Royal Pain in the Ass (44 page)

I deleted it along with all the other voicemails he
’
d left me.
 
I went out on the balcony and let the warm sticky heat of Florida envelop me.
 
I let the warm salt breeze fill my nose and every pore.
 
It was good to be home.
  I
’
d missed this more than anything else in England.

The next morning I called Chase.

“
Good morning, sweetheart.
”

“
Cut the crap,
”
I growled.
  “
The fucking paparazzi know I
’
m home.
”

“
I didn
’
t tell them.
”

“
I know.
 
You want in the limelight?
 
Fine, go get Loki and my surfboard and meet me at that spot.
”

“
When?
”

“Now.”
I hung up on him.
 
I had to put up with him, not like him.
 
I bribed one of the kitchen staff to give me her change of clothes, then went and bought a new bathing suit, a cover up, flip flops, and a hat.
 
Fuck the paparazzi.
 
If they wanted a show, fine.
 
But it was going to be on my terms.
 
I walked to the best place I knew to surf.
 
The waves here were always awesome.

There was a nice swell this morning.
 
It wasn
’
t long before Chase was blowing up my phone.

“
What?
”
I snapped.

“
Same beach you used to love to surf?
”

“Duh.”

“Okay, I
’
m here.
”

“
Me too.
”

“
Where?
”

“
Come fine me.
”
I snapped and hung up on him for the second time today.
 
I had to admit, it felt great.
 
Unfortunately, it didn
’
t take him long to find me.
 
On the plus side, Loki was with him.

“Hey,”
he smiled at me.

“
Yeah, whatever.
”
I knelt down and Loki bounded over to me.
  “
Who
’
s a sweetie pie?
 
Who
’
s a good boy? 
Who
’
s a good boy?”
I laughed as he licked my face.
  “
That
’
s right!
 
That
’
s my good boy!”

“
Whatever?
”
Chase asked.

“
Yeah, whatever.
”
I growled at him.

“
Jules, you
’
re supposed to be my girlfriend.
”

“
Chase, it
’
s an act.
”

“
I don’
t like the way things ended between us.
”

“Oh? 
Was it the cheating?
 
The cheating with my supposed best friend?
 
Or that I found out?
”

Chase sighed.
  “
Jules, you never had any time for me anymore.
  I got lonely.”

“Oh, I
’
m sorry. 
My mother was a little busy dying!
  I
’
m so sorry you were lonely.
  I
’
m sorry I had bills to pay, school to finish up, a full time job, and a sick mother I was trying to keep alive!
 
Fuck you and your loneliness.
”
I snapped.

“Don
’
t say it like that,
”
Chase pouted.

“
Chase, cut the bullshit.
  Ride 
the wave of fame, just like you wanted.
 
Get your stupid fifteen minutes of fame and then get the hell out of my life.
 
I don’
t want you in my life.
 
I already told you this.
 
If you didn
’
t have that stupid tape, I wouldn
’
t even be talking to you right now you piss poor excuse of a waste of space human being!
”

Chase was stunned silent for a moment, even Loki was looking unnerved.
  “
Come on Loki,
”
I called and we bounded into the waves.

I was just excited to have the company of Loki in my hotel with me.
 
I made the police keep Chase out of the room.
 
Amanda and Maverick were my only visitors.
 
This had become my life.
  I
’
d sneak out to surf if I could, if not I was stuck watching tv or playing video games.
 
I was beginning to wonder if this was how the rest of my life would be when the last person I expected to see showed up at my door.

Chapter XXII
I

“
Juliet?
”

“
Um, what are you doing here?
”

“
I had to.
  Aren
’
t you going to invite me in?
”

I stepped aside and let Angelica in.
  “
What are you doing here?
”

Angelica sat down on the couch and looked around nervously.
  “
Is there anything to drink?
”

I went and grabbed two cokes and handed her one.
  “
What
’
s up?
”

Angelica was chewing on her bottom lip and kept glancing around the room.

“
Are you expecting to see someone else?
”

“
How safe is this room?
”

“
What do you mean?
”

“
I mean, is anyone else here?
”

“
No, and it
’
s been swept for bugs if you mean that.
 
The police checked that before I was allowed in.
 
Apparently they
’
re used to this sort of thing here.
 
This is the hotel Johnny Depp likes to use when he
’
s in town because they
’
re good about keeping the press out.
”

Angelica nodded.
  “
And your boyfriend?
”

I raised an eyebrow.
  “
I don’
t have a boyfriend.
”

Angelica gave me a skeptical look.
 

“
What?
”

“
Chase Evans?
 
Lead singer of Dirty Pumpkings?
”

“
Oh that idiot?
  No, he
’
s not my boyfriend.
”

“
Well he thinks he is.
”

I nodded.
  “He
’
s delusional and an idiot.
”

“
But there are pictures of you two together.
”

I shrugged.
  “
Chase and I used to be something, but he
’
s an ass and I really don
’
t give a damn what he does one way or the other.
”

“I –
I have to tell you something.
”

“Okay?”

“I
’
m sorry.”

I shrugged.
  “
For what?
”

“
For what I did.
”

I shook my head.
  “
Forget it, you thought I was just after your money.
 
I wasn
’
t what you were expecting.
”

“
Oh, no, not that part.
 
Well, I
’
m sorry for that part too, but that
’
s not why I
’
m apologizing.
”

I raised an eyebrow.
  “
Okay, so what are you apologizing for.
”

“It
’
s all my fault.
”

“
What is all your fault?
”

“
I was jealous because I thought you were going for Ethan because of what he said, then I caught him with my friend and by time I
’
d realized what was really happening it was too late and everything had already happened.
”
Angelica let out in one breath, almost unintelligibly.

I narrowed my eyes.
  “Angelica? 
What did you do exactly?
”

I saw her eye brimming with tears.
  “I
’
m how Chase found you!
”
she bawled and I felt my jaw clench.

“
You did what?
”

“
I just, I wanted you gone to so bad, and then he was there and it was so easy and god!
  I can
’
t eat or sleep, I feel so terrible!
 
And then I caught Ethan with Rosa and oh my god, I feel so bad!
”

I took a deep breath because at the moment I was fighting the urge to punch something or someone.
 

“
An-and then things st-started to ma-make sense.
”
Angelica sobbed.
  “I
’
m so-sorry.  I di-didn
’
t mean for this to ha-happen.
 
Things just got out of hand so fast.
”

I watched her cry and I sincerely
 
wanted to hit her.
 
I hoped she wasn
’
t looking for comfort from me.

I went over to the freezer and poured myself a glass of vodka.
 

“
What gave you the right?
”
I growled after downing it and glaring at her.

“I
’
m sorry! 
I had no right!
”
Angelica sobbed, nearly hysterical now.

“
Do you have any idea what that asshole has put me through?
”

“N-no.”

“No. 
Do you have any idea what I
’
ve been through period?
 
What sort of bullshit I
’
ve had to deal with in my life?
”

“No.”

“
No, you don
’
t. 
Why?
 
Because you
’
re a spoiled little princess who gets whatever she wants with no regard to anyone else.
  You don
’
t care about anyone but yourself.
 
You are spoiled rotten and thus you don
’
t really see what you did wrong.
”

“
I told you I
’
m sorry!”