Eternal Choice

May 2017…

“Low-ee! Up.”

Rolling my eyes, I flopped over onto my side and glared at my half-brother. He was two and couldn’t say Chloe, so I’d become Low-ee. I refused to admit it was adorable because I was determined to hate everything about being here—including my father’s shiny new family.

When I’d arrived almost a month ago, everything suddenly made a whole lot more sense. He’d disappeared from my life because he was too busy creating a brand-new one for himself, complete with a hot, young wife—a certified MILF according to the guys at my new school—and a precocious, bouncing, baby boy. Yup. My father had it all. A picture-perfect family. Wealth. Power. Status. All thanks to his new wife. He’d even taken her last name.

“Low-ee!” Little Frank—original, huh?—grabbed my arm with his sticky fingers.

“Ew.” I jerked away and rubbed my arm, my fingers coming away with a gooey honey colored substance. “What is all over your hand?”

Larissa, my stepmother, rushed into my room. As usual, she was dressed like she was about to step onto a fashion runway in Paris—hair and nails done, clothes perfectly matched and wrinkle free. She was even wearing heels. Who wears heels around the house just because?

“I’m sorry, Chloe.” She scooped up Little Frank and held him on her hip. “I made the mistake of giving him waffles with syrup this morning.” She frowned. “It’s about time for you to get up for school anyway.”

When she left the room, I forced myself out of bed. Thanks to the little monster, I was going to have to shower now, too. Gathering my clothes, I headed to my private bathroom—one of the very few perks of living here.

According to my father, Larissa “came from money,” whatever that meant. I didn’t speak rich. But based on the whispers at school, that was the worst kind of money to have. I didn’t know the difference, and I didn’t care. I was simply biding my time until my eighteenth birthday, and I had exactly one month and three days to go.

After showering, dressing, and rushing through an under-toasted bagel, I grabbed my bag and chased Larissa out the front door. She was always running late, and I hated it.

There was nothing quite like running across campus and barging into class ten minutes late, disheveled and panting like a dog, and having everyone stare at you. I missed the days of a five-minute drive to school, arriving in enough time to linger at my locker and talk with my friends. I never thought I’d say it, but I missed everything about Keene Valley.

“C’mon, let’s get going.” Larissa waved at me from the driver’s seat.

Her long, blonde hair was pulled into a tight, sleek ponytail. Designer sunglasses were perched on her nose. She was a poster child for a typical California girl.

I climbed into her cherry red convertible coupe and hooked my seat belt. The air was chilly, and I was glad she didn’t have the top down.

“Don’t you have to take Little Frank to daycare?” I asked.

She shook her head, put the car in reverse, and backed out of the driveway. “Your father’s working from home today, so he’s watching Little Frank while I drive you to school.”

My father was home? And he hadn’t bothered to show his face or say good morning? I didn’t know why I was still letting his actions disappoint me. I angled my body away from her and stared out the window.

“Your father and I have a charity ball this weekend. Little Frank will be with my parents. Would you like to go with us?” She turned toward me, and from the corner of my eye, I could see her smile. “It could be fun to get all dressed up and go out. Fancy dinner. Dancing.”

“No thanks,” I said.

Larissa let out a frustrated sigh and didn’t speak to me again until she pulled into the school parking lot—or as I liked to call it, my personal hell. I opened the door and got out.

“Have a good day, Chloe,” she called as I shut the door and waved at her.

She’d been nothing but nice since I’d arrived, and I tried not to be mean to her. But she represented everything I’d lost—my mother, time with my father, the family I never truly had.

I pulled my phone from the front pocket of my backpack—the phone Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean still paid for—plugged in my headphones, and headed across campus. I was actually a bit early today, and the quad was crawling with Malibu’s richest heirs.

When my father had enrolled me at The James da Vincente Preparatory School, I’d thrown a tantrum worthy of earning the “Worst Behaved Toddler” award. It was bad enough starting at another new school, but it was worse starting at one of Malibu’s most expensive, elite, private schools. It was a sea of pressed white shirts, sweater vests, and plaid skirts. Any teenager’s worst nightmare—a uniform.

To make it even worse, everyone knew everyone else—and not in the small-town way like they had in Keene Valley—but in a who’s-who sort of way. The more well-known your last name, the more friends you had. And I was a nobody. An outcast. A fact made glaringly obvious by my severe lack of friends.

I scrolled through my music until I found my favorite Black Veil Brides album. Pressing play, I picked up my pace and made it to my first class before anyone else. I slipped into my assigned seat and put my head down.

