentioned you’ll be dieting before the wedding. Carbs and cheese aren’t exactly going to do you any favors.”

Geez, no wonder the prick hasn’t been able to find a girlfriend to suck his dick.

I look back at him and glare as I grab a fork. “Fuck you, Morley,” I say, digging the fork in and walking over to the stool. I drop my ass down. “I’m not going on any ridiculous diet, I’m not marrying that fucking twat burger, and I sure as hell won’t be staying here a second longer than I have to.”

Morley glances away, unsure of what to do. “I, uh…have strict instructions to ensure you’re sticking to your diet.”

“Touch my fucking spaghetti and I’ll castrate you.” When he still looks hesitant, I let out a frustrated sigh. “Look, I won’t tell her if you don’t and I’ll eat all my meals down here or in my room.”

“She’s not going to like that.”

“I don’t give a shit what she likes. The bitch kidnapped me, is the reason my parents were killed, and is forcing me to marry a rapist so she can line her pockets. So maybe I deserve a few fucking carbs before my life is officially over.”

“Oh, um…” his eyes drop away. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you?”

Morley bows out and thankfully leaves me to my spaghetti and for the first time all day, I’m grateful. Hell, there’s a whole lot of this shit in the fridge. Maybe I can eat enough to give me stomach cramps, then I can try the dress on again and hopefully hurl all over it. God, that would really make my day. Red sauce on a wedding dress…shit, it’d be destroyed. There’s no coming back from that.

I get halfway through my bowl when a sharp gasp is heard behind me. My head whips around and I find Luce hovering in the hallway. My eyes instantly fill with tears as I shoot to my feet. I haven’t seen her in so long.

This girl was my best friend since the day I first came to this godforsaken town, but what the hell is she doing here now?

Luce hovers by the entryway, not moving and staring at me as though I’m some kind of stranger which has me grounded to the spot. “You’re…what are you doing here?” she questions with a weird reluctance that puts me on edge.

“Lucien dragged my ass back home,” I explain, feeling a bigger gap between us than I felt while I was gone.

Her brows furrow. “He found you?”

“What do you mean? Lucien has known where I was since before I even got there.”

“I…” Luce cuts herself off, looking confused and put off. She takes a hesitant step toward me which is when I see it – hurt. She hates me for leaving without an explanation. One day I was there and the next…nothing. “You ran away.”

I nod. “I did.”

“But why? Every day I’ve been trying to figure out what could have possibly pulled you away from here. We have everything we could possibly need. Was it me? Did I do something to hurt you?”