sorry. I’ll be up in a second.”
After I thought about it, I ran downstairs and asked my dad if it was okay that London came over. He said it was fine and he thanked me for asking. I was relieved that my dad and I were back on good terms. He was the most important person in my life and the thought of hurting him the way I did killed me. I walked over to where he was sitting at his desk and kissed him on the cheek.
“What was that for?”
“I’m sorry for everything I said the past couple of days. I don’t hate you, and I’m very happy that you’re my dad.”
“Julia. Thank you, baby. I love you so much,” he said as he reached over and hugged me.
“I love you too, Dad.” I smiled as I walked out of his office.
When I approached the kitchen, I heard London talking to my mom. I walked over and hooked my arm around her neck.
“Upstairs, now,” I said.
“Yes, ma’am! See ya, Mrs. Black.” She smiled.
We ran up the stairs to my room, and I shut the door as London lay down on the bed.
“So, how was it? Have you talked to him? I bet your dad almost killed him.”
“You’re asking way too many questions. First, it was awful, and I want my virginity back.”
London turned her head and put her hand on mine. “The first time is always hard. It’s like learning to ride a bike. Just get back on and try again. Eventually, you’ll get it right.” She smiled.
I sat up and looked at my phone. I opened up my contacts and sent a text message to Brody.
“Hi, I can’t wait to see you again. Call me.”
“Was he gentle?” London asked as she sat up.
“Yeah, he was, and he kept asking me if I was okay.”
I looked at my phone and saw nothing. He didn’t text me back yet.
“Don’t worry about it, Julia. He’ll text you back. He’s probably busy right now.”
I gave a small smile as something inside me told me that I wouldn’t be hearing from him again.
Chapter 7
A couple of weeks passed and I hadn’t heard a word from Brody. It was driving me crazy and I was becoming depressed over it. I headed down to the art studio, where my mom was painting a new picture.
“Hi, honey,” she said.
“Hey, Mom. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Sure, baby,” she said as she put down her paintbrush, wiped her hands, and sat down on the couch next to me.
“I haven’t heard from Brody since that day.”
She put her arm around me. “I was going to ask you if you’d talked to him or if you were still seeing him.”
“I’ve called him and I’ve text messaged him, and he won’t respond,” I said as I looked down and put my head on her shoulder.
My mom sighed as she tightened her arm around me. “Sometimes, we have to learn things the hard way. The best thing to do is lift your chin up and move on. He’s bad news, Julia. I know he was your first, but believe me when I tell you, it’s for the best. Because if you were with him, you’d be missing out on the person you were really meant to be with.”
“It still hurts,” I said as a tear fell down my face.
“I know it does, baby. Time heals all wounds and it’s going to take time. I promise you’ll start to feel better every day.” She smiled as she lifted up my chin. “Now, let’s go to Black Enterprises and pick up your dad so we can all go to the gym.”
“Is Collin coming with us?” I asked.
“No, he’s over at Hailey’s house getting help in Biology.”
“I bet he is.” I smiled.
“Julia Rose Black. Don’t talk like that!” She smiled.
We went up to the penthouse, changed our clothes, and headed over to my dad’s office to pick him up. I called London and asked if she wanted to go with us, but she hadn’t been feeling well lately and she said she was in bed. I was starting to worry about her because, over the past week, she wasn’t acting normal, and she wouldn’t tell me what was going on.
When we arrived at Black Enterprises, I could hear my father yelling from his office. I looked at my mom and she rolled
Learning to Kill: Stories