Mess Us Up – Jaxson Kidman Page 0,51
let it get to me… I just thought…” She sighs. “I thought I was going to see Liam again. But he’s a dick. A fucking loser. And I just lost myself.”
“Well, you’re not going to try and drown yourself in the ocean,” I say.
“I know that,” Violet says.
“You were always an attention whore.”
“Oh, screw you,” she says with a smile.
“You know I’m right,” I say. “So just own it. Attention whore.”
“If my whore-ness gets the attention of Taz…”
I point at her. “Stop it.”
“Where’s Les?” Violet asks. “I wonder what he would have said.”
“Violet, listen to me. If Taz finds out where Liam is, he will go after him.”
“Is that so bad?”
I look up.
He will fucking kill Liam for real.
“Hey, what are you doing with Taz?” Violet asks. “Are you having a side thing or something?”
“No,” I say. “I would never… with Taz? Nope. Never.”
“Then what are you doing with him?”
“I was going to talk to you later,” I say. “I can’t get into it right now. Mac has to work today. He didn’t want me alone. I have to go face my mother.”
“Over what?”
“My entire life is like one big lie or something,” I say. “I found out my father has been having an affair. With a woman that used to cook for us.”
“Tanya?” Violet asks.
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Your mother was right all along?”
“Yeah,” I say again. “I confronted him. It wasn’t good. I’m just… done. I’m done with law school. I’m done with people telling me what to do and how to live.”
“All because of Mac.”
“That’s right.”
Violet smiles. “I’m so happy for you, Jolie.”
“What?”
“Finally,” she says. “You’re finally being you.”
“Well… whatever… I just want to go check on my mother. Make sure she’s okay. I don’t even know what to say to her. But I want to be there for her. I can’t even imagine what she’s thinking or feeling.”
“I fucked it all up,” Violet says. “I didn’t know that’s what you were doing. I called you crying because-”
“Violet, don’t do that. You’re my best friend. And when you feel this way, I feel it too and I hate it. I think you’re beautiful. And if a guy like Taz thinks it too…”
“I’m pretty sure Taz would fuck anyone with a vagina,” Violet says.
I laugh. “There’s something that will never leave my memory.”
“Thanks for saying I’m beautiful,” Violet says.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. I’m going to walk back home and then I’m going to start my attack.”
“Attack?”
Violet holds up her pinky finger.
“Oh,” I say.
“I’m going to make Liam cry.”
“Good for you.”
“And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just have Taz handle it. Taz and Les. Right?”
I offer a fake smile.
She really has no idea how dangerous they all are.
Violet and I hug.
When she starts to walk away, Taz whistles at her.
He opens his arms and nods, wanting a hug.
Violet shakes her head.
Then she blows him a kiss.
He catches the kiss… and for a split second I think he’s being romantic… until he puts his hands between his legs.
I shake my head at him.
“Where do you think I want her to kiss me?” Taz calls out.
I don’t even bother responding to him.
I enter the house and my heart instantly jumps into my throat.
The house has always been big and quiet.
That was just how I grew up.
The only people I really talked to were those taking care of the house.
The kitchen was the busiest part, but only at certain times of the day.
As I walk into the kitchen, I find my mother sitting at the counter with a glass of wine in one hand and her phone in the other.
“Mom,” I say.
She looks me. She puts the wine and the phone down.
“Jolie…”
She sucks in a shaky breath.
That’s when it hits me that she doesn’t know I’m okay. She still thinks I’m missing. Kidnapped. Whatever.
My heart sinks out of my throat and my eyes fill with tears.
The fact that she still thinks I’m kidnapped means my father didn’t come home after our confrontation.
Which means…
I run toward my mother and hug her.
She hugs me back.
We both start blubbering.
I’m trying to tell her I love her. But I can’t get the words out.
She’s trying to say something to me and I can’t figure out what it is.
“Jolie,” she whispers. “My Jolie… Jolie…”
I break away from her. “Mom… I’m fine. How are you?”
“I don’t know,” she says. “I have to be dreaming right now, right?”
“No. I’m really here.”
“Oh, I know you’re here. I’m glad you finally showed up.”
“I wanted to-”
“Your father told me everything,” she says.
Oh.
I suck