Fallen Stars and Broken Dreams - C.C. Masters Page 0,120

found reasons to be too busy to attend another one. I was confused as to why the mysterious Kash was treated as an optional family member, but Kingston had just laughed and ruffled my hair when I asked.

Nina’s game became clear on the last night of our group dinners.

“Richard,” she said in a sweet voice that made me clench my teeth. “This week has gone so well. I’d like to see if I can take Katya and the boys to Europe for the summer.”

“No,” Maverik said flatly. “We have hockey camp.”

Nina pouted as if she were hurt. “I keep trying to reach out to them,” she whined to Richard. “But you’ve seen how cold they’ve been all week.”

Oh, that was clever. All week, she’d been pushing Maverik and Kingston’s buttons, trying to get them to react. She’d innocently suggested shopping trips, movie nights, even a pizza party. Each time, Kingston and Maverik had acted like she was completely insane and shot her down. She was, but she’d maneuvered them exactly where she wanted them.

“I worry about their influence on Katya,” Nina said worriedly. “She used to be such a sweet girl, but you see how she’s changed since she’s been around them.”

I dropped my fork with a clatter. “I’ve changed because you canceled my enrollment at ballet school and threatened to have me sent to rehab.”

“Darling,” she cooed. “You’re underweight for your age, and it’s not normal for a girl to exercise for eight hours a day. I just want to make sure you get the help you need.”

Richard cleared his throat. “Nina may have a point. Katya, you look like you’ve lost weight since you’ve been here. And the staff reported that they saw you vomiting several days in a row.”

I flushed. I hadn’t been vomiting because I had an eating disorder - I’d been hungover from binge drinking more than I could handle. But I couldn’t say that, now could I?

“I was legitimately sick,” I told him. “And I didn’t leave my room for several days. The only people who checked on me were Maverik, Kingston, and Kash. They helped me to bed and made sure I had enough fluids. My mother was nowhere to be found.”

Richard shot his sons a surprised look. “They took care of you?”

“They aren’t the problem,” I said quietly.

My statement was kind of true. My problems went deeper than Maverik and Kingston.

Maverik gave me a slow nod as Nina animatedly described all the ways Maverik and Kingston were a bad influence on me. It wasn’t until she started to wind down that Maverik spoke up.

“I guess it’s a good thing we’re going to hockey camp for the summer,” he stated. “But I think it would be easier on Katya if she stayed at Bedford Academy to catch up on her studies. After all, Nina won’t be here that often, and you’ll be busy with work.”

I turned to Maverik with wide eyes. I wasn’t sure if he was helping or hurting me right now. Yes, it would be great to get away from Nina for the rest of the summer, but did I really want to be trapped at Bedford Academy? At least here, I had some semblance of independence. I guess it was better than a rehab facility.

“That’s not a bad idea,” Richard said thoughtfully. “Katya, you’ll be able to focus on your studies without too many distractions.”

Nina didn’t know what to say. She glanced between Richard and Maverik indecisively. It was clear she didn’t want to agree with Maverik, solely on principle. However, I also knew she didn’t want to be stuck pretending to have a fake mother/daughter relationship with me all summer. If I were sent away to school, she’d be free of her unwanted child.

“I’ll call over to Bedford tomorrow,” Richard told me. “I’m sure they can find room for you in the dorms. And you can always come home on weekends to spend time with your mother.”

I nodded, but it felt a lot like I was being abandoned all over again. Yes, I knew from the beginning that this was a fake family, but at some point, I’d started to feel something more than just disdain for Richard and my ‘brothers.’ It was my fault for letting them past my defenses, but that didn’t stop me from being resentful. They made me feel things, then dropped me as soon as it was convenient for them.

I vowed to harden my heart. I couldn’t afford to be pulled in like that