the secret » david dobrik au

T H I R T Y

The ride up to David's house was nerve wracking, and my heart only started beating faster as we pulled into a driveway that had one of those big iron gates at the end. Through the gaps in the bars, I could see a huge farmhouse-style mansion. I mean, gigantic. Bigger than anything I'd ever seen. I stared ahead of me in shock as David pressed a code into a little box so the gate would open. He drove up the rest of the driveway and parked next to a Mercedes sedan, very different from his older CRV. What the fuck?

"So when were you going to tell me you're fucking rich?" I was a little mad, and you could hear it in my voice. Not because being rich was super important to me, but because I was wearing a sweater from Target and stained jeans from Goodwill and I fully expected to be going into a regular house with regular people. I was going to look so stupid if his parents were in suits and dresses.

"Well, I was trying to wait for as long as possible," he admitted sheepishly, scratching his head like he didn't quite know what to do. "My stepdad is Gabriel Harrison. Do you know who that is?"

"Are you fucking with me?" my eyebrows were raised and my jaw was dropped and nothing could've taken that shocked expression off my face. "Your stepdad is one of the most famous televangelists in the fucking world? I don't even fucking go to church! I didn't even know your parents were divorced!"

"My actual dad never married my mom," he explained, though it was too late. I could see them on their front porch, waving us in. Gabriel Harrison and his doting wife. How had I not known? It was this very moment that I cursed myself for deleting my Instagram in early October. I didn't even stalk David before I did because we were just friends at that point. I would've known, and I would've been prepared.

"You're a fucking dick for this," I put a fake smile on my face as I climbed out of the car. I was so convinced that he was so much mire normal than me that I never consider his life could be just as strange. In a different way, of course. In a borderline famous way. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I could just imagine the tweets: "okay, but have y'all seen Gabriel Harrison's stepson though?" That made me madder than the fact that I didn't know.

"Hey, their son is a stoner who lives in a frat house, and their daughter is sixteen and pregnant. You're fine," he whispered the comforting words in my ear as we approached the couple, his arm snugly wrapped around my waist. "Hey. This is Evan."

"I thought her name was Evangeline?" his mom raised one perfectly waxed eyebrow. She was dressed just as I expected, in a royal blue knee length dress with heels... for the house. It was odd, but I was also broke.

"Only I really call her that," David told them, pushing me forward a bit. I guessed they liked the holier name. "Ev, this is Gabriel and Nicolette."

"It's so nice to meet you both," I smiled brightly, sticking out my hand for handshakes. "David's told me a lot about you."

Lie. I just hoped they couldn't tell.

"Same for you. I'm so glad David finally has a good influence in his life," Gabriel weirdly patted my shoulder. "Come in, come in. It's cold out here."

"I'm a good influence?" I whispered to David, who only laughed at my clear confusion and discomfort.

"Where's Alyssa?" David finally spoke up above the clacking of heels on wooden floors. Surprisingly, the inside of the house felt cozy and warm. I was well aware they probably rarely used half the rooms, but it didn't feel like one of those cold, Kim and Kanye-esque mansions with no furniture and no real purpose.

"In her room with Eli," Nicolette answered. Even her voice sounded rich. She was very pretty; long brown hair framed her face, smoothed to perfection, and her skin was glowing and youthful without a ton of filler. It made sense that she snagged a famous TV preacher. She looked like she'd be good for business.

"You still let them hang out alone?" David seemed appalled.

"She can't get pregnant again, David," she pinched her nose. "Drinks. Does anyone want drinks?"

"We want wine," David answered for us, and I just went with it. A glass of wine would help my nerves.

"How old are you, Evangeline?" Gabriel questioned, and David immediately frowned, his hand going right back to my waist.

He defensively stated, "Your sixteen year old daughter is pregnant with an idiot's baby. I think you can get my girlfriend a glass of fucking wine."

"Watch your language," his mom slapped him on the arm, but I could tell by her face that she agreed. It occurred to me that Alyssa was probably Gabriel's child and David's half sister. David's biological dad must've left not long after he was born. "Red or white?"

I usually drank pink, since that's the kind that Corinna and Natalie always whipped out and forced on me on girls' nights. I looked at David to answer. He said, "White."

"For you too, doll?"

"Yes, please," I smiled. "Your house is really pretty, by the way."

She smiled, grateful someone noticed. She said, "Thank you! We've been working to get it perfect for a long time, and I think it's just about there. Where are you from?"

I followed David's lead, taking a seat at one of the barstools by the counter. "I lived in Ellington until about two years ago, but then I moved to Quail Ridge. If you know where that is."

"Oh, I know where Ellington is! One of my friends was on that case of the murder-suicide a couple years ago," my blood ran cold as she brought it up so casually, clearly not knowing that it was my family. David had mentioned his mom was a lawyer, so I guessed she was friends with many police officers. "He transferred here after that case. It was just terrible, I heard. Have you heard of it?"

I swallowed thickly and nodded, "Yeah."

"I just can't believe a mother could do that to her own child. I can't even imagine hurting David or Alyssa, even if they do annoy me sometimes."

"Mom," David raised his eyebrows in a shut-the-fuck-up manner.

"What? I'm just saying. She must've been out of her head."

"Mom," David repeated, his face transforming into an even stronger what-the-fuck-are-you-doing face.

I finally just spoke up and said, "That was actually my mom and my little sister."

The room got eerily silent, the only sound coming from the wine that just kept pouring into the glass. It almost overflowed, but Gabriel grabbed the end of the bottle and tipped it back up for Nicolette. Her face screamed what the fuck have I done?

"I am so sorry," she shoved the very full wine glass towards me. "I had no clue. I would've never brought it up if I knew."

"It's fine," I reassured her with a small smile, gladly accepting the drink. "It happens a lot more than you'd think."

"Perhaps we can pray for you!" Gabriel suggested.

It was going to be a long weekend, and I hadn't even met the little sister yet.

Hi i just wanted to write this so u got lucky two updates in one day hehehe

Vote and comment for all my hard dedicated work (aka i got an 82 on the test that i looked everything up for and im probably gonna end up with a B in the class bc i cant do online school so vote on this to make me feel better)

Xoxoxo abby