Daphne's Questionable Bet, page 24
“Maybe we should talk about your daughter and her stalker best friend blackmailing me!” I said, my hands flexing like they wanted to throw something.
Rosalind stomped a foot. “I’m not a stalker!”
I smirked. “Fine. Show Mrs. Winters your phone. Since she won’t find any photos of my friends and family on there, you won’t mind.”
Rosalind took a step toward me, the smugness in her eyes almost blinding. “She already knows about them.”
“What?” Sierra asked, looking between her mom and Rosalind.
Kimber blushed. “Honey, we were just looking out for you.”
Sierra folded her arms, a brilliant shade of red hiking up her neck, about to invade her entire face. “I told you I could handle this myself. I don’t need help from either of you!”
Kimber tsked, taking a soft step toward her daughter. “Oh, honey. You haven’t been the same since your dad moved out. Rosalind and I just wanted to fix things for you. Make life better.”
“How is stalking Daphne going to make my life better?” Sierra seethed. “How is blackmailing her going to fix anything? You and Dad are done, Mom! He’s not coming back!” She waved her hands around. “Me winning some stupid bet isn’t going to magically bring our family back together.”
I leaned toward her. “I think you’re forgetting that you blackmailed me, too.”
She hissed at me, causing me to step back.
“Yeesh! Sorry.” I motioned to all of them. “The three of you are all the same. You’re obsessed with how people view you. You have to feel superior to everyone around you in order to be happy.”
“I do not!” Sierra snapped. “And I don’t care what people think of me!”
I pointed to her pale pink frou-frou dress. “You look like a freaking Barbie doll! What happened to the cool Sierra I met when I first moved here?”
She opened her mouth, ready to yell, but then she took a step back. “You thought I was cool?”
I nodded. “The plaid-wearing, red lipstick, friendly girl I met? Yeah, she was cool.” I tugged on one of the flowers on the front of her dress. “This girl, though. She’s far from cool.”
Sierra slapped my hand. “Don’t touch my dress!”
“Why?” I cocked my head. “Afraid of ruining your perfect Kennedy vibe you have going on?” I marched over to the bombastic fountain and filled a champagne glass with the cider before going back over to Sierra. “And if this were to suddenly spill on your dress, you wouldn’t care?”
Sierra’s eyes went wide. Then, she lifted her chin. “No. I wouldn’t.”
With a grin, I tossed the cider at her, watching it spray all over the front of her dress.
Sierra gasped, spreading her arms wide, staring down in shock at her ruined dress.
I went up and yanked off two of the flowers protruding from the fabric, tossing them on the floor when I was done.
“What are you doing?” Sierra screeched.
“Fixing your dress,” I said. “You look ridiculous. You can thank me later.”
“Thank you?” Sierra’s hands balled into fists.
“You’re welcome,” I said.
She growled. “I wasn’t … ugh! You’re insufferable!”
“Hey, thanks!” I folded my arms. “Can we end this now, please? There are pizza rolls in Ballroom Two waiting for me to consume them.”
Cold cider suddenly rained down on me, covering my right side. I turned to find Rosalind holding two empty champagne glasses, smiling triumphantly at me. She set the glasses on a table and pulled out her phone, smirking. “I think I’ll post a picture right now.”
“Don’t you dare,” I snarled.
Rosalind’s eyes held a challenge. “Try and stop me.”
I could never turn down a challenge. I needed to be the lion, not the cub, and make Taylor proud.
In my head, I cranked up “My Body” by Young the Giant, getting myself in the right mindset.
With a roar, I ran at Rosalind, wrapping my arms around her middle and pushing her backward. Rosalind shrieked, pounding weakly at my back, surprised at my attack.
“Say you won’t post the photos, and I’ll back off,” I said, still driving her back.
“No, you freak!”
Freak. The same thing my bullies used to call me because I sang and danced everywhere I went. It flooded me with bad memories. All of them circling around me, taunting me, pushing me.
This ended now.
Releasing her, I snatched a tray of escargot from a nearby waiter and started pelting Rosalind.
