Page 54 of Unspoken Truths

Friday

RACHELLE

Crossing my legs as I sit at the breakfast table, I drink my orange juice trying to figure out how to bring up spending the night at Liliana’s house.

“What’s going on?” Mom asks calmly, glancing at me. “May as well just ask or tell us what’s on your mind. You aren’t very good at pretending right now.”

Emil smirks as he takes a sip of coffee from a cup that appears as if he may break it. It’s so tiny. We’ve been eating breakfast together for the past two weeks, and while it’s been nice, I think it pisses Ignacio off. Every morning he glances into the breakfast nook before leaving earlier than me for school, glaring as he walks out.

A part of me wants to invite him to join us, but that feels wrong because this has been his house long before I moved in. Sighing, I watch as he stomps out yet again while I sit in the sunlit window I don’t often get to see in Portland.

“Liliana asked me to come over and spend the night,” I tell my mom and Emil, who isn’t trying to hide his amusement.

“Okay, and why are you acting so odd about it?” Mom asks.

“Remember they’re dating,querida,” he murmurs to her.

“I know that but…oh,” she says, blinking hard. “Well, I didn’t think about that. I know you’ve had the door open while she’s over, which Emil and I appreciate.”

“My rule with Ignacio has always been to please not get anyone pregnant,” Emil says, chuckling. “I’d rather he experiment sexually with Elijah, Theo, and Jared because that’s not an issue. It’s a very odd feeling to be glad he’s not with a girl. Welcome to the parents of bisexual children club, Julia. Wait, are you bisexual, or just into girls, Rachelle?”

My cheeks burn as I gape at the two of them. This is such a weird conversation to be having over breakfast.

“Um,” I mumble. Can I admit that I think the Kings are hot, and sometimes I think my stepbrother is a walking wet dream?Nope.“Can I not know yet?”

“Of course, honey,” Mom says with a nod. “You don’t need a label to know who you like. Make sure you take an overnight bag with you, please. You have to cover a swim meet tomorrow afternoon for the newspaper, right?”

“I do,” I tell her. “Liliana is covering the lacrosse game, so she’s driving us to both. They finish an hour apart, but I have to get a few sound bites for the article Dale is writing.”

“Is this Dale also attending the swim meet?” Emil asks, his face telling me what he’s already assuming.

Unfortunately, he’s correct.

“No,” I sigh. “Supposedly, he can’t do it because he’s out of town with his parents. Liliana has a photographer for the lacrosse game, so she’s taking notes to write the story afterward. As the editor, Liliana fills in wherever needed.”

“The girl doesn’t take bullshit well,” Emil mutters. “It’s a good trait for someone who wants to work for a newspaper when she grows up. Her father is very proud.”

“She mentioned that a lot of the students at Carlysle Prep have prior commitments to take over their parents’ businesses after graduation or college,” I mention. “Is that true?”

“For some,” he grunts. “Jared Denton’s parents expect him to go into pharmaceuticals, whether as a chemist to better understand the company, in business, or law. Any one of those college degrees would prepare him to eventually take over the company. I’m sure the same is true for some of Nacio’s other friends. Their wealth comes with certain expectations.”

That’s what Liliana told me at the park.Just as I suspected, there’s no such thing as a free ride, and I don’t really have it in me to feel sad for these guys when they’re insistent on harassing me.

They still have each other, and they want to fuck with my very new relationship with Liliana. They can get fucked.

The doorbell rings, signaling that she’s here to pick me up, and I push back from the table.

“I have to go,” I murmur. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Will you let Liliana know that I need to run upstairs for my things?”

“I’m here,” she says, waving from the door. “Someone let me in.”

Emil has staff, but some of them are also people he works with, I think. I noticed that they walk around the perimeter at night, but somehow Mom’s never mentioned it. Does she know what Emil does for a living?

“Victor and I have a few meetings to go to, but he knows we won’t leave until after breakfast is over,” my stepfather says, standing as I do. “Have a good day, everyone. Lili, take good care of Rachelle while she’s at your house.”

“Yes, sir,” she says, practically bouncing on her feet in excitement.

Pressing my lips together to hide my smile, I run upstairs to get my things, returning to find Liliana chatting with my mom.

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