Rich Prick – Tijan Page 0,37
feel like you have a fever, but one never knows.” She motioned me toward the bed. “Shoo, shoo. Get in bed. I’ll bring you everything you need.”
She hurried around the room as I crawled back under the covers. She picked things up, straightening the room, still doing her job. I had to smile at that. Miss Sandy, always the professional. When she came to one of Blaise’s shirts, she paused.
I groaned, realizing what it was.
The emblem on the shirt was a marijuana leaf making a sexually suggestive hand motion.
I knew that now.
She rotated swiftly to me. She put the shirt on the bed, then picked it back up and folded it, placing it on the arm of the couch. She looked at me, and I waited, biting down on my lip.
Sandy hadn’t come in yesterday.
Blaise had been here most of the day and no one knew. My mom had emailed me and come over once, knocking on the door to ask if I wanted to go with them to dinner in Los Angeles. They were going there for business and would be gone most of this week. I’d declined the dinner invite, and Blaise had left shortly after that for his own family dinner. He’d thought it was a hoot, standing behind the door while my mom was on the other side of it.
I’d just rolled my eyes at him because I’d already lost probably three years of my life, worrying he’d be caught. My mom wasn’t known for coming in and being motherly, but there had been times when she decided we needed a mother-daughter talk.
However, lately she’d seemed distracted, and I’d used that to my advantage. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to skip graduation, and I didn’t want to focus on it long enough to find the reason. I just knew once it had passed, I would breathe easier.
“Would you like tea for your morning breakfast?” Miss Sandy asked.
That’s it? That was all she was going to say?
I didn’t know if I was disappointed or overjoyed, but I nodded. “Yeah. That’d be great. And could I get just some egg whites?”
She paused in the doorway. “No toast this morning?”
I usually grabbed my own food, but since Miss Sandy thought I was sick, I knew she’d prepare a tray.
I tried to give her a smile, and I suddenly had a feeling she knew I was lying. “I’m good with just tea and the egg whites. Thank you, Miss Sandy.”
“Of course, Miss Aspen.” Her smile was tender. “You feel better, okay?”
I nodded and blinked back a tear as she shut the door. I collapsed into my bed, feeling like the worst person in the world. I hated lying, but this was graduation week. I needed to stay firm. I just had to.
I picked up my phone and took a picture of Blaise’s shirt, sending it to him.
Me: You left a memento. Miss Sandy found it.
Blaise: Aw, shit. Sorry.
Blaise: Who’s Miss Sandy?
Me: Your future worst nightmare.
Blaise: That sounds ominous. I’ll probably love her. Later.
He texted, informing me that Zeke was having people over to his house if I wanted to join. I told him about the sick lie, and that I was committed. I was hoping to have the flu all week. He wished me good luck, but said maybe he’d come to get sick with me.
I laughed, tossing the phone away, and went back to planning my next camping trip. Blaise was in my head, though, so I tried to use extra caution about ensuring my safety.
My mom called twice. Once before dinner, letting me know they were meeting my brother and some of his friends, because apparently Nate was in LA for some reason. Then she called back after dinner to tell me everything he was doing, that he was living with one of his best friends and talking about starting a company with his buddies.
I listened to her, my knees pulled up to my chest, and reached out to turn off my light. The moonlight still lit the room pretty well, but it felt right to me.
Hearing how Nate was doing, that he was doing well, was like a dagger to my heart.
I didn’t know why. I think it was my mom’s tone.
When the accident happened with Owen, it set everyone in the family on a weird course. It took us a long time to heal. But that healing had been the catalyst for them wanting to make things right with Nate. Life was short. My mom