Coming Home Again (A Coming Home Again Novel Book 1) (21 page)

 
I picked at my salad for not even five more minutes when Julia took the
last sip of her wine and announced it was time to go. As we walked out, I gave
Greyson another wave and smile.

“You ladies try to be careful tonight,”
Greyson instructed. “Savannah, it was a pleasure to meet you.”

Before I could comment, Julia had
dragged me out the door. I never got to speak one word to Greyson Stone, but
have never stopped hoping that one day I will get that opportunity for Julia’s
sake. I guess that from my eyes being opened so early in life by Evan, I’ve
always seemed to have a good read on people. And I knew Greyson was a good man.
I just hate that Julia wasn’t into good men.

We spent the rest of the night and most
of the early morning hours going from one club to another. I met what felt like
a million of her friends, who were mostly rail-thin models and gorgeous men.
Julia slipped me a drink early in the night, which helped me loosen up quite a
bit. I actually began to dance and enjoy myself a bit before the partying. I
was still nervous being in such a new and strange place and the men were pretty
darn different from the high school boys back home. I figured it was best to
play it safe and keep my distance, but it was hard keeping distance in the
crowded places. The fun didn’t last long.

“Who’s this little hot momma?” a guy
asked as he kissed Julia square on the lips with such ease. She returned the
kiss in the same manner, and that really bothered me. Of course, he was
gorgeous with brown hair and whiskey-colored eyes, and he knew it too. I knew
first hand that beauty could be one nasty thing if you gave it a good look, and
I didn’t have a good feeling about that guy.

Thinking nothing of it Julia answered,
“My little sis.” Her eyes were trained on him as though he was the only thing
she could see in the place.

“I have a name,” I addressed him. “It’s
Savannah.”

“What a southern drawl!” He sounded so
delighted. “Say something else.”

I dramatically closed my mouth tightly
and crossed my arms defensively. I didn’t feel like being someone’s
entertainment and was not about to be this arrogant jerk’s. He roared with
laughter at that.

“Ooh, that one’s full of sass,” Mr.
Flirt said. “Sawyer Helms,” he introduced himself, but I ignored him. He oozed
cockiness and Julia liked him so that was all I needed to mark him off my list.
That girl needed her head examined. She was all but groping him in public, and
he was letting her. This guy only had
his
best interests in mind, unlike the Greyson dude.

I finally shook my concern off after a
while for her relationship flaws. Really. Who was I to be trying to figure out
such a thing for her, when I couldn’t get past my own hiccups on the matter?

The clubs were loud, dark, and packed
with all types of people. When we would leave one club to journey to the next,
my ears would ring like crazy. I never knew where Julia was until she’d grab my
hand to lead me to the door. Everyone just seemed to blend together. One minute
I would be dancing with a tall, dark and incredibly handsome man. Then I would
blink my eyes and be dancing with a hunky blond. It was too crazy for me. I
always kept them a cautious arm’s length away from me. They seemed to think I
was teasing them, but there was no game I was playing. I knew I would freak out
if they decided to get hands-on.

I believe I was a novelty compared to
their normal type of company. The entire night I was referred to as a southern
belle, southern peach, or cute cowgirl. This appeared to annoy my sister as
much as it annoyed me. Neither one of us liked the attention I was receiving,
but I’m sure for different reasons. I could tell she was used to being the one
receiving all the devotion. Another phrase that was on repeat from most of her
guy friends was that they hadn’t seen natural beauty walking around them like
me in quite a while. Maybe this was their polite way of calling me plain. Once
again, neither Julia nor I cared for it.

As the night and early morning wore on,
Julia became more and more wasted, and I became more and more annoyed. She
could barely function by that point, and I was getting nervous about it.

My annoyance escalated and then
completely exploded with some drunk dude. I ended up punching him square on his
vulgar mouth after he had enough nerve to pat me on the butt and say some
raunchy things he thought I would like him to do to me and vice versa.

He patted his lip and checked for
blood, but there was none. “Look babe, that fine backside of yours was
advertising,” he slurred on a laugh.

I gave him a good shove, which only
made him sway slightly. “The only thing I’m advertising is for you to keep your
scummy hands to yourself,
babe
!” I
spit the words out full of vinegar.

Julia stepped between us before I had a
chance to land another punch. “Good grief, Savannah. Would you just chill?” she
slurred. She was barely coherent.

“No! I want to go home!” I shouted over
the loud music. I was trembling at the anxiety building up and was worried a
full-blown attack was about to hit.

