Serenity (Inevitable #5)(53)

She was a very pretty girl, acknowledged Sasha, though she wore far too much makeup for a sixteen-year-old. The girl's eyebrows had been professionally waxed and shaped, and her nails recently manicured. Hayley was wearing skintight designer jeans, a low-cut black cashmere sweater, and a fitted black leather jacket. Knee high black leather boots with a spiky heel completed the outfit that Sasha privately considered a tad too provocative for a girl still in high school. Hayley's dark brown hair was long, shiny, and stick straight, and Sasha guessed it took frequent visits to a very expensive hair salon to keep it looking that way. The black leather handbag Hayley had plunked on the table bore a Prada label, and even though Sasha eschewed designer styles herself she was still familiar with the name of the high end brand, and just assumed that the bag had cost a considerable amount of money.

And Sasha hadn't missed the scornful way Hayley had glanced at her own outfit this evening - a long skirt of taupe wool, a cream cotton peasant blouse, and the faux-suede tan ankle boots that she'd bought nearly a decade ago in Brazil. Combined with Sasha's wild curls, lack of makeup, and a matching set of drop earrings and bangle bracelets made of amber and copper, she was the image of boho chic - a style that Hayley evidently was not impressed with.

If she had to venture a guess, Sasha would assume that Hayley had been pampered and indulged for years - largely by her mother, since Matthew seemed far more down-to-earth - and got whatever she wanted - the designer clothes and purse; eating out at expensive, exclusive restaurants; salon treatments. For her recent sixteenth birthday, Matthew had bought Hayley a brand new car, along with the phone that never seemed to leave her hand, and Sasha assumed that hadn't been all of her gift.

It didn't bother her in the least that Matthew indulged his children. They were his kids, after all, and he was perfectly entitled to buy them whatever he desired. Sasha just wished - for Matthew's sake - that his daughter might appear to be a little bit grateful for the very posh lifestyle she enjoyed. Instead, from what she'd been able to determine, Hayley just expected these things, had grown used to getting whatever she wanted, and didn't feel the need to express her gratitude. Matthew deserved better than that from his daughter, and Sasha continued to bite her tongue to keep herself from saying exactly that out loud.

Fortunately, Casey was the polar opposite of his surly, snooty sister, and joked and conversed easily with his father. The boy resembled his father greatly, from the color of his hair and eyes, to the slight cleft of his chin. He was also extremely intelligent, evidenced by the in-depth questions he asked Matthew about computers and the newest software MBI was designing. It was obvious from the way he beamed with approval at everything he said that Casey was Matthew's pride and joy, and Sasha's heart ached a little to think of how badly father and son must miss each other. As opposed to Hayley, who more or less continued to ignore her father as the evening progressed.



       
         
       
        

Matthew made yet another attempt to engage his disinterested daughter in conversation. "Hayley, did I ever tell you that Sasha's mother is one of the dancers on that show you and your mom like so much - uh, what's it called? Ballroom something or other."

Hayley rolled her eyes - Sasha estimated this had to be at least the tenth time tonight - and replied wearily, "Beyond Ballroom, Dad. How come you can never remember stuff like that but you can't shut up about all your computer stuff?"

Matthew grinned. "Because I'm a geek. Always have been, always will. So, isn't that exciting news about Sasha's mom?"

Hayley gave a little shrug. "Yeah, I guess so. Which one is your mom?" she asked Sasha reluctantly.

"Katya Veselov. She's been on the show since almost the first season," replied Sasha. "If you're a fan of the show, I'm sure you know who she is."

"Oh. The old one. Yeah, I know who she is. My favorite is actually Amber, though. She's an amazing dancer!" declared Hayley.

"Hayley," chided Matthew, not bothering to hide his growing irritation with his daughter. "Where the hell are your manners this evening? Sasha's mother is probably only a few years old than your mother and I, and I know you wouldn't dare to call your mom old."

Sasha bit her tongue yet again, restraining herself from mentioning that she was pretty sure Amber was the girl Katya had been ranting and raving about just last week.

"She's a terrible, terrible dancer, Aleksandra," Katya had railed. "Can you believe she doesn't even know how to do a proper jive? The producers asked me to work with her for a couple of days, and it was like starting from scratch. But, you know, she's what the producers like these days - all big hair and fake breasts and phony smiles. Ack! Why do I stay with this stupid show and humiliate myself year after year? This isn't real dancing we do on the show, nothing like what you and I did when we were competing. These girls, like this stupid, clumsy Amber, they wouldn't even be allowed to compete in a big time competition. Or if they were they would be dead last, lowest scores of anyone."