Page 107 of Blue Gold
Flipping her dark brown hair over her shoulder, she blew out some air. “Oh, please, all you did was toss some money at some people. It’s what our family is known for.” She snorted. “At least, unlike Andrew, I wasn’t caught smoking weed on campus like a total loser.”
My face scrunched up upon hearing about my brother’s achievements. Ignoring Catherine’s irritating voice and even worse attitude, I asked, “When did that happen?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, a month, maybe two months ago? But, like, don’t worry about it. Dad paid off his school, so it’s all good now.”
“For God’s sake, are you two keen on causing trouble?”
“Sorry we’re not as perfect as you are, Dani.”
“Stop speaking nonsense.”
“Nonsense? It’s the truth, and you know it. You’re Dad and Mom’s perfect boy, while we… we’re just the black stain they can’t get rid of.”
Her words made me stop walking, and I watched as she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her purse. Truthfully, I didn’t even know she smoked. Watching her poison herself with that crap the same way Elliot did annoyed me, and the muscle in my jaw tensed before I sighed.
“Why did you even steal to begin with? You have enough money to buy whatever you want.”
Tapping the tip of the cigarette, she looked down as the ash fell to the pavement. “For the thrill, I dunno.” She stomped over it with her heel. “Sometimes it’s fun breaking the rules… but what would you know, right?” She glanced up at me, her eyes locked with mine as she took another drag. “Like seriously, when have you ever done something wrong?”
Keeping quiet, I thought about my own fair amount of secrets and wrongdoings. Catherine probably assumed my silence meant she was right, and she snorted before once again muttering how incredibly “old” I was.
“Anyway, what’s up with you? Haven’t heard a word from you since you suddenly filed for divorce.” Blowing out thick smoke, she gave me a raised brow. “Like, what the hell happened? One minute, you’re all happy, then it’s totally over.”
“We had issues that were irreconcilable, and so we decided to part ways respectfully.”
She snorted. “Bullshit.” She leaned closer to me, and I grimaced at the reek of her cigarette. “She totally cheated on you, didn’t she?”
“Of course not,” I hissed and pulled away from the smoke.
Catherine’s eyes widened before she tossed the cigarette to the ground. “Oh fuck, did you?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you.”
She laughed. “Yeah, there’s no way you cheated. You’re too boring for that. Too fucking righteous.”
Irritated, I scowled at her. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“That you’re an arrogant bastard, Dani. Like, you don’t even give a shit about me or Andrew. But whatever. You’re just like Mom and Dad.”
I might not have been the most caring brother, but I was never unfair or unkind, and the way she represented me sounded as if I’d alienated her her entire life. Our parents might have, but little did Catherine know that it was a much better option than getting their so-called love.
My phone ringing saved me from acknowledging her whims, and pulling it out of my pocket, I saw it was Elliot.
“Excuse me for a minute,” I told my sister before walking far enough away to take the call.
“Elliot?”
“I read your note. Is your sister okay?”
Hearing French after my sister’s unimpressive vocabulary was refreshing.
“As fine as a spoiled child like her can be.” No matter how she wanted to put it, Catherine still had it all, and instead of doing something with her life, she chose to waste her time complaining about how unfortunate she was.
“You’re harsh,” Elliot said.
“Hardly.” I sighed. “It’s impossible to imagine you’re so close in age… I mean, she’s absolutely immature, while you?” With my eyes closed, I thought of all the times he’d educated me about life. “It’s truly unimaginable.”
“Age is nothing, mon amour.”