“Delete the photos!” I said before I threw a round of escargot at her.
Rosalind threw up her arms to block her face. “Stop!”
“I’ll stop when you delete the photos!”
She lowered her arms. “I can’t delete anything with you throwing things at me!”
Taking the last snail from the tray, I threw it at her, hitting her smack in the nose.
She squealed, flailing her arms around. “It touched me!”
“What’s going on?” Mom came into view, staring at the four of us in shock.
I pointed at Rosalind. “She’s blackmailing me with a bunch of not-so-nice photos of me, you, basically everyone I know and love.” Then I pointed at Sierra. “So is she!”
“It’s one photo!” Sierra said.
I scoffed. “Is that supposed to make it any better?”
“What photos?” Mom asked, worry dancing in her eyes. “What does she have?”
Kimber stepped forward. “Ones that would make Ian turn over in his grave.”
Mom and I gasped at the same time. Mom went in front of Kimber, glaring at her with a hatred I’d never seen on her before. “Don’t you dare say his name or bring him into this.” She heaved with anger, and I worried she might throw a punch. I wasn’t sure if I’d stop her if she tried. I kind of wanted to punch Kimber in the face myself.
Kimber snarled. “We all know he made the wrong choice back then.”
Mom shook her head, pointing at Sierra and me. “You look at those beautiful girls and say that again.”
The hatred in Kimber’s eyes dimmed as she glanced over at Sierra.
Sierra had shrunk back, clearly embarrassed by her mom.
This whole thing had gotten way out of control. I held out my hand to Rosalind. “Let me see your phone.”
“No!” Rosalind said.
“Stop being such a brat, and do the right thing,” I said, still holding out my hand.
“Give her the phone, Rosalind,” Sierra said, stepping up beside me. “Or I’ll take it from you.”
Surprise flashed on Rosalind’s face. “Sierra, I was doing this for you.”
Sierra shook her head. “You were doing this for my mom. And yourself. Now, hand over the phone.”
“Where’s the birthday girl?” Mr. Winters’ voice boomed from the right, making us all look at him. He came toward us, completely oblivious to our argument, with a huge smile on his face, and holding a large cake in his hands. He started singing Happy Birthday in a rich baritone, but when no one joined him, he trailed off, looking around the quiet room.
“Not now, Dad,” Sierra said, still glaring at Rosalind. “Seriously, hand over your phone. Now.”
Rosalind wriggled her phone. “You want it, come and get it.”
Sierra and I exchanged a glance before we lunged at Rosalind, our arms outstretched. With a squeal, Rosalind ran to the side, right into Mr. Winters and the birthday cake. It splattered against her, chunks of cake flying everywhere, smacking into Sierra and me right as we got to Rosalind. With Rosalind still squealing like a pig, freaking out about the cake all over her, Sierra and I scrambled to get the phone from her hands.
As soon as my hand wrapped around the phone, I yanked it from Rosalind’s grip and stepped back. My foot landed on a chunk of cake, my shoe sliding over the frosting, and sending me spiraling down, the phone flying into the air. A searing pain radiated through my cheekbone as my face smacked into the side of the lion fountain, making it tilt to the side. Sparkling cider poured down on me, drenching me through, as I landed with a thump on the marble floor.
Sierra and Mom both hurried over, pulling me away from the spilling fountain.
I pressed a hand to my cheek.
“You’re bleeding!” Sierra looked over at someone, but I closed my eyes, trying to stop my world from spinning. “Bentley, go find some towels!”
The sound of his shoes striking marble echoed throughout the ballroom as he scampered away.
It took a second to regain my bearings, everything finally coming to a stop. I opened my eyes to see Sierra and my mom staring at me, concern in their eyes.
“Sweetie?” Mom moved the wet curl that clung to my face, covering my eye. “Can you focus on me?”
“Um, hello!” Rosalind motioned to her cake-covered body. “I’m here, too!”
“You’re not the one who hit your face!” Sierra snapped. “She could have a concussion.”
“But my phone!” Rosalind whined, bending down and picking up the remnants of her shattered phone.