My music paused for a brief second, just long enough to alert me to an incoming message. It was probably Abby again. She’d been calling and texting almost non-stop for more than a week now, but I’d been avoiding her.

I missed her like crazy. I missed everyone back home, but I couldn’t handle hearing about life in Keene Valley and how everything was so wonderful while I was so miserable. I’d call her tonight, though.

There was a firm tug, and then one of my earbuds popped out of my ear. I jerked upright, eyes wide. “Hey—”

A cocky grin stared back at me. “Listening to anything good?” He put my earbud to his ear and listened for a moment. “BVB. Nice choice.” He smiled and handed it back.

My heart stopped. Was he talking to me? He had to be because there was no one else in the room. Hesitantly, I reached for my earbud.

“Thanks,” I said.

“I’m Simon,” he said.

“I know who you are,” I said before I could stop myself.

Arrogance flashed behind his dark, chocolate brown eyes. Everyone knew Simon Parker. Popular. Gorgeous. British. Ridiculously rich. And the object of every girl’s desire. Tall, athletic, and oozing self-confidence, his hair was too long for a buzz cut but too short to run your fingers through, causing it to have a natural spike. The tips were frosted blond, a stark contrast to the otherwise dark brown color.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a breathtaking, crooked smile. “I know who you are, too,” he said.

I swore my eyes were going to pop out of my head. “You do?”

“Yeah. You’re the new girl from New York. Chloe Madison.”

The way he said my name, his accent twisting the sounds into something exotic, gave me a tiny thrill. “That’s me,” I said.

Not a single person had bothered to talk to me since I’d arrived—until now—and the first person that did was none other than Simon Parker.

“So, you’re a fan, yeah?” He nodded at the earbud I still held in my hand.

I nodded. “How did you know I was listening to BVB?”

“Your music was loud. I recognized the beat.”

I tilted my head, slightly confused. “From the hallway? I mean, I know it’s loud, but not that loud.” I laughed.

“No, when you walked by me in the quad. You didn’t even notice me. Figured I needed to fix that.” He winked.

My face flamed with embarrassment. Simon was the type of guy that was hard to miss, and normally, I did notice him. But I’d been lost in my own head this morning.

“So, you’re a fan, too, then?” I asked.

Standing, he began to unbutton his shirt, and I stared, unsure if that was horror or desire spiking in my veins. Why was he taking his clothes off? I gripped the edge of the desk, my entire body tense, unable to look away.

With a grin, he opened his shirt to reveal a Black Veil Brides T-shirt. I laughed, the tension easing from my body.

“You ever seen them live?” he asked as he quickly rebuttoned his shirt. Anything with a band logo was against dress code, so it wasn’t crazy that he was hiding it.

“No,” I said.

“Want to?” He returned to his seat and raised a brow, waiting. The tiny silver hoop that graced his eyebrow drew my attention. Piercings were against dress code, too, but he wore it well and without concern for the rules.

“Yeah, someday, I guess.” I shrugged.

His crooked grin returned, and he stood. “Perfect. Friday at six. I’ll pick you up.”

The first bell rang, drowning out his words, but it sounded an awful lot like he said he was going to pick me up Friday night.

“Um, what?” I said.

“I have an extra ticket to their show on Friday. I’ll pick you up at six.” He headed for the door as students began filing in.

What the heck was going on? Had he seriously just asked me to go to a concert with him? I laughed at the absurdity. Of course, he hadn’t. I was a nobody. Simon was the most eligible bachelor on campus. We were like oil and water.

“Yeah, right.” I barely contained a snort of disbelief.

“What? You don’t want to go?” His expression turned somber, and a small frown pulled at his lips. I wondered how often anyone told him no, especially a girl he’d asked out.

Olivia Parker, Simon’s sister, younger than him by only a year, shoved him out of the doorway. “Get to class,” she said.

She was just as stunning as her brother. I’d heard rumors that she’d finished her first modeling job. I didn’t know if that was true, but it was easy to believe. Her hair resembled the color of a rich cherry wood—deep red woven against dark brown locks.

“Aw, Livi, love, you’d miss me if I wasn’t around.” He made a kissy face at her, which caused several girls to stop and watch.

I had to admit, I was momentarily memorized by the sight of his lips puckered, his lashes fluttering in mockery.

Then, he turned his attention to me. “Think about my offer, Chloe from New York.” He sauntered out of the room.

I slouched down in my chair, but no matter how hard I tried to disappear, I didn’t. And I couldn’t stop the looks of complete shock and anger that the other girls hurled at me.

