anything else in this world.”
He gave a loud sigh. “I know, KitKat. But I feel like you’re leaving me behind. You have this giant, fancy house, famous parents, and I’m worried that all of that is going to start changing you.”
I laughed. “You know I’ll never change.” There was silence on the other side of the line. “Ry?” I asked softly.
He chuckled, but I could hear the bitterness underneath. “I gotta go back to my mundane life. I’ll talk to you later.”
I was shocked when he just hung up the phone. What was going on with him? Ryan had never been anything but supportive of me. It sucked that I couldn’t just bring him here with me, but I never thought that something as stupid as money would ever come between us. He knew that I would always share everything I owned with him. That was the way it’s always been.
I sat to take off my pointe shoes to get ready for Abby to come over, and that’s when it hit me.
I hadn’t been thinking about how much it sucked to be away from New York; I thought it sucked I couldn’t bring Ryan here with me. When had that changed? Maybe he was right.
I only felt worse when I walked back into the house, and Mr. Ferguson asked me if I wanted anything for lunch. I had gone from scrounging around in a half-empty pantry to having anything I wanted at my fingertips.
I almost decided not to ask Mr. Ferguson if someone could drive me back to Bedford Academy to get Abby, but I sucked it up and asked anyway. I couldn’t hide in my room, alone all day, just because I was embarrassed by my newfound good fortune. I missed the freedom of simply being able to walk out the door and hop on the subway, but I was going to have to adjust.
But who knew how long I would even be living this lifestyle? If Richard got rid of my mother, I would be out of a home as well. I hoped the Logans would take me back in that situation, because there was no way that my dear mother would have the slightest bit of interest in being a parent. She was only tolerating me now because of Richard.
After I took a shower, I looked through my closet for a swimsuit. Mrs. Logan had bought one for me last year when Ryan had to do pool therapy for a month because of an injury. But I had stayed on the sidelines to do our homework while Ryan was in the pool - no need to risk drowning myself when I could stay safe and dry. It wasn’t the most fashionable swimsuit out there, but it would be fine for just me and Abby.
Abby: I bribed one of the guys to drop me off at your house. Be there in 20.
I smiled when I got Abby’s text. I hated to admit it, because I liked to think that I was a strong, independent woman, but being alone in this cavernous house was depressing. I felt like an ungrateful bitch complaining about the fact that my mansion was too big, but I would give anything to be back in my small apartment with Babulya…and Ryan.
But I couldn’t turn back time. I had to keep moving forward and roll with the punches. I could sit here alone and whine about how I’d lost everything, or I could suck it up and make the best of the circumstances I’d found myself in. I decided that today I would try to live like a normal teenager. Instead of slaving away in my studio, I’d hang out with Abby and see what it was like to just let go of all my worries. Abby seemed like a pro at appreciating what she had and living in the moment, so I’d be learning from the best.
Chapter 22
Katya
Abby had me giggling during our entire yoga session. Flexibility was not one of her strong suits, and she made a joke out of the entire thing. We were in downward dog when I felt a shadow over me, and I knew exactly who it was without even looking up. I slowly exhaled before pushing myself up to a standing position and placing a hand on my hip.
“Did you guys need something, or you just here to creep on us?”
Kingston laughed. “You’re the ones sticking your asses up in the air and asking for attention.”
I rolled my