What Lurks Beneath the Surface ✔️

chapter sixteen

"You were with whom?" Gram's eyes widen at the mention of her eldest son's name. "I'm sorry... what?"

"That creep is back in town?" Uncle Bowie races up the stairs two at a time. The look of sheer fury on his face is startling, and I find myself clenching my fists, prepared to strike if needed. "Vange, you gotta be honest with me. Did he do something to you? Did he touch you?"

"What? No!" I exclaim, resisting the urge to hit him. "He's my father. He wouldn't do that."

"You don't know what he's capable of," I hear Aunt Gemma mumble.

"At least he's willing to talk to me!" I shout, angry tears rolling down my cheeks. "Unlike all of you, he doesn't treat me like a little girl who can't handle the truth!"

"Okay, I think we all need to settle down," Grandpa says, stepping between my uncle and me. "It's late. Maybe we ought to discuss this in the morning."

"Yeah, you should sleep, Vange," Kira pipes in. "If it's okay with your grandparents, I'll bring you back to my house."

"What did he say to you?" Bowie goes on, ignoring everyone. "He made himself look like the victim, right? That's what he always does. Golden Boy Benson can do no wrong, even though he's a fucking—"

"Enough!" Gram yells.

Immediately, everyone falls silent.

"I will not stand here and listen to you two scream at each other." Gram's dark eyes go back and forth between me and Bowie. Finally, they settle on me. "Vange, baby, I understand your curiosity. There's nothing wrong with wanting to know more about where you come from. You cannot, however, meet up with a man you barely know at a hotel in the middle of the night. Ever. Do you have any idea how worried I was? I didn't know if I was ever going to see you again!"

"I'm sorry, Gram," I whisper, and I mean it. I never meant to cause the people I love so much anxiety.

"I would ground you, but I feel like keeping you from your friends would only make things worse right now." She turns to my best friend, who is now standing on the other side of Rem. "Kira, please take her to your house, but do bring her back first thing in the morning after you've both gotten a good night's sleep."

"Yes, Calista," Kira replies, nodding her nod.

Without another word, Gram goes into her room and shuts the door behind her.

"I'm glad you're alright, Vange," Bowie voices. He seems calmer now, much less ragey. "And I'm sorry for... well, I'm just sorry."

"Me, too," I respond, wrapping my arms around myself. Normally, my apology would have come with a hug, but not tonight.

Kira leads me down the stairs and out the door. I see Kourtney but no green Mustang, so I'm assuming Kira picked Rem up.

My assumption is proven correct as Rem climbs into the backseat of the convertible. We drive in silence to the Dixon's house, where his car is parked.

"Rem, do you wanna stay?" Kira offers.

"It's late. I should probably go home," he replies, although the way he circles his arms around my waist and buries his head in my hair tells me otherwise.

"I'll see you soon," I promise him.

He pulls away, offering a small smile in response. I can sense that he has more to say, but he keeps his thoughts to himself. With one last kiss, he gets in his car and drives off.

Kira and I head straight to her room. Barely able to keep my eyes open, I collapse on the bed. I am not just mentally or physically exhausted; my soul is tired. It's like I've been hanging on by a thread for so long, and that thread finally snapped.