Charity (Black Mountain Academy) - Rochelle Paige Page 0,45
invited many of your classmates.”
“But you know how he embarrassed me when I was a freshman.” There wasn’t a hint of recognition in Mrs. Cushing’s eyes. Her lack of reaction made it appear she had no idea what her daughter was talking about, which was fucking sad. The woman should never have become a parent, but then I wouldn’t have Emme so I couldn’t be too pissed. “When he told everyone except for me that he liked me and then slept with another girl at a party, remember?”
“Oh, please. Boys will be boys.” Mrs. Cushing scoffed. “You can’t rule out a perfectly eligible match just because of a youthful indiscretion. I’m sure he wouldn’t have accepted my invitation if he wasn’t still interested in you.”
My temper flared, but I held myself in check for Emme. Not only was her mother talking right in front of my face about my girlfriend dumping me for some other dude, but she was discounting the fact that the rich prick had already hurt Emme once. That had to sting, and I didn’t want to make the situation worse for her.
“No more, Mother. I won’t tolerate any further interference from you when it comes to my relationship with Corby.” Emme gave my hand a squeeze. “I’m not a minor anymore, and I have access to my trust fund. This is your last warning.”
Mrs. Cushing sputtered, but Emme didn’t give her a chance to respond before she dragged me away. She headed straight toward Atticus, and her clenched jaw made me think she was gearing up for another battle. It had been one thing to stand back and let her handle her mother on her own. The douche who’d happily steal my girl from me—not that it was ever going to happen in this lifetime—and then treat her like shit was another story. “Relax, baby. I’ve got this.”
Emme gestured toward Atticus as we neared him. “Go right ahead. We both might as well get in on the action tonight. Since you’re into sports, we can pretend we’re on a team or something.”
“Never doubt that you’re my favorite teammate.” The flash of delight in her eyes made the cheesy line worth it. I smiled at her before shifting my focus to Caswell. My expression held no hint of friendliness when I looked at him. “I think it would be best if you left.”
Atticus quirked a brow and crossed his arms over his chest. “The decision isn’t yours, man. This is Emme’s party, and her mother invited me.”
“Emmeline,” I corrected, wrapping my arm around her back and pulling her body against my side. “She’s only Emme to her close friends and boyfriend, and you’re neither of those. You lost any chance you had when I came to Black Mountain. I won’t make the same mistake you did.”
Atticus scoffed, rolling his eyes. “As if your relationship will last past this school year. People like us have flings with people like you. Emmeline is just too nice to be honest about where this thing is going between the two of you. Nowhere.”
I stepped closer, well aware that we were in earshot of others. I didn’t want anyone to hear what I was about to say, so I lowered my voice. “You’re the last person who’d know what’s happening with Emme and me. She doesn’t talk to you, can barely even stand to look at you. But she shares everything with me. And I do mean everything.” I clenched my fists, wishing we were anywhere but the middle of Emme’s birthday party. I would’ve loved to take a swing at him. A pampered guy like Atticus would probably go down with one punch. That wasn’t possible, so I was just going to have to make do with a verbal blow instead. “I’m the only person who’s ever seen how gorgeous she is when she comes, and I’ll bend over fucking backward to keep it that way, asshole. Trust me when I tell you that you’re not ready for the kind of fight I’ll put up if you try to take Emme from me. From what I’ve heard, you didn’t have what it took to stand up to your mom over Emme years ago.”
“My mom will only be a problem for so long. When I turn twenty-one, I’ll get access to my trust fund, and she won’t be able to say shit,” he boasted, puffing his chest out as though he was trying to make himself look bigger.
It wouldn’t do him any