Page 100 of The Spotlight Effect

“Is this because you have some new cheerleader girlfriend?” she pouts.

“You’re happy to see me?” She’s kidding, right?

“And why would I be happy to see you?” I ask her.

“Never mind. This is from your father.” She hands me an envelope.

“You should know he plans on bringing me into court,” she informs me.

“Why would you be telling me this?” I ask.

“I’m not that bad of a person.” Jazzlyn flips her blonde hair.

“You’re joking,” Shawn scoffs.

“You’re still a dick, I see,” Jazzlyn says.

“You’re still a bitch,” Shawn replies.

“Does she still not talk?” Jazzlyn refers to Zara.

“Don’t talk about her like that,” I say.

“Go away,” Shawn says, and I close the door.

Zara has stood frozen in front of the door the whole time, probably due to shock. Jazzlyn is the reason why she is more skeptical of friends. Jazzlyn used her to become my girlfriend and then stopped being her friend after she left me and then just became really mean to her.

It sucks she showed up here, but I know whatever is in this envelope is going to suck more.

TWO WEEKS LATER

THE FAMILY DRAMA

GRAYSON

All I ever wanted was a good dad, a nice family, and someplace to call home. But all of that was ruined and now I’m left with the scrambles of what my life was before.

The last two weeks have been slow and agonizing. The only good thing that happened was my mom got released from the hospital, but unfortunately, Beatrix had to go stay with Dad as this is his custody time. Mom wasn’t happy about it, but for now, it’s what we have to go by, and we don’t want to make anything complicated, considering we start court in two days. I know exactly what I’m going to say when they call me up. I've prepared it all.

Most of all, I’ve thought about Alexia every day for the last two weeks. She’s consumed my brain so much I turned my phone off so I can’t scroll on her social media for hours, which I have found myself doing. I’ve written two songs about her already and I feel like I could start a third. I just can’t get rid ofthese feelings for her. I need her around, I want to fix this but she’s all the way across the country now and flying there seems a bit crazy. I don’t want to overstep.

I get out of my car and prepare myself to approach my dad as I have to pick her up from his house because Mom would rather not see him.

Me

I’m here

I textBea as I enter the house so she can come on downstairs and we won’t have to stay long. I fully intended on coming here and getting her and leaving until I heard the yelling.

“You son of a bitch! I thought you loved me!”

“Oh, get over yourself.”

“You married me! You left her and now you do this!”

I follow the sounds, walking into the living room we never really used to find a woman only covered with a blanket and my father in his suit pants, suit off and my stepmother yelling. He’s having another affair. Now, I don’t like my stepmother; he cheated on my mom with her, but this is just awful. It hasn’t even been a complete year and this is happening again. “You’re overreacting,” Dad says.

“I should go.” The woman goes to find her clothes.

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