better than winning

10 | half a Hawthorne

I go for a swim again. I like this pool, it is long enough to do a satisfying lap. It's made for actual swimming, it reminds me of the ones I have in Italy and Monaco.

The night is comfortably quiet, the only thing to hear is water splashing. To my dismay footsteps add themselves into the sound after not even 20 laps.

"Miss Black, I was hoping on not seeing you out here again.", that god damn annoying voice speaks. Like last time I turn myself to swim on my back and reply with a simple "Likewise."

"You shouldn't be here." he just states. "You shouldn't neither." I carelessly swim around.

"You shouldn't be here at all" he corrects himself. "Too bad then. It wasn't my choice to inherit." I remind him and lift myself half way out of the pool, sitting on the edge, and dangling my feet.

"My mother hasn't left her room for days." his eyes roam over my body, while I lazily stretch.

"Xander almost blew himself up today.
Jameson is one bad idea away from ruining his
life, and none of us can leave the mansion
without being hounded by the press. Just the
damage to the property they caused..." he continues.

was he being serious?

"Ok. Threatening his life is basically Xanders favourite thing to do. Can you ask Jameson if I can join? And welcome to my everyday life!" I talk in a calm voice that seems to set him off.

"Do you think I don't know how it is to live like that? The press is everywhere I go, creeps and haters follow me around and you wanna talk about damage? They destroyed my favourite car, killed off my childhood snake and sprayed all over mine and my friend's house, all before I turned 16 only because I am doing something I'm passionate about."

The car was the last reminder I had.

"You think I want these kind of things?" I end my casual part of this conversation.

"No, you just want the money don't you?"

this mother fucker-

"Yes, I totally want the money. It's not like I had millions before this happened, is it?" I laugh sarcastically. "You know you're doing a terrible, terrible job at stalking me if you still think this?"

His expression remains blank,"You think I do? Maybe I just need to find more about your friends and family-"

"Mate, you seriously need to go see a doctor for that terrible memory of yours. It has not even been a week and you already forgot what will happen if you'd like to get familiar with my family history. And since you're already at the doctor, please get that annoying voice checked out. No wonder that girl died, I wouldn't have survived your insufferable voice too."

He clenches his jaw hard, "Don't talk about Emily."

This Emily must have meant much to him.

She still does.

"Then you don't talk about my family."

-

Celine ⚖️👩🏼‍💼☕️