Page 58 of Plaything

“Charles,” Sam gasped. “You never cease to amaze me and everyone else who knows you with your generosity and kindness,” he raved.

“Would you mind if I got a quick shot of you and Odette for the paper?” The boy holding the camera asked. “Something this big could make the local news,” he said eagerly.

I began shaking my head, “I don’t need to be in the—”

“Absolutely!” Charles agreed. He turned to me, “Stand up straight, Odette,” he said quickly in a tone he wouldn’t dare use on anyone else.

I took a breath to try and calm my nerves, unfolding my arms and straightening my posture. The boy took a few quick photos, and I could only stare at the camera, still in disbelief that this was happening.

He looked down at the camera. “Uh, one more, Odette. Your smile looks weird,” he chuckled.

Charles chuckled, “Can you blame her? She’s probably exhausted after that game,” he said, giving my shoulder another squeeze.

I gave the camera a quick closed-mouth smile as the boy snapped the photo.

Charles let go of my shoulder, and I felt like I could breathe again. I faded into the background quickly as people swarmed around him, as they spoke about a check for an insane amount of money.

Taking the opportunity, I beelined for the exit. I didn’t care about anything but getting as far away from him as possible. The wonderful thing about college was that he had always been hours away. Today was a fantastic day, and I wasn’t expecting to see my father.

“Odette!” Aiden called after me as I speed-walked through the parking lot. Everyone else was still inside.

Annoyance washed over me as I turned to him, seeing my other professors walking alongside him. “You had no right to introduce yourself to him,” I scolded.

I prepared for him to argue some ridiculous point, like how I’d met Wyatt’s dad or that he was simply introducing himself to the man who donated an insane amount to the university he worked for. Instead, something else entirely came out. “I know, I’m sorry,” he apologized, genuine guilt in his tone. When people engage in conversation, they tend to use their hands. I was just trying to get him away from you,” he explained.

I took a breath, still walking to my car. “I appreciate the gesture, Aiden, but please stay away from anything that has to do with Charles Whitlock,” I said firmly. He was an evil man, and bad things happen to those who insult or even irk him. People have been fired, evicted, and literally left on the streets with nothing because of my father and his generosity and kindness.

“Odette, you’re not driving like this-” Wyatt started.

“I’m fine,” I dismissed. Or I will be once I was home and far away from here.

I reached out to open my car door, but Wyatt beat me to it, opening the door and sitting down in the driver’s seat. “Then you’ll be fine in the passenger’s seat,” he said softly, with a strong edge to his voice.

I stood still for a moment, realizing my body was shaking with nerves, and my heart was thumping at an alarming rate in my chest. I didn’t want to risk being seen with them in the school parking lot, so I quickly walked around the car and sat down.

“We’ll see you at home,” Wyatt said to the guys as we drove off.

The car was silent for several minutes. I had nothing to say; my mind was too clouded to think about anything.

Wyatt grabbed my hand, which rested on my thigh and squeezed it. “I don’t understand something,” he began. “I’ve never seen anyone behave like you did unless they were in active danger. All he did was put his hand on your shoulder. He seemed like a decent guy. What am I missing?” He asked softly, choosing his words carefully.

I closed my eyes, not feeling I needed to explain my childhood. I looked up at him, “Because this is what he does. You see what he wants you to see. Loving, caring father? He’s got that act perfected,” I tried to explain, but the number of things I would have to tell him to express how horrible Charles was wasn’t something I wanted to get into. It was my business. “I don’t want to talk about him,” I dismissed.

“Okay,” Wyatt said gently, still holding my hand as he drove. “You weren’t kidding when you said you’re really good at volleyball,” he quickly changed the subject, sending me a smile.

I cracked a small smile. “There was a second where I thought your team was going to win. When they called the replay, I thought we were done. Niko got this crazy look in his eyes.” I happily took the opportunity to think about anything else.

The rest of the ride was spent joking about Niko’s competitive edge.

My other three professors walked in the house after us, and I didn’t miss the look Wyatt gave them, telling them, ‘Don’t bring it up.’

I followed Wyatt into the kitchen, where he took out vegetables, chicken, and spices to make dinner. “Collin invited us over, so Reesia’s going to drive you to their house after you’re done shopping, and we’ll take you home with us,” he illustrated.

“I apologize in advance for Reesia’s weirdness and whatever Jamie says to you,” Aiden added, wrapping his arms around my shoulders as he stood behind me.

“Jamie’s going shopping with us?” I asked, now a little nervous. She didn’t like me very much when we met.

“No, but she and Vincent will be at Collin and Reesia’s house when you arrive tomorrow,” he explained.

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