IF YOU'RE LUCKY (COMPLETE)

18. Promise

BENJI POV

"Then I want no part of this life", I repeat. My father sits still, he thumbs fidgeting in his lap. He looks unconvinced and it only makes me more furious.

He rises out of his seat, smoothing the wrinkles away from his coat. He stuffs his hands back in his pockets  and heads for the door. "I will chalk up this little incident as just another one of your tantrums", he says, condescending. "But believe me when I say that you and Miss Muller are through".

A sudden strike of fear injects itself in me. I stare at him, flummoxed. His voice sounds sincere and it frightens me. "What did you do!?", is the first thing that comes out of my mouth. My fists ball up at my sides again, knuckles turning white. But he doesn't answer. Instead, my father leaves with a soft click of the door as I stand there, mouth agape. I'm left alone in a silent room with my mind in complete chaos.

"What did you do!?", I shout to nobody.

***

VICTORIA POV

It was the next morning and I could barely get myself out of bed. Benji had called and texted me numerous times during the night. I wanted so badly to pick up the phone and tell him how much he meant to me. I wanted to kiss him one last time and run my fingers through his hair. I missed his touch, the scent of his cologne, the beating of his heart when I rested my head on his chest.

"Here", Faye says, handing me a cup of coffee as I drag myself into the kitchen.

"Thanks". I take a seat at the head of the dining table, bringing my knees up to my chest. I take a small sip, the liquid burning my lip. I hardly notice as I bring myself into a daze, staring at the bowl of fruit in front of me.

Faye drops something in the sink and it snaps me out of my hypnosis. I then realize on top of everything else, I hadn't apologized for the fight gone yesterday. "Faye", I sigh. "I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have—"

"It's okay", she stops me, a small smile on her face. "I know you're sorry, I'm sorry I pushed the issue. You know I hate that sappy apology crap, so let's just move on." She sits down next to me, mug in hand.

I give her a quiet nod and continue to sip my coffee. "Plus", she says. "You don't look like you need anymore problems".

I just look at her through weary eyes and sigh. "I'll be okay", I croak, not convincing myself at all.

"Benji came looking for you again last night", she mentions, spinning her mug in her hands. "I heard your phone go off all night only for you to ignore the the calls, so I assumed they were all from him. So, I lied and told him you were out. Told him I didn't know where".

"Thanks, Faye", I say, fighting the tears back.

Faye can tell that I'm not okay. "Okay, I lied", she sighs. "I'm gonna push the issue and don't even think about saying some mean shit. What's going on with you guys?"

And so, I cave in. My grief was too awful to bear on my own. Faye was the only one I could confide in and I just broke down into a puddle right there in our kitchen. I told her everything that happened at the party and my night with Benji. I told her about running into his father after rehearsal and how he tried to bribe me.

"That son of a bitch!", she yells, her palms smacking the table. "You can't just let him do this, V! You have to figure a way out of it!"

"No!", I cut in. "I'm going to fight this. If I do, it's just going to make it worse. His dad's this powerful
CEO, who knows what he can do".