CHAPTER ELEVEN

It had been a month since Bill had gone on MTV and told the world the side of Laurie Tennant that no one wanted to hear. Even if it was a lie, it didn't matter to him. Whatever worked to wreck her image was worth it.

"Would you just be quiet?" Bill shouted at his nine-year-old daughter, Caroline.
 
"Dad, I want to go to McDonalds!" she repeated. She knew she was skating on thin ice with her father, but she didn't care at that point. Besides, if she didn't get her way with him, she'd just go to her mother.

"Damn it Caroline, I don't need this right now!" he bellowed. "Go ask your mother!"

Caroline smiled, walking off happily to ask Carla. Bill's temper was never strong enough to endure his daughter's incessant whining. Carla coddled her, and she expected him to do the same. His mind was on other things, however. Like how to ruin his half-sister's career.

"Bill?" his wife, Carla asked.

"What?" he snapped.

"I'm taking Caroline to eat. You want anything?" she asked in her high-pitched whiny voice.

"Yea, a Big Mac, large fries, and a large Coke," he said without looking up at her.

"Are you still worrying about Laurie, Bill?" Carla asked.

Bill didn't answer. He just kept typing an e-mail to MTV. He needed to tell them more 'news' about Laurie's past. He needed to get back at her. She owed him something. She actually owed him twelve years with their father, but that was out of the question, seeing as the old man had been dead for ten years. He really wasn't good for anything but a reputation to Bill. Their father, Wes, had been the mayor, and he would have served a second term if that little bitch hadn't been born. But she had been, and their father worshiped her and her mother (who Bill equally hated). Wes couldn't run for a second term because word had gotten out about his affair and his illegitimate child, keeping him from running again. So, Bill got his job because of the reputation his father had. Unfortunately, Wes was now focused on his young daughter and providing for her, not his thirty-year-old son who didn't care for him anyway. Still, Bill was jealous, and always had been. So much that he went against his father's wishes and had him cremated when he died. He even had it done a day early so that Laurie couldn't see him at the wake. Anything to ruin little Laurie's world. But now he had much more to work with.

He had more to destroy.

 

Nick flopped down on his couch, sighing. He wondered why Laurie was suddenly so apologetic toward him. She was usually set in her ways. He shrugged it off. Doesn't matter to me, he thought to himself. He felt for her about Bill, he never liked the man from the first time he'd seen him. Laurie'd tried for years to pretend that there was a potential relationship for them, but with age and experience she soon realized that having Bill as a big brother was something that would never happen. So she accepted it. Nick figured it must have been bringing back memories she didn't want to resurrect. He flipped on his TV. He turned it to MTV and narrowed his eyes as he saw Bill's big face on the screen.

"Laurie was never as close to our father as I was, or as he wanted her to be. It was really a sorry thing to see. When our father started failing, it was as if she could have cared less. She only cared that she was the daughter of the former mayor. I really think it broke his heart."

Nick switched off the TV, slamming the remote down. He dug though his pockets to find Laurie's number.

         
Laurie sat onthe couch in a daze. She suddenly stood up and rushed into the bathroom. She thought she would be sick. She loved her dad more than any man there ever was. Bill was the one who'd left bruises on him in the nursing home. She heard the phone ring, but it didn't register anything with her as she walked back into the living room. She looked on her mantle at a picture of her father and her from the last Christmas they'd had together. She kept her tears captive, refusing to cry for what she knew was a pack of lies.

She finally fell back to earth when she heard a loud pounding on her door. She slowly walked toward it, unsure of her feet to carry her. She opened it. Kori rushed at her, hugging her. Laurie's tears finally broke free and streamed down her face.

"Kor, he, he-" Laurie broke into uncontrollable sobs.

"I know. It's ok," Kori whispered. They sat down on the couch.

"I hate him as much as he hates me!" Laurie said between sobs.

"I know. You should. Why is he doing it?" her friend asked.

"Because he's always been jealous of what I had. He hated the fact that I was Dad's favorite. So now he's getting back at me for it," Laurie said quietly, letting the words sink in. The phone rang again.

Laurie stood up and answered it. "Hello?" she said.

"Are you ok?" Nick asked. He could tell she was crying from the quiver in her voice.

"Nick?" she asked.

"Yea, it's me. I saw him on TV. Are you ok?" he asked again.

"Yea, I'm ok. Kori came over. I just..." Laurie trailed off.

"I know. You want me to come over?" he asked.

Laurie thought about it. Nick could make her feel better, and she knew it. "No, it's ok," she said. She couldn't get too close to him.

"Ok, as long as you're sure. Night," he said.

"Night Nick," she said. She put the phone back on the hook and sat down.

"Was that who I think it was?" Kori asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Yea. He wanted to make sure I was ok."

"He still loves you, you know that, right?"

Laurie rolled her eyes. "Nooo, he hates me, remember?"

"That's what he said when he was drunk," Kori reminded her.

"And that's what he thinks, it just came out then. So there," Laurie said, sticking out her tongue.

Kori returned the favor, making them both laugh. "Feel better?" she asked. It was Kori's policy that Laurie couldn't cry.

"Yea, thanks Kor," Laurie said. She hugged Kori as she stood up to leave. She shut the door behind her and took a deep breath. Maybe she should make a statement of her own about Bill. Or maybe she should just ignore him. Yea, just let it all blow over.

He'd get tired of his little game eventually.