Chapter 33: Chapter thirty three

Arielle

Drayton didn't come back last night.

Not that I cared. It was actually good that he didn't come. I didn't trust myself not to punch him in the face when I see him. I couldn't do that in front of Penny and my mum because then I'll have to tell them what happened.

I didn't want my mum to feel bad about making me live with Drayton if she finds out about our history. She was happy here and I love that for her.

Penny, Mum, and I gathered downstairs for breakfast. We were having pancakes and orange juice. I helped as best as I could but ended up leaving the kitchen. The two of them wouldn't stop chatting.

I was glad mum finally found a friend. She seem lighter now and I've never seen her smile so much in my entire life. Genuine smiles, not the usual fake ones she put on in front of the cameras.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Mum said as she set the pancakes on the center of the table. I served a few on my plate and sat down to eat.

“I haven't seen Drayton today. Didn't you come back together last night, Arielle?” she asked.

I raised the jug to pour some juice into my cup, my hand shaking slightly as I tried to calm my anger at the mention of his name.

“I haven't seen him since last night. He dropped me off and left.” I shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant.

“He had to meet up with his father for something. He called last night.” Penny supplied as she put some pancakes on her plate.

I had a feeling the sentence wasn't entirely true. Either Drayton was avoiding him, or Penny was covering for him, judging my the slight tremor in her voice at the mention of Drayton's father.

“Oh okay. I was just wondering why he hadn't come down for breakfast.” My mum said. She didn't seem to notice the subtle change in her friend's demeanor.

“Elle, Dan called earlier today while you were in bed. He was worried about you. He said you left early last night. Is everything alright?”

I almost choked on my drink but I quickly regained myself and set the glass down gently. I hoped it looked casual like I intended.

“Uhm, yeah, everything is fine. I got tired of dancing, that's why I left.” I said quickly.

I was sure Dan heard about what happened at the pool. It's the only reason he would call to check on me. But it didn't seem like he told my mum about it. She would have totally freaked out, and definitely wouldn't be asking about Drayton in such gentle tone.

“He sounded worried.” She said, not entirely convinced.

“Pfft, you know Dan. Always worried about me.” I laughed nervously.

Penny's gaze narrowed on me and I quickly drank from my glass to hide my nervousness. I could have sworn she caught my lie. I loosed a sigh of relief when she finally averted her gaze.

“Mum, can I borrow your phone? I want to call Dan back and let him know I'm fine.”

“Sure, honey.” She motioned towards the phone lying on the island.

I stood up as casually as I could and grabbed the phone.

“I'll be right back.”

I didn't wait for their response before sprinting up the stairs. I heard mum yell something but I didn't know what.

Immediately the bedroom door clicked shut, I dialed Dan's number. He picked up after the second ring.

“Arielle!” He exclaimed, immediately after picking.

“Seriously? I'm using my mum's phone. How did you just know it was me?”

“I called Mrs M earlier and she said you were still sleeping like the dead. I figured you'd be the one calling me back.”

“Hello! I don't sleep like the dead.”

I sat on the bed and crossed my legs while holding the phone firmly to my ear.

“Really? It's almost noon and you're just waking up. If that isn't sleeping a dead person, what is it?” He scoffed.

“It's called enjoying the weekend. It's Saturday, Dan. And it's just eleven o clock. I'm not supposed to wake up early. Especially not after the week I've had.” I mummered the last part half mindedly.

I didn't realize what I said until I heard his loud sigh from the other end.

“I heard what happened at the party. I'm so sorry I couldn't get to you on time. When I heard about it, you've already left. I tried to look for you but I couldn't find you.” His tone was low as he spoke.

Knowing Dan, he was probably blaming himself for allowing me to be by myself, even though I was the one who ditched him.

“Don't apologize, Dan. It's not your fault. I was the one who left you alone with Natalie.”

He sighed again.

“Regardless, I should have gone after you. I shouldn't have stayed back.” he muttered.

“Yeah, how did that go for you?” I snorted. I'm pretty sure Natalie tortured him within an inch of his life.

“Oh, you know your cousin. Always a pleasure to be around.” He said, sarcasm dripping in his tone.

I chuckled at his words.

“It's really not funny. That girl is torture.” I could literally hear the frown in her voice.

My chuckle became a full blown laughter. The thought of Natalie torturing Dan was hilarious.

“Rie!” Dan groaned from the other end.

“Okay okay, I'm sorry. I apologize for the torture my dearest cousin put you through. Will you forgive me, sir?”

“Oh, I'm not forgiving you that easily.” He chuckled.

“Argh! come on. I got pushed into the pool and almost drowned. Isn't that punishment enough?” I winced.

“No, it's not. It only means Drayton is a jerk.”

I chuckled, agreeing with him.

“Besides, I found your purse. You must have tossed it while falling. It was on the other side of the pool. Your shoes weren't so lucky.” He clicked his tongue.

I sighed. Add it to the list of things I'll make Drayton pay for.

“So my phone is safe then?”

“Yes. I'm bringing it over to your house.”

“No!” I yelled immediately.

I chewed on my lower lip, realizing what I just did.

“Rie, is everything okay?” He asked, his voice laced with concern.

God, I really hated lying to him.

“Yes, it's just you can't come over right now. How about I meet you at that mall we always go? I might as well shop for new shoes while we're at it.”

I held my breath, hoping he believed me and dropped the subject.

“Okay, no problem. Do I even wanna know how you got home without shoes?”

I snorted.

“Trust me, you don't want to know. I'll meet up with you in a few minutes.”

We said our goodbyes and I hung up. I strolled downstairs to finish my breakfast, but I couldn't get anything down.

The guilt of lying to my best friend was slowly eating me up. I wondered how long I could keep this up.

.

.

.

I stood in front of the mall, my eyes darting around in search of Dan's car. A honk sounded behind me.

I whirled towards it in time to see Dan step out of his car. I smiled widely and strolled towards him.

“You said few minutes. You showed up after an hour.” He groaned when I got to him.

“Good to see you too.” I smacked his arm playfully.

He didn't chuckle like I expected him to. Instead his brows furrowed, the way they do when he's concerned about something.

“What's up with you?” I asked.

He didn't say anything for a few seconds and just continued staring at me.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?”

It didn't seem like he was talking about the pool incident anymore. My palms became sweaty as he continued staring at me.

“Because of this.” He said and handed me his phone.

I collected the phone from him, feeing confused. My eyes widened as I read the news headline.

CHARLES MCALISTER'S PROPERTY BURNED TO ASH