“You know where to find me,” I hear him shout from the other side.
I decide to go to my bathroom and check it out first. Inside, everything is too white, and too perfect. There is white marble floor, with pretty black patterns. There is a huge shower. I look inside and sigh dreamily. I cannot wait to take a shower in there.
There is a huge marble counter, and a beautiful brass sink. There is a large, antique mirror hanging over the sink. I look up and see that there is also a chandelier in my bathroom.
Oh my God.
Some people go to bed hungry every night, wondering where their next meal will come from, and I have a chandelier in my bathroom. I suddenly feel guilty. I shouldn’t. I didn’t buy this stuff. My dad is the billionaire, not me.
I leave the bathroom and head toward my closet. I’m scared. Toby says that Veronica stocked it, and I’m scared to see exactly what she stocked it with.
The first thing I notice when I walk in is that my closet has a chandelier. What is it with this house and chandeliers? This one is black and has beads handing from it.
The closet is fully stocked. There are probably over a hundred pairs of shoes, all color coordinated. Before today I owned five pairs of shoes — one pair of tennis shoes, two pairs of Toms, and two pairs of flip-flops. The shoes stocked here look expensive and uncomfortable. I’ve never worn heels before… They’re pretty, but they’re just not me. I’m going to have to talk to her about it. Maybe she can take them back, or donate them to somebody who needs them.
The space for clothes is ridiculous, and every inch is filled.
“I had your clothes arranged by designer and color,” I hear Veronica say from behind me. “They should all fit, but we will have Marco come over and alter them if you need.”
“Marco?” I ask.
“He’s my personal assistant,” she explains. “He’s also really great with a needle. You will love him.”
Wow. She has a personal assistant.
“Every Sunday morning, we have brunch at the country club. I’m sure that your Walmart jeans are fine where you’re from, but I would appreciate it if you wore something a bit more elegant. Maybe you could wear a nice dress, but no flip-flops,” she says sweetly. “Maybe I could help you?”
Did she really just say that? I look down at my jeans. There is absolutely nothing wrong with them.
“I’ve been dressing myself for seventeen years. I’m quite capable of picking out my own clothing. But thanks for the offer.”
She looks stunned for a second. “I didn’t know if you knew what was appropriate for the country club. Your father said you were… poor.”
She says the word poor like it’s a dirty word.
“Me and my poor friends used to sneak into the country club every summer to swim,” I mock her. “I’m very aware of what rich people wear.”
She looks shocked. “You poor dear. I’ll let you unpack. I’ll be around if you need me.”
I watch as she walks out of my closet and out my bedroom door. I go lock the door so I won’t be surprised again. I fall back onto my oversized comfy bed.
Hello, Kihanna Evers, goodbye Kihanna Foster.
Sunday, August 16
9:34 AM
Family brunch.
It’s Sunday morning, which means it’s time for our weekly family brunch. I’m kind of nervous. It will be the first time I’ve ever been with Dad, Veronica, and Toby all at once. And I’m also hoping Toby keeps his pervy hands to himself.
The fact that it’s called a weekly brunch worries me. Do we ever have family dinner together? Or is this one meal the only time we have together all week? I wish I knew what to expect, because right now I have no expectations.
After my shower, I blow dry my hair. It’s naturally wavy, and I love my curls. I put a little bit of mousse on the ends to keep it from frizzing, and put on my robe. When I come out into my bedroom, there is box lying on my bed. On top of the box is a red bow. I read the card.
Kihanna — wear this today. I’d hate for you to embarrass yourself by wearing something ugly. Sincerely, Veronica.
I roll my eyes. I take the lid off the box and see a very elegant-looking dress inside. It’s not very me. I put the lid back on and slide it under my bed. There is no way in hell that I’m wearing that. I will not let that woman control my wardrobe.
As I am fuming, I hear a knock on my door. I silently hope it’s not Veronica wanting me to see how the dress looks on me. I open it and see my dad standing there.
“Hey, Kihanna. I’m headed to the club. Your GPS has the address programmed in. Meet you there?”
“Sure.” I smile and shut my door.
I go to my closet and ponder the situation. I can either become Veronica’s Barbie, or I can take control of my life and show her that I can’t be controlled… I choose the latter, and I know exactly what I’m going to wear.
Thirty minutes later, I am handing my keys to the valet at the country club. The guy looks at me funny but doesn’t say a word.
“Excuse me, miss...” somebody stops me before I reach the doors. “I’m going to need to see some I.D.”
I pull out my driver’s license and hand it to him. “Kihanna Evers,” I say. “Mark Evers is my father. He’s waiting on me.”
