there was a guy worth pursuing, it became this claws out bitch-fest of who could outdo the others to get the guy’s attention.
Most of the time that meant Evie taking a big drink, standing up then pulling up her top to show off her chest.
I wasn’t quite made the same way as Evie.
I felt heavier on my backside than my chest.
Oh well.
As I stood there, watching the waves, I felt a sense of calm.
It was like I was looking at the ocean for the first time.
I took a deep breath.
“Okay, let’s hear the truth,” my mother said.
Her voice was like someone scratching a fork to a plate.
I cringed.
Any sense of peace disappeared.
“I’m tired,” I said. “It’s been a long day for me.”
“I don’t care,” she said. “Tell me what happened and I’ll give you a Magic Mommy Pill…”
“What’s that?”
“Prescription,” she said with a wink. “It’ll make you sleep for a long time.”
“Right,” I said. “Thanks for the offer.”
“I love this view. Your father did too.”
“If I remember correctly, you got everything set up and then bailed, right?” I asked. “You wanted a break. Then you just never came back. You wanted this place, and a few bucks. In exchange you wouldn’t go near the courts to get any kind of custody of me.”
“Sharp memory,” my mother said.
“So you’re basically okay with admitting that you didn’t want to be a mother? That you didn’t love Dad? Or me?”
“Love… that’s a strong word, Winter. We’re together now, aren’t we?”
“Only because I’m interesting now.”
“You’re very interesting,” my mother said.
I looked at her.
She was as cold as she looked and sounded.
I nodded.
This wasn’t going to end up being some kind of bonding experience.
“So start spilling,” my mother said.
“Can we go for a walk?”
“Ah, that’s so sweet. You want to walk with your mother on the beach?”
She laughed and moved down the steps.
She was a bitch.
I swallowed hard and followed.
We got close to the water, but not too close.
“I’m still piecing parts of this together,” I said. “I hate calling them bad boys because they’re beyond boys. You know? This is serious. I’m not telling you their names either. I’m handling this on my own.”
“Okay,” my mother said. “Then you need to think about how you want to do it. They fucked with your vehicle, so fuck with theirs.”
“I don’t know anything about vehicles,” I said with a laugh. “Whatever they did…” I cleared my throat. “One of them knows what he’s doing with cars. So something was set up that way.”
“How did the accident happen?”
“I was driving to get home,” I said. “I was really pissed off. I heard something about a guy I had been interested in and someone else. Thinking about it now, it’s so stupid.”
“Dick will do that to you.”
I coughed. “What?”
“You heard me. Oh, come on, we’re both adults here. We’ve all fell for some bad dick. And we’ve all done crazy stuff for some decent dick.”
“Can you never say dick again?”
My mother laughed. “What should I call it then?”
She opened her mouth and I didn’t want to know what was going to come out.
“I couldn’t drive Tank,” I called out.
“Tank?”
“That’s what I called my SUV,” I said.
My mother snorted. “Now that’s just sad. You named your SUV? Come on, Winter, be real. You really were some pompous bitch, huh?”
“I think it’s called being a Bump.”
“Here’s a little hint for you… the Bumps have nicer cars, but the Trocs have nicer dicks…”
I cringed.
My mother laughed again.
She was loving this.
In some sick and twisted way, she really enjoyed this.
I was worthy of her time now.
And as much as I wanted revenge on Noah, Easton, and Xavier, I kind of liked my mother actually wanting to be near me.
I couldn’t fully turn my heart into hate for her.
Which was part of the reason why I never gave Leslie a chance.
She was good to Dad. Dad was good to her.
I should have been nicer to Leslie.
I made a mental note to maybe do that when things settled.
Settled? When are things ever going to be settled?
“So your Tank or whatever the fuck it is…”
“I felt like I couldn’t steer it,” I said. “And the brakes wouldn’t work. I ended up hitting the gas pedal by accident and then I panicked. I tried to get into the back, thinking that would help me with the impact…”
“That probably saved your life, Winter,” my mother said.
“I know,” I said.
She stopped walking and touched my wrist. “Why did they do this to you?”
“They’re evil,” I said. “They can