The Art of Pretending

Chapter Nineteen

   "Hi dad" I mumble, trying to pull my arm out from his grasp. This just makes him hold tighter. "You're hurting me" I start to cry.

   "Good. Where have you been?"

   "Natalie's."

   "Don't lie!" He slaps me across the face.

   "I was just at her house I promise."

   "And before that?"

   "My friend Emma's" This earns me another slap. "Stop hitting me" I scream.

   "I can do whatever the fuck I want, I'm your father." I push him away, this was a mistake because he grabs my hair.

   "Please stop" I beg. He pulls me upstairs by my hair to my bedroom. My eyes widen when I see that it's been completely trashed.

   "Stay in here and don't come out." He pushes me to the floor and I fall.

   Without thinking, I pick up my phone and press call.

   "Hello?" Grayson pants, out of breath.

   "Hey"

   "Oh, umm hey. I'm kinda busy right now."

   "Oh" I say my voice cracking. "Are you still at the party?"

   "Yea, I'm with the guys. I have to go, bye." He hangs up.

   Great. I lay in bed after picking up my room making it at least a little decent. I must of fallen asleep because I'm woken up by my phone ringing.

   "Hello?" I yawn

   "Oh shit Blair, did I wake you?" Grayson.

   "No" I lied.

   "Sorry I hung up on you, I was umm with the boys. But why'd did you call?" I start to cry. "Blair?" He asks again.

   "I...yea?" I mumble

   "Do you want me to pick you up?"

   "Yea. Wait, have you been drinking?"

   "No, I'll be there in 10."

   I stay in his clothes. He texts me he's here and I climb out my window.

   "What's wrong with your arm?" He asks once I get into the car. I look down and it's all red. He looks and my face and I break. Tears start streaming down my face. "You should of called me earlier."

   "I did."

   His eyes widen turning guilty, but he doesn't say anything. He starts his car and we drive to his house.

   We get to his house, but don't talk until we're in his room. He closes the door and sighs. "You know you could tell someone?"

   "Don't" I say

   "It's not ok Blair, he can't do..."

   I cut him off, "you promised you wouldn't try to fix me, so please stop." He sighs and gets in bed next to me.

   He wraps his arms around me and pulls me to his body.

   "So how was the party?" I say trying to change the subject. He gets the hit and goes along.

   "It was fine, nothing exciting happened."

   He starts to play with me hair and I sigh. I love when he does thatS "Why do you always play with me hair?"

   "I don't know, I just do. I guess that I just like it."

   We both don't speak after that and fall asleep.

***

   "You slept with Ashlyn?" A voice yells entering the room. Noah.

   "What the fuck dude?" Carter.

   I shoot up realizing what they had just said. 

   "Oh shit, Blair." Carter says

   "You slept with Ashlyn?" I ask, getting mad. Why was I getting mad? We aren't dating and the whole reason we're doing whatever we're doing, is for this exact reason. I didn't have the right to be upset, but I was.

   I'm picked up by Noah. "Stay away from him Blair, you deserve better."

   "You slept with Ashlyn?" I ask again, "When I called you last night, and you said you were with the guys, were you with her?"

   "Oh he was not with us, the fucker ditched us the second we got into the party." Said Noah.

   I'm shocked. Noah and Carter walk out of Grayson's room, closing the door, Noah still holding me.

   "Guys!" Grayson shouts after us.

"I don't know whats going on between you guys but he's a jerk." Noah says

"Yea, major jerk." Carter agrees

"I mean, we're just friends."

"Bullshit"

   "We are" I mumble, and it was true. I don't know if Grayson wants them to know about our agreement, or even if he told them. So I'm completely at a loss of what to say.

They continue to walk downstairs, out the house, passing Grayson's mom on the way out.

    "Bye Mrs. H!" They yell

   "Bye boys, bye Blair." My cheeks redden, knowing that she knew I slept over.

   I'm put in the backseat of a car, while Noah and Carter sit in the front. They start the car and start driving.

Grayson runs out of the house, shouting.
"Seriously guys?" They ignore and and drive away.

"Where are we going?" I ask

"To get breakfast."

"Ok..."

•••