Class progressed, and the dirty looks continued. Olivia kept slicing her gaze in my direction, like she was trying to figure out what her brother could possibly be doing talking to me. Or what offer he’d been talking about. Knowing my luck—and how much she obviously disliked me—she probably assumed it had something to do with favors in exchange for money.

When the bell rang, I rushed out of the room, but I wasn’t quite fast enough.

Olivia caught up to me before I made it to my locker. “What’s the story with you and my brother?” Her accent was the same as Simon’s, making her sound cool but intimidating.

“There’s no story,” I said.

“Then what did he mean about his offer?” She crossed her arms and glared down at me.

Until that moment, I hadn’t realized how tall she was, but she had to be a good foot taller than me. I stared at her a moment before my gaze shifted to a random spot behind her. Why couldn’t she just leave me alone?

“Listen, Chloe. I don’t know what sort of deals you’re making with Simon, but he’s off limits to a slag like you.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, gave me a disgusted look, then spun on her heel and walked away.

I blew out a breath. Hitching my backpack higher on my shoulder, I reluctantly headed to my next class: Media Communications. That was the only good thing about this school—they offered a lot of extra electives and encouraged us to take them so we’d be well-rounded by the time we graduated. I was just grateful I didn’t have to take all the normal, boring classes, like World History.

My steps faltered, and I frowned. Why did the thought of that make me sad? It was the strangest feeling, like that class was somehow important… Only, I had no idea why. Or why it affected me so deeply. I shook off the sudden melancholy and rushed across the courtyard to get to the technology building.

Kids hung out in groups in the courtyard, seemingly unconcerned with being late to class. Me, on the other hand, wanted to get there early. I loathed walking into a full classroom, hated the way people still stared at me like I didn’t belong here. If only I could shout at them that I agreed—I didn’t belong here.

The toe of my shoe caught on a bag that had been carelessly tossed on the ground, and I tripped. I held out my hands to break my fall, but my backpack slipped off my arm, knocking me off balance even more. My shin slammed against the edge of the concrete walkway, and I cried out in pain.

Adjusting to sit on my butt, I peeled my sock down and winced. A large and very noticeable scrape covered my shin, the flesh red and angry. Blood oozed from the wound and trickled down my leg.

Tears stung my eyes as I stood, snatched my backpack, and sprinted to the closest bathroom. I locked myself in a stall and unrolled a wad of toilet paper that I gingerly pressed against the scrape.

“Ow.” I cringed.

I hated this place so much. All I wanted to do was go home, back to Keene Valley where I had family and friends who were nice. I dug my cell phone from my backpack and opened my messages with Abby.

Me: I CAN’T STAY HERE ANOTHER DAY. I NEED TO COME HOME NOW!!! PLEASE. BEG YOUR MOM AND DAD TO COME GET ME.

I quickly deleted my text and rested my head on the wall. If I sent that, Abby would want to know what was wrong, and I really didn’t want to explain how much of a loner I was around here—and not by choice. I didn’t need to add her pity to the list of things weighing me down.

Drying my tears, I wiped the blood from my leg. The scrape wasn’t as bad as I thought it was. I pulled my socks up a little higher to cover as much of the cut as I could. Then I headed to class.

My usual seat was occupied—because of course it was—so I searched for an empty one. Simon waved to me from the back of the room. I tried to pretend I didn’t notice, but when he called my name, I couldn’t ignore him.

Slipping my bag off my shoulder, I took the seat next to him. The room was set up like a typical science lab with tables that sat two people, but instead of microscopes, we had computers.

“Hey,” I said.

“About Friday…”

“Yeah, about that.” I ran my finger along the edge of the keyboard, refusing to look at him, knowing if I did, I’d be swayed from my decision. “Your offer was sweet, and really generous, but I’m not going to be able to go.”

“If it’s a problem with your mum and dad, I can ask them. Parents can never say no to me.” He laughed, and my heart tripped over itself.

Despite my better judgement, I faced him. “You’re used to getting your way, aren’t you?”

“It’s the Brit in me. Everyone loves it.” He lifted a single brow and gave me a cocky grin.

Shaking my head, I smiled. Who cared what Olivia thought? If I was stuck here, I might as well have some fun. And really, Simon was the only good thing about being here, and I desperately needed a little bit of good right now.

“So, six p.m.?” I asked.

I had the luxury of Larissa driving me to school in the morning, but because of her charity commitments, she couldn’t pick me up at the end of the day, so she arranged for a personal driver to bring me home. His name was Declan, and he was nice—funny, too—but I always felt so awkward in the car with him, like I was some sort of celebrity who needed to be pampered.

