Trophy Daughter

Chapter 17- Are You a Pervert or a Masochist?

Contrary to popular belief, I was born perverted. 

Just. Like. Circe. 

Anyone else feel like Circe is afraid to catch feels? 

I cracked the eggs over Maria and I's rice bowls, dunking the yolks in the middle so it was surrounded by salmon, asparagus, spinach and bean sprouts. We both spun our chopsticks in our bowls, mixing all the ingredients and dropping onto the sofa to watch 'Game of Thrones.' It was a Wednesday night, a good two, three days after my initial movement, and Maria hung around and with me so much we ended up being good friends. 

Plus, she was a Creative Arts student and was literally an artistic prodigy. I had seen huge murals around the campus and on random trees, rubbish bins and sidewalks- which Vicky informed me were from her. Since she was so good, she was basically guaranteed freedom to paint where she wanted. 

Maria curled up next to me, bringing her knees beneath her pointy chin and eating silently. I did have an assignment due tomorrow, but this was more important. 

We were a good forty minutes into the movie when my phone rang, and I checked it to see Caroline. AKA my previously evil mother. 

Probably still an evil bitch. 

I sighed and made a gesture to Maria before walking upstairs to my room, clicking to answer the call. 

"Yes?" 

There was a silence on the other side before she finally decided to grace me with her voice. "I know it was you that asked Carlisle for emancipation. It had your dirty little hands written all over it." 

I rolled my eyes, glancing out of my door to see if anyone was there. It didn't sound like Nikhil was in his room. 

Everyone else was out, so I could just leave my door open. "I honestly don't give a shit Caroline."

She spat, venom in every syllable of her voice. "You ungrateful cow, I've done everything for you! And how do you repay me? By trashing my name, reputation and image?"

I sighed, examining my nails. Still bitten and weird. "Carlisle did everything for me. You trashed my name every chance you got- so fuck off with that hypocritical garbage. I'm grateful to Carlisle and will forever be grateful for him at least trying to be a father. You're just a bitter woman who was jealous because her husband happened to give a miniscule percentage of his attention to a little girl." 

She was silent, and I looked at the lights on the ceiling. A bit dim. "It's pathetic, Caroline. But i've gone now, and you're the one that's making me relevant again. Stop injecting hatred into my life just because you're petty and selfish."

"YOU LITTLE-"

I hung up, effectively brushing that snake out of my life. I didn't understand adults sometimes. Why did they constantly have to bring things up that were their own fault? Why did they try to place blame on other people just because they've talked themselves out of accountability? 

A crack sounded, and Nikhil's door fell in front of me, just slow enough for me to jump out of the way. Nikhil was attached to the door, ear to the wood, and he lay on the door on the floor for a couple of seconds before clearing his throat. 

Real smooth. 

He stood, quite gracefully and with no shame might I add, and folded his arms over his chest. What a great chest. What great arms. Big, defined and just...strong. A definite Alpha Male. 

Nikhil stared at me and I looked back with an equally as intense expression. 

"Are you a pervert?"