go hunting for them, but now I don't exactly feel so safe to do it on my own. Perhaps I can convince Milo to come exploring with me.
Milo was great today. He stood by my side at every chance he got. He introduced me to a few of his friends who most likely won’t try to rape me in a supply closet and I was grateful. Though to be honest, they were kind of nerdy and panicked at the thought of speaking to someone who came fully equipped with tits and a vagina.
I think Milo and I could be good friends. He seems like the girlfriend I’ve never had while also giving me all the benefits of having a guy friend. Have I mentioned how much I despise having girlfriends? They’re so … needy. Ugh. I hope I wasn’t like that to my boys.
Having Milo and his friends to talk to made the day a little more bearable and helped me to tune out the whispers, comments, and rumors. By the end of the day, I think the rumors were that I was Colton’s fuck-buddy sister and there was some disgusting incestual thing going on. Yet among those rich people, the rumor didn’t seem as scandalous as I had imagined it’d be. Back home, if someone suggested that, people would be hurling in gutters, gasping, wide-eyed and horrified. Here, they’re more like ‘Yeah, okay. It happens’ and it makes me wonder if it’s a common rich person thing who all have similar skeletons in their closets, or if it has more to do with wanting to idolize Colton Carrington so bad that any indiscretion can be excused.
What I do know is that I got to witness the second the illegitimate half-sister bullshit rumor caught up to Colton, and it was amazing. His response from across the room was enough to confirm what I already knew—we’re definitely not related. What it also did was prove just how much my being here is affecting him. I’ve taken over his home and now his school. Nothing is safe.
My phone rings from somewhere and I grab the first shirt I see and a pair of sweatpants before rushing around my room trying to find it.
I end up back in the bathroom, scrambling through the dirty washing hamper for my school skirt and manage to pull my phone out just moments before the call rings out. I see Nic’s name across the screen and my day starts getting better again.
I press accept and hold the phone to my ear as I try to dress with one hand. “Hey,” I say with a heavy sigh.
“Hey to you too. Where the hell have you been? I was expecting your call ages ago.”
“Sorry. It’s been a shitty day. I’m only just now getting a second to myself. What’s going on? Been busy?”
Nic goes silent and I can imagine his face scrunching up. He does this every time he’s been working for his dad. This is his desperate attempt to try and shield me from the horrors of his day. I can only imagine, but right now I’m wondering if those horrors seem half as bad as mine. “Yeah, been busy,” he finally says in a short, factual tone, not wanting to elaborate. “How’s your fancy new school? Did they have you filling out college applications and putting you through etiquette classes.”
“Screw you,” I laugh, falling back onto my bed and looking up at the ceiling. “If anyone needs etiquette classes, it’s you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone with worse table manners.”
“What happened?” Nic questions, his voice taking on a no-bullshit tone. “Why are you avoiding my question?”
“I’m not avoiding it.”
“Ocean. Quit bullshitting. What happened at that school?”
I let out a heavy groan and smoosh my face into the too soft pillow. “It’s a boys school. He enrolled me in an all-boys school.”
“The fuck?” Nic roars.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought. It’s fucking humiliating. The guys all leer at me as though they’ve never seen a set of tits in their life, but I guess for some of them they haven’t. Not to mention Colton and his friends are absolute dickwads. I just had one of his friends try something in my room. Luckily Colton walked by and put an end to it.”
“What’s the fucker’s name?”
“Chill, Nic. You’re not coming to Bellevue Springs to fucking kill the guy. Your father would fuck you up if he knew you were getting involved in this rich kid bullshit.”
“Fucking watch me,