I’d never had a car of my own—Mom could never afford to buy me one—and I hadn’t expected Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean to buy me one. Though, I did secretly hope Dad would eventually give me a car, but he hadn’t mentioned anything about that.

Declan pulled up in front of the house and quietly came around to open my door for me. I climbed out awkwardly, the scrape on my leg making it a little difficult to move.

“Thanks, Declan.” I waved at him over my shoulder. “See you tomorrow.”

I headed into the kitchen to find Little Frank at the table eating a snack. Larissa wasn’t home, but Dad was. He sat at the opposite end of the table, laptop open, and papers spread out around him.

“How was school?” he asked, not bothering to look away from his computer screen.

He asked me that same question every single day, but I wasn’t convinced he actually cared. I was convinced he was doing it because he thought he had to, like he’d read it in some parenting book or something.

“Fine.” I searched in the fridge for a bottle of water.

“The other kids treating you well?”

“If by well you mean ignoring me and pretending I don’t exist, then yeah. I’m getting the red-carpet treatment.” I twisted off the top and took a long drink, hoping it would cool my rising anger.

He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Honestly, Chloe. You could at least try to make an effort.”

“So could you,” I shot back.

Dad sighed but didn’t say anything else.

I ruffled Little Frank’s hair and headed upstairs. Once in my room, I dropped my bag to the floor and took my mother’s urn from the dresser. “I miss you. And I hate it here. So much. I—”

My cell phone rang. Setting the urn carefully on my nightstand, I dug through my bag until I found my phone. It was Abby. Again. I swiped my finger across the screen.

“Hey,” I said, faking as much cheer as I could. “What’s up?”

“You’re seriously going to act like nothing’s wrong? You’ve been avoiding my calls for days and not answering my texts. What gives?”

I sighed. So much for small talk. “I know. I’m sorry. School has been crazy, and the people here suck. I hate my classes and my teachers and my father and the sun and…” Running out of breath, I inhaled deeply, prepared to keep unloading about how horrible my life was when Abby laughed.

“You felt that way when you first moved here, too, and things got better. Give it time.”

“Time’s not going to help,” I grumbled.

There was no way she could understand what it was like to have her life—her security—ripped away from her. Twice.

“Sorry to be so miserable.” I stood and stretched. “What’s been going on at home?”

“Mom and Dad are still trying to figure out a way to get you back here with us.”

“And?” Butterflies battled in my stomach. Something about her tone was off. There was total silence, and for a moment, I thought we might have been disconnected, but then I heard her weary sigh. “Abby?”

“Don’t tell them I told you, okay?”

“Just tell me,” I snapped.

“Their lawyer said they don’t have a case, and even if they did, it would take months just to get through the court system, so if you want to come home, it’s best to just wait until you’re eighteen, but that’s okay because that’s not too far away. Just another month. You can make it that long, I know you can, and then you can come home and do your senior year here,” she said on a rush of breath.

I stood near my closet door, letting her words sink in. Deep down, I’d known this was a likely possibility, but to have it confirmed sucked. Big time.

“Chloe? I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.” It was my father’s. Everything sucky about my life was his fault.

“I miss you.” Her voice was sad, and that only made me more upset.

“I miss you, too. How’s everyone else doing?”

I never thought I’d miss anyone as much as I missed Mom, but it was a close call with Abby, Aunt Beth, and Uncle Dean. And all my friends. I wandered back over to my bed and flopped down, causing my pillow to topple over onto my face. I didn’t bother moving it. Maybe I’d accidentally suffocate myself.

“Good. Ellie and Nick finally hooked up,” she said.

My eyes widened. “No way. Seriously?”

A stab of guilt pierced my chest. I was supposed to talk to Nick, but I’d never gotten the chance. I’d have to return Ellie’s call later and get all the details—and I sort of missed her incessant rambling.

“Mm-hmm. You should see them together. They are so adorable.” She sighed. “I think Gina is jealous, though. That, or she’s mad because Ellie’s been ignoring her.”

I tossed the pillow to the floor and sat up. That didn’t sound like Ellie. Or Gina. Not that I knew Gina all that well, but she didn’t strike me as the jealous type. I was definitely going to call Ellie later.

“How are Tonya and Luke?” I asked.

“Okay, I guess. I really don’t talk to them much.”

Guess I’d have to ask Ellie about them. It would give us something to talk about other than my “glamorous city life.” Ellie’s words—not mine. She thought it was awesome that I was so close to Hollywood, and every time we talked, she’d ask if I’d met any celebrities. Maybe that’s why I’d been avoiding her. I was tired of pretending everything was okay when in reality, I was dying inside.

