him, but not in that crazy, eye-rolling way that Nic is.
I miss them already and it was only a two-hour drive in an Uber. They were there to wave me off, hangovers and all. They’re my crew. They’re the only reason I was able to make it through the past few years. Being a teen in Breakers Flats isn’t easy. You either win or you lose, there’s no in-between. At least for me, I had my boys and they’ve always had my back.
Now, I have nothing.
I guess that’s not entirely true. I can always call them and I know they’ll drop everything and come running. They’re going to make four beautiful women really lucky one day.
Fuck. That thought sends a sharp pain sailing through my chest. The day that Nic finds the girl of his dreams is going to crush me. I won’t handle it well and if she even thinks about hurting him, I'm going to fuck that bitch up.
I put it to the back of my head as Mom and I make our way down the long-ass drive. I can't step into this place crying about my old life. I'd be the laughing stock.
I can’t stop gaping up at the mansion. Every step we take makes the place seem so much bigger. I can’t believe people really live in homes like this. Back where I’m from, the amount of money spent on a home like this could house hundreds of people, even thousands.
“Do you think these people have staff to wipe their asses?” I question under my breath, wishing we still had our car. Carrying all our luggage and precious possessions down this ridiculous drive is really starting to weigh me down. I keep myself in good shape, but seriously … there are some things a girl just isn’t capable of doing. I guess I should be thankful that the driveway isn’t an extra mile or two longer.
Mom grins before trying to smother it. She’s doing her best to keep her spirit high. “They do but they call them bidets and they squirt water up into your … you know,” she says, popping her hip to indicate her ass.
I gawk at her, my eyes bugging out of my head as I suck in a deep gasp. I stop walking just so I can stare at her. “Up into your asshole?”
Mom sputters out a laugh and tugs on my arm, pulling me along. “Shhhh,” she scolds, glancing around to make sure there’s no one out here listening in on our absurd conversation. “You can’t be saying stuff like that around here. These people aren’t going to understand your humor.”
I shake my head, still reeling with the thought of this bidet thing. “That wasn’t humor. That was disgust.”
“I know,” she groans as we pass the massive abstract water fountain in the center of the circle drive, a water fountain that could possibly be bigger than the home mom and I were just kicked out of.
We reach the grand stairs that lead up to the front entryway and all conversation about how rich people wipe their asses comes to a stop. We both stare ahead. I can’t believe we’re about to walk into this place. People like mom and I could only dream about visiting a place like this, let alone living in one.
“It’s now or never,” I tell her when we’ve hovered around the bottom step for long enough.
Mom lets out a heavy sigh and nods her head. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
With that, we start making our way up the three flights of stairs and I find myself counting.
One, two, three … sixty-six.
Sixty-six fucking stairs just to reach the front door. Who the hell needs this shit in their life? Mom is practically in a hot sweat. I’m surprised there isn’t an escalator to get up here. My old school didn’t even have thirty stairs over the whole campus. It’s like a work out just getting this far. My ass is going to be hella toned if I have to walk this shit every day. I can only imagine what the inside of this place is like.
Every disastrous thought about the stupid stairs disappears as Mom reaches forward and presses the golden button for the doorbell.
This is it. My world is about to collide with another and I'm not sure that I’m ready.
I expect to have to wait at least a few minutes for the door to be answered but within a matter of seconds, there’s someone there, pulling the