What do you call a guy that's the biggest tool to have ever stepped foot on this planet? The actual epitome of everything that is wrong with society. A royal douchebag with an ego the size of Mount Rushmore. Is there even a word to describe a guy that much of a jerk? Nope. You got nothing. Well I got two words. Bennett Ellis.
At first glance he's your typical charming, care-free, supposedly well-raised, attractive young man with a smile brighter than the sky when it is lit up with the midnight stars. However, do not be fooled by this for him and his family are real life monsters, or at least that's how Amelia sees them.
You see his family and her family have always ran around in the same social circles, so it would only be natural that their eldest children would date and eventually get married, only to have monster children of their own someday.
Amelia
I lather my legs up with coconut oil as I continue to lay out beside Bennett's pool. I slowly lower my all black Michael Kors sunglasses as I watch him get out of the pool. All of time feels as if it is at a standstill as he smooths back his dark brown hair as beads of water drip down his chest. The setting sun makes his bright green eyes glisten. I can't help but bite at the bottom of my lip as I remember how undeniably sexy he is. For a minute I think that him and I could actually be end game. That is until I watch him harass his butler for the fifth time today and I realize that he's still an asshat and no matter what I need to dump him.
"What the hell is this?!" Bennett exclaims, screaming into his butler's face.
Giles grimaces as he attempts to shrug away from the large spit wads that are flying out of Bennett's mouth and onto his cheeks. "It's you're freshly squeezed lemonade, Mister Sir Ellis."
"Oh is that what you think this is." Bennett takes a big swig of the lemonade and spits it out onto his poor butlers face. "Tastes like piss to me. Did you piss in this?!"
Giles looks down at the ground in defeat, totally and completely embarrassed. "No no sir, I would never do such a thing. I don't know why it would taste like that. I did exactly what you told me to do."
"Did you wash your disgusting hands before handling the lemons?!"
"Yes I even wore gloves and washed the lemons for you so no bacteria would get in it." He assures him.
Bennett looks down into the cup and then holds it up towards the sun. "Why the hell is there lemon seeds floating around?! Don't you know to take out the seeds before you squeeze it! You're such an idiot! And there's no ice! How the hell do you forget the fucking ice?!" Bennett shouts aggressively, allowing more pieces of spit to fly out of his mouth.
"Sir Ellis, please calm down. I'm not trying to upset you. I thought I took out all of the seeds. I just got finished cleaning your room and forgot to place the ice in your glass. It won't happen again." He promises.
"It sure as hell better not! I'll kick you out of this house in a heartbeat." Bennett groans throwing the still half full glass of lemonade on the ground causing it to shatter into a zillion microscopic pieces.
Giles gasps and jumps back, wincing away from Bennett's now clenched fist.
"What are you doing just standing there?! Clean this up!"
Giles attempts to bend down to start picking up the larger pieces but Bennett knees him in the stomach and shoves him into the deepest end of the pool before the poor guy gets the chance to even do anything.
"You can't even do your mediocre job correctly!" Bennett bellows staring down at the pool in his 'all mighty' power stance.
I hop up from my lounge chair and race over to the side of the pool where Giles is flailing his arms about, bobbing his head in and out of the water.
"I can't! I-I can't swim!! Help! P-Please sir!" He cries out.
"Good! I hope you drown, you worthless piece of shit." He chuckles before making his way through the French doors leading back into his house.
I quickly dive in and scoop him up from around the waist and wrap one of his soggy arms around my neck. I swim with him over to the side and assist him in getting out.
He starts to cough up tons of water. I wrap my towel around his shivering body and pat his back until he finally gets it all out of his lungs.
"Giles, are you alright? Do you want me to call 911?!" I ask urgently.
He shakes his head. "No dear. Thank you but I'm quite alright."
"Are you sure? You took a nasty fall! He pushed you really hard. He can't just treat you like that. It's not right." I explain to him.
"I know but it's just apart of the job. He pays me well."
"He can't keep treating you like this though. It's not healthy, he's physically, verbally, and emotionally abusing you."
He shivers and ruffles the little tuffs of white hair on the sides of his otherwise wrinkly and bald head. "Ever since my wife passed away there hasn't been much to live for. I probably don't have very much longer anyways. I've come to terms with the fact that I'll end up dying in this house most likely at the hands of Sir Ellis."
My eyes begin to fill up with tears as I see the deep sadness and depression in his stormy gray eyes. "You could start over from scratch. Move somewhere far away from here maybe to an island or something, and never look back."
He shakes his head. "That's not in the cards for me. I'm too old to start over. I need stability."
I nod and place my hand on his knee in support. "You're still totally young and spry. You're eighty years young." I tease him.
He chuckles and shakes his head. "No Miss Amelia, I'm not." He dumps out his shoes that are filled with water and glances back over at me as we sit in silence. "Would you like your towel back? I don't want you to be cold or to get sick because of me, then I would really be a dead man."
"No I'm fine. You keep it. I can air dry. It's super nice out. I'll be dry in no time at all." I assure him with a smile.
"You know you mean a lot to Mister Ellis. You're the only person he really cares about besides his parents."
