Acting Out [Student/Teacher, GxG]

20 Questions

"So that's why you were at that premiere. You're Cathy Harris' daughter." The words were laced with pure distain.

"As if that's a crime." I rolled my eyes, shifting uncomfortably on my feet. This was an honest to God nightmare that I knew I would never be able to wake up from. My father was a bad man — I'd known that my whole life — but a rapist? Physically abusing his own clients? The idea was so vile I'd never even thought to consider it. I hated him. I hated them both.

"As if anyone in your family is innocent."

"You know what they say about people in glass houses."

She narrowed her eyes. "Fuck you, Rowan."

"Tell me how you really feel." I gave her a tight smile, trying desperately to keep my composure. "I don't know if you've forgotten, but one of us was at your sister's wedding, and it wasn't you."

"Don't you dare go there right now. You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Maybe, but neither do you." I was getting angrier by the second. "It's so easy for you to look at me and tell me that my family is evil. Let's just assume you're right about that; don't you think that I would know?" Once again the words were pouring out before I could stop them. "Don't you think I would know better than anyone what they're capable of?"

"What are you saying?" The shock was evident in her tone.

"You don't need to know my sob story to know I'm not on board with covering up an assault. But if you tell anyone that, it'll be out of my hands and neither of you are getting any help from me."

"What do you mean covering up an assault?"

Fuck.

She crossed her arms. "He asked you to cover it up, didn't he." It was a statement rather than a question.

"Steven Harris calling his daughter for any reason?" I gasped in faux-horror. "It's just unrealistic."

"Why am I not surprised. Cathy then. That's so like her." She shook her head as if the mere thought of my mother was giving her a migraine.

"She hates you too, for the record. Almost killed me when she saw that tabloid article."

"She would." Something about her tone made me wonder exactly what my mother had done to her. I'd never seen her look so full of contempt, and the expression seemed almost out of place on someone so beautiful. Jesus, Rowan. Stop that train of thought right there. "So how exactly do you propose you can help in this situation?" Every word was deliberate, articulated like someone who was trying very hard to appear unaffected.

I looked at my feet, a twinge shame settling deep in my stomach. I couldn't really help; all I could hope of accomplishing was some light sabotage through careful lies to my mother. It was better than nothing though, I rationed, and Miss Lane clearly wasn't going to risk provoking whatever threats had been made against her to do much more for Brielle than I was. I couldn't be the hero in this story, but I was done playing the villain's sidekick. "All I can do is cause problems. Not big ones — small ones that look like mistakes. Whatever they've threatened to do to you, trust me when I say that they will do much worse to me if they ever find out about this."

I brushed my messy hair behind my ear and sighed. "Speaking of which, you should probably just tell me what they have on you."

She laughed. "And why exactly would I do that, hmm?"

"Because you can trust me?" I replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't trust you at all!" Her tone was lighter than before, but I knew she was serious. I was only a little bit offended.