I turned around to face her and Vee let out a sigh which managed to convey a sense of bored nihilism. “I wasn’t in the humour to get involved.”
My expression morphed into a frown, anger bubbling in my chest as I whispered to myself, “No, I don’t suppose you were.”
“What was that?” Vee questioned sharply.
I wasn’t sure if it was down to the money I had stashed away in my bedroom, or simply because I was sick of toeing the line, but I levelled her with a fierce look, “I said I didn’t suppose you would be in the humour to get involved. You haven’t ever given a shit a about me, so why would you start caring now?”
Vee blinked several times, then her eyes blazed at me in anger as she slammed her hand down on the table. “How dare you talk to me like that!”
“How dare I? You say a lot worse to me every day, and I’m sick of pretending like I’m scared of you. I’m not. Look at you, you’re pathetic.” I was only half-lying. I was a little scared of Vee because she had the power to toss me out onto the street, but mostly I pitied her. Her life was lonely and depressing. She wasn’t a monster to fear or cower away from. She was a victim of her own misery.
Vee continued to stare at me, like she couldn’t believe I’d finally found the courage to stand up to her. Then, a strange, eery sort of calm came over her, and my skin prickled.
“You should be scared of me,” she said, low and confident. “I can ruin you. I can take everything from you.”
My heart nearly exploded at her thinly veiled threat. She was talking about the money Dad left me. That money meant everything, it meant freedom. But Vee was obviously bluffing. She couldn’t prevent me from receiving my inheritance. It wasn’t possible, I knew that, and yet just the idea caused my courage to flee.
I realised that the life I had planned after I finished school, the one where I spent the summer travelling around Europe before returning home to go to college, hung on a very weak thread. I hated that my dreams for the future could only happen if I had the money to fund them. It seemed shallow and materialistic when I thought about it. And I was a little disappointed in myself because my happiness shouldn’t be reliant on money. It should be something I found within myself.
Everything inside of me went limp, and Vee got a triumphant look in her eyes as she sat back, pleased with herself. Appetite suddenly lost, I turned to leave, unable to stand her company for one second longer.
“Make sure you’re home tonight for my party,” she said, and I turned back, shooting her an incredulous look.
“You’re going?”
“Of course, I’m going.”
“I thought you didn’t want a party.”
“I was being dramatic,” she replied, waving me away. Dramatic and drunk, I thought to myself. Was that why she’d reacted so crazily? Because of alcohol? “It’s not every day you turn forty, and I plan to have some fun for once,” she went on.
My gut twisted. I didn’t have a very good feeling about this. Then I realised that if I attended Vee’s party, I wouldn’t be able to go to the castle to hang out with Kean and his friends. Disappointment filled me. But wait, maybe I could go to both. I’d stick around for a bit, show my face at Vee’s party, then sneak out later on.
Since I still hadn’t had the chance to talk to her, I decided to walk over to Aoife’s and tell her about Kean’s invitation. She was going to be so excited. When I reached her place, her mam was in the kitchen cooking up a storm. Siobhan ran a small catering business on the side.
“Oh, hello, Estella,” she said with a bright smile. “I suppose you’re looking forward to tonight.”
My brows furrowed. “Tonight?”
“Veronica’s birthday party. You’re going to be there, aren’t you? Noah hired me to do the catering. I’ve been up since the crack of dawn cooking.”
“Oh, um, yes, I’ll be there,” I said, my breath catching at her mention of Noah. I couldn’t seem to get him out of my head. Every time I allowed my mind to wander, it inevitably wandered to him.
“Aoife’s in her bedroom if you want to go on in,” she said.
I nodded and went down the hall, knocking on Aoife’s door before I entered. I told her all about the castle, and she was giddy as hell about it. She asked if she could bring Jimmy, and I said sure, why not. I was certain Kean wouldn’t mind. He seemed like such a friendly boy, not like others his age.
I wished my head could be full of him. Instead I obsessed over Noah. His green eyes seemed to be permanently branded into my brain while I constantly analysed the meanings of his cryptic statements and strange behaviour.