I can’t wait to find out what she’s going to stay when she realizes that my suspension is just an opener for my transfer to a new school.
“Colton,” Maryne says, not noticing mom’s silent scold. “He hasn’t been doing well these past two days. The booze wafting off his skin is just …” she sighs, cutting herself off. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I've tried talking to him but he’s insistent on heading down this destructive path. His grief is just … He’s going to screw it all up before he even gets a chance to really start.”
She trails off and suddenly my appetite no longer exists. I was kinda hoping that he’d be doing better today.
Mom meets my eyes across the table and the silent scolding is gone, replaced with pain. She understands the grief he’s suffering through just as I do and it’s not easy, even if your father wasn’t exactly the idol you’d always wanted.
Mom nods and just like that, I’m out of my chair and crossing through the staff quarters.
I get to the internal door and I can’t help but think of the twins. I’ve remained on my side of the mansion all day, not wanting to start up more bullshit with the sisters from hell, but unfortunately for them, it’s time to break some rules.
I push through the door that leads into the main part of the house. It’s well past nine at night and with the funeral being held tomorrow and the celebration of Charles' life after, the mansion is a flurry of activity, yet not a single family member can be found.
Harrison is walking around overseeing everything and I don’t miss the way his eyes narrow on me as he watches me cut through the main part of the house, a part he and I know damn well that I’m not supposed to be in, but screw him. Someone needs to check on Colton and something tells me that I’m probably the best option even though it means dealing with his bullshit.
I haven’t seen him since finding him in the private bar last night and to be honest, I’m not entirely sure that I’m up for a repeat performance of that. Just thinking about it has me cringing with heartbreak. I should never have allowed Colton to get so deep but when I think about it, I don’t actually think I allowed it to happen, it just sort of did and that’s on me.
I gave him the power to hurt me and last night, that’s exactly what he did. I’m a fool because right now, I’m about to let it happen all over again. I must be a glutton for punishment. I should turn around and run back to the pool house as quickly as I can. I should lock the door and chain myself to my bed and not emerge until this bullshit is over or at least until I find the balls that I’ve lost somewhere along the way. Instead, here I am, standing at the bottom of the massive staircase and launching myself up it, desperate to get to him.
I skip up the stairs, taking two at a time while knowing that his sisters’ bedrooms are also on this floor and wanting to avoid them at all costs. I may be a glutton for punishment but I’m not fucking stupid. Okay, sometimes I can be accused of making stupid decisions, but not today, not right now. Actually, I’m sure others would argue that this is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever done but to me, it feels right.
What kind of person would I be if I didn’t try to help him? Who cares if I get hurt in the process? Who cares if he goes running his mouth like he usually does? All that matters is that he’s safe and not completely fucked up. After all, there’s a funeral tomorrow. It's going to be the first public matter that Colton will have to face as the head of this massive empire and he’s going to have to appear as though he has his shit together.
I reach Colton’s door and find myself pausing with my hand resting heavily on the doorknob. Am I making a mistake? Maybe I’m about to walk into a trap.
I can’t back out. I have to see this through. I want to be able to look back on my life one day and know that I made the right decisions, not just for myself