Serendipity

Chapter 16

Tyler

What the hell does she mean, I can't overstep?

I open my mouth to ask her to clarify when Blake and Del sit.

"Where's Ari at lately?" Blake asks.

"Oh, that bitch." Del groans.

"Okay, I'm confused." I say, cutting Del off before she can explain Ari. "When did you to become besties again?" I ask, gesturing between Delaney and Carmen.

"Today." Del says.

"What did you mean, I can't overstep?" I ask Sunshine.

She waves me off.

"Nevermind that." She looks at Delaney. "Tell us what happened with Ari."

Delaney looks between Carmen and I for a few seconds, hesitation on her face.

"No, actually, I'm curious, what did you mean when you said that Tyler can't overstep?" Del asks.

Silence.

She looks completely uncomfortable, and she begins to squirm.
"I just mean, you don't piss me off anymore, so, you can do whatever you want and I'm not going to get angry with you."

"So, he could, like, kiss you?"

I want to thank Delaney, but Carmen looks like she wants to slap her.

"I never said that."

"Well you also didn't say he couldn't."

"But I didn't say he could." Carmen says, panicked.

I see her eyes flit to the door, and I know she wants to flee, so I turn to Del.

"Alright, enough of that. What's up with Ari? I haven't seen her in three months."

Carmen looks at me with a thank you in her eyes.

Carmen

The second we're finished talking about Ari and how much of a fake bitch she is, my phone starts ringing.

It's like, the instant they're done bitching, my phone starts up.

It could be the CEO of my makeup company.

I've been keeping up with it, attending meetings and such.

I flip my phone over.

Mom.

I groan loudly and press answer.

"Hello?"

"Uh, Carmen, did you seem to forget that you're supposed to come home for the Forth? I refuse to not have one of my children attend my party!"

"I forgot." I say.

"Well, come home, and whoever you bring and yourself must dress formally tonight. We're having potential investors over for dinner."

She hangs up.

That means she's not leaving room for argument.

I busy my head in my hands.

"Does anybody feel like suffering through a week in the Hamptons?"

"Why not?" Del looks at Blake. "Let's hit up the Hamptons."

<><>

So they all packed and I dropped by and picked all of them up. We loaded up the BMW and stopped in the city fr shopping for dinner dresses and outfits for the guys for tonight.

I chose a black long sleeve dress that goes to my ankles with a lift on the right that goes all the way up to the middle of my thight. I have black platform heels on. They're six inches.

Now that Delaney has money, she started shopping like me.

She's wearing a red long sleeve skin tight dress that goes mid-thigh.

We had our hair and makeup done, and the guys are looking spiffy, Tyler wearing a pair of dress slacks, dress shoes, a white button down, and a black tie, and Blake wearing black dress slacks, black dress shoes, a dark red button down, and a black tie.

I'm driving in six inch heels, and Delaney is laughing at my speed.

I'm going thirty over.

I don't care.

I pull into the driveway, pressing the buzzer.

"Schuler residence."

"Jeremy, lemme in!"

The gate creaks open, and I go flying into the driveway.

I park in my spot in the garage and let myself into the house.

Tyler and Blake have never been here without attending a party.

The three of them follow me.

I wander to the living room, and I find a couple, my parents, and a guy, my age.

I have a gut feeling to run.

I stop in the doorway, hesitating.

"Oh, lovely, you're here." Mom says.

I know exactly what this is.

This isn't a fucking investment, this is Mom attempting to set me up.

She normally only tries at parties, but now she's trying to trick me to dress up for dinners.

On the drive here, Blake and Tyler both admitted that they've been forced into multiple set ups.

"I'm sorry." I shake my head. "Whatever my Mother has set up here, whatever she's told you, it's not happening."

"Carmen!" Mom shrieks.

Mom catches me before I can get to the stairs, and Delaney, Blake, and Tyler are just kinda standing there.

The couple and their son are leaving, and the front door shuts behind them, and I see the rage in her eyes.

"I swear, Carmen! You are never thankful!" Mom snaps.

"Amelia, let's sit down and talk about this." Dad says reasonably.

"No." she says. "You are twenty one year old and you refuse every single guy I try to offer you!"

"I don't want your help!"

"Well I don't want a lesbian!" she yells at me.

"You think I'm a lesbian? What? Because I don't want to fucking have a relationship? Maybe you should stop for three fucking seconds, get your head out of your ass and realize that I don't want a relationship with all the fake people you throw at me!"

"They're not fake people, Carmen, they're respectable adults that are willing to put up with you!"

I see Shaun standing with Delaney, Tyler, and Blake, his jaw is slack.

Everyone's jaws are slack.

"If you don't want what I give you, then what is it? What do you want?" she asks, exasperated.

"I want for you to stop fucking meddling, that's what I want!"

"I'll stop meddling when you're in a fucking relationship! I'll stop meddling when you've kissed somebody! I'll stop meddling when you find a guy you can ee yourself spending the rest of your life with-"

"I already did, dammit!" I yell at her.

I'm breathing hard, my brown eyes dilating rapidly, rage has overcome me and I've lot touch with reality.

"What the hell do you mean?" Mom hisses.

"I mean I already found somebody I could see myself spending the rest of my life with." I snap.

"Who?" she demands. "Who? Tell me right now, Carmen, or I swear-"

"It's Tyler!" I yell. "It's fucking Tyler, dammit!"