Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding #2)(11)

"What else could he possibly have to say to you after that?"

Chyna took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest. "He needs me to be at the engagement party this weekend."

"He cannot honestly expect you to show up to that."

"He didn't ask me to. He told me to," she said tilting her chin up.

"You don't have to go," Lexi told her reaching out to her.

"No, I do. You don't know what he's like. If I'm not there, it will be the end of the world. Even though I'm twenty-one, he still has direct access to my trust, and he's the owner of this apartment. He could kick me out on the streets," she murmured helplessly.

Lexi gasped. "He wouldn't dare!"

"Wouldn't he?" she screeched. "Did you see the look on his face when you got here? He was murderous. If I'd disobeyed him, I wouldn't have put it past him to ruin my life."

"But you're his daughter," Lexi cried unable to believe what she was hearing. How could anyone be so cruel?

"The daughter who is a constant reminder of his past life, of the life he was trying to get rid of. The daughter he was so eager to get rid of. He'd have already cut me off if he could."

Chyna couldn't believe she had just admitted everything. Speaking it all out loud for the first time really put everything into perspective. She truly believed that he would have gotten rid of her if he could. The only part of him that wanted to keep her around was the part that wanted to keep himself out of jail. He was a self-motivated ass**le and his self interests would always come first.

"Chyna, I…I don't know what to say," Lexi muttered sympathizing with her friend's pain as best she could.

"Just say you'll come with me."

"Oh," Lexi stammered surprised by this response. "Yeah, I guess I could. Wouldn't that be awkward?"

"My dad is a big dick, but he insisted that I be there and come with, as he put it," Chyna gulped, "a boyfriend."

"He wants you to come with a boyfriend? But you don't have a boyfriend," Lexi said unable to keep from stating the obvious.

"I know," she stated barely above a whisper. Her voice was getting raspier the longer they had this conversation and Lexi could tell she was trying to keep the tears from unleashing on the world again. "You should have heard the way he was talking to me before you got here. He said I better not bring one of the guys I'm normally with. What is he trying to say that I run an escort service? That all the guys I date are man whores? That they can't conduct themselves in proper society?"

Lexi didn't know how to respond to that. Honestly, a good number of the guys Chyna hooked up with were just those kind of men. They were all relatively well-off, but still they were hardly up to her standard. But it hadn't mattered up until now, because she never wanted a boyfriend. She never found enough interest in any one man to want to be around him for multiple occasions. Now her father, the judgmental ass**le, wanted her to just pretend to have a steady boyfriend, because the cheating bastard didn't approve of his daughter's way of life.

It was one of the most hypocritical statements Lexi had ever heard. If anything, the circumstances surrounding her parents' divorce had only further pushed Chyna the direction she was already heading with regards to relationships.

"So what are you going to do?"

"Find a boyfriend I guess," she sighed unhappily. "I have no idea."

"Is that why your dad gave me that creepy once over? Because he wants me to go with you too?" Lexi asked putting the pieces together.

Chyna groaned. "Oh God, I am so sorry for his ridiculous behavior. But yeah that's why and he needs you to bring a boyfriend too," she muttered.

"That's going to be an issue," Lexi said falling backwards on to the plush leather sofa.

"I know," Chyna grumbled sitting down next to her. "I'm so sorry that I dragged you into this." The tears were beginning to well in her eyes, and Lexi could see her breaking point was drawing near. Her bottom lip quavered in an adorable fashion if she didn't look so utterly miserable. "I just can't believe he's doing this."

"Don't cry. It'll be okay," Lexi said comforting her. "We'll figure it out. Let's go out tonight and look for guys. If we don't find anyone, we'll figure it out. Stuff always works out in the end chica."

"The last thing that I wanna do is party," Chyna huffed crossing her arms back over her chest.

"Now that's something I never though I'd hear come out of your mouth," Lexi said giggling despite the dour mood.

Soon enough, Chyna had joined in as well and both girls were laughing out their issues rather than crying. It felt good to release the tension that was so strained from her father's entrance back into Chyna's life. The girls knew that they had a tough night ahead of them. Neither of them could think of anyone they would want to pretend to be their boyfriend's for the afternoon, and the last thing they wanted to do was search for that man.

Regardless, they didn't feel as if they had much choice in the matter. Keeping Chyna's dad happy was of the essence since he still technically owned Chyna. With that in mind the two girls dressed extra careful for the evening out hoping to find a man that would settle for a second date.