10 | faithless promises

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C L A I R E

Shit! I'm so late.

As I step inside the house, I am greeted by darkness. The lights are off and everything is pitch black. Visiting the Jacksons is about to earn me a lecture from Dad. I quietly slip out of my shoes and pick them up, dangling them on two fingers as I climb up the stairs. I tiptoe most of the way, not wanting to wake my parents up.

The lights are switched on just as I am about to enter my room, making me stop on my way.

The universe is against me today.

I am past my curfew time and even though I am a mature adult capable of taking care of myself and it shouldn't matter at all, Dad will be pissed when he sees me now. The man doesn't give a damn about my independence but is very cautious of me so that I don't end up dying like his son. It is annoying but that is the only thing I can't call him out on.

I turn slowly, shoes in hand, and find Mom and Dad looking at me. They are already dressed in their nightclothes which means they were about to retire for the night but the sight of Mom's messy hair and the hickey on her neck makes me aware that they were doing something else entirely.

Mom flicks her eyes between me and Dad, wringing her fingers nervously and I look at the floor, ashamed at being caught.

"Was that Jacksons' driver who dropped you off?" Dad asks and I nod slowly.

I spent a little too much time with Rose. She gave me to examine twelve of her new dresses and I had a fun evening telling her my thoughts about each of them; I even helped her pick an outfit for tomorrow for a blind date. It wasn't until hours later that I realized how much time had passed.

"I called you, mija. Why didn't you pick it up?" Mom questions, her voice soft and her tone civilized, unlike Dad.

"My phone was on silent," I reply.

I hear Dad sigh and he pinches the bridge of his nose before looking back at me. "You're about to be married in a week and you—"

"In a week?" I interrupt, startled by this new information. "What do you mean by a week? That's too early!"

Dad's jaw sets itself in a hard manner and his eyes keep me rooted to my spot with a dark look in them.

"It's in a week. I already talked to Vaughn and he has agreed."

"What nonsense!" I shout, dropping my shoes to the floor and stealing a glance at Mom who is staring at me with a guilty expression on her face. "How can you fix my wedding date without even telling me? It's a matter of my life!"

"You're marrying a Jackson!" Dad shouts too, matching the pitch of my voice. "You've no right to talk about matters regarding the Hills anymore. I need no favors from Vaughn. If I struck a deal with him, then I'll fulfill my part of the gain just as soon as he does his."

"But why the wedding?" I argue. "You could just have held an engagement."

"And risk you changing your mind so that Vaughn has leverage on me?" Dad points out. "Never."

He is too clever for me. I miss the Dad I had when my brother was alive. He used to be so kind and soft towards me — from taking us to the amusement park every Sunday to chatting happily during dinner, asking us about our day. He was so different. We were a happy family then and look at him now.

"But I have dreams, Dad. Dreams about how I want my wedding to happen. You can't take that away from me. It's about my whole life." I attempt to make him understand. "How can it all happen in a week? There are so many arrangements to be made."

"Vaughn will take care of everything." Dad waves a hand in the air. "He will pay for everything so you have a week to hire whoever you want to as your wedding planner and spend how much you would like to spend. He said no limitations."

Why did God make men? The world would have been so much better if it was just us women capable of birthing more women.

"You should be ashamed of calling yourself a father," I scoff.

"Mija, he's your father," Mom chides me. "Don't say that!"

"Well, I didn't choose him to be my sperm donor," I mutter under my breath.

"Claire—"

I spin around and rush to my room, slamming the door shut before they can say anything else.

I lean against the wood, my head spinning with today's events, and find my breath hitching, trying to resist a sob.

I will not cry. No one can break me — neither Dad nor Vaughn.

I throw my bag to the side as I lie down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I am going to be married in a week and I don't know shit about marriage. I don't even know what being married even means other than losing your freedom to men. I saw my Mom give up her independence but in her case, she would have fought but she didn't because she loves Dad too much. She believes in her marriage as something pure and sacred. She will do anything Dad asks of her.

Sanctity of marriage my foot!

My mind reminds me that it is only for six months but my heart feels heavy. There is a weight in my chest and I regret making this decision. I have just thrown myself from one Pandora's box to the other and the worst thing is that I have to live with it. All thanks to Vaughn.

After much thought, I pull my phone out of my bag and dial Vaughn's number. He doesn't pick up at first but after two missed calls and at the start of a third ring, I finally hear his voice.

"What's wrong with you, nemesis?" I hear him let out a grunt and before I can reply, the unfamiliar sound of a woman's moan reaches my ear.

My heart skips a beat. He wasn't home when I left his house and now I know where he might be.

"I... " I fumble for words, trying hard to ignore the woman's voice as background noise. "You talked to Dad about our wedding being in a week?"

"Your Dad..." He lets out a breathy sigh before continuing. "He wanted to stand firm on his side of the deal."

"Ah! Vaughn...that feels so...good," the woman cries out and I have to close my eyes as my head hurts at the sound.

She is loud.

"How can you agree with him without talking to me? It's our wedding! Not yours alone."

"I don't give a fuck, nemesis. None of this has actual meaning. In case you forgot, we both don't give a shit about the marriage as long as you have your end of the deal and I've mine."

The annoying woman cries his name out loud and I feel my chest emptying. Who the hell is she and why is Vaughn with her this late at night?

"Vaughn, are you with someone?" I can't help but ask.

He grows silent for seconds and I hear something being thrown over, the sound of his moan, the rustle of sheets, and the woman breathing loudly. I wait patiently, my heart thumping loud as I imagine Vaughn in someone else's bed.

It feels so wrong. Why do I feel like this?

"Yes," he says after a while has passed, the sound of his heavy breathing warming my ear.

"Will you like her to swallow?" the woman asks him and Vaughn lets out a husky 'hmm' in return.

What kind of sick kink is going on there? Who is the woman?

"Is she...are you?"

"Is that jealousy I hear, blondie?" he mocks me. "Sounds like you want to be the one sucking me off right now."

"No! Of course not!" I blurt out, shaking my head although he can't see me. "I just can't believe that you'll be doing that after you made a deal out of my virginity."

"Fuck..." he moans. "It isn't a deal, blondie. You're free to fuck whoever you want to. You still have a week. I'm not someone who will put a name tag on your virginity. It's yours to lose."

"Vaughn, I..."

"You wanna fuck me, Claire? If it makes you feel any better, my offer still stands. If you ask, I'll be there right now and will gladly do as ordered."

"I don't want that, Vaughn." I get up from the bed and pull my knees to my chest, ignoring the throbbing in my core. "But...will you do this again...even after we are...?"

"Ask me after we're married," he sighs. "I promise I'll say no."

He hangs up without letting me respond and I look at my phone screen, frustrated and speechless.

I hate men.


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