Vicious Minds (Children of Vice #4)(6)

He smiled at her and nodded. “Come on.”

My mom looked at me and extended her hand. Taking it, I walked with them across the grass and my heart beat faster and faster until we were finally there.

“Mr. and Mrs. Affini,” Ethan’s mother smiled at us, as Ethan’s father shook my dad’s hand before shaking hers and then my mom. “Thank you so much for coming.”

“Thank you so much for the invitation. Our girls are really enjoying the sugar high they are getting,” my mom replied, nodding to my sisters, who were eating with the other girls.

“Not all of them it seems,” his dad looked to me with a smile on his face. “Hello little lady.”

I stepped behind my mom, and he laughed at me.

“Sorry, she’s a little shy,” my dad said, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I looked over to Ethan and when I did, the the look in his eyes was different. He wasn’t just looking around like before. Instead he looked…mad at me? No…he looked at me like I was disgusting.

What did I do?

“This is our eldest son, Ethan,” his mom introduced him and he focused on my smile. Smiling politely, he extended his hand.

“Hello, thank you for coming.”

“Well, aren’t you a handsome young man,” my mom complimented, taking his hand.

“Yes, he gets it from me,” his dad chuckled and his mom rolled her eyes.

“Excuse him, he’d take credit for anything,” she replied.

His dad only winked at them. I watched them all talk without me. And I saw it. They, his parents, looked like my parents…happy. I didn’t understand. My parents told me to never be jealous of people because they had stuff we didn’t because they weren’t really happy. But they were. They had everything and were happy.

“Please enjoy the party, excuse us.” His parents walked arm in arm to their other son, who was standing victorious on top of the rock-climbing wall. He even did a weird dance, making Ethan shake his head and smile.

“Your smile is nice.” I didn’t mean to say that out loud and I didn’t even say it loudly, but he heard me, and his eyes were on me again.

He walked past us and maybe if I wasn’t so focused on him, I wouldn’t have heard him. But I did. As he brushed past me, he said, “I don’t want a compliment from you, ugly mouse.”

I stared wide-eyed as he left, my fist balled. I really wanted to hit him. Stupid dumbhead!

“Mom, can we go?” She pinched my arm hard. I kept my head down and kept quiet again.

“Can we?” Dad asked on a sigh.

“Just a few more minutes. We can’t leave after just saying hello to them,”

I frowned, looking around. “Can I go to the bathroom?”

Afraid she’d pinch me again, I broke out of her grasp and scooted further away.

“Wait—”

“Come back quickly and don’t go wandering, Calliope,” my dad said giving my mom a look. She didn’t say anything to me, just set a hard glare on me.

She’d be mad later. I turned and kept walking, passing by the rock-climbing wall when I heard of some of the ladies talking amongst themselves.

“Who are the Affinis?”

“Nobodies who started a small fashion house. But I hear it’s doing well.”

“You know the Callahans; they want even the smallest fish to be in their pond.”

“Oh my, look her dress. Are you sure they work in fashion?”

They laughed and I wasn’t sure what to do. They just kept laughing at my mom. My mom wasn’t the best mommy in the world, but she was still my mommy. I looked around, but I couldn’t find anything…except a maid preparing paint for the Dona’s art table.

“Do you need help?” I asked her, already lifting the tray.

“No, it’s all right, I have it.”

I pouted, holding on to the tray. “Please. Everyone knows Dona, and I want to say happy birthday, but I don’t think I can just walk over there…so many people are around.”

I watched as her gaze swept from the table then to me, a small smile on her face. “Okay, but be careful.”

“Thank you!” I waited for her to get the rest of her stuff, but she was going so slow. Finally, she started toward the table and I followed, slowly drifting further and further away from her and closer and closer to the ladies.

One.

Two.

“Don’t even try it.” I heard soft voice over me. I looked up to see Ethan’s mom. Staring at me with piercing brown eyes, she bent down and tried to take the tray from my hands, but I didn’t want to let go. She whispered so only I could hear her, “I don’t know exactly what they said to make you angry. But, I can guess it was about your mother, it’s what women like them do. I applaud you for trying to defend her. But this is my children’s party. I will not let you make a scene on their day because you are upset.”

“They laughed at her,” I whispered back angrily. “They laughed at my mom.”

“So? I don’t care about your mother.”

“They called us nobodies. It’s a big party, and just a little bit of paint. It’s not like anyone would care. A few minutes and everyone will go back to having fun.”

The corner of her lips turned up. “Look at you, the quick thinker. You’re right. It is a big party and it is just a little paint. But you see, it’s not what I want. I want nothing out of the ordinary for my children today. Nothing. And because it is my house, my party, my goddamn paint, what I say goes.”