Page 50 of Positively Pricked
With a little gasp, Paisley whirled around on the sofa. Glaring daggers at me, she demanded, "What did you just call me?"
It was too late to back down now. So instead, I repeated it. "His side-squeeze."
Paisley jumped up from the couch and looked to the professor. "Did you hear that? Aren't you gonna say something?"
We all looked. For once, I was actually sort of interested in what the guy might say.
Finally, he said, "I refuse to dignify that with a response."
Paisley's mouth fell open. "So you're not gonna stick up for me?"
The guy settled deeper into the couch. "You're a strong, independent woman. You shouldn't needmeto defend your honor."
From the armchair, Charlotte said, "That's because she doesn't have any."
Paisley turned to Charlotte and yelled, "You take that back!"
Charlotte stood. "Make me."
I yelled, "Shut up! All of you!"
Surprisingly, they did.
I pointed to the TV screen, where the flash of a familiar face had just claimed all of my attention. I said, "I wanna see this."
Paisley frowned toward the screen. "But you hate this show."
She was right. I did. And I hated the guy whose face had just appearedonthe show. But I was also dying of curiosity.
They were introducing a new segment. It was about who else, but Zane "the Prick" Bennington. Of course, the gossip reporter didn't call him that. No,shepreferred to use nicer words, like "sudden sensation" and "reclusive mystery man."
I muttered, "How about arrogant ass?"
Paisley, who'd already plopped back down onto the couch, said, "Shut up. I'm trying to watch."
I gave her an annoyed look. That was supposed to bemyline.
Still, I watched in silence as the segment began by explaining that just last month, Zane Bennington had arrived seemingly out of nowhere to claim the massive Bennington fortune and assume control of the family's vast hotel empire.
This all happened, she explained, on the heels of Zane's grandfather, Lloyd Bennington, dying of a sudden stroke.
The story itself might've been pretty standard, except for the fact that Zane had been completely out of the family picture – unlike the other Benningtons, who'd been household names forever.
I watched in grim fascination as the show detailed how Zane's two uncles – both notorious, aging playboys – had died earlier this year in two separate incidents within hours of each other.
One had died in a freak boating accident on the French Riviera, while the other had died when his private helicopter crashed in the Mojave Desert.
The reporter went on to say, "Sources close to the family tell us that Lloyd Bennington was heartbroken at the loss of his two favorite sons. According to these sources, this double tragedy, along with ongoing upheavals in his business empire, almost surely contributed to his death."
The reporter briefly mentioned a third son, the youngest, who happened to be Zane's father. Without elaborating, she quickly moved on to Zane himself.
This only piqued my curiosity. Was Zane's father still alive? And if so, why didn'theinherit?
I leaned forward, dying to hear what she'd say next. But already, the program was going to a commercial.Damn it.This was part of the reason I hated this show. It always left me hanging just as things were getting interesting.
As the commercial droned on, Charlotte said, "Maybe Zane did it."
"Did what?" I asked.