She pretended to look at a wristwatch
that was not there. “But it’s still early,” she said and pouted out her lip. I
looked at my real wristwatch and found it to be into two in the morning. She
still didn’t relent, so I was stuck.

I had refused to go inside any more
clubs with my sister and spent the remaining time standing outside by a
bouncer. Julia knew him, and he promised her he would keep an eye on me. Julia
and I returned to her apartment around four that morning. I was so tired I
could barely make it to the couch. Julia was still buzzing around like it was
midday. She disappeared a few times while we were out. Each time she returned,
she’d act pretty drugged up. I guessed the stint in rehab that previous year
didn’t help her much.

“Hey. Do you need something to help you
sleep?” She came out of the bathroom carrying a medicine bottle.

Sleep? Really? How on earth could a
person not be wiped out after all that dancing and chaos? I shook my head
warily at her. “No thanks. Just a blanket and pillow will do the trick.”

She returned to the bathroom without
even acknowledging my request. I was beginning to think the girl lived in
there. I grew impatient and went to find my own pillow and blanket. I wasn’t
about to wait around for who knows how long for some rest. I grabbed an extra
pillow off her bed and a cover from the floor. They both smelled clean so I
helped myself to them. I believe my eyes were closed before my head hit the
pillow. I had no clue as to when Julia made it to bed.

I didn’t wake up until noon the next
day. I peeped in on Julia and she was still snoozing away, so I went to the
fridge to find something to calm my growling belly. The only things in there
were bottled water and wine. I rummaged through the cabinets and found not a
morsel of food. I thought how absolutely crazy that was. I grabbed a bottle of
water and headed for a soak in some of the bath oils I had spotted the night
before. I hoped a long, relaxing bath would help me feel better and get my mind
off my hunger. I was beginning to worry I would probably be starved to death by
the time I made it back to South Carolina.

After the bath, I checked on Julia to
only find her still sleeping away. I tried to wake her, but she wouldn’t budge.
I spent the next two hours reading magazines and looking over a city map I had
purchased the day before at the airport. I began to feel nauseous, so I tried
to wake Julia again. She rolled over and went right back to lightly snoring. I
couldn’t stand it any longer, so I located a phonebook and started searching
the delivery section of the restaurant listings. I settled for the first
Chinese delivery place I found with cheap prices. I called and ordered more
than enough food, hoping that I didn’t have a repeat experience with food as I
did the day before. I was a little embarrassed at the thought of how Julia
would react to the large quantity of food. I helped myself to a twenty-dollar
bill that was lying on the table to pay the bill. After all, Julia was supposed
to be hosting me. I would probably have felt guilty if I wasn’t so darn annoyed
with her. After quietly paying the delivery guy, I took my spread straight to
the coffee table and began devouring it. There was no way I could live an
anorexic lifestyle. I had to have my food regularly or I wasn’t able to
function.

Julia still did not wake up until about
five that afternoon. She didn’t ask about the leftover food on the table. She
just picked a few pieces of broccoli out of the stir-fry veggies and made her
way to the bathroom for the rest of the afternoon.

The entire week was pretty much the
same. Party all night, sleep all day, and barely eat. I had really looked
forward to Julia showing me around the city. I hoped she would bring me to a
Broadway show or take a ferry out to see the Statue of Liberty as she promised.
I had really looked forward to seeing a true New York fashion show. That didn’t
even happen due to Julia taking the entire week off to spend
quality
time
with me. I guess she decided that the most-happening nightclubs were the only
sightseeing I needed to check out.

By midweek, I absolutely had all I
could take. I grabbed my map, an extra key Julia left near the door, some of
her spending money, and headed out to discover what the city looked like in the
daylight. I explored some artsy shops at leisure. I toured a local museum and
bought some name brand knockoffs at sidewalk vendors. I even bought myself a
cheesy “I Love New York” T-shirt with the big red heart on it from a souvenir
shop. Of course, I ate as well. I really enjoyed this part of my trip. I even
skipped out on the rest of the nightly partying once I found the courage to
venture out on my own. I was delighted at discovering the unique charisma the
city possessed.

I concluded on my visit that my sister
and I had nothing more in common than our history. I most definitely had no
desire to visit her again.

On my last day, I had to leave Julia a
thanks and goodbye note due to not being able to wake her up. Whatever she took
to go to sleep really scared me. It was like she was dead, yet still breathing.
I remember sitting on the edge of the bed after shaking her vigorously to wake
her, only to have her continue in her coma-like state. I scanned over her
frame, and that scared me as well. Only wearing a light tank top and bikini
panties, Julia was almost completely exposed. She lay on her side with her
hipbone and shoulder blades protruding. It was like her skin could barely keep
the bones covered. I sat there puzzled as to why society painted women who
looked emaciated as the portrait of beauty. Did beauty equate to unhealthy?

