Lisa elbowed me in the side and gave me a resting bitch face, but she wasn’t really mad, I could tell. “You don’t seem too upset.”
“I’m surprised but not surprised if that makes sense. I’ll deal with you two later.” Lisa glared at Jess and Alexis.
“No, you don’t; they’re on our payroll. It has nothing to do with you.” Her dad spoke for what I think might be the first time.
“Now, Cody Baxter. I’m thinking the reason my daughter wants to get an apartment is because of you?”
SUSIE
“I can’t stay here, mom. You can’t leave me here.” I felt real panic at the sound of the cell door closing with me on the wrong side of it.
“There’s nothing I can do. It’s just for one night.”
“Make that two; there’s no court on Sundays; she’ll have to be arraigned on Monday the earliest.”
“What?” I screeched at the stupid cop who offered up that information before walking away as if he hadn’t just said the most inane thing I’ve ever heard.
I’m behind bars, like literally behind bars. Me, Susie Powell, the girl who ruled everything in her path since birth, was being treated like a common criminal. Could this day get any worse? “Why are you just standing there? Do something.”
“What would you like me to do? You have no one but yourself to blame for this.”
“Since when? You’re the one who told me to go for it. You always did in the past; what changed now?” That feeling of being out of control was getting worse. It started earlier when I found out that the bitch was having another party the same night as mine and that everyone had chosen her over me.
All week it had been building up inside, and I knew it was going to explode all over everyone and everything, but I didn’t expect it to end like this. When I lash out, it never does. I’ve never met an opponent mom couldn’t scare into submission if they escaped my grasp. “I’m not going to let her win. As soon as I get out of here….”
“You’ll do nothing. Don’t go anywhere near that girl again. Ever!”
“Mom, you might be afraid of them, but I’m not.” And your fear and ass kissing is making me sick.
“Didn’t you hear anything I said out there? The best you can do right now is lay low and stay in here. You spending a night in jail might be enough to call them off. Let them see that you’re a little bit repentant at least.”
“Why are you afraid of those people? Who cares if they have money? Didn’t you say her dad’s just a doctor?”
“He’s a little bit more than that, but that’s not the point. His wife is damn near the crown princess in upper circles. These are the kind of people your father and I work for. You don’t just attack one of their kids and expect things to just blow over.”
“Why not? I’ve done it before. Wasn’t that girl Nellie in high school the governor’s daughter? And what happened there?”
Mom held her head in her hand as if she had a headache coming on. I don’t see why her head should hurt when I’m the one stuck in here. “Susie, you’re not a child anymore.” When she said that, I felt something inside of me die. When had I ever been one? I practically raised myself with the help of nannies and anyone who had a spare minute when I was left on my own while my parents went about their busy lives without me.
All I’ve ever wanted was their attention. To be more important than the next big deal or campaign. They’d always been around only long enough to clean up my messes; now, they wanted to pull the rug out from under me. Dad has been very mean of late. Almost as if the fact that I was graduating from college meant that I was no longer his child, like he couldn’t wait to shed the responsibility.
“Listen, I’ve got to go. I’ll be back Monday morning for the arraignment. Try to get some sleep.” I called out to her, but she was already gone, and I stood there staring at the empty hallway that led to the door where she’d disappeared. This can’t be happening. Always before, when I did something like this, all it took was a fine to make it go away.
What kind of power do Lisa’s parents have to do this to me? I’d heard all that gibberish mom was spouting earlier, but seriously, who cares about the Kennedys or whoever? My dad has been the people’s favorite senator for a long time now. There was even talk about him running for the top office in the land in a few years. So why…?
I hadn’t even thought about Cody in all this. How much damage had I done tonight? It was just a windshield. Surely, he wouldn’t hold something as silly as that against me for too long. Had he seen mom? Seen how powerful and amazing she is? Wait, what am I thinking? My thoughts were jumping all over the place.