Page 22 of My Fault
“So it looks like we’ve got something in common,” he continued. He didn’t seem overjoyed that we had the same tattoo, either.
I stood up, pulling off my hair band and letting my hair fall until the tattoo was no longer visible. Then I walked out. That last thing he’d said had shifted something inside me, as if he knew the meaning behind that tattoo, as if he understood…
I went to the backyard. There was a beautiful view of the sea, and the salt breeze was warm and fragrant. I couldn’t deny it: I loved the view and having the water so close now that I lived here.
I walked over to the wooden deck chairs next to the pool, which was rectangular with a fountain in the corner by the garden that gave it an exotic but elegant touch. Next to the cliff, to the left of the garden, was a jacuzzi located strategically between two enormous rocks to provide a beautiful view of the property.
Deciding I would try to enjoy it, I took off my dress, making sure there was nobody around, and lay back thinking I would soak up some rays and try to get a nice tan in the next week. I had to take advantage of what was left of the summer vacation because in a month, I’d be starting classes at my new and extremely expensive school. I grabbed my phone and looked to see if I had any missed calls from my friends or, more importantly, from my boyfriend Dan.
Nothing.
That stung, but I didn’t let it get to me. He’d call, I was sure of it. When I told him I had to leave, he flipped out. We’d been going out for nine months, and he was my first real boyfriend. I loved him, I knew I loved him because he had never judged me, he’dbeen there when I needed him…and plus, he was hot. When we started, I could hardly contain myself, I was the happiest teenager on the planet. And then I had to run off to another country.
I texted him:
I’m here and I miss you, I wish I was with you, call me when you get this.
I looked at the message. He had last been online thirty minutes before. I sighed, laid my phone on the chair, and went to the pool.
The water was the perfect temperature, so I stretched out, raised my hands, and dove in. It was liberating and refreshing at the same time. I swam, enjoying just letting the tension go and getting some exercise.
Fifteen minutes later, I got out and lay back in the deck chair, letting the sun work its magic. I grabbed the phone to see if anyone had answered and saw that Dan was connected but he hadn’t written. That made me frown.
Just then, Beth wrote, gossipy as ever.
Hey, babe, what’s up? Talk to me.
I smiled and responded, a little nostalgic:
Well, my stepbrother is worse than I could imagine but I’m trying to get used to the idea that I’ll have to live with him. You can’t imagine how bad I want to be with you all. I miss you!
I had a knot in my throat as I wrote her. Beth and I were on the same volleyball team. I had been captain the past two years. Now that I was gone, she’d taken over. She was happy, and thatmade me happy, too. At least she could get something good out of my leaving…even if she’d never told me she’d wanted to be team captain.
You’re probably exaggerating! Enjoy your new life as a millionaire. Like I always said: your mom knows how to pick them! Hahaha.
I hated that remark. She had told me that more than once. I couldn’t stand people thinking my mom had married for money. She wasn’t like that, she was anything but—she liked simple stuff, the same way I did. She’d married William because she really was in love with him.
I decided not to say anything about it. I didn’t want to argue, especially when she was thousands of miles away.
Then she sent me a photo.
It was her and Dan with flushed faces and their arms crossed. Dan was blond with brown eyes—a spectacle to behold. It hurt me to see him so happy. It hadn’t even been forty-eight hours since I left. He could be a little sadder, no? I couldn’t help but ask her:
Are you with him right now?
Her response took a while to come, and that alarmed me.
Yeah, we’re at Rose’s house. I’ll tell him to get in touch with you soon.
Since when did I need Beth to tell my boyfriend to answer my texts?
A minute later, a message with a smiley emoji came in from Dan:
Hey, babe, miss me yet?
Hell yes, I did! I wanted to shout, but I restrained myself and answered, mood worsening:
Why, you don’t?