I felt so uneasy and wanted to just
pretend she was okay, so I sat there long enough to resolve that maybe my
sister had everything figured out. As she lay there motionless, no nightmares
seemed to be haunting her. Nightmares chased me too often for my likings. I
looked down at my thicker frame and looked healthier, but that was just the
outside. I was the one who couldn’t tolerate people touching me, while Julia
let them hang all over her. She always seemed cool, collected, and carefree albeit
by a pill or alcohol. I was the one plagued by severe panic attacks. Maybe… I
shook off that notion and left my sister to her life. Who was I to try to
figure her out? I was only eighteen and quite a mess myself.

Feeling unsettled and hopeless, I
headed out for one last stroll around the small part of town I had become
familiar with. I visited a bakery, which was highly recommended by some locals
I met in a coffee shop earlier, and placed an overnight order for a New York
style cheesecake to be sent to Miss May. I wanted to surprise her with it. Her
sweet tooth was bigger than anyone else’s I knew. I grabbed a single slice of
cake for myself and sat at a patio table to enjoy it as I watched the city
bustle by one last time. The cake was so rich and creamy. With each luscious
bite, my thoughts drifted back to Julia. The realization that she would never
be able to experience such a simple pleasure as eating a slice of cheesecake
hit me in the pit of my stomach. I sat there staring at my half-eaten treat, not
being able to take another bite. I was stunned at the pain I felt. Evan had
robbed her of any simple joy this life offered. Everything revolved around
complicated and dangerous—effortless was not a part of her world. I silently
and tearlessly wept as I pondered all that had been robbed from my older
sister. She was hiding under a drug-induced persona of having it all
together.
 

I made my way back to Julia’s
apartment. I just had to check on her one more time. I left my sister another
note, begging her to get some help and telling her how much I loved her. I sat
on the edge of the bed, watching her sleep and trying to figure out a way to
fix her. Not being able to come up with a solution, I reluctantly headed to the
airport. I had wished I could gather my sister up and bring her back home with
me, but New York was her life, not Bay Creek, and certainly not me. It was one
of the few times I could remember actually wanting to go home.

Chapter Fifteen

You would have thought I learned my
lesson with the first New York trip. Right? Wrong. I’m an idiot. I gave in and
went back, and boy was it a doozy of a trip.

My second New York trip came
unexpectedly after college graduation. I was back to working at the restaurant mostly
and spending nearly every night with Miss May. Her sweet husband had passed
away a few months back. I think we both kept the other one from getting too
lonely that summer. I was only home for a short term because I would be
marrying the love of my life by the end of the summer. I was so excited over
that fact that I felt as though I was floating through the summer. It made
being home again bearable.

Now, I want to pause here to forewarn
you that this trip was beyond bizarre and maybe you should just skip it. I was
an accessory to a crime, and I had no choice in the matter.
Absolutely
no choice… I know I should
just go ahead and apologize for the graphic nature of it, but I won’t. So read
it or skip it. Either way, it’s a significant part of my life’s story. The
choice is yours, but know you have been warned.

So where was I? Oh yeah. I was excited
for my new life’s chapter. Everything finally felt right. At least that’s how I
felt until my phone rang out of the blue after work one night. I was helping
clean tables when I glimpsed the Caller ID surprisingly.

“Guess who?” she chirped when I
answered it.

“A thief who has stolen my neglectful
sister’s cell phone, since she never takes the time to call me,” I answered
sarcastically.

“Very funny. That’s okay. I believe you
will change your little attitude. I have the best surprise for you ever.” Julia
almost sang the words.

“You have my attention. What is it?” I
continued to clean tables. She sounded really off and it made me nervous. “Are
you high?” I blurted out.

“No, I’m not high!” she snapped,
sounding more like herself.

“Then, what is it? I’m working here.” I
began to get agitated. It was hard to bus tables with one hand, and I was ready
to call it a night. Summers are killer at the restaurant, just let me tell you.
I was dragging that night.

“You have to come to New York to find
out,” she said in a teasing tone.

“Huh, I don’t think that’s a good idea.
Last time didn’t go too well.” I was immediately let down by her proposition.
Another visit to see her sounded torturous. This surprise did nothing for me in
the least.

“I promise this time will be totally
different. I have such a gigantic surprise for you.
Please…Please…Please
…”
Her prissy tone turned whiny, and I had a feeling my sister would not be giving
up so easily.

