Page 53 of Eternal Pieces
They pull me away from the crowd.
“Running off to blow your brothers?” Aaron shouts, and I cringe. Not because of his words, but because of what I know mybrotherswill do if they get their hands on him.
“Max is right, not here.” I force them to come with me into the closest empty hall.
Maddox starts pacing, running his hands through the top of his hair. “How fucking dare he?”
“I know you’re angry for me, baby, but I’m not upset,” I tell him. He shakes his head and smacks the wall. I look to Max for support, but he’s full of a cold fury that chills me to the core. There’s no stopping them now.
The doors burst open, and my guys rush to protect me.
Sarah yelps as she’s caught off guard, and they back off, keeping close to me.
“Are you alright?” she pants.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I wish everyone would drop it now so we can move on. College is over forever. Aaron will find someone else to target and forget all about me.
“That was pretty badass,” Sarah chuckles. “Are you heading back out for pictures? Aaron’s gone, probably to get his party started, so he won’t bother you.”
I look at Max and Maddox’s angry faces. “We should head home.”
“Are you sure? You shouldn’t let that asshole spoil the whole day for you.”
“These little ones have tired me out already.” I pat my stomach. “I’ll be falling asleep on the spot if I don’t get a nap.”
“As long as you’re sure.” She hugs me, and before she leaves, she turns to Max and Maddox. “Thank you for getting James locked up.”
She doesn’t wait for them to reply before she goes to find her parents, who actually made it here for her today, all the way from France, despite their hectic schedules, unlike mine.
“I’m going to go pee. It’s just around the corner, so neither of you needs to go with me. Go find your dad, and tell him what happened, I’ll meet you by the car.”
Max and Maddox are both averse to the idea, from the way they don’t budge. “Please? You saw how I handled myself out there, and Sarah said Aaron’s gone, so I’ll be fine.”
“Alright. I need to go ask Sarah something anyway. I’ll meet you back here. I don’t want you walking to the car by yourself.” Maddox storms off, leaving an awkward air behind him. Max lingers in front of me.
I wave my wrist in the air. “You know where I am, and if anything happens to me, you’ll notice. Go. I’ll be two minutes tops!”
He watches me walk away, but doesn’t follow.
In the restroom, I grip the sink and take a deep breath. The babies are still kicking up a fuss, and I stroke my stomach to calm them down. “Your mama’s fine,” I tell them when in reality I’m shaken the fuck up. In that moment, I felt invincible, but it was actually terrifying.
I take off my gown, folding it neatly next to the sink with my cap and watch on top, so I can splash my face with some cool water. My makeup runs a bit, and I fix it up with some paper towels.
Behind me, the door opens, and I look in the mirror to see who it is. “Mom?” I exclaim, turning to face her. She’s dressed up for the occasion with her pearls around her neck. But there’s a smudge of lipstick on her cream blouse, and the hem of her pencil skirt is fraying. Rather than point out all her flaws like she would to me, I simply state the obvious. “You missed the ceremony.”
“I saw it all.” She looks at me with nothing but disappointment, and I feel like a little girl again, desperate for her approval. “Don’t you see how hard your life will be from now on? Those boys stood there and watched you be humiliated.”
“They didn’t come to my rescue because I didn’t want them to.”
“And where are they now? I saw Maddox sneaking off with some girl. They’re probably hooking up as we speak.”
She can’t seriously think a lie like that will work on me?
“You haven’t cared about me my whole life unless it was about how fat I am. What changed?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re my daughter, I’ll always care. That’s why I tell you when you’ve put on weight. No one wants to be the fat girl in the room.”
“Maybe I like being the fat girl.”
