Royal Pain in the Ass (52 page)

Chapter XXVII

Things were looking up.
 
After another week, I was cleared and allowed to do some stuff for myself again.
 
I was cautioned against physical activity, which I would have ignored if not for Xavier
’
s careful mothering.
  Don
’
t get me wrong, it was sweet, but annoying.
 
I was excited for the chill in the air of fall.
 
Fall was my favorite season growing up.
 
Everything just seemed to be winding down and family was always close at hand around this time of year.
 
Things were definitely looking up.
 

I was taking Loki for his usual walk when I stopped dead in my tracks.
 
Leaning up against a tree was a crooked nose and icy blue eyes I didn
’
t want to see.

“
What are you doing here?
”

Loki sensed my tension and raised his hackles as a low growl vibrated through him.

“
I came to talk.
”

“
I don’
t want to talk to you, Chase.
”

“
Come on, Jules, at least let me apologize.
”

I sighed.
  “Chase, I can
’
t trust you.
 
You need to leave me alone.
 
Come on, Loki,
”
I turned and started to walk away when someone grabbed my arm and spun me round.
  Loki
’
s growl thundered through him now, teeth bared.
  “
Let go of me, Chase.
”

“
Call your dog off.
”

“
Let go of me, Chase.
”

“
If your dog bites me, I
’
ll see to it that it gets put down.
”

“
And you wanted to apologize?
 
Loki, come.
” 
I tried to yank my arm free, but Chase
’
s grip tightened.
  “
Chase, you
’
re hurting me, let go.
”

“
Juliet, I need to apologize.
”

“
Not like this.
  You
’
re hurting me, now let go or I
’
m going to call the cops and press assault charges and get a restraining order.
”

“
Look, Jules, you remember my father don
’
t you?
”
Chase asked as he loosened his grip.
  “
He wants to set things right.
”

“
You mean he wants to protect his precious image.
”
I pointed out in a flat tone.

Chase gave me a sheepish smile.
  “
Yeah, you remember him.
 
So, can I apologize to you?
”

“
If you
’
re truly sorry, you
’
ll find a way to show it, words mean nothing to me.
”

“Jules, he
’
s campaigning, just let me apologize in public.
”

“I
’
ll make you a deal.
”

Chase looked up.
  “
Really?
”

“
If you will get out of my life, completely out of it, and I mean for the rest of it, I will let you.
”

Chase smiled and visibly relaxed.
  “Thank you.”

“
When and where?
”
I sighed.
  I can
’
t believe I was actually going to do this.

“
Dad is hosting a benefit dinner, he
’
ll be talking a lot of campaigning so a lot of his benefactors will be there.
”

“
When is it?
”

“
Next Saturday night.
”

“
What time?
”

“
The dinner starts at 8 so be there around 6?
”

“
Where?
”

“
Our house.
”

I nodded.
  “I
’
ll be there, but Chase, I meant what I said.
”

“
I know, Jules.
   I
’
ll make it up to you, baby.
 
I swear I will.
”

“Don
’
t call me baby.
”

“
Sorry, old habits die hard I guess.
”

“
Let go of me, Chase.
” 

“
Oh shit, sorry.
”
Chase let his hand drop and Loki relaxed.
 

“I
’
m leaving, don
’
t follow.
”
I growled as I turned and went straight back home to tell Xavier what had happened
.

“
Absolutely not!
 
This is ludicrous!
 
You should not be within one hundred miles of that cretin.
” 
Xavier was nearly shouting by this point.
 
I told him what had happened and what I had agreed to.

“Xavier,”

“
He nearly murders you and you agree to see him for an apology?
  Are you mad?”

“Xavier,”

“
What were you thinking, Juliet?
 
He could have hurt you!
 
I already can see the bruise on your arm!
”

“Xavier,”

“
What if he hurts you again?
 
I will not stand idly by and watch this happen!
”

“Xavier!”

“
What?
”

“
You need to calm down!
”

“
I need to calm down?
 
Oh no, my dear, I most certainly do not,
”

“
Xavier, shut up and listen to me!
 
