I almost felt a little bad for what I had planned for Katya, but I couldn’t let soft feelings get in the way of what I needed to do. She might hate me even more after this, but I had to protect my family. It was more important than ever if she was starting to work her way into my cold heart. I needed to keep my distance.
Chapter 19
Katya
Luckily, I was already dressed when a topless Kingston barged into my room Monday morning. “Hey sis,” he called as he strode in and flung himself on my bed. “Why are you dressed already?”
“Because your dad said to be at the school at ten, and it’s already nine?” I tried not to gape at him, but he was only wearing a pair of boxer briefs, and he was cut for someone his age. His abs and Adonis belt were on full display, and his thighs were even more muscular than the male dancers I knew.
“Why are you naked?” The words burst out before I could stop them, and I turned bright red at the delighted look on Kingston’s face.
Kingston laughed out loud. “Is this what you think a naked man looks like? Maybe I should show you the rest.”
His hands went to the waist of his underwear.
“No!” I shouted hurriedly. “You’re fine as you are.”
I grabbed my phone off the bed where it was lying right next to him. “Why do you smell like alcohol? You’re not going to show up to school like that, right?”
“I probably smell like sex, too,” he said with a grin. “Last night’s girl is still in my room and trying to get clingy. I’m hiding out in your room until she gets the hint and leaves.”
“That’s gross,” I said with a frown. “And shouldn’t you talk to her? It seems kind of mean to just leave her.”
Kingston smirked. “I don’t know her name and don’t want to make it awkward.”
“Why-” I shook my head. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. Don’t you think hiding from her is even more awkward?”
“Hey, Mav,” Kingston raised a hand in greeting as his brother entered my room.
“Are you hiding from a girl, too?” I asked sarcastically.
“What?” Maverik frowned at Kingston. “Is Melanie still here?”
“Melanie!” Kingston said gleefully. “That was it!”
I shot him a dirty look before speaking to Maverik. “Your brother is being a dick to some girl.”
Kingston shrugged. “I asked her to leave, and she kept trying to snuggle with me.”
“That’s messed up,” I said darkly. How could Kingston be so cold to someone he just spent the night with? He was going to crush that poor girl.
“Right?” Kingston said as if I was commiserating with him. “She should have gotten it by the third time I asked her to leave.”
“Maybe you should take her home?” I suggested, annoyed that he would treat anyone like that.
“Use my shower,” Maverik told him. “I’ll get rid of her and have Henry drive her where she needs to go.” He glanced at me.
Kingston got up off my bed and sauntered out.
“How can you guys not realize how fucked up your treatment of that girl is?” I asked Maverik in disbelief. “Or do you intentionally do whatever is the opposite of decent behavior?”
Maverik frowned at me. “Don’t judge Kingston before you even know him.”
“I’m not judging him,” I countered. “I’m judging the way he treats others. That’s a human being in there, not a sex toy that he can just throw away when he’s done.”
Maverik ran his hand over his face. “I can’t deal with this shit right now.”
I thought he was going to just walk out the door, but instead, he turned back to me.
“Listen, that girl isn’t some sweet innocent that Kingston took advantage of. She’s a social climber that’s trying to latch onto him like a leech.” He shook his head. “Kingston just accepted what she was offering, and now she’s trying to make it into something it’s not.”
I rolled my eyes, but Maverik had already disappeared through the door and slammed it behind him. It seemed like a bad time to chase after him and ask if he was still taking me to school, so I sat on my bed to put on my shoes.
I decided to wear a professional-looking outfit to my evaluation because Richard said this was an academic school. Ella had filled my closet with more clothing than I would be able to wear. Since Nina was the one who forced me to come here in the first place, I didn’t feel bad about taking advantage of the clothing choices. After the last sixteen years, the least she could do was buy me some clothes.
I wore a cream blouse, black pencil skirt with a small slit in the back, and black pumps. The skirt was snug enough to show off my toned shape but demure enough to be appropriate in an academic environment. I debated on pinning up my hair but decided to run a straightening iron through it to get it sleek and shiny. A few touches of natural-looking makeup, and I was ready to go.
Richard said that the school didn’t have a ballet program already in place, but I decided to stuff an oversized Gucci tote bag that I found in the closet with ballet things just in case. Richard hadn’t told me what was expected of me in the evaluation, so I wanted to make sure I was prepared for any eventuality. Any other school that focused on dance would have asked me to audition for them, not to interview with them.
I didn’t hear any shouting coming from Kingston’s room, so I decided
