Book 4 - Shot of Life

Chapter Twelve

Everett slowly wakes the next morning feeling refreshed. She hadn't slept that well in years. Last night was fun, passionate, and calming. They both need firm reassurance, something they both are willing to give.

She closes her eyes and dreads the conversation they need to have. She needs to tell him the truth and then has to wait to see if he runs.

A knock at the door wakes him up.

"One second!" He yells as he rubs his eyes.

Everett rolls over and gives him a sweet morning kiss. "You answer the door and I'll freshen up in the bathroom. Breakfast after?"

"Perfect," He wiggles his eyebrows at her.

She grabs his shirt and slips it over her body as she walks to the bathroom. JJ grabs his boxers and puts on his leg to walk to the door. Everett brushes her teeth with her finger and freshens up the best she can.

Walking to meet him in the living room his back is to her as he leans over a box.

"What's that?" She inquires.

"You tell me, Everett Olsen!" Statement dripping in venom.

She stops in her tracks when her real name hits the air. She doesn't say anything else, waiting to hear what he has to say. He turns and in his hands holds handfuls of newspaper articles of her and her family. Articles her mom sold her pictures of, of her dad and stepmom's drama, to her stepmom and step brother's personal information being given without permission. Her past that was sold, that she worked so hard all these years to protect.

Tears are forming at the corners of her eye as she knows there will not be anything to stop them.

"Roxana isn't even your real name! Are you here as some kind of fucking joke?"

Everett starts to get angry as he is only reading the headlines and nothing beyond that. The biggest article is the press from the court cases where her mom hired someone to break into their house.

"Your family is some high paid, high class, highly popular family! Make you feel better to pretend to be someone else?" JJ can't stop the venom that comes from the feeling of betrayal. "Wins court case? Look, look at this beauty pageant princess with a fucking crown! I knew it and no one believed me! Gallery queen!"

"ENOUGH!" Her face goes red with anger. He's not reading everything.

"Were you ever going to tell me the truth?"

"Yes, today! I was planning to tell you everything today,"

"Bullshit! You open your mouth and all that comes out is lies!" JJ screams at her.

"I only lied about my name, nothing else," She tries to defend herself.

"You are nothing but a fake princess who wants to be a "real" person," He throws his hands up for air quotes. "You are pathetic for pretending to be anything else but the privileged popular princess I saw you for when you first stepped in front of me!"

Everett walks up to him and slaps him across the face as the tears are falling uncontrollably. He looks back at her confused, cupping his face from the sting of the slap. The realization of his words hit him like a train. He has once again lost control of his words.

"Judge me without reading the articles or even asking me why I did what I did! You are the pathetic one! FUCK YOU!"

"Rox... Everett... Shit!" he shakes his head.

Everett is walking around the tiny cottage trying to pick up all of her stuff as fast as she can.

"Stop!" JJ begs.