Libertine

Chapter 7

It was the next week that Kendall noticed something was going on at home. Her stepfather showed up in the kitchen just before supper. He stayed quiet for a while, watching her cut the vegetables for the soup.

‘’How’s school?’’ He finally asked.

‘’It’s fine.’’ She answered mindlessly.

‘’Yeah? How are your grades holding up? Good?’’

‘’Yes, I think I’ll be able to make it to a C+ overall average.’’

‘’That’s good! Congrats!’’ He said, seeming to be impressed. ‘’Other than that, what are the new trends amongst teens, these days?’’

‘’What are you talking about? Like social media?’’ She asked, confused, and suspicious.

‘’No, more like what trouble are you and all the other kids getting into. When I was in high school, everybody knew about a corner at the end of the library where all the outdated encyclopedias were stocked, it was the job of the volunteer at the front desk to man the corner and prevent people from barging in when it was occupied if you know what I mean.’’

‘’I don’t.’’ Kendall replied too quickly.

It was a defense mechanism because, truth be told, she was mortified. She was very well aware that her stepfather was about to tell her a s*x story and she didn’t want to stop it. Although, she knew that she would act disgusted like a desperate actress as soon as he would finish the story. Her father was grinning deviously at her as he kept telling the story.

‘’Well, the corner was used as an unsupervised bedroom. We were hiding there to f**k each other. The game was to go in with a different person every time and you would score a point for every partner you’d bring in. At the end of the semester, we would compile and proclaim a winner.’’

‘’This is a disgusting story!’’ She screeched, hoping that he wouldn’t see through her act.

‘’Is it?’’ He shrugged. ‘’I think scandalous things like these happen all the time in high schools. Wait until you get to university, then you’ll know the real definition of orgy.’’

‘’Ewww! Dad! Come on!’’ She grimaced.

He looked at her with a strange look that she couldn’t identify. Could it be lust? She didn’t have the time to ponder on it because her mom walked in at this instant and headed straight for the wine.

She drank more and more these days.

She grabbed the bottle and left without a word. Her stepfather moved and took a piece of the cut pepper to munch on it. The air was now filled with a strange tension that Kendall refused to address. When he finished eating it, he strolled around her, and just when she thought she was safe, he brought his mouth to her ear.

‘’No need to pretend to be a puritan, Kendall. I can see right through your fake offended mask, I know you enjoyed my story. We’ll talk more later.’’ He whispered.

Her eyes widened in shock. She didn’t dare move and could feel the cold sweat on the top of her forehead. He pecked her cheek and left.

What the hell just happened?

She knew she should be disgusted, shocked, offended, and even aggravated at the inappropriate attitude displayed by her parent. There was no doubt about the underlying suggestive intent, he was trying to rattle her, to make her uncomfortable. He was toying with her and she refused to acknowledge the voice in her head that told her that she knew what end results he was after. What was nagging her the most at the moment was that she had a feeling that he knew what happened during the previous month. But he couldn’t, could he? No adult outside of Mr. Newman knew and she was sure that he didn’t know who her parents were.

No, this couldn’t be a coincidence, the contest aspect including the inherent dirty, scandalous, shameless, and indecent characteristics of his story were too far similar to her own experience. He had to know. She let out a loud sight.

What now?

She couldn’t just confront him, what would be the point anyways? He didn’t seem mad or even about to scold her for her behavior. He seemed to want to provoke her, almost making her see that it was an acceptable conduct. Whatever he was trying to do, she was too afraid of being wrong and out herself that she decided to do nothing about it. She would play the innocent, studious girl. Maybe, he’ll forget about it and never bring this up again. Kendall prayed for it. Her crush was starting to resurface and she wouldn’t have it.

I need to smash this!

Ryan’s face popped in her head. Even if she had an obscene thing going on with the principal, she hadn’t given up on him and they had been casually dating for a while. They both agreed to take things slow (blow job contest notwithstanding), so they had their first fully clothed make-out session last week after a horror movie showing at the cinema. She needed to call him and get her lust out of her system. Yes, this is what she needed.

She was so confused and blinded by the turmoil of thoughts in her head that she didn’t notice her stepbrother walking into the kitchen.

‘’Damn sis, what’s got you so flushed? Is it a boyfriend?’’ He mocked.

He startled her so badly, she dropped the fork she was using to turn the salad. The utensil stayed on the floor because she was now staring at a shirtless Carl. Abs glistening, biceps bulging, and inflated pecs.

