One sounded gross and incestuous when I thought of all the non-brotherly and sisterly things Dax and I had done.
The other wasn’t exactly romantic or the special virginal deflowering I’m sure they thought I’d had. A stranger screwed my brains out while I laid on top of mulch bags.
Come to think of it, my wolf had a few similarities to a certain someone, from what I could remember. Not to mention all the hints he’d dropped about us somehow knowing one another…
“There are different kinds of love, Evie.” Dad’s voice forced me back to the present and out of my short-lived reverie.
“See, he gets it.” I gestured towards him, returning his smile after he winked. I wanted to give the man a medal and standing ovation.
“I get it too!” Mom defended, causing us both to laugh.
“This is nice,” Dad said after a minute, his fork waving around between the three of us. “Dinner in our new house, together.”
I nodded in agreement, reaching for my drink.
“Yeah, all these new starts and exciting changes.”
Sucking down some root beer, I sent shifty eyes between the two of the them. Mom had a cheesy smile on her face, which gave away the secret Dad was so successfully hiding.
I looked at him and grinned. “You know she told me all the things just now?”
He laughed and nodded, running a hand through his graying hair. “She has a tendency to do that.”
“She is right here,” Mom intoned, “and I’ve kept this secret for two weeks. Do you understand how hard that was when my baby girl’s been so down?”
I scratched my temple and took sudden interest in the rest of my meatloaf. I hadn’t been down. She had. I was starting to think she loved Dax way more than I ever could.
“We’ve got a surprise for you.” Dad stood and left the dining room, returning a minute later with a colorful pamphlet.
Mom sat taller, practically vibrating with excitement.
“Here.” Dad placed the brochure in front of me.
I stared down at the image of two girls and a guy wearing uniforms, smiling at one another in front of a large brick building. Pesadilla Prep was written on the top of the pamphlet in large white letters.
I knew this school.
Audrey went here.
So did Judas, Dax, and more than half of the rich-kid population in Crudele.
“Um?” I looked between them, confused.
“You got in!” Mom cried.
“I wasn’t aware I’d applied…wait. How?”
There was no way this was possible. I’d seen copies of their placement tests online. I would never embarrass myself so severely by attempting to take one. Not to mention the cost of attending somewhere like this.
“Friends at work,” Dad chimed in.
“You’re a roofer through a union.” That was my way of saying ‘bullshit.’ No one was spotting a friend that kind of cash so their kid could go to school with the upper class.
“And roofers sometimes have connections,” he insisted.
“Because that’s not suspicious,” I deadpanned.
“We thought you’d be excited,” Mom cut in.
A few weeks ago, I would have been. Now? Hell no! This was my senior year. I liked my school and the ‘friends’ that went there. The only people I knew at Pesadilla were Audrey and Dax. He didn’t count anymore, so really, I only knew Audrey. I wasn’t bothered by being the new kid. I was likeable enough, but I didn’t have any desire to run into Judas again.
“You start when school does,” Dad continued, oblivious to my internal struggles.
“Do I have to? Go here, I mean. I’m not trying to come off as ungrateful, but there’s nothing wrong with my old school.”
“Of course, there isn’t Rhia. We just want the very best for you. I know it’s last-minute, but this would open so many doors college-wise. Maybe even Ivy League.”
I laughed—hard.
“We all know I am not getting into an Ivy League school. I can barely do geometry and physics.”
Dad chuckled, cutting it short when Mom shot him a death glare. At least we were on the same page on that front. He cleared his throat and came in with the serious parent approach.
“It’s only for the year, sweetheart. I don’t—we don’t expect you to get into Harvard or Yale.”
“He’s right,” Mom agreed. “Besides, you told me you met Judas Barron, so you must have some friends already.”
I peered at Mom through lowered lashes. Way too much excitement hung in that statement.
“Like Audrey?”
“See.” She nodded.
That one tiny movement sealed my fate. They’d had their minds made up before I ever set foot in the room.
CHAPTER NINE
Rhiannon
This uniform was a nightmare waiting to happen: a white bow-knot blouse, the bow being black, and a black strap skirt with white trim. The problem with wearing something that was one solid piece was the inability to pull it lower when my giant ass cheeks wanted to make an appearance.
The other option had been a plain white jacket over a white blouse and a skirt of the same style. Wearing that would be an utter disaster. It would be a beacon for attention the second it got dirty.