Page 7 of Like You Know

I snorted and finished changing. Whatever happened to girl code? I would never ever let a man come between me and my girls. No dick on the planet was worth risking that.

Speaking of girls, I smiled with my whole face—and maybe even a little bit with that thing in my chest that occasionally pumped emotion through my body—when I spotted Mena and Donna making their way to lunch. I sped up to catch them and wrapped my arms around their necks.

I was feeling extra grateful for my friends. We’d been through a mountain of shit together.

They greeted me warmly, and we walked into the cafeteria with our arms around each other. Nicola and Donnie were making out at our table. Drew and Hendrix were in fits of laughter over what almost certainly was a dirty joke.

Jet was not there. Before I could stop myself, I scanned the room.

Even with every single person in the cafeteria wearing the exact same uniform, I spotted Jet easily. There was just something about his confident energy. He was sitting backward on a chair with the lacrosse team, having a quiet conversation with Oliver.

Once again, I wondered what his deal was.

He’d sat with us a few times during lunch, but he’d also sat with pretty much everyone else in the senior class. I’d even seen him sipping on a smoothie with the cheerleading team after practice the other day.

It was as if he purposely didn’t fit anywhere yet slotted in seamlessly everywhere. I grudgingly admired him for it. High school had been nearly four years of figuring out who we were and where we belonged. To actively go against that was either deranged or genius. Especially in a place like Fulton Academy where everyone wassomeoneor the child ofsomeone.

I did my best to put him out of my mind for the rest of the day, focusing on my friends and my classes. Donna dropped Mena off at the bus station, so I pulled out of the parking lot on my own, my gaze snagging on the infuriatingly confusing new guy as he swung his leg over his bike.

He had a good ass. I had to hand it to him.

I thought about taking my homework to the library or the lookout and doing it in the car, but I decided to go straight home. I needed space to lay out all my books and notes to finish off an assignment.

When I walked into the house and heard voices coming from the living area, I sighed but wasn’t surprised.

Mom had been home for the longest stretch in over a year. But so had Cal. Every single night, for a week straight, I’d come home to the two of them in the living area talking, or in the kitchen cooking, or in the media room watching an old movie. It was so fucking domesticated it made me feel sick. It was fake fake fake! Vivian Ellis didn’t have a domestic, parental bone in her body, and Cal wouldn’t be the first or the last asshole to try to play the husband role to get to her money.

She can pretend with him but can’t even try to pretend with her own daughter?I thought bitterly as I followed the sound of chatter and laughter, my teeth clenching harder with each step.

The two of them sat on the veranda off the living room, the bifold doors open all the way, the sky sickeningly blue beyond. Lounging on designer outdoor furniture, cocktails in hand, they were the picture of laidback #CoupleGoals. More like #LiesAndDenial

I did not want to talk to either of them. I could hardly even stand to look at them. But I was never the sneaking type, and I refused to pretend I didn’t exist in my own home, so I didn’t give a shit about the sound my keys made as they hit the counter. I didn’t rush to get away from them or stay silent. I took my time pouring myself a glass of icy water and chugging it down.

Staying hydrated was the key to good skin, and I had been slacking on my H2O intake today. Mom came flitting into the room just as I slammed my empty glass down on the counter.

“There’s my beautiful girl.” She beamed at me, pouring herself another cocktail from the pre-loaded shaker. “Where have you been all day? It’s so nice out.”

“At school.” I let the contempt I felt show in my expression.

“Oh right, of course.” She waved me off, ignoring the WTF look I gave her. “We’re going out to dinner tonight. Cal booked us a table at that nice place on the top floor of that tall building downtown. It’s not for a few hours yet though, so come sit. Have a cocktail with us. Tell us about what boy has your attention.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“Can’t. Busy.” I turned on my heel and walked off. I would rather have ripped out my own nails than spend an entire night with that excuse for a mother and her creepy boyfriend. To think I’d spent weeks hoping she’d just come home. It was worse having her here, with him. Dealing with her every damn day just shoved in my face that I had no one to rely on. It was easier to pretend when she wasn’t here.

I guessed we both liked to pretend—apples and trees. I may not have fallen that far from the shit-show tree that birthed me, but I was determined to roll as far away as I could.

“Amaya Ann Ellis-Lahari.” Mom’s angry tone made me pause a few steps up the stairs, and I turned to face her, eyebrows raised. “You come back down here this instant.”

“Or what?” I scoffed. What was she going to do? Bend me over her knee for a spanking? I’d like to see her try.

Cal walked up to join her, a worried expression on his stupid face.

“Don’t take that tone with me. I am your mother, and you will show me the respect I deserve.” She was nearly shaking with frustration. Cal gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and some of the tension actually left her body.

“Are you?” I cocked my head. “You sure don’t act like it. You haven’t even tried to pretend you’re my mother since Dad—” I cut myself off. Nothing could make me cry at the drop of a hat like talking,thinking, about my father. And I refused to cry in front of them. “Ugh. Not worth it.” I started climbing the stairs again.

“Don’t you walk away from me!” Vivian screamed after me.

I flipped her off over my shoulder, not even looking back. If she didn’t want me walking away from her, she shouldn’t have done the same to me over and over.

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