I shrug and fiddle with the ends of my now chlorine drenched hair. "He doesn't actually care about me but he likes people to believe that he does. It's all for show. He doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself. It's all about him all the time, nothing else matters to him. Never has and it never will." I mumble to Giles.
"He talks about you fondly very often."
"That's just because he is working with my dad and he wants to keep him happy. Our parents arranged us to be together when we were younger, we're all we know. He's just glad I'm not ugly, that's the only reason he can stand me. He's still constantly cheating on me though, hooking up with random girls at private VIP clubs and parties all the time."
His mouth drops into a frown. "I'm so sorry. You deserve so much better than that. You are a true gem, Miss Amelia."
"Thank you, I appreciate that. I wish I could run away and start over. I'm so sick of my life. I'm so sick of the people that I'm forced to associate with. I just want it all to end."
"Don't give up. You can turn your life into what you want it to be."
"No I can't. I'd lose everything if I even attempted too. I need to break up with Bennett though, I've been wanting to for so long. I need him out of my life."
"Then march right in there and as I've heard you young folks say, dump his ass." He winks.
"Thanks Giles! I think I actually will." I chuckle as I stand up and head for the doors.
I slowly open the back door, taking a deep breath in before entering the house. I walk over to the bar that Bennett is standing at and lean up against it. He glances over at me and mixes himself up another drink.
"You wanna vodka tonic or something fruity??" He asks, clearing his throat.
I fake a smile and shake my head. "No thanks Bennett, you know I've been trying not to drink as much..."
"Oh yeah forgot about that. One drinks not gonna do you in though. You love those fruity little mix drinks or a raspberry Mike's Hard Lemonade, you want one of those?"
"I know. I mean I do love those and I really appreciate the offer, I just don't think I should. I don't wanna risk getting drunk tonight." I explain further.
"You're way more fun when you're drunk."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean, Bennett?!"
"It means I would much rather be around you when you're drunk..." He states plainly before taking another swing of some fancy, million dollar whiskey.
"Is that why you cheat on me all the time? Because I don't get drunk enough to do whatever you want when you want it all the time?!" I word vomit, not holding back anything anymore.
His mossy eyes widen in appearance as he nearly spits out his drink in astonishment before actually swallowing it. "What are you talking about Amelia?!"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" I cackle in disbelief that he's actually trying to lie to my face about the allegations right now.
"No I actually have no idea. Who told you that? Was it Giles?! It was fucking Giles, wasn't it?! That old piece of shit has always been horny for you! I'm gonna kill that son of bitch!" He screams at the top of his lungs causing the veins on his temples to bulge.
"Oh whatever!! You're such an asshole Bennett, he's never once hit on me. He's not a pervert, he's a good person unlike you. I didn't need him to tell me that to know the truth. I'm just as connected as you are and people talk."
"Believe what you want. I don't have to prove myself to you." He retorts, chugging down yet another drink as if it were just a shot.
"You're right. You don't. I just want you to tell me the truth because I'm not stupid."
"Okay sure. Keep telling yourself that." He chuckles to himself.
"Excuse me, I'm not and you know it so don't give me that shit."
"You want the truth, well then here you go babe. I'm a man with a high sex drive and you can't always satisfy me all the time. Sure you're sexy as hell and you know how to turn me on but I'm a guy that's in high demand and if I'm not getting what I need from you and another attractive woman wants to give me that then I'm not gonna turn it down." He explains his side of the story in an incredibly demeaning and manipulative way.
I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. "You're a dick. The fact that you're trying to turn this around on me and make me feel like it's my fault is the definition of a dick. The fact that you can go out and hook up with every girl you see at every party you go to and not have a care in the world or think about how it's gonna effect me just proves that you never loved me!" I yell as angry tears begin to roll down my nose and cheeks.
"That's bullshit and you know it. Of course I loved you Amelia, I still do!! Can we please just stop this mental relapse of yours and have hot makeup sex."
"This is what I mean! You can't even take me seriously, you've never taken me seriously and I don't understand why. Is it because your dad has always treated your mom like shit and that's all you know? Or is it because you're too insecure to admit that you don't actually know what it means to love someone because you've never felt loved yourself? Whatever the reason may be I know that I want nothing to do with you anymore. I'm sick and tired of being an accessory, I'm a human being not some toy you chose to play with. I knew this relationship was going nowhere and for so long I tried to ignore it and see the best in you but you're a really cruel person. I'm done."
"What the hell do you mean you're done?! With this pointless little fight?!" He questions through clenched teeth.
"I'm dumping you're alcoholic, verbally abusive, cheating ass. That's what I mean." I respond sharply.
He raises an eyebrow and mumbles something idiotic to himself. "That's real cute that you think you can get out of this relationship that easily, you've been my bitch since we were kids..." He pauses for dramatic effect and takes a few steps towards me until his puffed out chest is almost touching my face. He rubs the palm of his hand along the side of my face before grabbing onto a chunk of my damp, wavy blonde hair. He twists it around his fist and pulls. "And you're gonna stay my bitch till the day we die."
