Bombshells ~ Complete

Chapter Forty-One: Pretty

School passed in a blur. There hadn't been any fights, thankfully, but I was still praying that the boys would be able to control their tempers and keep their heads down. That had never been their strong suit, though.

That and things were getting even more tense at home.

Turns out that my dad hadn't picked up that Lila was no submissive woman when he married her, and was starting to get frustrated by the fact she wouldn't do what he wanted. All she wanted to do was compromise, but my father was unrelenting.

Jaydon and I were watching the argument from afar, hoping that the older boys didn't come home early.

Mr. Lee had gotten me out of all of the detention since I was 'helping' with the fights and Jaydon had the flu so he wasn't at school. Kade was running an errand for Lila and the other boys were in detention. Nathaniel and Gabriel were in class while Xavier had picked up another shift at the mechanic shop he worked at.

I didn't know what to call the place, other than Joe's Garage.

"They're not you children, they're mine and you will watch how you speak about them. Whether they're here to hear you or not!" Lila snapped.

At that point I was more terrified of Lila than my father, who was bristling with rage.

I understood how she became such a cutthroat CEO that companies feared. She was cold and indifferent, but still horrifyingly daunting.

"They're my children!" Father boomed. Lila and father were arguing about the boys, how Xavier needed to move out soon. He had accidentally cursed the boys too loudly while Lila was in the room. That being said, she went protective Mama Bear Mode.

MBM as Jaydon and I called it. We promised each other to never activate it without serious need for it.

"No they aren't! They are my boys, and quite frankly, that's my girl. Ariel is my daughter just as much as those boys are my sons, but those boys will never be yours. Those boys decide for themselves when they want to start their lives. If they decide they want to move out, I will gladly lend a hand but until them, you need to back off." Lila snarled.

Father's eyes went wide at a woman talking to him in such a fashion.

Father was more than a little bit sexist.

"Lila, Ariel will never be yours. She's mine and she will continue to be mine." He growled, his fists clenching. I was prepared to jump in front of Lila if father decided he wanted to hurt her, but he was keeping his control so far.

"I can't do this with you right now. I have to go fire someone and then take over another company in Peru. If you ever curse my sons or my daughter again, I will ruin you." Lila warned darkly before stalking out of the room.
I drew in a deep breath.

Oh dang. That was cold.

I had to give it to her. Lila was ruthless when she wanted to be.

"Argh!" Father screamed before throwing a vase at the wall. It shattered on contact. He rubbed the heels of his hands into his eyes, groaning and moaning about how useless all women were.

Well, she did just threaten to ruin you and everything you loved a minute ago so she couldn't be completely useless.

"Ari, let's go." Jaydon whispered in his cute, stuffy sick voice. I nodded and followed after him, creeping silently back to his room. His room was like a normal teenage boys room, navy blue walls covered with posters of philosophers, authors, and rock bands.

Maybe not every teenage boy's room.

But the awful smell and clothes strewn everywhere was right. As was in all of the boy's rooms.

Jaydon was asleep in minutes, breathing heavily through his mouth. I shook my head at him. Poor thing. I would make him some soup later and make him eat.

Lila had been in the middle of making him some grilled cheese sandwiches when she caught my father cussing about her sons. Which then led to the fight.

"Ariel, get out here!" Father snapped from the cracked door. I should have shut and locked it completely. Lila knocked. She told me she grew up with manners and was afraid of seeing something of her sons anatomy that she did not need to see.

We giggled together like schoolgirls after that. Well, I was an actual schoolgirl but that wasn't the point.

I followed father into the sitting room where he and Lila fought. He made me clean up the shattered vase before Lila could see the damage he did. My hands were a little cut up in the process, but I had cleaned up enough shattered glass in my lifetime to learn how to pick it up and hold it without hurting myself.

Useful little nugget of information I had figured out early in life.

I finished sweeping everything up when the door slammed shut. I thought it was my father leaving, turns out Liam, Carter,  Peggy, and Kade were all entering the house.

"Ariel, what happened?" Kade asked, looking between and the dustpan full of glass that was in my hands. I bit my lip.

I wasn't sure if I should say anything or leave the question hanging. Kade arched an eyebrow. It was obvious I wasn't leaving the room until I had answered.

"My dad and Lila got into a fight. Dad was mad so he was pacing. He accidentally knocked the vase onto the floor when he walked out. He didn't hear the crash so I decided to clean it all up for him." I lied through my teeth, hoping that they would all believe me.

"Why were they fighting? It's only been, like, two months since the wedding. I didn't think newly weds fought." Peggy asked, her nose scrunched up in disgust when I mentioned cleaning. I sighed, my shoulders slumping. I emptied the dustpan into the trash.

"Something my dad said that he shouldn't have. I wasn't supposed to be listening." I admitted, trying to look as innocent as possible. Carter waved shyly at me. I waved back, a blush rising across my cheeks. Jake hugged me tightly.

"How's the best little sister in the world?" Jake asked. I shrugged, beaming up at him. Peggy cleared her throat, obviously irritated with his comment.

The question was only asked to make her mad, I knew that, but she didn't catch on.

"Come on, Pegs. It was a joke. How's the best adopted sister in the whole wide world?" Jake asked again with a chuckle. I laughed, enjoying his arms wrapped around my shoulders.

Peggy huffed, but allowed it. Though she was still glaring a hole through my head for some odd reason or another.

"I've been better. I have to make tomato soup and grilled cheese for Jaydon. Are you guys hungry too?" I asked, knowing what their answer would be. They were teenage boys.

They were always hungry.

Hastily nodded heads were the only answers I received. I shook my head with a small laugh before starting on the food. I kind of wondered when the whole group of us had gotten into the kitchen.

Huh. Maybe I was losing my observant-ness.

I didn't think observant-ness was a word. Turns out, it isn't.

"Lunch is coming right up." I said, whipping everything together in a blur. Making lunch was mundane, and so it didn't distract me from my thoughts.

What would my father do to Lila next?

Would next time end with a vase thrown at her?

This time around, I was determined to tell Lila the truth.

The whole truth and nothing but.

The abuse, my mom, and everything my dad did.

This wasn't going to be pretty.