Gamed (A Standalone Romance Novel) (Bad Boy Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page A

like your entire life is full of segues. Next you'll be telling
me that you want to quit nursing and join the circus, right?"
    "Sienna is – was
just like Mother. She would refuse to come out of her dorm room for days. I
used to have to bring her food. Then suddenly, I would run into her at the
cafeteria. She would be bright and smiley and act as if nothing at all had ever
been wrong. That's not right."
    "They are
passionate, they know what they want, and they strive to make it perfect. I
don't see anything wrong with that. Sure, they both take disappointments hard,
but it just shows how much they care," my father said.
    "Just once, I
want to hear you admit it is not normal," I said. "And don't even use
your lawyer arguments on me. Normal is not postponing Christmas because Mother
has locked herself in the closet. Normal is not you breaking down the closet
door with a metal baseball bat because she hasn't said anything through the door
for two hours. Normal is not a smart, popular, college girl at the top of her
pre-med class suddenly slitting her wrists and bleeding to death in a
bathtub!"
    I looked across
the kitchen island at Charlotte. We had stood here and had the exact same conversation
over and over again. Friends had offered contact information for doctors and
psychologists, given my father books, and invited my mother to meetings. My
parents always insisted she was fine.
    Now, Sienna would
never be fine again and my father still could not face the facts. "Something
must have happened to make Sienna do what she did. When I found out who made
her feel that way, there will be hell to pay. I bet it was that boyfriend of
hers, Owen. She was always complaining that he refused to get a real job or do
anything with himself."
    I thought of Owen
on the front cover of the gaming magazine. My father would never understand. "Speaking
of Owen, have you called him?"
    "Why would I
call him?"
    "Daddy, he
needs to know! He doesn't go to UCLA. What if no one on campus had his contact
information? What if they didn't think to get a hold of him? He might not even
know Sienna is dead," I said.
    "Maybe he's
the one that drove her to it."
    Charlotte sucked
in air between her teeth, a sharp sound of disapproval. Even my father had to
admit that was too harsh.
    He shrugged in
deference to Charlotte. "I never liked him for Sienna. They were not a
good match. He was going nowhere and trying to hold her back."
    "That doesn't
mean he doesn't deserve to know," I argued. "Sienna loved him."
    "Sienna
didn't love him," my father countered. "She thought he looked good in
pictures. I never heard one conversation where they ever agreed. They argued
before every date."
    "Only because
they always did what Sienna wanted," I said.
    "Right,
exactly. A man needs to have a little bit more of a backbone, don't you
think?" my father said.
    "Enough
backbone to make a phone call," I said.
    Charlotte bit her
lip to stop a bubbling laugh. My father scowled but a short sparkle of
admiration lit his eyes. I had no idea where the sharp backtalk was coming from,
but I hoped it could yield results.
    "I raised two
daughters. I wouldn't know the first thing about having a man-to-man chat with
your sister's boyfriend. What if he cries?" my father said. He went to the
side cupboard and poured himself another glass of whiskey. "How about you
call him and I won't ground you for sass?"
    "You can't
ground college students."
    My father shrugged
again and walked out without another word.
    "Don't
worry," Charlotte said. "I'll finish the sugar cookies. You have a
phone call to make."
    I went up to my
room and paced around, turning on every light. Sienna had once told me the
secret to phone interviews was to talk while you looked in the mirror. She said
it made you sound more natural, more relaxed, like it was a normal conversation
with another human instead of disembodied voices.
    I brushed my hair,
pinched a little pink into my cheeks, and put on a light layer of lipstick.