“Yes, Miss Evers,” his tone of voice instantly changes when he sees who I am. “Follow me.”
We walk through a very crowded club all the way to the back. When we get to the table, I see that it isn’t just my family there. There is also a couple about Dad and Veronica’s age and a blond guy about my age. When Veronica sees me, her drink spews from her mouth.
“What happened to the dress I left for you?” she asks, in a much too polite voice, as she wipes up her drink.
“I’m just being expressive. My mom always encouraged it.” I smile. I am very satisfied with her reaction, though if I‘d known that other people were going to be eating with us, I probably wouldn’t have worn this. This is definitely not the first impression I want to make on my father’s friends.
I am dressed literally head to toe in black. I have a black hat on, a black shirt, a black pair of skinny jeans, and my black Converse. I’m also wearing black fingernail polish and black lipstick. I’m sure that Veronica is going to read way too much into this.
I take a seat by my pervy stepbrother and grab a menu. “So, what’s good here?” I ask nobody in particular. Everybody has yet to say anything.
“Kihanna, can I ugh… talk to you? Alone,” my dad asks. I think he’s trying to figure out what I’m doing. In the two weeks he’s known me, I’ve been pretty levelheaded. Especially considering the circumstances.
“Sure.” I am a little nervous. What if he kicks me out of his house? What if he wants nothing to do with me now? But then again, if he disowns me because of the clothes I wear, it’s best I find out now.
We walk just out of earshot of the table.
“Does your mom really let you dress like this?” I can hear the skepticism in his voice.
“I don’t know. I never tried to dress like this before. I just did it to piss off Veronica,” I answer truthfully. “She is being really pushy and trying to tell me what I can and can’t wear. I just wanted to show her that I’m my own person. If I don’t stand up for myself now, it will just get worse.”
My dad actually smiles at my words. “Consider the message delivered. I’m proud of you for standing up for yourself. Maybe next time though, try not to give Veronica a heart attack… Now, let’s try to salvage what’s left of brunch.”
After we order our food, Dad introduces me to everybody at the table. Jack and Libby Johnson are the couple. Jack is CEO of a computer company, and Libby is involved with a bunch of different charities, whatever that entails. They have a son, Gabriel Johnson. He is a senior, and I will be attending school with him apparently.
“Nice clothes,” Gabriel whispers to me.
I look at him with curiosity. “I’m trying to figure out if you’re being sarcastic or ser
ious right now.”
Gabriel is very attractive. He has blond hair, blue eyes, and a great smile. He’s also wearing a very expensive suit. He was raised in money, so I can only assume he’s spoiled.
“I was being serious,” he says.
“Well, thank you, Gabriel.”
“Call me Gabe,” he corrects me. “So you’re from St. Louis?”
“Yep.”
“What’s it like there?”
I hate small talk, but it beats talking to Toby, so I answer. “It’s cold in the winter, hot in the summer, and very boring year-round.”
“I don’t see how anything could be boring with you,” Toby joins the conversation. “I’m sure you had guys lining up.”
I grit my teeth as I reply. “I wasn’t open for business, so there was no line.” I pause, and then add, “Just for the record — I’m still not open for business.”
“You’re a virgin?” Toby half-shouts, and the whole table turns to look at us… Scratch that, everybody in the room looks at us. Now would be a really great time for the floor to swallow me whole.
I glance at my dad, who is actually smiling. Ugh, of course he’s glad his only daughter is a virgin. But now, the whole country club also knows. “Toby,” he scolds in a stern voice.
“Thanks for announcing it to the world, you asshole.” I get up from the table and run for the door just as our food arrives. No way in hell am I sitting at the table with him!
“Kihanna!” I hear my dad yell after me… As if the situation isn’t embarrassing enough, now my daddy is chasing me. He catches up with me before I reach the door. “I’m sorry about Toby. He’s been very privileged all of his life, and he doesn’t know how to act around normal people.”
“People? I am your daughter. I’m not just some random person you picked up off the street.” I cross my arms over my chest. “And what do you mean by normal people? Do you mean poor people? Go ahead and say it… You think that I was raised poor.”
He sighs. “Kihanna, this is not a conversation that we need to have here.”
I laugh as he looks around the room. Of course he is worried about his image. “I think this is the perfect place to have this conversation. I wasn’t poor. My mom was a teacher. I went to a good school and lived in a good neighborhood. I had food to eat at every meal, and I never needed anything. Mom and me were just fine. Just because we didn’t have marble floor, or butlers, or a million dollar chandelier didn’t mean we were poor. It just meant that we weren’t rich. And I’m okay with that.”
