This Strange Addiction, Julie Steimle [little readers txt] 📗

bit back.

“I didn’t choose to be a vegan for merely health reasons,” Audry replied in a hush, gently shoving away the plate. “I think eating animals is cruel.”

“Why?” Selena set her fork down, her face coloring. “Because it reminds you what I am?”

Audry glanced to her, remembering how Matthew had used that word ghoulie—and he had said Selena was gifted. She started to wonder in what way. Was she psychic like Matthew was?

“So you say,” Elsa replied with a shrug. “I personally love chicken cacciatore. It’s a family favorite.”

The grandparents earnestly peeked to Audry, their eyes asking if Audry knew some secret… perhaps a secret that Selena was not ordinary in a manner that the upper crust would look down on—some sort of defect.

“It is not proper,” Mr. Richardson replied.

“The term or being what I am?” Selena bit out.

The air started to feel damp. Audry looked around, and the air itself even began to feel thicker, like a fog. Her skin got damp. Did the chicken do that? Steam from it? She peered at it.

“Selena!” Mrs. Richardson snapped. “Control yourself! Or is your guest aware of your condition?”

Her condition? Selena glanced to Audry in a panic. And somehow the air dried up. Audry also noticed that the water in her glass was less, though the tablecloth around it was now damp. What had just happened?

“Does she know?” Mr. Richardson asked again.

Tightly shaking her head, Selena replied, “I told you, she is an innocent.”

For some reason the expressions on the grandparents lightened.

—Until Selena’s mother said, “Innocent of what, though. Being a vegan isn’t exactly a sign of virtue—just naiveté.”

“Excuse me?” Audry rose from her seat.

Gazing drolly at her, Elsa continued. “Well. Yes. Naïve. The world is a lot bigger than just animals and humans you know.”

“That is enough Elsa!” Mrs. Davenport snapped.

Elsa lurched back, shocked that she had been yelled at. Had she never been corrected as a child? She looked not just near tears, but in an affronted, temper-tantrum kind of way. Her cheeks colored, her mouth open.

Glancing apologetically to Audry, Mrs. Davenport said, “Miss Bruchenhaus is allowed to her have her opinions.”

“Bruchenhaus?” Elsa then stared at Audry. She licked her lips and put on an almost sultry smile. “Are you related to the Pennsylvania Bruchenhauses or the—”

“Mother, would you stop?” Selena moaned.

Closing her eyes, Audry groaned.

“How dare you,” Elsa bit back. “I am just trying to get to know your friend.”

“You are trying to find out if she knows—”

“What I do is none your damn business,” Elsa shot back.

Selena balked. “Oh, yeah? I’m your daughter. And I know what you’re up to. You’re an embarrassment.”

Elsa rose from her seat. “How dare you!”

Yes. This was the reason she did not like her wealthy relations. They were just like this. Audry could feel the tension between all of them. Pretentious parents. Absurd expectations. Wild behavior that people thought money could cover up. And fancy clothes. A lot of show and no substance. Her normal vegan family was a happy haven. They rarely shouted unless someone was about to get hurt—and when they disagreed, it was civil. And playful teasing was the norm. That was the kind of home she wanted for herself. Not this uppity contentious environment.

“How dare I? How DARE I?” Selena rose from her seat. “Let me see! How many men have you slept with this week? Huh? Do you know how embarrassing it is to hear people talking about your mother sleeping around?”

Elsa bristled. “It is none of their business what I do with my spare time! My love life is my own!”

Audry put a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes.

The grandparents watched her. Exchanging looks, they said nothing.

“Grow up!” Selena snapped. “I think it highly unfair that I am the one who has to be the adult in our relationship.”

Elsa reached out to slap her.

“Stop,” Selena commanded. Her mother’s hand, which was outstretched with fingernails reaching, froze an inch from Selena’s nose. “Sit down!”

Obediently, Elsa sat back in her chair. She looked so stunned she was speechless.

Audry stared. Selena really the was the adult in their relationship. She would never dare talk like that to her own mother.

“Selena,” her grandmother whispered. “Remember who is here.”

Selena quickly looked to Audry. Blushing, she stepped back. But then she lifted her chin and said, “I’m sorry. We have to go. Audry can’t eat any of this, and I can’t stand the hypocrisy in this room.”

Hypocrisy. Audry wondered what Selena meant.

“You constantly let Mom run around like a crazy woman, and you set rules for me over whom I have to marry.” Selena squared her shoulders, lifting her chin. “You made me break up with Rick—”

“You were not really dating him anyway,” her grandmother snapped back indignantly. “He admitted that it was just a farce—that you blackmailed him into it.”

“Well, I needed a bodyguard,” Selena bristled.

“Ewan Steed was a respectable match.”

“Ewan Steed is a complete idiot,” Audry interjected, wishing this ping-pong match of an argument would quit. She wanted to go.

They stared at her, surprised she knew him—Selena especially.

“I met him at a New York party briefly,” Audry explained with a shrug. “The lunatic believes in those werewolf rumors about the Deacons.”

The Davenports leaned back in their seats. Her words had stunned them.

Selena’s mouth twisted into a smile. She raised her chin, her eyes and posture saying: That is that.

“I’ve heard that rumor,” Elsa murmured, swaying as if mildly hypnotized. “Mr. Deacon the Second is single now, isn’t he?”

“We’re leaving.” Selena grabbed Audry’s wrist and urged to her to get out of her chair. Audry happily complied.

“Selena!” her grandfather called after her. They were already headed to the door.

