Page 25 of When You Stayed
“No, well, I thought I had a contract that stated it wasn’t to be used for social media use. It was only going on their website. I requested that because of the tattoo on my ass, but after I dug the contract out, I realized it wasn’t agreed upon on their end, it was only listed as a preference.”
My sister’s eyes suddenly grew. “Oh, shit.”
I nodded. “I guess the algo has me under biker chick in underwear or something. The video landed on a ton of club members FYP, and they’re all talking about me. Ford tore into me about how reckless and stupid I am.” My throat became tight again, making me trail off.
My sister sat up and let out a sharp exhale. “That motherfucking asshole.”
“I mean, he’s not entirely wrong…I didn’t realize that video would ever be shown anywhere but their website, and the demographic for their customers is like eighty percent women. I just didn’t think?—”
Which is exactly what Ford had accused me of.
Taryn moved off the bed. “Who hasn’t blundered something that accidently made its way to the internet? He’s being a dick.”
My shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Maybe itistime for me to grow up. Maybe me chasing this dream of the Hollow is selfish, and I should move out.” Which would mean I had to leave Rose Ridge. There was no way to have both in Dad’s world—that’s what he’d always told me. Ford was telling me to give up my dream, but what he meant was that I needed to grow up and leave Rose Ridge altogether.
“Royce, you’ve wanted to run the Hollow since you could walk. If you give up on that, I will knock your kneecaps out.”
“Violent, T.”
She walked over to my closet and began pulling out various items of clothing. “Sorry, sometimes the club stuff rubs off on me. I have all sorts of violent thoughts throughout the day. Especially toward men, they really are the worst.”
I got off my bed and began sorting the different things she wastossing on the floor. Black dress. A corset and heels. A long dress that had a high slit.
“They are…well, except Dad. What are you looking for?”
She glanced over at me and smiled. “An outfit for you to wear. You need a girls’ night.”
“Who is even around to do that?”
“Nova, Ellie, and me.” She held out a dress and inspected it. “I know you’re older than us, but not by much. Go get changed. We’re taking you out dancing.”
“Nova is back in town?” Connor’s little sister had left Rose Ridge, and as far as I knew she was in college up near New York, but that was all from what Taryn had told me.
“Wait, where did this dress come from?” The dress she’d picked was gorgeous. It was a deep purple, almost black, with a low bust. The skirt was short and would be enough to cover my ass, but I’d pair it with netted stockings.
My little sister clicked her tongue. “It might have been sent to me from one of the brand deals I got. It’s way too long for me.”
No, it wasn’t.
“T…” My throat clogged up. My sister knew I didn’t make the kind of money that she did, and I rarely bought myself anything new unless I’d thrifted it. Taryn snuck surprises into my wardrobe all the time, and I never failed to catch her.
“Do you think Dad will get pissed if we go to the strip club in Pyle?” Taryn asked, ignoring my attention to her generous gift.
She didn’t like fessing up to always taking care of me.
“Dad will literally have a heart attack,” I assured her. There was no way I was getting into even more of a mess than the one I’d unintentionally created. Besides, I had made a deal with him all those years ago, and I didn’t want to break my end of things.
Taryn rolled her eyes. “Fine. Then let’s go to the Hollow.”
My voice came out too high as I tossed my hand out. “Where I work?”
My sister came out of my closet with her own dress. “Oh, come on. When is the last time you actually got to enjoy one ofthose bands and dance?”
My mouth parted, then shut. It had been years.
“Fine, but if Rodney is there, we don’t make a scene. It’s one of my rare nights off, and I don’t want to draw attention to the fact that I’m there.”
“I fear that might not be possible due to the dress, my love, but we’ll hide you.”
