Page 536 of Filthy Elites

He moves to push my arms away, but I’ve already brought them down to my sides. I take a step back, wink, and get out of the school.

ChapterTwo

I’ve toldthis story wrong. It doesn’t start with bloody Chase Archer. It starts with Audrey Willis, a beautiful, naive British girl who got herself knocked up at sixteen. A common enough story, but the thing is, Audrey was raised by her very religious grandparents, and they kicked her out the moment she confessed about her oopsie-do.

Audrey went to the baby’s father, a mildly talented guitarist in an irrelevant boy band that dissolved a couple of years after their first tour. In a shocking surprise twist, the guy actually decided to “do the right thing” and marry Audrey. When he returned to America, he brought his new knocked-up bride along with him. Barry and Audrey Simons soon gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Audrey named Erica.

Except Barry was black and Erica ended up being white as snow, so he asked for a paternity test, and promptly dumped both mother and daughter. Which was fair.

I like that story because it tells you everything you need to know about my mother. She’s flighty, impulsive, forgetful, and immature—even now, at thirty-five. I can’t exactly blame her; I’m older than she was when she gave birth to me, and I sure as fuck can’t imagine raising a kid. Alone. In a foreign country.

She could have gone back to the UK, but what for? Though her marriage was short, she got a green card out of it, so she decided to stay.

My mother is fun, sweet, and loves me more than anything in the world. And I love her back. I just don’t respect her much.

With me in tow, it took her forever to finish her degree, but since she finally earned it five years ago, our lives have been more stable. She got a slightly better job that allowed her to stop stripping, and spend more time at home. We were not rich by any stretch of imagination, but the lights stayed on, and I no longer went to bed hungry. I took a mind-blowingly boring job at a florist when I was sixteen and started saving and helping with the bills.

Around the time she started a cushy assistant position, a new guy entered the picture. I noticed the gifts—flowers first, then pretty shoes and dresses, jewelry, and last year, a freaking Audi. A brand new one, red and shiny. I was glad for her because she seemed more relaxed. Happy.

Then the other shoe dropped. One night, when I snuck back in through the window, I saw her kiss a guy in the foyer, and recognized her new boss, Mr. Archer. She’d worked as his assistant for a year by then.

Xavier Archer of Archer Resorts has an executive assistant at the office, but apparently, he also needed one to coordinate his personal life. When she explained it to me after getting the job, I didn’t blink. What did I know about Thorn Falls blue bloods? Maybe they needed to schedule time to piss or whatever. After seeing that kiss, with his hand squeezing her ass, I understood the parameters of said job.

Hey, I do not judge. Judgement-free zone here. I like a good ass squeeze myself. Unfortunately, Xavier Archer is married to Lisa Archer, Chase’s mom.

I ignore it. It’s none of my business. I didn’t even say anything when he offered us the brownstone. Chase doesn’t see it the same way. He very much believes our parents’ sordid little affair is his business. And instead of making my mother suffer for it, he’s opted to take out his anger on me.

Which is fine. I can deal with shit a lot better than Audrey. Audrey cries when she’s upset. Sheuglycries. Then I feel like stabbing someone, which is never much fun, because I have to stop myself since it’s illegal. Besides, blood is so hard to clean up.

I run all the way to the florist where I sweep for a living. Located on Main Street, Manny’s Bouquets claims to be the first establishment in Thorn Falls, which is its only selling point given the fact that the Flower Pot across the street is cheaper and trendier.

“You’re late,” Ginny claims, hands on her wide hips.

She’s Manny’s granddaughter, and owner of this joint now that Manny’s six feet under. I don’t know why she never changed the name to Ginny’s Bouquets. Probably because then she couldn’t claim to be the first.

I’m not late—I start at four, but she wants me in at three, so she says that every day.

“Let me get changed and I’ll start.”

I’m wearing my ridiculous Riverside uniform, a gray and blue pleated skirt with a matching blazer and a freaking checkered bowtie. We can technically wear the guys’ pants if we want to, but they suck more.

Before school even started, I asked mom to help me cut three inches off of all of my knee-length skirts. Below-the-knee is so not my style. I was relieved to see that chopping off most of the fabric seemed like common practice at the academy.

I’m wearing leggings under my uniform, so I remove all the crap and just put on the long black top dropping to my mid-thighs I’d stuffed in my school bag. I add Manny’s Bouquets’ horrid green apron to the ensemble and start sweeping.

And sweeping. And sweeping.

After a while, I mop.

I’d much rather be sucking cocks, as Chase likes to accuse me of. Except if I sold myself, I’d only want hot johns. I’m pretty sure that’s not an option, so I keep sweeping.

When the store closes at six, I quickly mop for the last time before running back home.

The Archers live high on the hills, close to the waterfalls the town owes its name to, where the biggest, gaudiest houses are tucked away. After four months, you’d think I’d be familiar with the area, but I still feel completely out of place. I walk as though I’m expecting someone to stop me and demand an explanation for why I’m here.

I reach the biggest, gaudiest mansion of them all and punch the entry code in at the gate. Rather than follow the paved path to the Archers’, I skirt the border of the gated property, walking on slate stone to avoid ruining the grass.

I’ve never lived in a nicer house than the two-story brownstone. It’s too big for the two of us, especially since Audrey doesn’t spend many nights here with me. I like it a lot, though. My room has a TV and a freaking minifridge.

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