In the time since we arrived at the Bellafonte family home, I finally learnt just what a secret their fortune had been. My parents had hoped I would live a normal life away from the money and privileges of the wealthy. Then Mum fucked it up by running home. She didn’t believe we had a family without Dad, she didn’t believe in Dad’s vision for me to have a normal childhood, so she upped and left everything from our very normal life in suburbia and ran back to her parents and her sister.
After locking the door behind me, I lay on my bed staring up at the ceiling, wondering why she lied about this. Going to St Joseph’s is a dream. It is a prestigious school, it will look good on my college applications. If only she spoke to me like an adult and not a freaking teenager, but that is the crux of our issue, my mother is stuck in a nightmare loop that started six years ago.
My cell buzzes and I grab it off the nightstand smiling when Hartley’s happy face flashes up on the screen.
“Hey Hartley, she finally cracked and told me tonight,” I say as soon as I press the green button.
“I am so pumped Ginny, this year is going to be fan-freaking-tastic bitch! We are going to be Saints,” she replies instantly, her eagerness coming out in the form of a high pitched squeal. “Did you tell her that you had already accepted Gin? You should, she doesn't need to wallow in her guilt,” she added.
“Maybe. I’ll talk with her on the drive down tomorrow,” I say quickly.
“You aren’t driving yourself? Seriously Gin, you have to stop this ‘I’m a poor little rich girl’ she bought you a brand new Audi GT and you are going to leave it at home. Gin, Imma break it down real slow for you hun, it’s just fucking money. It’s not your fault you bleed it, stop being a miser and step up. You need to start dropping the Bellafonte name like any other normal person in the world would,” she laughs.
“I’m,” I start but she squeals interrupting me.
“You still holding on to that stupid idea of a normal life with that boy next door? Oh Gin, for fuck sakes, you were a kid. He is long gone hun, he wouldn't even probably remember your name, let alone what colour eyes you have,” she says seriously. “Or is it because you are upset about Jackson breaking up with you? You said he was a terrible kisser,” she giggles, leading us into an in-depth analysis of the benefits of experimenting with a boy you didn’t really feel too much for, it certainly isn’t love.
“Hartley, hang on,” in the middle of a belly shaking laugh, “Umm look I got to run, I’ll text you later,” I say when I hear a knock at my door. I know it is Aunt Addy, she always soothes the troubled water between Mum and me now. I walk up to my door to unlock it.
“Come in Addy,” I offer and wait for her. She opens the door and walks to me leaving the door open, sweeping me into one of her epic cuddles. Mum will no doubt be hiding in the corridor until she hears my mumbled happiness.
“You are a Bellafonte honey, stop this drama! I am sorry that your mother still sees you as a little tweeny, all she wanted was a few normal summers for you. It’s not right and she knows it, but you are all she has left of him and she misses your dad terribly Ginny,” we both sit up on my bed, our backs against the wall, our legs out straight. Aunt Addy was like a sibling I never had, we shared a lot of giggles and secrets, she understands how demanding and irritating my mother can be. “Having no money is difficult, but so is living with what you have. People have expectations of you and you have family responsibilities that you have no concept of yet. You are moving forward in more ways than possible, it scares her. So, stop being a temperamental little bitch and start living up to our expectations and your potential,” Aunt Addy faux snarls at me through her beautiful, concern filled, hazel eyes, despite the plastic smile on her face. Her French manicured nails, patting my hand, encouragingly.
“She just had to tell me though, is that too hard to do? I am sorry, Aunt Addy,” I say, my words dripping in teenage insincerity. She winks at me, then kisses my head and pulls me up to stand. I walk out of my bedroom, finding my mother standing in the corridor, her hands hiding her mouth.
“Sorry, Mum. Thank you for everything you are doing for me. I just wish you had been honest with me, I mean, St Joseph’s is amazing and I appreciate that you left me at my other school until now so I could split my time with Grandpa. I know what you do for me, Mum. I found my letter of offer a little while ago though, I was hoping you would tell me. I know this is hard, but, I am not a little girl anymore,” I offer as I pull her into an embrace.
I do love my mother, she just rubs me up the wrong way sometimes.
“I will help you pack Verginius. You will be driving down, won't you? Then you can pop back on the weekends and visit,” she says suddenly effervescent again, as she guides me back into my room.
Aunt Addy is already down the back of my wardrobe, pulling out my matching Hermes luggage set, a pile of shoes, and clothes strewn over my bed.
“We can always have the driver deliver what does not fit in here,” Addy says, her eyes ablaze with excitement, matching my mothers, “Sofia, do you remember how much fun we had at St Joseph’s?”
We spend the afternoon packing my room, I half-listen to their happy tales of finishing school, suddenly anxious to be living away from them, excited to be a normal teenager.
Unsurprisingly, I drive up to St Joseph’s by myself. Hartley, decides at the last minute, that she too wants her car, just in case.
I left quickly after a goodbye lunch with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Addy, and mum, the girls gossiping at one end of the table, while Grandpa and I crunch numbers at our end, but that is just our strange dynamic.
With a flurry of kisses, gifts, the latest Board report from Grandpa, and a strange rectangular box from Aunt Addy, that I am not allowed to open until I get to St Joseph’s I jump in my car. With one last wave, I drive out of our family estate and start the cruise down the highway, the radio playing softly in the background. I am eager to get out of here but also a little stressed about my solo four-hour drive.
A quick loop through Starbucks drive-through and I am loaded with a grande coffee, water, and a giant cookie for later. Well, later is like five minutes later, but I smile a little at my silly piece of freedom.
The traffic is light really, I expect it to be heavier considering it is a Sunday afternoon. The sky, clearing after an earlier spring storm. After the first hour, my nerves settled and I stopped listening to the radio, started getting excited about my future. I still am not sure about going to Harvard to do Business Administration but it is certainly an expectation, considering the Bellafonte fortune that needs to be managed, unfortunately or fortunately, there aren’t that many heirs except a distant cousin. I had been working alongside Grandpa over numerous summer holidays since we arrived back into their fold.
The good thing about the Bellafonte’s is they know the importance of good people, so our empire is held up, on the shoulders of some amazingly giving and incredibly intelligent people. I am just expected to be one of them. I hoped I had the smarts and insight needed to head this company into the future, thankfully the board all thought I did. Sometimes the only confidence you need is that of other people.
I spent a fair bit of time on my drive to St Joseph’s thinking about my other options, I always have them, Grandma keeps saying it over and over, but then Grandpa will also hit back saying my place was next to him. Really what are my other options? Fashion design, property development, singer-songwriter, no, nope, and no chance.