“No!” Selena snapped back. “I came because you said you had something important to talk to me about, and as far as I can see, you just want to control my life still. I’m not marrying Ewan Steed… and thanks to you, I’m not marrying Tom Brown either. Happy?”

“He was just a novelty to you,” Mr. Davenport said. “You dated him to spite us.”

“All you ever did was complain about him,” Mrs. Davenport muttered with an eye roll. “You yourself said he was unstable.”

With a dirty look, Selena snapped, “Not the point. Fact is, you don’t want me near any of my old friends. You messed up what I could have had with Rick.”

This time the Davenports huffed.

“It would never have worked out,” Mr. Davenport said. “You are of two different temperaments, of different class. Besides, he wasn’t that interested in you.”

“Not the point,” Selena said. But she colored. Audry could tell it actually was the point, though not the point Selena was talking about. Of course there was snobbery within the one percent just as much as towards those outside it. The Deacons apparently were not regarded in the same way the Richardsons or the Bruchenhauses would be. Audry had the feeling they were ‘new money’. In a way, the self-made-ness of that was charming. It made her like Rick more.

“The point is, I should be allowed to choose my own future.” Then turning on her heel, Selena marched out, dragging Audry with her.

Their car was where they left it, waiting.

When they got inside, Selena wordlessly fuming, she gripped her steering wheel with the desire to strangle something. Instead, she rested her head against it, eyes closed. Audry watched in silence.

A low murmur came from Selena. “I’m sorry you had to watch that.”

Audry did not reply, feeling really awkward

“Not all our dinners go that badly,” Selena said. She then sat up and looked at Audry. “Do you know what it is like to be illegitimate daughter of a debutante slut?”

Refraining from answering that, as of course she didn’t—though it was startling how fully self-aware Selena was.

“My grandparents are trying to make me into what they couldn’t with their uncontrollable daughter,” Selena muttered. She started the car. “I hate it.”

When they got back to Selena’s apartment, they ordered in some food, getting all the vegan options as an apology to Audry. As they were eating in their pajamas on the couch, watching Selena’s favorite romantic comedy The Notebook, Selena admitted her major crush on Rick had never quite died.

“I mean, yeah, I liked Tom,” Selena said with a shrug. “He was wildly funny. He would have done anything for me, and he is loyal to a fault. But… honestly, we really didn’t have a whole lot to talk about. He just liked having me with him.”

“And that’s not enough,” Audry said nodding. They had already talked about her own engagement with Hogan and what it meant to have a lasting relationship.

“No.” Selena shook her head, agreeing. “Not for a woman at least. Men don’t always expect to have much in common with the lady he likes. Men are more physical creatures.”

That wasn’t how Audry saw it, but she decided not to argue as her relationship with Hogan was rooted in commonality. Even all his exes had common interests with him.

“When I first saw Rick, I saw so much potential.” Selena shook her head. “He was a good looking thirteen-year-old, and I knew he was going to be an absolutely handsome man, given time. And I was right.”

Audry shook her head. “Was that really all you saw in him?”

Blushing, Selena added, “Well, he was rich—which would have pleased my grandparents and society at the time. But he was also rather smart. He didn’t talk like thirteen-year-old. And now…” Selena sighed. But then she shrugged. “But he’s not interested.”

That pretty much ended such a thing too. There had to be mutual interest.

“I’ve heard about the ladies he has crushed on,” Selena said with a roll of her eyes. “And I get why he crushed on his best friend’s girlfriend. Jessica is awesome. But I’ve never met Eve McAllister.”

“Neither have I,” Audry murmured, nodding.

Selena lifted her head. “So, you’ve heard of her too?”

Nodding, Audry chuckled. “Yeah. She’s a sporty surfer chick, everyone says.”

“Sporty.” Selena nodded. She then peeked at Audry. “He likes sporty.” And she smirked, eying Audry up. Already Audry could read what she was thinking. Was she starting to ship Breacon or was she getting jealous at the concept of Breacon.

Lifting her hands, Audry said, “I’m engaged.”

“You don’t have a ring yet,” Selena said teasingly, laughing. “It would be really romantic if Rick swept you off your feet and you—”

“No, it wouldn’t!” Audry said, laughing. “I’m in love with Hogan. I want my relationship with my boyfriend to work.”

Nodding, Selena smirked. But then she sighed. “Yeah….”

After a bit more of silence, the movie continuing on in the background, Selena murmured, “I once heard a rumor, though, that Rick actually did hook up with someone and got her pregnant. It really stunned me, as he is not that kind of person.”

Audry stiffened a little. She had wondered if Selena had heard about Daisy or not—if Matthew or Tom had mentioned her to Selena. But it was also nice to hear from yet another individual—one who had actually dated Rick—that Rick was not the kind of man to just sleep around.

“I wondered what kind of woman could convince Rick to cross that line.” Selena shook her head. “I mean, I’ve tried. And I just irritated him. I couldn’t even get him to kiss me for the cameras.”

Audry blinked at her.

“He barely held my hand,” Selena sighed. She then glanced to Audry. “How did you find your fiancée? How did you know he was the one?”

Shrugging, Audry leaned back in the sofa, thinking. “I don’t know. I was just living life. I think when you do what you love, you attract those that are of a like mind. That’s how I met Hogan.” And all her other dangerous exes too, she thought. It was surprising to Audry that Selena had a difficult time finding a man who cared about her.

Sighing more, Selena frowned. “Great. So how to do I do that? My circumstance isn’t so… how do I put this nicely? Um… impartial.”

Impartial? Audry wondered at her word choice.

“You don’t have to worry about people who