“Malibu can’t really be that bad, can it?” Abby asked.

That was another question I was tired of answering. Malibu wasn’t as great as everyone seemed to think.

“Ugh.” I groaned. “You have no idea. I swear, everyone at my school has more money than brains, and they are so stuck up.” My mind flitted to Olivia. “Let’s just say it’s nothing like Keene Valley.”

There was a loud rustling noise and then a crunch. “Sorry.” Clearly, she had a mouthful of food. “Maybe you can come here after school lets out. Think Frank will let you? I mean, you’ll be eighteen a couple weeks after school ends anyway, so maybe he won’t make you wait.”

I smiled at how Abby used his name rather than calling him my father. But her words reminded me of how he was responsible for yet another crappy thing in my life…

When he’d abandoned me and Mom, I hadn’t handled it very well. I’d started acting out in school, not doing my work, pretending to be sick so I could stay home, just being an all-around brat. My teacher, the principal, and my mother all decided to hold me back a year so that I could properly deal with everything. And now, I wouldn’t be graduating until I was days away from nineteen.

“I don’t know. I can ask him,” I said.

Although, I’d probably have better luck asking Larissa and having her convince Frank to let me go. Then she’ll probably invite me to that charity ball again, and I’d be a jerk if I said no twice. Ugh. This day kept getting worse.

“Ask him.” Another loud crunch.

I held the phone away from my ear. “What are you eating?”

“Pretzels.” She laughed. “Hey, I gotta go. Mom is calling me down to help with dinner.”

“Okay.” Sadness settled like an anchor on my chest.

We typically had family dinners here, too, but they were nothing like the family dinners with Auth Beth and Uncle Dean. Those were warm and loving and safe. The meals here were stiff and done more out of obligation than want.

I shook my head and clutched my phone, debating whether to text Ellie. I wasn’t sure I could emotionally handle talking to her right this second.

Tossing my phone on the foot of the bed, I lugged my backpack closer and pulled out my school issued tablet. Even though my new school offered a lot of cool classes, I still couldn’t get out of taking math.

After an hour of solving differential equations, the numbers started to blur together. I straightened, and my back protested. So did my legs.

“Ouch.” I stood and stretched, mentally scolding myself for sitting hunched over on my bed like I had been.

Snatching my phone, I checked for messages. I had one from Ellie. I opened it and was greeted with a picture of her and Nick. He had his arm around her, and they were both smiling.

I sank down onto the mattress, tears stinging my eyes. I was happy for them, but the wave of homesickness that crashed over me washed away any joy I felt. I hit reply.

Me: SO HAPPY FOR YOU!

And as soon as I hit send, I shut off my phone.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to her—I did—I just couldn’t handle her high energy pep right now. Once I had my emotions in check, I’d turn my phone back on and face my friends. Until then, I was going to pretend Keene Valley and everyone in it didn’t exist. Probably wouldn’t be successful, but it was worth a shot.

I spent another two hours buried in a mound of homework—not because I had a ton of assignments due, but because I had nothing fun to do. No friends. No hobbies. No job. I froze with my pen poised above my paper.

That wasn’t a bad idea. My heart beat faster at the possibility. A job would get me out of this house, away from my father, and it would give me money to get back to Keene Valley, because I was not expecting my father to help.

Stuffing my papers into my notebook, I slammed it closed and shoved everything into my backpack. Then I opened my laptop, found the website for the local newspaper. The “help wanted” section linked to a job search site. I created an account and searched for local jobs.

“Whoa,” I whispered when the results popped up.

I scrolled through them, quickly dismissing any that required skills I didn’t have and any that were too far away. I’d have to be able to walk to a job… Unless I could convince Declan to drive me. Although, it was probably silly to get a job that I’d have to quit a month later. Oh, well. I needed to do something to get out of this house.

“Chloe?” Larissa’s voice rang through the hallway outside my room.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah?”

“Please come downstairs for dinner.” She paused, and I stared at my door, expecting her to walk in. Instead, she said, “There’s something your father and I would like to discuss with you.”

Groaning, I closed my laptop. “Yup.”

My stomach knotted. I was positive whatever they wanted to discuss was nothing more than another lecture about how I was a part of this family, and I should start acting like it. They’d had that talk with me shortly after I’d arrived, and I bluntly pointed out that I never asked to be here. Larissa had gotten up from the table, crying, and my father scolded me like I was seven not seventeen. We hadn’t had that talk since.

Until now, apparently.