I wince in pain as a few more tears roll down my face. "No. I make my own decisions now. We have no future together and we never did. You're a pathetic excuse for a man because you're still just a boy."
He grins out of rage but says nothing and tugs on my hair even harder. I shriek in pain and try to pull away from him but his grip is too strong. I take a few deep breaths as my whole body begins to shake. "I'M DONE!!" I scream one last time before finally mustering up enough strength to rip my hair from his hands and storming out the front door towards my alabaster colored, Mercedes-Maybach S650 Cabriolet, that my dad bought for me last year.
_
I glance over toward Caelynn's room and notice that her door is particularly open. I peek inside and see her all sprawled out on her bed pouting down at her phone screen.
I give her door a silly little three-second knock before saying, "Hey Caelynn! Why so pouty?"
She jumps and quickly looks up at me, her lips part as if she's about to say something but instead stops herself.
"You can tell me. What's wrong?" I inquire as I take a seat beside her.
"It's Augustus..." She whispers, beginning to fidget with the ends of her polished golden locks.
"Okay... What about him? Did he do something to you?"
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head vehemently. "No of course not. He's the sweetest guy ever and please don't be mad but..." She pauses biting at the corner of her bottom lip.
"I already think I know what you're going to say and I promise you that I am not mad." I assure her, placing my hand on top of her leg.
Her blue eyes light up as she takes a deep breath in. "Okay well I really do like him and I really want to get to know him better and be able to text him and call him and talk to him whenever I want without having to worry about mom and dad being angry with me all the time." She explains softly.
"I know Cae and you should be able to. It's very clear that he wants that just as much as you do." I give her a comforting smile.
"Mom and dad will never allow it though. They want me to be with a guy like Bennett."
I sigh at the mention of his name. "You don't deserve to be put through that type of torture. Guys like him are pricks. You deserve way better. I've always followed mom and dad's rules and that has drove me to hate life. You need to be with a guy that truly loves you for who you are and I honestly think Augustus could be that for you. He seems like he has a good heart."
Her eyes begin to well up with tears of joy and she abruptly pulls me into a tight hug. "You'll never understand how much I love you!" She cries.
"And you'll never be able to understand just how much I love you." I express, holding her tightly as if we were saying Goodbye.
She sits back up and smiles as she wipes all of the tears off of her face with the sleeve of her dusty rose shaded sweater. "Have you decided what you are going to do about Bennett yet?"
"I have. I just got back from breaking up with him."
Her jaw drops, "You did it! You finally dumped him! How did he take it?"
I rub the side of my head wear he was pulling on my hair and feel a throbbing small bald spot. I wince at my own touch. "Not very well."
"Oh no!! What did he do?!" She questions now concerned for my wellbeing.
"It doesn't matter. I made it out and it's over now."
"Amelia, stop it! Did he hurt you?"
I nod slowly, "He pulled a small chunk of my hair out, but it's fine. I'm fine. It could have been way worse. That's not the worst thing he's ever done to me. It's done now."
"Thank God that it is! I still just can't believe that you broke up with Bennett after so long." Caelynn exasperates.
"You did what?!?!" My mother squeals like a little piggy in heat but more angry.
I give Caelynn a look for help before taking a big deep breath in and coming clean to my mother. "I broke up with Bennett today."
"Why the hell would you do that?! We talked about this, he's your soulmate. You're meant to be. Go back over there and ask for him to take you back." She demands of me.
"No I don't want to. I'm sick of the way he treats me. I'm so over my life!" I yell.
"Do not raise you're voice at me! We have given you everything! Bennett Ellis is the perfect man. I will not approve of anyone else but him for you."
"Guess what?! I don't care! I don't need you're approval anymore. I'm an adult and I am making my own decisions starting now."
"You ungrateful slut! Your father and I will cut you off from all of your money and take your car away. We will kick you out onto the street to live among the filthy. Is that what you want?!" She scolds, flailing her arms above her head, creating more than a few creases in her freshly pressed pants suit.
I shake my head and roll my eyes, "I'm so done with all of this." I mumble to myself.
"Speak up!" She exclaims.
"You would never kick me out onto the street or take my things away because they are all under my name, not yours. What's mine is mine and you can't take it back. You're too worried about your reputation to do anything to draw bad publicity anyways so you can save it, Janis!"
"You refer to me as mother or mom, never by my first name. You're being so disrespectful, I don't understand what has gotten into you these past couples days but I don't like it at all. You need to straighten up because I want my perfect Amelia back!" She wails, cupping her hand over her mouth.
"News flash I've never been perfect."
"Yes you have! You were the most perfect girl in the whole world but now that girl is gone and replaced with some slut."
Tears begin to collect in my eyes, I try to hold them back as best as I can by controlling my breathing.
"If you want to throw everything away be my guest, but you will no longer be affiliated with this family." My mother informs me, getting in the final word like she always does before storming off.
I now fully realize that I need a way out of here more than anything. I want to be out of this house and out of this town as soon as possible. I can't do this on my own though. A plan this elaborate is gonna call for some backup. I need to find someone smart and irrelevant.