I Go Here

*Violet's POV*

As I look into his dark eyes, I can’t help the slew of emotions that over power me. Anger, hatred and fear are the most prominent ones. He looks exactly the same as he did the last time I saw him. Tall, fit, covered in tattoos, black hair short on the sides and pushed back on top and giving me a cold, calculating look with a hint of unpredictability that tells me he could snap at any second. The same one that was always on his father’s face.

“What are you doing here?”

“I go here. What are you doing here?” He spits back.

“I go here. I thought you were at Oxford?”

“I was. I had to transfer here for my last year because my father forced me to follow them to New York a couple months ago.”

I’m so shocked I don’t even know what to reply to this. How did I not know they were here? Also I think this is the longest we’ve ever spoken without him insulting me.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” He asks, as he looks me up and down angrily. There it is. I spoke too soon apparently. I’m still reeling from this new information regarding my mother than I don’t really register his attempt to insult my clothing.

“Hi, sorry, who are you?” Stella asks him before my brain catches up.

“Kane,” he says, not offering any additional information. His eyes only flickering to her briefly before turning back to me.

“And how exactly do you two know each other?” She asks, looking back and forth between us.

I cringe and then say, “He’s sort of my step-brother,” I say quietly. When I say it, he cringes too. Glad to see he dislikes me as much as I dislike him. Every time I went to visit my mother he was always so cruel. He was arrogant and rude and took every opportunity to tease me and bully me. He would make comments about my shitty hair and about my body. Granted, he doesn’t know about my eating disorder, but still. Who says that stuff to a person?

“How about we not tell too many people that, yeah?” He says with a glint in his eye. Right, because being associated with me is the worst thing in the world apparently.

“Fine by me,” I spit back. The alcohol must be making me brave because I never would have said something like that to him before.

“Just stay the fuck away from me,” He says before storming off.

“Okay, I have so many questions. What the fuck just happened?” Stella asks me.

“I have to go,” I say quietly, biting back tears that threaten to spill out of my eyes.

“Go? We just got here. Don’t let him ruin your night Vi. Come on, it’s a big house, we can avoid him if you want.”

“No, it’s not that. I just need to leave. But, you can stay. I know my way back,”

She hesitates and then says, “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Okay, then. Text me when you get back to the room okay?”

I nod and then put my cup down before making my way back to the main door. Once I’m outside I start running. Not because I think anyone is chasing me or anything, but because it always helps me calm down. How could my mother not care enough about me to tell me that they moved here? Is she so caught up with her new husband and her new life that I mean that little to her?

When I make it back to the room, I strip off all my clothes and change into sweatpants and a hoodie and then hang up the dress on a hanger. I take off all the makeup and undo my hair. I feel a bit bad about this. She put so much work into this and I just wasted it. Whatever, it’s too late now.

I consider calling someone but Rebecca would definitely be asleep by now and my Dad would just worry too much. I could call Jace, but it’s his first night back at the frat house and I don’t wanna be that girlfriend.

Besides I’m definitely still intoxicated from the dorm vodka. I decide I should just sleep it off, go to freshman orientation tomorrow and then I’ll call my dad. I know that he deserves to know she’s here too.