Kiss the Sky

[ 28 ] CONNOR COBALT

Rose and I spend three days teaching Loren and Lily how to ski. They admitted to never learning during family trips. They’d ditch lessons to goof around, and when they reached a certain age, they replaced normal adolescent behavior with more dangerous activities. Lo would stay at a bar all day, drinking until he passed out, while Lily would sleep with anyone willing.

Daisy opted to snowboard, and even when she chose the black diamond slopes, both Ryke and Julian went with her. Savannah was the only one skilled enough to film them. I can only imagine Ryke and Julian at each other’s throats. That episode is going to draw millions of viewers.

Scott’s the only one who stayed back at the cabin. A rarity. He usually loves tagging along, which means his tactics are changing. I don’t know what he plans to do yet, but I’m constantly on guard.

Everyone changes out of their wet and puffy clothes by the front door. I make it into the living room first to start a fire. Lily is by my side next. I glance back and notice Rose removing her third sweater and brushing her hair off her reddened cheeks. Lo bickers by her side as he stumbles to take off his boots.

Lily clears her throat.

Obviously she wants to talk. “Yes?” I ask.

She raises her hands to the stone fireplace to warm them.

“You really don’t love her?” Lily blurts out.

I let out a breath. This is why I don’t tell anyone my beliefs. I have to explain myself for weeks and months just to be understood.

“It’s complicated, Lily,” I try.

She opens her mouth to refute, but her phone jingles in her pocket. I squat and turn over a log in the flames with an iron poker.

She answers her phone after checking the caller ID. “This is Lily.” She frowns and then taps my shoulder quickly. “Can you talk to my lawyer?”

I stand, and she hands me the phone, a more distressed look coating her face.

Brett’s boots thud against the floor, now changed out of his winter gear to film us from the corner.

I press Lily’s phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Hi, this is Mark Cole from Red Hot Films. We want to make Lily Calloway an offer to star in one of our productions.”

Porn.

This isn’t the first time she’s been offered a role, but it’s the first time someone has called her personal phone. Usually they go through her father’s lawyers and managers.

“How did you get this number, Mark?”

“We had a contact,” he says, “we’re prepared to offer two million if she stars. One million if she directs, and that would be behind the scenes business. She doesn’t even have to appear on screen.” But her name would be.

“She’s not interested,” I say calmly.

Lily gives me a thumbs-up and an encouraging smile.

“She’s the daughter of a multi-billion dollar mogul. No amount of money or exposure will sway her. Stop calling.” I hang up at that.

“Thanks,” she says as I hand her the phone. “Whenever I try to say no people usually cut me off.”

“They shouldn’t be calling you anyway.”

She nods like she knows this too. “I think my number was leaked. I might get a new one and give it to only…” She counts in her head. “Six people.”

“Lo, your sisters, and your parents?” I ask.

She shakes her head “Not my parents. You and Ryke. If that’s okay. I just don’t really trust my parents to keep the number to themselves.”

It’s strange to be included in someone’s close personal contacts. I’m used to being on the outskirts of a network, a connection that people use if they really need one. To be so closely tied to Lily and the Calloways makes me truly realize what I’ve gained by being with Rose.

I have a family. A real family. It’s not something you can win. I didn’t manipulate a soul to get here. I have it because they like me for me.

Each day, I’m more thankful for them. And I’m more aware of how much I can lose.

“Perfect,” I tell her, “so I can call and remind you to study for your tests.”

Her eyes grow big. “When is my next test?” Studying, school (even online school) seems to be last on Lily Calloway’s priority list, whereas academics have always ranked high on mine.

“Two weeks,” I say, having memorized her schedule when she showed it to me. I admit, it’s not completely selfless, even though I do care about Lily. I know the way to Rose’s heart is through her sisters.

Her shoulders slacken, probably glad it’s not in a couple of days.

“Lily!” Scott calls as he enters the living room. “I have something for you.”

Brett rotates the camera to catch Scott on film.

He holds a manila envelope in his hands, large enough to contain a paperback book.

Lily frowns, as confused as me.

“I wanted to get you a little thank you gift,” Scott explains. “The ratings for the show these past months have been off the charts, and we all know the success is from you.”

After he hands her the package, she unwraps it quickly to find a DVD of Magic Mike. Unfiltered anger surges through me. Loren has expressed multiple times on camera that he doesn’t want Lily watching the movie, afraid it may trigger her cravings for porn, which is a major compulsion of hers.

The fact that Scott went behind his wishes is low.

By the front door, Rose and Loren continue to argue, slowly peeling off their wet outdoor clothes, not noticing what Scott has just given Lily.

To make matters even worse, Scott leans into Lily’s ear, his hand on her arm as he whispers to her. She turns bright red, obviously uncomfortable by his closeness and maybe even his words.

I step in. “Scott, leave her alone.” I add, “And take your inappropriate gift with you.” My insides twist in unmanageable knots. All I can think about is Lo. He’s right there, by the doorway, a couch and a chair apart from us. And I know how much this is going to hurt him.

Our friendship means something to me, despite what he said at the screening party. And I have to stick up for him and for Lily.

