Chapter Four

I was about to retort with something nasty, but Brett called me from the stage.

“Ey, Ken! We’re up!”

I turned back to Nicholas and gave him a scowl. “We are not yet through!” I said in the gravest tone I could manage.

Instead of being offended, threatened, or intimidated, Nicholas gave me a contended smile. In a voice barely hiding his amusement, he said, “Oh, I’m actually counting on that!”

I was scowling as I took my seat in front of the drums.

“Bad mood, eh? Don’t let him get through to you. Don’t let him linger in your thoughts too much,” Brett said.

I raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“That is Nick Atkins. Every guy in this town wanted to be him. Every girl wanted to date him,” he replied before going backstage.

I glanced over at their table again. Jen had returned to her seat and was giggling at something that Nicholas said.

As I twirled the sticks around my fingers and hit the snare, I thought, No. Not every girl in this town would want to date you. I promise you that!

***

“Speed is the essence of war.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War.

I dressed up early for the gig the next day. I thought about it the whole day. In all my years knowing Jen, this was the first time I met a challenging male. An alpha male, much to my disappointment! Not only did he have a strong build and doubtless a six-pack underneath his shirt, but he also had an attractive face—the kind that makes girls starstruck and tongue-tied.

In a fairy tale, where Jen was the beautiful princess, Nicholas Atkins could just be the Prince Charming, who would kiss her sleeping heart awake from its deep slumber.

Very well then, in their fairy tale, I would be the damned Rumpelstiltskin!

I wore a pair of black pants, a dark yellow shirt, black leather boots, and a dark brown leather jacket. I made sure every strand of my hair was in place before I put on my black fingerless leather gloves.

I wanted to pick up Jen earlier than our agreed time. I wanted to make sure that I got to Jen’s before Nicholas could. Whatever he was doing, I would always make sure that I was one step ahead of him.

On my way out, I was unfortunate enough to see my father drinking wine with his friends. They stopped talking when I reached the bottom of the stairs and stared at me from head to toe, scrutinizing my outfit, my hair, and my boots. Then they turned away, dismissing me.

Oh! What I wouldn’t do just to hear the interesting thoughts in their heads right now! 

I have an idea. I wanted to know if my thoughts were right.

“Well, gents, look who we have here,” my father said. “The devil’s spawn.”

I smiled acidly at him. The retort came to my tongue effortlessly. “Exactly. Your spawn.”

My father growled. “What do you call a woman who left her husband, unaware that she was pregnant, and let her lesbian lover raise her child? And when she died, she made sure that I would take care of the piece of shit she left behind.”

“That’s all I am to you? A piece of shit?”

He gave me a cold stare. Then he said, with narrowed eyes, “You come here, embarrass me, suck out my resources like a piece of parasite! I put a roof over your head, I feed you, and I even pay for your car! And what do you give me in return? Shame!”

My blood started boiling, and I felt the heat at the back of my eyes. I balled my hands and bit my lips in an attempt to control myself.

Nobody gets to me as fast as my father does.

“Fine!” I said coolly. “I don’t need your money, you know that. I don’t even need that car you gave me. I know you only gave me that to impress your friends, to keep your spotless reputation.”

He looked at me in surprise.

Yes, Dad, I am your kid. I catch on easily.

Addressing his friends, I said, “Have a nice evening, gentlemen.” Then I strode off toward the front door.

Apparently, my father was not done with me. He followed me to the gate, all the while cursing at me. I couldn’t care less because all I heard from his mouth was blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

“Give me your fucking keys, you goddamn clit licker!” he shouted when he realized he was not getting through to me. I had tuned him out five minutes ago.

I turned around to face him, unable to react to what he said. I forgot that my car keys were in my hand. I stood there frozen, staring at him with a bewildered expression on my face.

When he saw that I was not moving, he snatched the keys from my hand and gave me a push. I nearly fell on the pavement if something had not caught me. My father gave me one last disgusted look, and then he stormed inside the house.

I felt numb. I knew he was drunk, but I didn’t know he was drunk enough to treat me that way, to say the things that he said. I didn’t even know his slang dictionary was so broad.

I felt myself being pulled up to my feet. It was then that I realized I was not alone and that I was not the only one who witnessed my father’s unforgivable behavior.

I looked up and found Nicholas Atkins staring at me.

My god! Of all people…

On his face, I saw all sorts of naked emotions, such as disbelief, anger, and pity, before he could pull himself together and pretend to look cool and nonchalant.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded. It was my turn to pretend to be cool. I kept my face as stoic as possible.

“Yeah, I’m cool,” I replied. “W-what are you doing here?”

“Didn’t we agree to fetch Jen together?”

Right! But I planned to leave very early just to beat him to it.

Well, thanks, ol’ man! Thanks a lot!

“That’s all right. I’m okay. You can go now,” I said.

He raised a brow at me. “And what are you going to do? Your father took your keys. Admit it, Ken Clarke. You need me now.” He looked at his watch and asked, “Does Jen mind waiting for a bit?”

I checked my watch and realized that we were already one minute late from picking Jen up. I almost forgot about her.

No, Jen did not have the patience to wait. Make her wait one minute, and she would freak out like a Bratinella.

I’ve never made her wait ever since I met her. And I regret doing so now. But I also could not miss this chance to get on Nicholas’ bad side.

To Nicholas, I said, “Yes. If you’re early, she feels pressured to finish dressing up or putting on makeup. She hates that. So we can take all the time we need.”

According to my best friend Sun Tzu, “All warfare is based on deception.”

In other words, offer unsolicited advice to your rival, the guy who covets my place on my best friend’s side. And make sure it was bad advice disguised with good intentions.

Nicholas and I were both quiet on the way to Jen. I was trying my best not to think about my father and how abusive he was becoming. I could move out of his house. I have money from Isabella and my mom. I didn’t need my father’s help to get me through life.

But money was not the reason I came to live with him, why I could stomach everything he was doing to me, and I never fought back. I never needed nor wanted his money. All my life, all I wanted was his acceptance and respect. I wanted him to accept me. And if it wasn’t too much to ask, I wanted him to love me. No matter how hard I might seem on the outside, inside, I’m just this little kid longing for a parent’s love.

Once again, I felt heat behind my eyes, but I tried to blink back the tears that threatened to blind me.

What the fuck.

I’m Ken Clarke. I do not cry!

And especially not in front of Nicholas fuckin’ Atkins!