I am not a child, so do not speak to me like I am one.
  I
’
m a grown woman, I can tie my own shoelaces and everything.
 
Shut up and let me tell you the whole story, okay?
”

“
What do you mean?
”

“I
’
m not doing this for Chase, I
’
m doing it for the rest of his family.
 
Come sit down and I
’
ll tell you everything from the beginning.
”

I sat down and Xavier sat next to me and I recounted to him the story of Chase and me, how we happened.

It started my freshman year.
 
I was terrified, I was going to the University, and it was huge.
 
Physically, it was the largest campus in the States.
 
It had a way of making you feel small.
 
I had Communications
1 just like every other freshman, and I just so happened to have it with Chase.
 
I didn
’
t even notice him at first to be honest.
 
I was so absorbed in class, I wanted to do well.
 
I was in the front row and he sat towards the back.
 
There were about three hundred people in this class.
 
I don’
t even know how he saw me.
 
Right around midterms he started sitting next to me.
 
I still remember our first conversation, if you can call it that.

“
Hello there,
”
he smiled at me flashing his perfect teeth.
 
This was a smile that made me melt for him for a while there.

“Um, hi?” 
I wasn
’
t sure who he was talking to me, it certainly couldn
’
t be me.
 
Quiet, nerdy, little me.

“
What
’
s your name?
”

“
Juliet.
  You?”

“Chase.”

“
Um, cool?
” 
I had no idea what to make of him.

“
So, how are you doing in this class?
”

“Okay, I guess.”

“
Really?
 
Cause I
’
m totally bombing.
”

“
Oh no, do you know why?
”

Chase crossed him arms on the desk and rested his head on his arms.
  “
I supposed it
’
s because I
’
m a lazy good for nothing as my father likes to put it.
”
He smiled languidly up at me.

“
That
’
s terrible.
 
Why would he say something like that?
”

“
Because he
’
s probably right.
”
Chase shrugged lazily.
  “But I
’
m the least of his concerns.
 
He wants me to try to find someone to study with.
 
Want to come study with me?
”

“Um, I
’
m already in a study group.
 
Do you want to join us?
”

“
So long as you
’
ll be there I
’
m game.
”

Little did I know Chase had access to the best of everything, including tutors.
 
He started regularly attending study group with me and he would always stay late and we would talk.
 
I didn
’
t really believe he liked me at first.
 
At first I thought he really just wanted a better grade, or at least to not fail, but we always were talking.
 
He always found a way to be touching me.
 
He would bump into me, lean up against me, whatever, and he wasn
’
t exactly subtle about it either.
 
Eventually I figured it out, or rather he asked me out on a date.
 
Chase made me feel special.
 
Out of all the girls at school he chose me.
  I
’
d never had a boy take an interest in me before.
 
It was nice.
 
He made me feel like I was the only girl in the world when I was with him.
 
It didn
’
t take long before we were inseparable.
 
Things were really good for about a year or so, then about halfway through sophomore year, Mom started to get sick.
 

We didn
’
t know what it was at first.
 
About this time, I was really into drinking and I smoked my fair share of pot.
 
When I came home and Mom was just lying there unconscious . . . I called 9-1-1 and it was then we found out she had cancer.

Mom was sick and when I was around her, I was sober.
 
Every bout where she was in the hospital and stuck there, I was getting as shitfaced as I could.
 
I was schmammered every single night.
 
Chase loved to party with me, but he would get really angry when I would leave to see my mom or go to work.
 
I still passed all of my classes, the lowest grade I got was a B+ that I convinced the professor to round to an A
. 
I was out of it for over a year.
 
I just couldn
’
t handle it.
 
Then the doctors gave Mom and expiration date.
 
They gave her six months, she live eighteen.
 
Mom was a fighter all the way.
 
About the time Mom got sick, Chase got distant.
 
I figured it was Mom being sick at first, but all the signs were there that he was cheating.
 
I just didn
’
t want to see it.
 
When it was just about the end for Mom, I came home one day and walked in to find my then best friend and current roommate alone, naked, with my boyfriend, who was also naked.