Sierra rolled her eyes. “You can get a new one. Chill out.”
Bentley came running back into the room with Sebastian on his heels, both of them holding towels. Sebastian just tossed one at Rosalind—who caught it against her chest, her jaw hanging wide—before he came to me, wrapping a towel around my body. I clutched onto the towel, grateful for even the slightest bit of warmth.
Bentley pressed another towel to my cheek, holding it in place. “This cut looks really bad.”
Mom nodded. “She’s going to need stitches. Help me get her up.”
Together, Mom and Bentley got me to my feet, through the speechless crowd, and out of the house. Cody stood on the curved driveway, watching as the valet drove his car up to the front.
Cody held open the back door, so Mom and I could climb in before he got into the driver’s seat and drove off.
I’d given Cody a hard time for acting like such a dad. But the fact that he moved so quickly, knew to get the car as soon as he saw me fall, and didn’t say a word, made me grateful for his fatherly ways.
Chapter Forty-Six
I sat on the hospital bed, wishing I wasn’t in a slopping wet dress. Especially one covered in blood.
Mom checked her phone. “Veronica and Taylor are going to get you a fresh set of clothes.”
“Thank goodness,” I said.
Cody looked at the gash on my cheek and whistled. “Looks like the fountain won this round.”
“Feels like it, too,” I mumbled. To say my face was sore was a grave understatement.
Bentley stood off in the corner, fuming. Sierra kept a wide distance, standing closer to me.
Bentley and Sierra had followed us to the hospital, and by the way he was reacting, Sierra had spilled the beans about the bet. I had a feeling he’d eventually get over it. It was just a lot to take in at the moment. He hated bullies as much as I did.
Mom’s phone rang. “It’s my parents. I’m just going to step outside for a sec.” She looked at me. “You okay?”
I smiled over at Sierra, and she returned the gesture. “I’ll be fine.”
Mom hesitantly glanced between us, but finally left the room, answering her phone in the process.
A nurse opened the curtain, joining us near the bed.
Sierra and I shared a quick glance. The guy was hot.
“Looks like you had a rough night,” the nurse said, taking in my dress before turning his attention to my cheek. “I’m Dexter. Daphne, right?”
I nodded. “You’re not a serial killer, are you?”
Dexter chuckled. “No. Even if I was, I would kill other serial killers. So, unless you’re a serial killer yourself, you’re safe.”
“Whew,” I said. “Good thing I’m not a serial killer.” I sighed. “My mom won’t let me watch the series.”
Dexter smiled. “That’s probably a good thing. That show is … intense.” He cleaned up my wound. “You in pain?”
“A little,” I said. “But not unbearable.” I stared at all the blood on his gloves, becoming light-headed. “Not good with blood, though.”
Sierra took my hand. “So, you’d be a horrible serial killer.”
“Poison,” I said, closing my eyes. I so didn’t want to watch whatever Dexter was doing. “No blood involved.”
“Should I be worried you answered that so quickly?” Sierra asked, sarcasm in her tone.
“Maybe a little.” I squeezed her hand. “Neighbor.”
“So, what happened?” Dexter asked.
I sighed. “A questionable bet, a scandalous photo, a stalker, and a lion fountain.”
Dexter laughed. “Sounds like the start to a good horror story.”
Sierra put her other hand over our clasped hands. “I’m so sorry, Daphne. This whole thing got out of hand. I’ve just been upset since my dad moved out.”
“I heard your mom say that,” I said. “When did that happen?”
Sierra sighed. “A couple of months ago. Before you guys even got here.”
“That’s why you wanted to win the bet so badly,” I said, everything coming together. “In hopes of your parents getting back together.”
Dexter put his hand on my chin, stopping me from moving. Oh, yeah. The guy was sewing up my face.
“Mom never got over your dad choosing another girl,” Sierra said.
“That was so long ago.” I still wouldn’t open my eyes. Pretending like a needle wasn’t frolicking through my skin was the best way to go.
“I know,” Sierra said. “She really loved your dad. Like, a lot. More than she’s ever loved my dad.”
