Despising you

Chapter 8

J e n n i e

The sound of classical musical entrances my ears as I swirl the red wine in my glass. Today is my birthday. I've just turned eighteen.

I spent the morning with Tae who took me to breakfast after my cheerleading practice and now, I'm with my mother for lunch. She already bought me a boatload of gifts; no doubt she probably picked them out from some random catalogue.

I think she is under the impression that this wine is the first time I've ever consumed alcohol. Or at least she thought it was, until I downed the glass of wine without grimacing.

"I would like the steak tartare and another bottle of the Château Cheval Blanc." My mother orders politely. The waitress starts writing it down, then her eyes shift to mine.

"What would you like miss?" the waitress questions me politely as I try my best not to stare for too long into her dark blue eyes.

I scan the menu lightly before saying, "I would like the lobster please." The waitress nods and reiterates our order before walking away after confirming it.

This restaurant is so stifling, although it's quite a high-end place, which I'm used to.

The sound of the live piano is deafening, but not nearly as loud as the sound of clanging utensils. I wish the music could drown the sound of spoiled teenagers complaining about their allowances.

"How are you, darling?" my mother questions, gazing at me with a soft smile.

I like her when she's like this; calm and collected. It's so rare for her to be attentive to me these days, so I appreciate every second.

"Good." I smile lightly. "My grades in biology are improving." For once, I'm actually not lying to my mother about my grades.

"Is Lisa still tutoring you?" she questions quietly, her fingers firmly gripping her wine glass. Just like that, the mood shifts. What I thought was going to be a normal outing is clearly just an interrogation.

I nod, taking a sip of my wine. "Yes, she is."

Talking about Lisa reminds me of that day in the locker room. It had me rattled completely. I'm not sure what was about to happen before her friends walked in. I've avoided even thinking about it.

Regardless, I've ceased my torture on her since that day. We've honestly just fallen back into our usual routine of bickering. While it's still bothersome, it's not as tumultuous as it was after what happened with my mother.

Even though we are back to our usual routine, she has still continued to tutor me over email for the last few weeks, rather than in person. I just can't have her back in my home; it reminds me that she knows about my father.

"Has she... told anyone?" my mother asks in a hushed whisper, looking around to see if anyone is listening to our conversation. I shake my head, drinking my wine. She's asked me this same question every single week since Lisa ambushed her.

It's clear that my mother is scared, terrified even, that people will find out about my father. Everyone was under the impression that the divorce was amicable.

No one thought my father was good enough for my mother anyway, which was mostly because she comes from humongous amounts of money and he wasn't as wealthy as she is—or as accomplished.

If they find out about him leaving for another man, they would look down on us and our family name would be stained completely.

"Good. Make sure it stays that way."

"I will."

Of course, I will. Not that I have to try hard anyway; Lisa has made it increasingly clear she wouldn't tell anyone. I still don't understand why. If I were in her shoes, I don't think I would extend her the same courtesy. But then again, I'm a massive bitch.