Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 108656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108656 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 543(@200wpm)___ 435(@250wpm)___ 362(@300wpm)
“I didn’t,” Pru said. She hated how wobbly her voice sounded. This was so unfair. Why couldn’t she have the strength and confidence to stand at his side and to tell them all to fuck off?
His mother burst out laughing again. “Oh please. I recognize a slut whenever I see one. I bet you’ve been spreading your legs for all the rich kids. It won’t do you any good. Rich men don’t go for fat little tramps who’ll have any dick.”
Pru couldn’t believe her parents weren’t even standing up for her. They weren’t defending her. Looking at them again, she felt so alone and lost. They were her parents. They should be on her side, and yet, they were just there, waiting. They didn’t want to be here with her.
Were they embarrassed?
Ashamed?
She couldn’t believe it, and yet, looking at them, she didn’t know why she would think they would love her unconditionally. She was eighteen years old and could have sex now, and do a lot of other things, and yet they were treating her like a disgrace.
“You won’t talk about her like that,” Drake said. “She’s not you. She’s not either of you. You don’t know what a good person looks like because you surround yourself with the vilest of people. Pru, she’s better than you.”
The only person willing to defend her was Drake.
She felt the tears well up, but she wouldn’t let them fall. Not here, not now.
His mother sighed and his father chuckled. “Okay, it looks like we’re going to have to teach our boy a lesson.” His mother looked at Pru. “You really think this girl will ever fit into our world?”
“I don’t want her to fit into our world. I want her for myself,” Drake said. “She’s a good person. I love her.”
She smiled up at Drake and they shared a moment, but it was so brief. “You should let me go,” Pru said.
“Finally, at least one of you sees sense,” his father said.
“I’m not going to let you go. We can do this together.”
“My parents are afraid, Drake. I can’t do this to them. Your parents run everything in town. They fund the shops, the mall, everything. They have created jobs with their factories, and have sway at the bank. My parents can’t afford their debts, not if they make them pay.”
“Yes, I would listen to her. You see, Drake, if you don’t let your slut go, I will make sure that not only is her little family run out of town, but she also won’t finish school. She won’t have any future, and well, when no one can get a job, they always end up on the streets. And I can tell you that’s exactly where your little family is heading, Prudence,” his mother said with a smile.
She had never met anyone so cruel in all of her life. They didn’t even pretend to be any different.
Drake had bullied her, but this was a whole new level of mean. His parents would ruin her life and her family’s just because they could. She didn’t even know if she could stand to be in the same room as them.
“Don’t let them win,” Drake said to her.
Then to his dad, he said, “I’m not giving her up. If you do what you say you do, I’ll make sure everyone in the world knows what monsters you really are. Let’s face it, the only reason you’re still relevant is because they believe all the lies you manipulate the papers with.”
His parents looked at each other and smiled. “Son, you’re not exactly in your right mind. You do well at school, but you’ve always been a troubled young man.”
Before her eyes, Pru watched the couple go from looking all-powerful and in control, to seemingly filled with sadness and at a loss. Their performance was outstanding, and if anyone else had been watching them, they would feel for them.
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing but it was the Connors, and they didn’t care enough about her or her parents to even pretend what they were doing. They meant nothing to them.
“No one would believe you, son,” his father said. “Just do as we tell you, and stop this.”
****
How could this have happened so quickly? His parents didn’t even know where he was half of the time and yet, here they were, telling him what to do. Drake held Pru’s hand like it was a lifeline and in truth, it was.
He didn’t want to let her go. His parents were wrong for making him do this.
Even a quick glance at her parents told him there was no chance of them helping. They turned a blind eye to his parents’ manipulations.
Running a hand down his face, he still kept a hold of Pru. Once again, his parents had all the power while he didn’t. If he went against them, he had no doubt this would be bad for Pru and her family.