I had no idea her feelings had been that strong.
“Oh.” I blew out a breath. “Us moving in was probably a trigger. Your dad moves out, then the lady who took her first love moves in next door and has a daughter with sweet dance moves.”
Sierra chuckled. “And that daughter looks exactly like Laura did when they first went through this whole thing.” She squeezed my hand. “I took everything out on you because I could. But I shouldn’t have. My parents’ problems aren’t your fault. I think I need to accept the fact that they aren’t going to stay together.”
“I’m sorry, Sierra,” I said. “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m right next door.”
“You know, your likable personality made it really hard to hate you through all of this.”
“I’ll try to rein in my awesomeness around you.”
Sierra laughed. “Never rein yourself in around me. I like you just the way you are, Daphne.”
I finally opened my eyes. “Aww, we had a moment.” I tried to look over at Bentley, but Dexter held me in place. “Bentley, you were witness to this special moment.”
He came into view, a soft smile on his face. “I don’t think I’ll ever understand girls.”
Dexter grinned. “You won’t.”
Bentley and Sierra shared a small smile, and I hoped that meant everything would work out between them. With Sierra back to being herself, the two would go great together.
Veronica and Taylor ran into the room.
“What happened?” Veronica asked.
“Daph, are you okay?” Taylor asked. Then her gaze went to Dexter, and her smoldering smile landed on her face.
Sierra stood, grinning at me. “Think that’s my cue to leave. I’ll come by tomorrow, Daphne, and see how you’re doing.”
Bentley patted my leg. “Happy birthday, Daphne.”
“Thanks, Bentley.”
He and Sierra left, and I couldn’t help but notice he put his hand on the small of her back as they went out the door.
Taylor put her hands on her head. “My mind is officially blown.”
Veronica gawked at the door. “Tell us everything. Now.”
“I’m going to stop you right there,” Dexter said. “I really need Daphne to stop moving so much.”
I held out my hand to Mom as she reentered the room. She rushed to my side, taking the seat Sierra had vacated, her warm hands wrapping around mine. This obviously wasn’t how I wanted to end my seventeenth birthday, but having my friends and mom with me meant the world.
I glanced back at Cody, who offered me a warm smile. Huh. I even liked having him here. Go figure.
Sierra texted me later that night after I’d gotten home from the hospital, taken a long, hot shower, and changed into my Cheer Bear onesie, hoping to fill myself with cheer.
Sierra: Photos and videos are deleted. All of them.
Me: Positive?
Sierra: Yep. I’ve never seen this side of Rosalind before. It’s kind of creepy.
Me: Kind of? The girl was stalking me and a whole bunch of other people.
Sierra: Okay, fine, totally creepy. How are you feeling?
Me: Sore. My cheek hurts. I have a headache. But I’ll live.
Sierra: Good. By the way, Rosalind admitted to blackmailing Weston. Said she’d upload all those pictures if he didn’t pretend he wasn’t interested in you.
My heart swelled. That was why he’d shut me out. It wasn’t that he didn’t like me. He was trying to protect me. Seriously, the guy couldn’t get more amazing.
But that still didn’t change the fact that he had Mercy in his life now. Even if it had started as a way to prove he was over me, I’d seen the uploaded pictures. The ones of them flirting. Her kissing his cheek, causing him to blush. You can’t fake that.
Sierra: I talked to Mercy. She said she likes Weston, but she could tell he was hung up on someone else. Once I explained everything, she understood. She’s going to back off of him.
For some reason, that didn’t make me feel all that better. I didn’t want to be his seconds. I wanted him to choose me. To want me.
Me: Thanks.
Sierra: By the way, I ended up enjoying that playlist you sent me.
Me: The stalker one?
Sierra: Yep. You have really great taste in music. Anyway, good night. Happy birthday!
Me: Happy birthday to you, too! Night.
I checked the time. Almost midnight.
I thought back to my interaction with Weston inside Ballroom One. He’d looked so pained. So torn. No matter how he felt, the guy deserved to know the truth.