“Kihanna…”
I shake my head. “No. You want to know what I’m not okay with? I’m not okay with being told what to wear. I’m not okay with this being a weekly brunch. Is Sunday the only time I’m going to get to see you? Because if it is, just send me back to Mom. I came to get to know you, not Veronica or my pervy stepbrother.”
“Sunday is not going to be our only meal together. I promise, Kihanna. I do work a lot, but I will always make time for you,” he says, putting his hands on my shoulders. “And I know you weren’t poor. Your mom did the best for you that she could. I’m still very upset with her for keeping you from me, but I know why she did it. You’re such a polite, and sweet young woman. I know if you were here with me, you wouldn’t be. You’d be like… your pervy stepbrother.”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “Thank God I’m not like him.”
“Now, will you please come finish brunch?” he asks. “I promise I will talk to Veronica about Toby’s behavior. I assure you that she’s embarrassed by him too.”
“Okay.”
He puts his arm around my shoulder as we talk back to the table. “So are you really a virgin?”
“Dad!” I laugh.
“What? Is that subject off limits?”
I nod. “Definitely. Mom already had the sex talk with me. I know all about using protection.”
“Of course, waiting for marriage is best.”
I can’t help but smile at that. “Right. Like that’s going to happen.”
I take my seat by Toby again and glare at him.
“Are you really a virgin?” he whispers to me.
I don’t respond. I just take a bite of my breakfast and smile. I would rather keep him wondering.
“Hey, Kihanna, I’m having a pool party on Saturday. Kind of a back to school bash. Everybody from school will be there if you want to come,” Gabriel says. “It’d be a great way to get to know people from school.”
“I’d love to come,” Toby jumps in.
“Sorry. It’s kind of a seniors only thing,” Gabe responds to him.
“You’re not a senior?” I ask him.
Toby shakes his head. “Junior. I should be a senior, but I failed a couple years ago.”
“Must be all the pot,” I whisper to myself, and then turn to Gabe. “That sounds like fun. I guess I’ll just get your address from my dad.”
“Hand me your phone,” he says.
I hesitantly had it to him. He types in a few things and when he hands it back to me, his number is programmed in.
“You have my phone number and address now.”
I look at the contact. Gabe the Babe. I laugh. “Really?”
He shrugs. “Hey, if you got it, you got it.”
“Um… what?” Cocky much?
“Kihanna, are you coming to the black and white party on Friday?” Mrs. Johnson asks me.
“Black and white party?” I ask.
Veronica answers her for me. “Yes, she’ll be there. In white.”
I look at her questioningly, and then turn to Toby. “What is a black and white party?”
“It’s where rich people get dressed up, and throw their money around. You have to wear black or white. It’s a charity thing,” he answers.
Charity — wow, at least there is something good. “What charity?”
He laughs. “Like I care. I just go for the free champagne.”
“It’s fun,” Gabe joins in. “You will get to meet all the important people from school, and you get free alcohol. They give champagne to everybody. It’s basically a big socializing event.”
“Do you remember last year when Ty Newman’s stepmom got wasted and vomited in the fish tank?” Toby starts laughing. “Classic.”
“I wonder who will make a fool out of themselves this year,” Gabe says.
“My money is on Jacqueline Hoff. It’s about time that bitch got knocked off her high horse.”
Toby and Gabe knuckle bump, and I’m wondering who Ty Newman is and who Jacqueline Hoff is. I feel like the only kid who didn’t get ice cream.
“So, who are these people you speak of?” I remind them that I’m there.
“You will know soon enough,” Gabe answers. “Welcome to the life of the elite, Kihanna Evers. You are officially part of the group now.”
Why does Gabriel’s welcome sound more like a warning?
***
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Table of Contents
A Peek Inside the Academy
Breakfast with Mr. Blackbourne
The House OF Coleman
A Promise
The Three Amigos Plan
The Three Amigos Discover
Lily’s Dog Team
Life Changes
Gabriel Coleman, Embarrassed
Rich Or Poor
A Doctor’s Delicate Heart
Fast and Faster
Mixed Feelings
The Impossible Plan
Tests and Trials
What the Team Wants
The Hunt for a Car
Sang the Target
What Kota Wants
Restless Panic
In This Together
Amid Silence, Storms Brew
Gabriel Coleman, Beautifu
l
Together, We Will
~ A ~
The Healing Power of Sugar
About C. L. Stone
C. L. Stone, The Other Side of Envy
(Series: The Academy # 8)
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