On Our Own

Chapter 38

My heart shattered. Claire was standing there in a beautiful satin blue dress. She looked like Cinderella. I watched as Ethan walked over now wearing a black suit with a tie matching the color of her dress. He looked over at me and his eyes were pleading with me. I looked away desperately trying to hold back tears. The most selfless guy I knew was sacrificing his well-being for money. I walked in a daze behind Lucy as she pulled on my hand and dragged me upstairs to her room.

When I walked through the door she quickly shut it behind her and locked it. I was shocked by how huge her bedroom was. My apartment could fit in here with enough room leftover for her to live comfortably.

"My parents treat me like a princess," she said plainly in response to my face.

"Yeah, clearly," I said in awe.

Lucy studied my face as if contemplating my words. "Is Ethan staying with you?" she asked, taking a seat on the couch.

I sat down next to her. "For now yes, although if this kind of life matters more to him more than me, then I suppose he might not, maybe he'll go move in with Claire," I said bitterly.

Lucy scoffed. "He hates Claire," she said. "Our parents were always trying to set them up and they even dated until Ethan grew a spine and finally fought back."

"So, what happened?" I asked. "Why is he listening to them now?"

"I don't know," she shrugged.

Now it was my turn to scoff. "Really? You don't know? This coming from the girl who spies on everyone."

She looked surprised. "How could you possibly know that?"

"Know what?" I asked. "That you assess every word that you hear and that you prefer to watch and gauge people's reactions before making your own."

"Is it that obvious?" she asked quietly.

"I'm just as perceptive," I explained.

"You make Ethan happy," she said more as a statement than a question.

"He normally makes me happy too," I replied.

"Don't break up over this then," she pleaded.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because you don't know how important money is," she said.

I stared at her dumbfounded. "You really think money is so important that you should sacrifice your own safety, who you are, who you love?" I asked incredulously.

She sat back on the couch and slumped over.

"No, but it's all we ever knew," she said softly.

"Look I have worked minimum wage jobs my entire life, I don't have much, but my bedroom had more laughter and joy in it than your whole house and that's something money can't buy," I said.

"Well tell Ethan that," she replied.

"I wish I could," I answered.

She immediately stood up.

"You want to know how I know everything?" she asked while pulling my arm and dragging me up.

"How?" I asked as she continued pulling on me.

"This," she said proudly pointing to the vents.

"A vent?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes. "It is not just a vent, my room's vent connects to everyone else's, I just crawl through and I can hear everything. It is how I know Peter got kicked out of his second college, Ethan was planning on leaving, and how my parents hate each other so much but stay together to keep up this perfect family illusion."