“Plane tickets are out of my budget.” I
began to make my excuses and was trying to figure out some more when she called
me out.

“Hah!” Julia shouted like she had one
on me. “I’ve already paid for your ticket and you leave this Thursday.” And I
guess she did.

I sat in one of the chairs that I just
wiped down. I was quite confused and apprehensive as to why she had put so much
effort in this. She obviously picked up on my reluctance.

“It’s only for a long weekend. You’ll
be back in Bay Creek by Sunday night. I promise.”

We went around and around the following
days on whether I would go or not. I had not received so many phone calls from
my sister in all my life. So, with quite a bit of hesitation, I boarded the
plane on that Thursday and headed to the most bizarre
surprise
of my life.

The flight arrived at seven that
evening, and Julia was there to greet me with an awkward grin planted on her
lips and long hug. She was still tall and incredibly thin, but glamorous with
her designer sunglasses on. She seemed so chic in a pale blue tunic and black
leggings. I was impressed to find her so covered up. She quickly helped me
gather my baggage and hailed us a cab.

“Are you ready for this?” she
questioned me during our cab ride. She was downright giddy and practically
bouncing in her seat. Again, this didn’t sit right with me. She was off and
this entire unexpected trip was off. My hackles were definitely raised in an
eerie way.

“I guess… Honestly, you have me a
little worried,” I said.

“Don’t be. You are going to be so
thrilled.” She almost cheered.

“Julia, it’s dark outside. Why on earth
are you wearing those sunglasses?” I asked as I turned my attention away from
the city zooming by and back towards my sister.

“I’m a fashion model. It’s what we do.”
She blew my question off rather quickly. I didn’t know her so well anymore, so
maybe it was her norm now. I would soon find out.

Thirty minutes after departing the
airport, we pulled up to an enormous apartment building with a doorman.

“Where are we?” I enquired.

“My apartment,” Julia answered.

“I didn’t know you moved.”

“Yep,” she replied as she climbed out
of the cab.

I gathered my belongings and followed
her into the swanky building. My big sis had definitely moved up in the world since
my last visit. Her other apartment building was a rundown brownstone, but this
one was an ultra-sleek high-rise with lots of glass and metal. I instantly felt
out of place in mere jeans, blouse, and flip-flops. I tried to pause long
enough to have a look around, but Julia rushed me to the elevators.

We reached her floor, and Julia pulled
me towards her apartment in a rush, causing me to want to drag my feet. Before
Julia unlocked her door, she turned to me and took off her shades, revealing
what looked like a nasty bruise hiding under a thick layer of make-up on her
cheek. I stood there staring at her, confused.

“Julia…What happened to your face?” My
stomach coiled at the idea of someone hurting her still.

“Oh, it’s not really that bad. It was
well worth it. Trust me,” she said nonchalantly as she lightly skimmed her
fingertips over her swollen cheek. She then placed her hands on top of my
shoulders. An unnerving feeling crept over me in that moment and I knew. I just
didn’t know what I knew…

“I love you, Savannah. I know I haven’t
shown it. I’ve just never known how, but I am totally making that up to you
with my surprise,” she whispered.

Julia unlocked the door and we entered
into the most fabulous apartment. It was breathtaking and surprisingly roomy.
It had an open concept with no walls separating the living room from the dining
area and kitchen. This place had to be at least five times larger than the
closet my sister had previously lived in. There were no beaded curtains. No
color was in sight, for that matter. Although the entire space was either black
or white, it was very welcoming with accents of silver and crystal. It was so
girly and fabulous—absolutely perfect for the prissy Julia Rose.

The kitchen had ebony cabinetry and
white marble countertops with stainless steel appliances. I peeked in the
fridge to find the usual suspects, bottled water and wine. A few bottles of
expensive looking champagne sat on a shelf all to themselves as if they were
waiting for a party. Disappointed at my findings, I closed the fridge and went
to explore the rest of the posh space.

I strolled to the living room, trying
to take all of it in—and it was a lot to take in, let me tell you. An enormous
white suede couch and two matching chairs surrounded an elegant silver coffee
table with a glass top. Each furniture piece was adorned with several beautiful
black-and-silver patterned pillows. I scanned the tall, pearly-white walls that
were dressed with various black and white photos. Some, not so surprisingly,
were exquisite shots of Julia. Other photos included vintage fashion shots of
shoes and handbags. What was so astonishing was that the space was immaculate.
No nasty ashtrays or empty water bottles were in sight. Not even a stray shoe
or article of clothing could be seen.

