The White Rabbit

17.) The Penthouse

"You didn't tell me that your parents lived in New York City..." I say stunned that they live so close by.
"They're hardly family to me anymore so I never really brought it up." He chuckles as we walk towards their complex after getting off the subway.
"Where do they live exactly?" I look around confused.
"The Hudson Yard."He answers swiftly and stiffly.
The Hudson Yard is the wealthiest place to live in New York City. On my free time while doom scrolling sometimes I look at apartments. Those suckers price all the way up to 35 million dollars.
"Oh boy..." I gulp realizing just how snooty they were going to be.
Dean gave me the run down of how snooty they were when he was a teenager and all the fancy events he was forced to attend and how pretentious they were but he went low contact with them since college and now only returns for Thanksgiving and occasionally Christmas when he feels like it. So this family dinner thing is unusual for him. Even he's unsure of how deep into the elitism they have fallen.
"Ya, they think they're hot shit and that their shit don't stank." He explains and we grow nearer to their apartment complex.
"I feel like I'm going to be sick..." I say with nerves getting the best of me.
"You'll do great. Just follow my lead and don't treat them like the royalty they think they are. They're just a bunch of schmucks who got lucky in business. That's it." Dean winks as the doorman ahead holds the door open for us.
"Dean Gulligan, fabulous to see you again."the doorman says opening the door for us both.
"Gerald, it's great to see you too man! How are the wife and kids?" Dean grins giving the doorman a hug.
"They're great. Thank you for asking!" Gerald lights up.
Dean guides me inside where the floors are marble and theirs a huge chandelier with at least ten thousand crystals dangling from it. I couldn't help but let my jaw drop as Dean pushes the elevator door button.
"Pick up your jaw sweetheart or the elites head's will inflate." Dean whispers into my ear and the elevator doors open so we enter.
"I'm sorry, this place is just...celestial looking... I don't even want to know the cost..." I choke at the thought.
"Trust me...you don't." Dean rolls his eyes and pushes the penthouse button.
"Penthouse?" I say inquisitively.
"Oh ya...Helena and Dave could never been seen in anything less." Dean says sarcastically and the elevator doors close.
With each floor we pass my stomach churns just a little bit more. He told me they were rich but this feels like filthy disgusting terrible person rich to a degree I cannot even fathom in this lifetime. The type of rich that makes Taylor Swift look like poor folk. What do they even do for a living? It finally reaches the penthouse level and dings as the doors open.
As the doors part, we're greeted by a small petite woman with dark black hair that has volume like a Texas woman, green eyes, and dressed like old money. She has the best fake smile slapped on that money could buy...veneers.
"Deansy... it's so good to see you." She says pulling a very reluctant Dean into a one sided hug.
We both exit the elevator doors as they shut behind us. I stand there awkwardly while Dean's mother flails his lifeless body in their awkward embrace.
"Mother." Dean says coldly adjusting his flannel.
"And this must be..." She says pulling away and looking at me slowly waiting for Dean to fill in the gaps.
"This is my girlfriend, Audrey." Dean says grabbing my hand seeing how nervous I am.
"Audrey. Nice to meet you."She says without much emotion. No hand shake or hug or anything.
"Nice to meet you to ma'am." I say matching her tone trying so hard not to collapse from the pressure.
Dean specifically told me not to feed her ego or try to get her to like me because she probably won't so why bother. His words not mine.
"Well, Deansy, your father is out on the balcony prepping dinner." She waves towards the large sliding doors.
"Oh wow...no help tonight? You always have some lower class citizen doing the dirty work for you." Dean scoffs sarcastically.

I give him a soft elbow and he looks at me with a mischievous smile like he enjoys doing this. His mother's eyes grow big and she begins to stutter awkwardly.

"We don't have help Dean..." Helena states with a painful chuckle.

"I grew up with you...I don't recall ever having a meal cooked by you. I know you gave Katrina the night off so you could seem normal to Audrey." Deans says calling his mother out.