“How did it make any sense?”
I was confused about how helping Claire kill someone could make any kind of sense. But I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt and tell me what was on her mind.
“Claire told me about what you did. The way that both you and Trent treated her like a princess. She showed me photos of you guys together. At the beach, her parents’ house, and everything, and then I saw how you treated her, and well it made sense for her to get her to get back at Vicki, but I didn’t know how far she was willing to go. I should have known she was desperate. Hell, she made both Ruby and me her best friends, not because we were the new girls but for a different reason. An obvious one, but I went along with it.”
“Goldie you let Claire use you?”
She laughed, “Everyone uses everyone. That’s for sure. I know that my mom uses my dad because he has all the cash, and she has no intention of letting go of his money. I know that you and Trent used Claire, and then when you were done, dumped her like she was nothing but garbage. I know that you and Trent use your stepdad even though you can’t stand him, and love having that status so that you can walk around as if you both own the place, like your kings of the palace and you’re not just at an academy that won’t matter once you leave it.”
She started to get angry as she stood up, and then took off her coat. “Everyone uses everyone. Don’t act like you’re so high, and mighty, and don’t do it. You do. We all do. Now, I’m going to get myself the attention that I came to get tonight, and hopefully lose the virginity that I’ve been desperate to lose before going to university.”
“For crying out loud Goldie, losing your virginity doesn’t define you. It doesn’t make you a woman, neither does wearing something like that to get attention.”
She flung her coat at me then stood there in her gold heels with her eyes fixed on me. It was as if she wanted me to stop her or take her at the back of the car.
I hated to admit it, Goldie was right. We all used each other. The problem for me was, she might act like a bimbo, but she was far from it. She was probably the smartest one out of all of us, because she’d seen us for what we really were, and she wasn’t blinded by the facade. We all walked around as if we were in control, but Goldie was because there was no bullshitting in her eyes. She knew what was going to happen, and she was going for it.
She blanked me out as she moved away from the car and strutted off in her gold heels as she owned each stride with pride. I knew the only thing that would stop her walking into trouble, was to take away the one thing that she was ready to get rid of tonight, but I didn’t want it. I couldn’t keep doing this destructive shit anymore, I had to stop which is why I couldn’t go near Goldie no matter how much she wanted me to.
I stripped down to my shorts and headed to the party in my swim trunks. I intended to drink a bit, flirt a little more, and dance the night away, and then go home to my bed alone. As soon as I saw Trent, he confirmed that he was on the same page as me which was good. I would fill him in on Claire, and Goldie’s little adventure. I knew that Vicki would be safe with Hawk in the house, so there was nothing to worry about on that score.
Right now, I needed some fun, and judging by the smile on my brother’s face he was having it, and he wasn’t going to do it alone; we could tease girls but that didn’t mean that we planned to go all the way. I was right behind him, because I was fed with acting like the dad of the night and was looking to have a good time. I fucking deserved it, hell we both did.
Chapter Five
“What a fucking night!” Trent shouted as we made a little too much noise as we got back to the Academy in the morning or it could have been the early afternoon. I didn’t bother to look at the time, but our plan of having a little to drink, and going to bed fell apart at the end of the night.
Either way, we had a good time, and now it was time to hit the sack.
“Wonder where Goldie, and Claire went?” Trent asked as if he’d just had a lightbulb moment and remembered that we took them to the party.
“No idea.”
“J, you think that we should look for them? Shit, I’m whacked but it’s kind of crappy to go to a party with someone, and not bother to check up on them.”
“Hey, you want to go to the diner?” I asked as I pressed the stop button after parking in the garage. I didn’t mean to change the subject, but I thought that whatever the pair of them got into, they could get themselves out of again. Besides the mention of both of their names had put me in a bad mood.
“Fuck, why not? I gather this means that you don’t give a fuck about them. I don’t know what’s got into you lately. One minute you’re all Mr. Sensitive, and the next you walk around as if you have a chip on your shoulder.”
“Let’s grab our shirts from the back of the car, and then we’ll be on our way.”
He asked, “You okay to drive?”
“That’s funny, now you ask me. You didn’t worry about it when my eyes were half open, and it took me thirty minutes to find my keys, which were in my pocket.”
“Sometimes, you just make me laugh!” Trent said as we both hopped out of the car without hesitation like two kids being offered a trip to go out and have some ice cream. This weekend had turned out better than we’d expected, and we didn’t want it to end. It was only when I opened the back that I saw Goldie’s fur coat. Shit, I really should find out what happened to her, but I didn’t even have her number. I could give Claire a call, but I had that feeling that I would regret it the moment I dialed her number. Fuck, I’d just send her a quick message, and if she decided to reply then so be it.
Trent didn’t say a word, he just took his shirt and put it on. Even when I stopped to write a message, he didn’t ask who I was writing it to. He didn’t want to know. He climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. I jumped back into the car, and then turned the engine on, and started to head back out of the garage. I focused on how beautiful the grounds were during the day as I drove back to the gate, but at a slower pace. I didn't want to ruin this moment or rush it in any way. I wanted to take in the beauty of the conifers that stood as sentinels as I headed closer towards the gate. They resembled tall, giant soldiers that stood watch over the Academy, and I wondered about all the things that they’d seen over the years.
“Imagine if they could talk?” Trent asked, and I smiled at the idea of him thinking the same thing as me.
“They could tell a tale or two, right?”
“Most of them would be about Carlton, but I’m pretty sure that his dad was the same as him. Narcissists aren’t born that way, they’re made.”
I choked, “If only Carlton was a narcissist. That’s just putting it politely. All the shit that he did, he was a sociopathic adulterer, and those are only the things that we know about. I’m pretty sure that there’s a lot more, but did you notice one thing about him?”
“What?” He asked curtly, and I wondered if he was interested or just wanted to cut the conversation short, due to us talking about Carlton.
“Throughout all the years, we never once heard about his mom. It was as if she didn’t exist.”