know you would, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll stick close to them until I leave.”
“Just be careful babe, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I will. I’d better get downstairs before Jordan comes back up here after me. I’ll call you later.”
“Alright, but just one more thing?” He asked as I started to hang up.
“What?”
“You know, I haven’t had any more pictures from you since the one you sent the day I left. I’m feeling a little neglected over here. Think you can help me out?”
I could hear the laughter in his voice as my face turned red. I sent him that picture when I was thinking about all the bar skanks he would be around. I wanted to give him something to remember me by when he was gone.
“I have no idea what picture you’re talking about.” I decided to play dumb just to torture him.
He laughed. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. I’d love to see some more skin.”
Jordan decided to open my door at that moment. “Come on! I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and haul your ass downstairs if you don’t hurry up!” He shouted.
“Hold on a minute, I’m talking to Drake!” I said before turning my attention back to Drake, “I’ll see what I can do, but I’ve really got to go.”
“Fine, call me when you get a chance. I’ll be checking my texts.”
I hung up just as Jordan walked over and threw me over his shoulder. I squealed and kicked as he turned and started carrying me down the stairs and into the dining room.
“Put me down asshole!” I shouted.
He sat me down in one of the chairs as he laughed. “I told you to hurry up.”
I glared at him as I grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich off the plate in front of me and started eating. “I was hurrying. You didn’t have to manhandle me.”
I noticed Kadi and Danny sitting across the table from us. Kadi gave me a small smile, but Danny looked like he hadn’t slept at all and I instantly felt bad for joking around with Jordan.
“You doing alright Danny?” I asked quietly.
He shrugged his shoulders as he glanced up at me. “Not really, but I’ll survive. I just want to get this day over with.”
I nodded, unsure of what to say.
My mother entered the room and sat down at the opposite end of the table from the rest of us. She looked tired as well, but no one asked her if she was alright; we all knew better than to try talking to her. With her appearance, all conversation ceased and the quiet felt awkward as I finished my sandwich.
The doorbell rang and cut through the silence like a knife. I jumped at the sound as Danny stood and walked to the door to open it. A few minutes later, he walked back into the dining room with a tall dark-haired man following him.
“This is Mr. Evans, my mother’s… I mean my attorney. Kadi, if you don’t mind, can you wait here? The rest of you follow me, we’ll discuss everything in my mother’s office.”
“Of course not, I’ll be by the pool when you guys are done,” Kadi said as Jordan, my mother, and I followed Danny out of the room.
My aunt’s office was located on the third floor, or to be more specific, it took up the entire third floor. The stairs that led up to it were just past my aunt’s room, and I couldn’t help but glance at her closed-door as we walked past. It seemed like if I walked over and opened it, she would still be there. Death was a hard thing for me to process and my mind wasn’t quite ready to realize she would never be in there anymore, that I’d never be able to walk in and visit with her again.
I felt a tear slide down my cheek as we walked up the steps leading to her office.
Jordan noticed and wrapped an arm around me. “It’s alright Chloe Bear, just hang in there for Danny,” he whispered as we entered the office.
Mr. Evans sat behind my aunt’s desk as the rest of us took a seat in the chairs across from him. I ended up in between Danny and Jordan with my mother on Jordan’s other side. I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t Danny between us. I wasn’t sure he had it in him to fight with her.
“For those of you who