Chapter 3

Shantelle’s POV

I relaxed when the last bell rang, indicating that school was over. I grabbed my bag and rushed out of class, ignoring Keshon’s call.

I didn’t want to believe she would do me like that, but I needed to keep cool for my sake. She was the least of my problems.

“Hey, wait up! You dashed out of there like you were on fire.” She caught up to me.

“My bad, I just need to get home early, or my father is going to freak out,” I informed her.

“Yeah, I know what your dad is like. Give him my regards,” she said.

We both separated at the end of the hallway, with me heading straight to the parking lot. I wasn’t joking when I said my dad would have my head if I got home a second later than he expected.

He has been like his ever since the incident and no one has tried to fight him on it. I respect my father, but sometimes he can be too much, and it’s getting on everyone’s nerves.

My phone chimed with a text message, and I sighed, knowing that it was from my father. I took out my phone from my bad and frowned when I realized it was my mom.

The text read:

“You need to come home.”

I sighed. I wondered what it was this time.

“Surprise!” Reginald yelled as soon as I unlocked the front door.

I jumped, my hand on my chest. “Christ! Reginald, you scared the crap out of me!” I yelled.

“Chill,” he said, the lazy smirk of his still in place.

It took me a second to realize what I was missing. “You are back?”

He nodded.

“You are back! I missed you so much!” I said as I hugged him.

He was sent away to rehab when he became an ad***t. I didn’t realize how much I missed him till now.

“I know, I am. I am all better now,” he said. He spun in circles to show me that he was fine.

The tears gathered, but they didn’t fall. I was more than happy to have him here.

“Do you know what’s going on? Mom sent the usual message this time,” I told him.

“Yeah, she was talking about something changing and how our lives were going to get better.” He shrugged.

I sighed again. Another family drama.

I went upstairs to drop my bag. I was so sure they were about to call a family meeting right about now.

“Shantelle, get your ass down here!” my father yelled.

“Coming, Father!” I yelled back.

I took off my clothes and dressed in lazy lounging wear. I took the stairs two at a time to meet the family gathered in the living room. Everyone had a glass of champagne in their hands except Reginald, whose glass contained water.

“A toast,” my father cleared his throat.

“Dad, what’s going on?” I asked.

It seemed everyone was in on the goodness, all except me.

“Oh, my darling daughter, God decided to shower his blessing on our family today. I am happy!” he bellowed.

My brows furrowed. Either he could lie through his teeth, or he was already drunk.

“I don’t get it.”

“One, Reginald is back, and he will be returning to school with you for the year.”

“Two,” he started before I cut him short. I walked over to the television. Something was off about it.

“Shantelle?” my father called out, but my mind was far away. Something was off about this.

“Baby, you are scaring me. What is it?” My mom sobbed through her tears.

I rolled my eyes. “Something is wrong. I can’t seem to place my finger on it.”

“But I haven’t finished yet,” my father whined.

“Dad, sorry I…” I trailed off when I saw the smile my father was throwing at me.

“Sit down and listen!” he snapped.

I lowered my ass into a chair.

“What I was trying to tell you is that I just signed a project that would profit me in the long run, and the company coerced the media to stop publishing fake stories about me. They handled it.”

“So that’s why the television looked different. You weren’t posted in the front lines.”

My father glared at me but didn’t say anything. “Your mother has something she wants to share, too.”

We all looked at my mother expectantly. She cleared her throat and stepped forward.

“I got a call back to host the Bachelorette show this year.”

I squealed and went immediately to hug my mother. It’s been her dream to act, but it all went downhill after what happened.

“Oh my god! This is huge! Congratulations, Mom and Dad!”

“Thank you, and to celebrate this very moment in our lives, we will be throwing a celebratory dinner for our family and friends,” my mother announced.

There it is. The reason why I was needed at home urgently.

“Friday is good,” I said quickly.

Reginald coughed into his shirt. “Honey, it’s happening today. Some of the guests will arrive soon, and you need to go change.”

I gritted my teeth. “Really? The warning wasn’t necessary,” I snapped.

“Please, honey, for us?” she pleaded.

“Damn it!” I swore.

I love my parents, but sometimes I just want to go on a vacation to Ireland and leave them there.

“Fine, I am going upstairs.”

I stomped into my room, ensuring the sound was heard downstairs. They knew how much I hated parties. They always sprung up on me.

“Hurry, Shan!” my mom yelled again.

“Coming!”

I grabbed something from my closet and tried it on. It didn’t look that good, but I didn’t care anyway.

I curled my hair. The only reason why I am going for this dinner is that the recent developments were rough on my parents, especially Reginald. They tried so hard to be strong, but I could see them falling apart.

I grabbed my shoes and went downstairs.

“You look beautiful, sweet,” my mother whispered to me.

“Thank you, Mom,” I smiled at the compliment.

The guests my parents invited over were beginning to fill up our living room, and I just wanted to crawl back into my room.

“Well, go and mingle. Remember to be nice,” my mom warned.

I groaned. Of course, that’s why they needed me here. To level the field and play nice with their rich friends.

I glanced at Reginald having fun. He had a glass in his hands as usual, but instead of wine, it was water. We didn’t want him slipping back into his old ways again. This party was a bad idea. They didn’t consider his recovery and decided to throw him in the middle of cocktails and champagne.

I excused myself from the people I was with and headed toward my brother. “Hey, you okay?” I tapped his shoulder.

“Yes, I am fine, don’t worry about me.”

“I am not worried. I want to tell you to cover for me. I am tired, plus I have school tomorrow.”

“Sure thing.”

I dropped the smile on my face. I was worried about him, but I didn’t want to make it evident that he couldn’t be trusted with all of this. It was too much even for me.

It didn’t take an hour for Reginald to find himself in my room. It was almost lights out, but somehow, I knew he would come looking for me.

“Shan, you asleep?” he asked from the door.

“Not yet.”

He let himself in, making himself comfortable on my bed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. The look on his face worried me a bit.

I leaned forward to hold this hand. The night must have been overwhelming for him. Coming back to the sound of music and the smell of booze, not precisely the proper welcoming party he hoped for.

“I start school tomorrow.”

“And?”

“I am nervous about returning.”

“Why? Because of what happened?”

“Mostly, but I am scared to see how people will perceive me now that I am no longer the golden boy I once was.”

My heart went to my brother. The reason he started using dr*gs was because of the pressure he felt from being the golden boy at school and home. He spent his senior year sweating bullets for his sports, education, and his image for my father’s campaign.

It must have been tough.

“You fell off the wagon, Reggie. You didn’t kill anyone.”

“Gee, thanks, sis.” He rolled his eyes.

“I am sorry, but I had to say it. Nobody will blame you. I will make sure of that,” I told him.

“How? You are not going to fight anyone, are you?”

“Haven’t you heard I am ultimately the school’s mean bitch now?” I shrugged.

He laughed. “Get some sleep. I can’t afford to break your attendance record.”

“Good night, Reggie. I am glad you are home. I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he said as he slipped away.