Everett

Zachary has retracted to himself. As soon as we were getting closer to their house Zachary closed off. Violet doesn't seem to notice this. She is still examining my car. Violet is the first person who I have met, who can make Zachary lose his cool like that. Then again if your sister was calling you while crying in the middle of nowhere, you would be pretty out of it too. I look at her without either of them noticing and the only thing they have in common is their dark brown hair. Everything else is different, Violet is pale and her eyes are brown. Nothing like Zachary's bronze skin or Amber eyes.

“Take the right, and the first house you see is mine.” Vio directs me. I take the right and my jaw literally drops. The house wasn't big, it was bigger than a usual house, but it was sophisticated and beautiful. The gate opens and we drive in. The gardens are so perfectly manicured that there isn't a single grass out of place. The whole house is painted in white and covered mostly in glass. I park the car and we all get out.

Just as we reach the front door, it opens to reveal a beautiful woman with ice-cold eyes staring down at Violet. She has the same brown hair as both of them, I am guessing it's their mother. Her gaze shifts towards Zachary. Whatever I was expecting, this wasn't it, she just grits her teeth at him and turns back to Violet. Not even a fucking greeting after seeing her son. But then she notices me. Her eyes narrow. I don't flatter as I stare right back. I just don't like this woman. And it's not the anger or frustration I feel towards Zachary, this is different. It's like I just don't even want to give her any bit of my attention.

“We have company, I see. Come on in. Dinner is ready.”

I had no intention of staying here for dinner, but she is already inside before I could refuse. So all of us follow her. If I thought the outside of the house was beautiful then it has nothing on the inside. Everything was perfect, it felt like I was entering a huge company. The walls were white and the furniture was wooden, dark wood. And for the rest of it, it was dark gray.

Zachary's mother leads us towards the dining table where the dishes were already set. She walks like she owns everything in this house, including the people living in it. A man is sitting there, he looks up at us and gives a polite smile. Not a real smile.

“Aren't you going to introduce your friend?” Zachary's mom turns to him “Or have you lost your basic manners too?”

There is nothing warm or motherly about the way she said that. It makes me really pissed. But Zachary seems unfazed by it.

“This is Everett,“ He says to her and then turns to me “Everett, this is mother, Natalia and this is her husband Brendan.” He points to his mother first and then to the man who I am guessing is his stepfather and Violet's father.

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Brendan says.

I give him a polite smile just like the one he has plastered on his face. The house might be big, but it still feels suffocating in here.

“Please have a seat, all of you.” Natalia says.

“Thank you, Mrs-” I cut off when I realize that I don't know her last name.

“Natalia is fine,” she waves me off.

We all take a seat and serve ourselves a plate. Everything on the table smells and looks delicious. And when I finally take the first bite I discern that it tastes even better.

“Now Violet what you did today is not how you behave. Just running out of your house like that is deplorable manners. I do not want you to be like your brother.” She says coldly.

My eyes snap towards Zachary as she finishes her last sentence. I see his whole body tensing, but he doesn't say anything. Anger boils in my blood. This has nothing to do with me. Calm down. I look over to Brendan, he doesn't even bother to act like Zachary exists.

“Zach didn't run away from home. You just won't let him come.” Violet seethes at her mother. Natalia doesn't seem bothered at all.

“I don't care what he did or didn't do. You will not act like that again.” Natalia's voice is an austere command. Vio stares at her mother disdainfully.

“It was my fault. I was the one who told her I was busy so the only time she could meet me was after work.” Zachary says, and by the look Violet is giving her brother it's obvious that he is lying. But Natalia doesn't seem to think it is.

She sets her stony leer on her son. “You will not ever tell my daughter to meet with you like that. I don't care how lowly you will live your life, but you will not involve her with you. I allow you to meet with her once in a while and that's all that is needed.”

My blood freezes. Natalia said that with so much disgust and contempt towards Zachary that I find it difficult to believe that she is in any way his biological mother. But Zachary just stares at her, a stoic expression on his face.

