Empire High Betrayal(56)

I wanted to laugh it off. To tell Miller all the reasons why he was wrong. That he was exaggerating. But actually, that all made a lot of sense. Except for the fact that Miller hadn’t seemed all that scared of my dad in the beginning. “But if he’s so awful…why did you ever kiss me to begin with?”

“I’d never broken his rules before. I didn’t know the consequences. But I never plan on breaking them again.”

So he was stuck here? For how long? Months? Years? Forever? I shook my head. I wanted to tell Miller that I’d talk to my dad. But he’d just told me not to.

“I don’t regret kissing you,” Miller said. “But if your dad ever finds out…I won’t just lose my job. I’ll lose my life, Brooklyn. So you gotta stop looking at me like that.”

I didn’t know how I was looking at him. Like I wanted to hug him? Like I was about to burst into tears? There is no out.





Chapter 22


Friday

“Is everything alright?” Mrs. Caldwell asked.

I looked in the mirror to see Mrs. Caldwell in the reflection as the hairdresser was straightening my hair.

I was worried about James. I had no one to talk to about it. And now Miller’s warning was stuck in my head and wouldn’t go away no matter how much we shopped. I was trying to have fun. But I couldn’t seem to shake the warning. There is no out. I cleared my throat and looked down at my lap. “Mhm.”

Mrs. Caldwell sat down in the chair next to mine. “Was that Matt on the phone?”

“Oh, no. I’m not upset about anything with Matt.”

She gave me a warm smile. “So you are upset?”

Damn it. Mrs. Caldwell knew my dad. Wouldn’t she know the truth? There was a reason why she’d allowed me to stay in her house when she thought it was because I didn’t want to stay with my dad. But I didn’t know her well enough to ask her a question like that.

Instead, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. “I’m sorry that Matt didn’t tell you the real reason why I needed a place to stay.”

Mrs. Caldwell smiled. “It doesn’t matter why you’re staying with us. What matters is that you’re safe in our home. What matters is that my son loves you.” She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “You know…we haven’t really gotten a chance to talk about wedding details. Have you and Matthew discussed a possible date?”

“No, not really.” I laughed. “We’ll have to wait until at least after college at the earliest.”

Mrs. Caldwell looked…disappointed? I didn’t know her that well, but she didn’t exactly look happy with my response.

“I mean, we’re a little young, don’t you think?” I added.

“I think age is just a number. And I’ve never seen my son this happy before. You already feel like part of the family. Why not make it official?”

That was sweet. But a small part of me wondered if she wanted me to make things official with Matt because of my new last name. And the fact that the Caldwells wanted nothing to do with the Pruitts. Because we were…mobsters? I shook away the thought. It was ridiculous. Mobster. The word rolled around in my head. I didn’t know what to think of my dad. But the more I thought of the obsessive security, the way he treated his staff, the secrecy, all the contracts…it all seemed more than what a normal businessman would need.

“I don’t know anything about planning a wedding,” I said. I hadn’t really thought about any of the details. Just that I knew for sure I wanted to be with Matt for the rest of my life.

“That’s what I’m here for. And Justin seems to be keen on being your planner. Talk to Matthew. Let’s get a date in the books.”

I nodded. But I couldn’t even imagine planning a wedding right now. It felt like Miller had just dropped a bomb on my lap. And I had schoolwork. And Isabella was still trying to kill me. And… My thoughts trailed off. What was I even thinking? I loved Matthew Caldwell. His mom was right. What was the point in waiting? Waiting was wasting time. And I wasn’t one to do that.

“I’ll talk to Matt,” I said.

She smiled. “Wonderful. Oh look, they’re all done. You look stunning, sweetheart.” She gestured toward the mirror.

I stared at my reflection. The changes were subtle, but they were there. I looked like I belonged at Empire High. I bit the inside of my lip. But was that really what I wanted?

When I had decided to stay in New York instead of getting on a bus and going home, I’d told myself Isabella couldn’t dictate my life. That I belonged here just as much as she did. Now I looked the part. But I wasn’t sure if it was what I wanted anymore. I didn’t care about revenge. Or getting even with her. All I cared about was Matt. And he liked me because I was different. Now I just looked…the same as everyone else.

“You look amazing,” Kennedy said as she sat down in the chair on the other side of me. She was looking perfectly glamorous with her new highlights.

“Yeah?”

“It’s like you only…even more perfect.”

I laughed. “It’s not too much?”

“What? No? Matt’s going to love the new you.”

I hope so.

***

I carried my bags of clothes up to the guest room I was supposed to be staying in. Then I wandered into Matt’s room. He wasn’t there, so I walked down the hall to Mason’s room. I knocked and let myself in.