Scott pulls back from her ear, but Lily remains flushed and motionless. A statue solidified in the middle of the fucking room. He turns to me. “It’s the perfect gift for her, actually. She’s been saying how much she wants to watch the movie.”

Lily stares at the movie, tight in her grip. And after a long moment of contemplation, she pops it open and inspects the disc inside.

Scott has crossed a line. Maybe he sees this as a drama-inducing ploy, but this is beyond that. It’s beyond just giving Lily a movie. He might as well be passing a drug addict a joint. I’ve seen the amount of porn she’s had to trash. I’ve seen her cry at the foot of her bed until Rose consoled her. There were three months when Lo was in rehab, when she was struggling to recover from her addiction, and she had no one but me and her sister. And we were trying the best we could to get her to stay sane, to get better.

And shit like this—it’s how something bad starts. One small moment can change everything.

“We need to talk,” I say to Scott. “Alone.”

He obligingly follows me to his bedroom on the main floor, Brett close behind, but as soon as Scott slips inside, I shut the door. The wood almost hits the camera. I lock it, and I ignore Brett’s disgruntled look.

Two computers are sprawled on his bed. I scan everything quickly. The papers that splay on his pillow, a camera opened and on pause. I can barely make out the image on the tiny screen, but it looks like footage from the drinking game.

“What is it?” he snaps. “I don’t have all day.” He glowers like I fucked with his show.

He fucked with my friends.

But we’re not even. I’ll never be even with him.

“Say whatever you want,” I refute, my complacency slowly and painfully leaving me. “Call me a prick, call Rose a man-hating prude. Call Lily a slut and Loren a bastard. But don’t fuck with their addictions.”

“I gave her a movie, Connor,” he says like I’m being ridiculous. If Rose was here, she’d spit in his face. “Not a dildo.”

“You don’t understand sex addiction. And that’s fine. Not everyone does. But you know exactly what you’re doing. I’m asking you nicely to stop. The next time, I won’t be as kind.”

Scott laughs a bitter dry laugh that spikes my irritation. “It’s funny,” he says, “this is the first time you’ve been in my face in a while, and it’s not even for Rose…” He eyes me up and down. “Does she know you’re attracted to her sister?”

I near him, gritting my teeth. “You are grasping for drama. Literally pulling at anything ridiculous you can latch onto. Shall I educate you then?” He opens his mouth but I don’t give him the chance to refute. “I’m secure enough in my relationship with Rose that I don’t bite off the cocks of men who wrong her or call her a bitch. She’s more than capable of biting them off herself. I’m here, now, in your face because that girl in the living room has no teeth.”

Brett knocks on the door, and I hear a muffled angry yell against the wood.

I don’t take my eyes off Scott. “They’re addicts, Scott. You kick Rose and me down, we’re going to feel like shit but we’ll get back up. You kick Loren and Lily, and they may not. This isn’t drama for television. It’s real and painful, and if you put them in those places, you don’t need to be scared of anyone but me. I will kill you myself.”

And I mean it.

Not because Lily is Rose’s sister. Not because Loren is my friend.

But because there are some things in this world that are just wrong.

Scott nods, whether it’s sincere or not, I don’t know. “I’ll take that into consideration.” Not.

I can’t stay here. I might punch him. And hitting people is something I consider stupid. It solves nothing.

I turn around and leave, passing an infuriated, pudgy cameraman as I do so.

In the living room, Lily is talking to Lo. “Please. Just once. It’s not porn, Lo. We can even fast-forward all the dancing. I just want to watch a movie like a normal person again.”

“We can watch movies,” Lo retorts. “Just not ones that might trigger your compul—”

“Might! Keyword. And I won’t! I promise!”

His face twists in pain. Lo has told me how much he hates saying no to her, but it’s tough love he’s slowly sunk into. “Lil, if I asked you for beer, what would you do?”

“It isn’t the same thing!”

“It is!” he yells back. “And the fact that you don’t get that worries me.”

Silence lingers between them for a long moment before she says, “Okay…” She hands over the DVD. “Lo…I just want to be normal.”

He pulls her into his chest and kisses the top of her head. “I know, love.”

I step farther into the living room until Lo sees me. His eyes meet mine. “Where is he?” he growls, referring to Scott. He detaches from Lily and charges forward. I put a hand on his chest.

“I talked to him.”

Lo’s eyes redden with hate and hurt. He knows what Scott’s attempting. “He can’t fucking do this, Connor.”

“I know.”

Lo searches my face for what…maybe strength, comfort, reassurance. I try to give it as best I can.

“I won’t let anything happen, I promise. He won’t screw with your relationship or your addictions.” It’s a big promise. I usually only give out ones I’m one-hundred percent confident I can keep. This one is a tossup really.

“Thank you,” Lo says, his amber eyes full of gratitude. I see something else in them. Apologies. For doubting our friendship after the screening party. For doubting me.

It feels nice to be back in Loren Hale’s good graces. I think that’s the thing about friends who aren’t quick to let others in.

When they do give you their friendship, it means something more.