“Yes. It won't happen again.” he says. Everything about this situation is wrong. All I want to do is grab Zachary and drag him out of here. To just get him out of here and hold him, because nobody deserves to hear that from your own mother. Zachary is an arrogant prick, but he is by no means a bad person, If anything he the most kindest person I have met, especially to those who he has let into his life. He is strong and prideful. Not this, not defeated like this.

“Mom! What is wrong with you!? He is your son.” Violet hurls out.

“He has his father. Oh right, he left him. He is just an ungrateful boy who is trying to get my daughter involved in his rancid life.”

Zachary's whole face goes pale. That's it. I am not staying in this house another second. I might just blurt out something that I can't take back.

“Zachary, we need to leave. I just remembered that I have early morning practice tomorrow.” I say, already getting up. The last thing I care about is manners right now. My glare is directed at Zachary, silently telling him to get up. I turn to Natalia and Brendan.

“Thank you for having me.” I say to them with a nod. Zachary just looks at me surprised. But he still nods towards Natalia and Brendan. We both walk out of the house. Vio follows us till the doorstep.

Vio looks at Zachary, biting her lips. He smiles at her. He pulls her in for a hug and kisses the top of her head. “It's fine. It's not your fault.”

I clench my fists. I can't believe Zachary has to go through that. Vio hugs him tighter before releasing him. We both head over to my car and take off. I stay absolutely silent most of the drive and Zachary seems to me engaged in his own thoughts.

“I am sorry you had to see that,” Zachary says. “I didn't mean for that to happen.”

My fingers close around the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles turn white. “Jesus fuck Zachary! I don't care about that. You just had to sit through a dinner where your mother was being a complete bitch to you!”

Zachary shrugs albeit a bit shocked by my reaction. “It's nothing. You get used to it.”

“It's not something you should be getting used to,” My voice is steel as I say that. “Why do you go through that anyway?”

“Vio thinks that Natalia and I had a fight, and we just need to solve it between us. She doesn't know the real reason behind why mother hates me. She is too young to be knowing anything about it. I don't want her having to deal with my problems, that's one thing that I can protect her from.” Zachary says.

I turn to look at him. His shoulders are slumped, and he still isn't looking at me. I turn back to face the road. “Can you, I mean… solve it between the two of you?”

Zachary snorts. “Yeah, if there actually was something to solve. She has been like that since the day I was born. We didn't have a fight, it's complicated. I am more surprised that she acted that way in front of you. She must have been really pissed this time.”

He doesn't want me to know any more than this. Somehow that makes me a bit sad because I want to know. I want him to just let go of all that worry that he has kept with himself all this time. I thought Zachary was arrogant and prideful because he is spoiled and rich but now that I actually see him I understand that all that attitude is his way of keeping people out. His way of protecting himself.

We reach the dorms and both of us get out of the car. Zachary doesn't rush to his dorms like usual, he comes towards me and looks at me. “Can you please keep what happened today between us? If the media gets a hound of this it will be troublesome for Vio. And my mother too, I don't want anything to put her image on damage, Vio needs her mother.”

I couldn't move. I just stare at him astounded. He is protecting the woman who just treated him like shit, even though it's for Vio. He looks so out of place saying that, he has his guards down. This is him showing me a bit of his vulnerability. Suddenly I don't want to let him go, I want him to be this way in front of me all the time. His real self, no walls around him. “I am an asshole but not that much of an asshole to gossip shit about your private life.”

He smirks. “Finally he admits to the fact that he is an asshole.”

“I never had a problem admitting that I am an asshole. It's you who is still in denial.”

He scoffs. “Ignorance is bliss.”

Something else nags me and I blurt out. “What did she mean when she said that you left your father?”

Zachary stops. His muscles tighten. And I knew that whatever I saw today wasn't the whole story, not even close. I feel a dull ache over my chest.

“It means exactly what she said,” he shrugs it off. He is deflecting. Again.

I narrow my eyes at him, it's useless, and I know that. I don't know Zachary well enough that he will start sharing his biography with me, but I just can't let him go.

“There's nothing more to say. It's just that.” He knows that I know he is lying. I don't push him to tell me anything more. And then he leaves.

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