“Oh, Julia… I’m so happy for you. This
place is gorgeous,” I said as I kept looking around. I was proud for her and
set a little at ease that she seemed to have her act together.

“I know,” she said enthusiastically.

She gave me a tour of most of the
apartment. One of the three bedrooms had been transformed into a well-stocked
closet. It resembled a small boutique, with shelves of handbags on display and
actual racks of designer clothes. There was also an obscene amount of gorgeous
shoes. At that moment, I regretted not bringing a bigger suitcase. I instantly
resolved to go out the following day to purchase a bigger one. Surely, Julia
could do without some of the shoes, handbags, scarves, hats, sunglasses, etc.
Unfortunately, I knew not to bother with the size zero clothes racks. Julia had
to practically drag me out of the closet to show me where the guest bathroom
was located, and then led me to my guestroom.

This room shared the same
black-and-white theme as the rest of the apartment. It was all so elegant. The
oversized, black poster bed, with intricate details carved into the frame, was
dressed in luxurious white linens with light silver details that gleamed under
a dainty crystal chandelier. I skimmed my hand over the soft bedding as I
walked by. I turned to face Julia, who was standing at the door.

“This is breathtaking. You really
didn’t have to spend all that money on a plane ticket for me to see this,” I
said with a wide grin. “But I sure am glad you did.” I walked back to Julia and
surprised her with a huge hug. We both giggled.

“I’m
glad
you like it, but this
isn’t close to being the surprise, silly girl,” she teased. “Go freshen up and
get settled in. Then meet me in the living room,” Julia happily ordered.

“I just want to stay in tonight. Please
don’t make me go clubbing.”

“Not tonight, I promise. I just thought
after all of the traveling, you would want to get comfortable. Besides, it’s
going to be a long night,” Julia said as she pushed me towards the bathroom.

I had no idea what to expect, so I
figured it was in my best interest to obey her. That eerie feeling had not gone
away, after all. I think my sister was trying to prepare me for what was
coming. I inspected the bruise on her cheek once more, thinking about how to
get her to tell me what happened, before stealing away in the bathroom.

After I cleaned up a bit, I found my
sister casually sitting in one of the plush chairs. As soon as she spotted me
walking down the hall, she jumped up and skipped towards me.

“Come on. I can’t wait any longer to
show you your surprise,” she squealed as she pulled me towards her bedroom.

Julia opened the door and with one
glimpse into the room, my vision began to blur. The white carpet seemed to be
moving towards my face and then total blackness…

~ ~ ~

I awoke with Julia sprinkling water on
my face. I couldn’t help but sob tearlessly as the realization of what I had
just seen began to sink in. Without taking another look, I began questioning my
sister.

“Please tell me… I’m just seeing
things. Please tell me…that’s not who I think it is. Please tell me… Please
tell me I’m wrong.” I could barely stutter the words out. They felt stuck in my
thick throat.

“For Pete’s sake Savannah, pull
yourself together and get up off the floor,” she demanded, but I just continued
to lie there.

I felt frozen in place. As I began to
whimper harder, Julia tried to pull me into a sitting position. It took some
finagling, but once I was sitting upright, I steeled myself for another look. I
tried rapidly blinking the scene away, but it was no use. There, on Julia’s
beautiful bed, lay the ugliest sight I had ever seen—a naked man with fuzzy
pink handcuffs securing him to the bedposts by his hands and feet. He was lying
completely still with duct tape secured over his mouth. His body glowed with
evident sun and was still smooth and nearly flawless. This man, with all of his
physical beauty, was the most repulsive thing I had ever laid eyes on. The
sight of him made me severely nauseous.

Society really has a twisted idea of
beauty. The same eyes that are used as the judges of the outer appearance
should really dig deeper, for that outward splendor can be so far off base to
the real person within. If you looked into the soul of this man slumped before
me in this morbid moment, you would see a repulsive oozing creature whose skin
begged to explode with sinful puss. It was none other than Evan Grey.

The only changes to his outer beauty,
that I could detect, were track marks near the creases of his arms. I lay back
down on the floor again, covering my face with my arm and asked, “Is he dead?”

Julia jumped to her feet, and I stole a
glance to see her put her hand in front of his nose to check. That act alone
confirmed my terror. This was serious and could end up catastrophic. She turned
back to face me as I peeped from under my arm. “No, not yet,” she answered in
an eerie calmness. “It’s just the drugs. It makes his breathing very shallow.
He’s on the nod.” She said this so matter-of-fact that it scared me even more.