She seems faintly taken aback by my gruff tone and irritated question, but she flips past it quick. "I wanted to talk to you. About … " Her voice drops and I lean in a little closer so I can hear her. "My sister."
I frown. "What about Candace?" If people think Lauren's a nightmare, they haven't met her older sister. Candace is a holy terror. One of the biggest bitches you will ever meet, guaranteed. Almost as cold and calculating as my mother.
And that's saying a lot.
Lauren frowns. "You know what's going on with her, right?"
I hate it when she plays games. When anyone plays games. Why can't people be straightforward with me for once? "I have no clue what's going on with your bitchy sister and I don't really care either." I'm about to walk away, but Lauren stops me with a hand on my forearm. I turn to look at her, see the concern on her face. The confusion.
Dread sinks like a stone in my stomach. Whatever she's about to tell me, it's not going to be good.
"What is it?" I ask, my voice sharp. "Just spit it out, Lauren. Tell me."
She sighs and lets go of my arm. "My sister. She's having an affair with … your father."
I go completely still, my blood running cold. Okay. That was the last damn thing I expected her to say.
"I thought you knew, Jordan. It's been going on for a while now. A few months at least. She first told me about it a couple of weeks ago, said she threatened your dad that she was going to tell your mom and he practically dared her to do it," Lauren explains, looking miserable. "She wants a real relationship with him and he told her she's never going to get it."
"He's right," I say, trying to push past the heavy weight that feels like it's settled firmly on my chest. "He will never give Candace a real relationship, because he doesn't know how."
Lauren's voice drops to a low whisper. "I don't know what to do. She's dropped out of college. She won't listen to my parents and they're this close to kicking her out. But she has nowhere to go. Mom and Dad don't know what she's doing, but if they found out, they'd probably cut her off forever. She's on this downward spiral and your father is making it happen."
I take a step back, trying to get away from her accusatory tone, her angry eyes. "What do you expect me to do about it? I can't fix him, Lauren. He's completely unfixable. And he definitely won't listen to me, he never has. He doesn't give a shit about me, just like he doesn't give a shit about your sister. The biggest mistake she could've ever made was to get involved with him."
"So you won't help?" she asks incredulously.
"I can't help. There's nothing I can do for you. Or for Candace." Like they've ever done anything for me anyway. Why should I help them?
Lauren is slowly shaking her head, the disappointment on her face clear. "I thought you were becoming kinder, Jordan. I thought maybe somehow you being with Amanda would make you a more caring person, because she's so nice and she does something for you that no other girl ever has. But I guess I was wrong," she admits, her eyes filling with tears. She blinks them away, and I can feel the frustration radiating from her.
I can't believe she called Amanda nice. I can't believe she thought I could change. I start to laugh, unable to help myself. "I haven't changed, Lauren. I will never change. It doesn't matter who I'm with or what I'm doing, I am who I am. And if that makes me a rude asshole just like my father, then so be it."
Lauren's lips part, her gaze going just beyond my shoulder, and I whirl around to find Amanda standing there, her mouth dropped open in shock, her pretty cheeks blazing pink with … what? Embarrassment? Disgust? Worry? Anger?
"So you're not going to help her?" she chokes out, her voice raspy.
I frown and take a step toward her, but she backs away, like she doesn't want to be near me. "You actually want me to help her?"
Amanda's lips snap shut, her eyes narrowed. She looks seriously pissed. On Lauren's behalf? I find that hard to believe. "Why wouldn't you? She needs you, Jordan."
I can't freaking win with either of these girls, I swear. "She just wants to cause trouble between us, can't you see that? You're always complaining about her. Always insecure when it comes to my past with Lauren."
Amanda flinches, like my words physically hurt her. "This has nothing to do with Lauren and everything to do with her sister and your-father having an affair. You actually want him to cheat on your mother?" She mirrors my earlier question.
"I never said that-"
"You don't really care though, do you," she interrupts.
Lauren takes this moment as her cue to leave. The chicken. Not that I can blame her.