“This is embarrassing enough. Please promise me you’ll go.”
I nod. “I’ll be on the deck.”
It takes all of three and a half minutes for her to walk out of his gate and back to the main house.
When she walks up the stairs, her shoulders are slouched.
“Do I need to kill him?” I call down to her.
She shakes her head as she stands on the deck in front of me. “I have to talk to my parents.”
“So …?”
She nods once.
“Could be a hell of a lot worse, Kiki. He’s clearly in love with you.”
“Well, I’ll never love him.”
I hug her again. “We’re heading to Boston at, like, three; you want me to stay?”
“No, but thank you for”—she pauses—“for being you.”
“I will bury him if you ask.”
Chapter 6
"Feminism isn't about making women stronger. Women are already strong, it's about changing the way the world perceives that strength."
~G.D Anderson
Savvy
It isn’t often I use my bank card, but when I do, it feels like I’m breaking some sort of code, rule, or unspoken promise made in my other life. I spent years of not seeing my mom or Liberty use anything but cash because they felt that it was restricting their beloved freedom, another way in which “the man” had control over them. Then again, it was one of the things that was left inside Pandora’s box—aka the suitcase of secrets—so it really wasn’t a broken promise; it was me using a lie.
What did I splurge on? A Wi-Fi card so that, while I am “camping,” I can binge-watch the show those traitorous bitches apparently compared me and my situation to. Spoiler alert: it was nothing like my previous life. The fact that they even get off on laughing behind my back, comparing me to Kimmy Schmidt, pisses me off and makes me want to burn more than that bitch’s bras.
And then, well, then I decided to find out all I could about the boy who seemed to be popping up at every turn, including on my cell phone’s message app.
1:19p.m-Offer still stands … Doll.
It wasn’t difficult to start an IG, Snapchat, or TikTok account. Apparently, any idiot with an email address and a smart phone can do it. I mean, I knew it didn’t take a genius, but seriously, every person with thumbs could tap into millions of others’ lives. Again, I knew this, but it’s still unnerving to me that it only took me an hour to have not only a basic understanding of Patrick Steel’s, aka Tricks, entire life, but everyone else in his inner circle was exposed, too.
The Steel family …
Momma Joe, apparently the matriarch of the family, is stunning and spent a lot of time traveling the world—Italy for the most part. Her four sons, all very close, moved their family to Mantoloking just recently.
Cyrus Steel, the oldest, married to Tara and has two children, Truth and Justice. Not going to lie, I love their names.
Jase Steel, the second, married to Carly, who is very much a supporter and activist for the women’s rights movement, and has three children. Bella, who is married to someone they call Tags. They produce and host a reality show called Convicted Ink and have a daughter, Luna. Katherine, “Katy Girl,” or “Kiki,” name depending on who tagged her, and Max, one of the ones in the Jeep with Patrick on Wednesday night.
Zandor Steel, the third, married to Bekah and has three children, Brisa, Amias, who was the other one from the other night, and Tris.
Those three men, and apparently their wives, work at a family-owned company just about an hour from Mantoloking.
Xavier Steel, the youngest, who was with Patrick today, is married to Taelyn. Patrick is their only child. Xavier and Taelyn own, run—whatever—Forever Four, a music label.
The parents all have social media accounts, as well, but the only thing they post is annual family pictures. However, they do comment on the younger members’ social media. Carly does post a lot of inspirational quotes definitely geared toward women. I imagine, if Mom and Liberty had social media, they would do the same.
What did I learn about Patrick? He’s a typical guys’ guy. A Chad. Plays sports—soccer, baseball, and basketball, with teams—and he likes to surf with his family. He’s been to many formals, all with different girls, and he collects guitars. He also appears to have stopped wearing shirts about a year ago. Apparently, the rest of his male cousins have the same aversion to shirts.