‘’You’re in the kitchen, put a damn shirt on, you savage!’’ Kendall snarled.

‘’Oh, s**t! Forgot…’’ He cockily smirked and left.

Yeah, right! Damn this family!

She picked up the fork and went back to finishing the salad.

She didn’t talk during the entire dinner. She didn’t have a lot to contribute to anyway since the conversation was between Carl and Frank mostly and was around the next season of Football. Kendall wasn’t interested in any sports, maybe ice skating during the Winter Olympics. Meanwhile, her mom stayed silent during the dinner as well, pounding her Chardonnay. Kendall would be more worried about her behavior if she hadn’t lived through it already. When she was thirteen, her mom got checked into rehab for alcoholism for a month. Linda still went to therapy for a year after that. She had had minor relapses since then but what Kendall was really tired of was Linda’s attitude. She didn’t want to get better, she didn’t care what her heavy drinking and subsequent passing out, puking, and yelling was doing to everyone else around her. Interventions, trying to get her to rehab again, everything had been tried by every member of this family. But the truth was that even sober, her mom was useless. If and when Kendall was moving out, there would be no lost love between them.

She nearly ran to her room after cleaning up, opened her books, and buried herself in homework’s trying to forget everything that happened that evening. She emerged an hour or two later, or so she thought but when she looked at her clock it was 11:43.

Holy s**t!

She packed her things for tomorrow, when she went to close her blinders, she noticed rain pouring down.

Ugh! So much for spring!

------------------------

School went alright for the remainder of the week, nothing out of the ordinary happened but Kendall missed talking to her best friend. She still hadn’t told her anything about Mr. Newman, Mr. Clayton, or even the crushes she had on her stepfather and stepbrother…

What? I have a crush on Carl? Oh God…

She just really wanted to open up to Tina. Not because something was wrong or that she was suffering in some way, she just wanted to talk about what was going on in her life.

‘’Hey, can I talk to you about something?’’ she asked Tina at lunchtime.

‘’Yeah, sure.’’ Tina frowned, sensing it was about a serious subject.

‘’I think I’m developing a crush on my stepbrother.’’ Kendall whispered, looking down to seem ashamed. She didn’t want to look at Tina on the odd chance that she would judge her

‘’Girl, any woman could develop a crush on that s*x god.’’ Her best friend stated, matter-of-factly.

‘’I know, but… I grew up with him! It’s weird!’’ Kendall whisper-yelled.

‘’Kendall, as long as you don’t act on it, it’s not that bad, okay? You’re gonna go to college soon and you’ll see him less often. You’re gonna get over it soon, don’t worry about it.’’

‘’You think? It’s just that… he’s always walking around the house shirtless, displaying his f*****g washboard abs and he gives me these weird looks. I… just…’’ Kendall struggled to explain.

‘’Ok, so he’s a f*****g asshole. Does he know, you might find him attractive?’’

‘’I don’t think so, I think he’s just too high on his cloud.’’

‘’Talk to me if you feel like you might do something. I’ll offer you my guest bedroom, my parents are gone for the next six weeks to the Caribbean.’’

‘’Thank you, you’re the best!’’ Kendall was relieved, even if she wasn’t really ashamed of her crush, she knew she couldn’t act on it. It was impossible, right? And although she didn’t talk about the one she had on her stepfather, she used Tina’s advice for him too.

‘’I know.’’ She replied smugly.

Kendall snorted. Just after, the bell rang and Tina signed a ‘’shoot me now’’ to her head.

That day, she went to see the principal again. She writhed so much on his desk, under his mouth that she almost knocked everything on it.

‘’That was fun, baby girl.’’ He said as he kissed her.

Just before she was about to leave, she thought she heard him say something.

‘’Too bad it has to end.’’

‘’What?’’

‘’Nothing little girl.’’ He kissed her lavishly and squeezed her ass. ‘’Goodbye.’’

Kendall thought about his last words all along her walk back. She got to her room and almost yelled murder when she saw Frank sitting at her desk.

‘’Dad! What in the hell?! What are you doing here?’’ She shouted.

‘’I am waiting for you, Kendall. How was your appointment with the principal today?’’

Kendall could’ve been having a stroke because she froze like ice, her eyes widened and her mind was a total blank.

‘’I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.’’ She managed to blurt out.