As soon as Zoey's eyes opened, rays of sunlights pierced through them and made her feel dizzy. Her head felt like someone was beating drums just beside her and her whole body felt like a trainwreck.
She shifted in her bed and soon realised that she was not in her room. Instead, she found herself inside the lounge on a couch and that explains all the light. Yawning, she stretched her arms over her head and rose to sitting position.
"So the princess is awake?" Her Dad's voice reached her ears and she clenched her eyes, knowing he was going to give her a lecture on how to be responsible. She tried to remember what she did last night but failed to recall anything after she drank liquor at the party.
"What... What did I do?" She asked and the next minute, a newspaper was thrown on her lap. Picking it up, she stared at her picture covering half the page, her dress ridden up, her hair sprawled everywhere and a random boy glued to her.
She read the whole article about how Richard Crawford's underage daughter was found drinking in a party in very questionable clothes. Someone must have taken this picture and sent it to the media, without thinking of the consequences she will have to face.
Putting it aside, she hid her face in between her palms and massaged her head. "It was a party filled with teenagers. Everyone was drunk." She tried to defend herself.
"And was everyone dressed like a prostitute?" He asked, pacing around her.
"Dad, it was a dress. It must have ridden up. How was I supposed to know someone was going to leak the pictures?" She said, already feeling very embarrassed of her actions. She remembered seeing Travis at the party and she couldn't imagine what he must be thinking of her.
"You are a disappointment, Zoey." He shouted. "Do you have any idea what you are doing to my reputation?"
"I'm tired. Just let me go freshen up. I already have a lot of places to go today." She said and stood up to leave.
"You aren't going out of the house other than your school. You are grounded for a week." He said and Zoey's eyes bulged out of its orbits.
"You're kidding me. Right?" She scowled.
"No, I am not. You have to learn how to control yourself." Richard ordered.
"Really? But how would you know if I leave? Last I remember, you aren't at home half the time." She challenged, forgetting about her headache.
"I have already instructed the guards. If your friends want to see you, they can come meet you inside the house." He stated, leaving no space for argument.
"You can't do that." She screamed back in frustration.
"I can. That's my final decision and I am the who gives orders in this house." He screamed at her, barely controlling his anger.
"Whatever." She said and stomped back towards her room.
••••••••••
"No Zach, I can't leave the house." Zoey said although the thought of not being able to join them was killing her.
"But you were so excited about this movie. We all should've been together." He said and it just made her feel worse.
"Tell that to my father." She said and after apologizing for ruining the plan, cut the call.
She hated her father for acting as if he was the most responsible father in the world. She knew this whole grounded thing was just an excuse to stop her from embarassing him, otherwise he couldn't care less what she wears or where she spends the night.
"Miss. Zoey, do you want anything to eat?" Rose asked Zoey who was lying limply on the couch in the lounge.
"No, I don't want to eat." She said angrily.
"But you haven't eaten anything since the morning." Rose asked and Zoey rolled her eyes.
"I need to leave this house, Rose. Can't you understand? It's killing me being stuck inside." Zoey screamed in return and hid her face in a cushion.
"Do you need me to prepare a warm bath for you? It will help you relax." Rose asked further, without getting the hint that Zoey wasn't in mood of doing anything until her father allows her to do whatever she wants.
"Just leave, Rose. For God's sake, I don't want anything. Is it that hard to understand? Just leave me alone." She screamed and lifted her head, only to find a certain boy standing behind Rose, near the entrance of the lounge.
"Sorry." Rose's voice quivered but she ignored it and fixated her eyes on Travis who was standing there with a clenched jaw and a frown etched on his face.
"What are you doing here? I don't remember inviting you for studies." She blurted out dryly.
"I'm here to pick up my mother early." He said and Zoey's eyes narrowed in confusion.
"What does that mean?" She said and then found both Rose and Travis exchanging a glance. It didn't take her long to figure out what was happening and when she did, her mouth fell open. "No." She said and then looked between both of them one more time. "No!!!" She shouted a little harder this time.
"Can't I leave, Miss. Zoey? Please, we have a wedding to attend." Rose said and Zoey just kept staring at them. All the times when Travis called her a brat ran in her memories and she remembered how she was screaming at her just few minutes ago. No wonder he hated her guts and considered her a typical, privileged, rich girl.
"No." She said and then blinked twice. "I mean... Yeah. You... You can leave."
Only after Rose had left to take her belongings when she dared to look at Travis and find him standing there with a blank face. She had no idea how to apologize to him for misbehaving with Rose. Whatever she says, however she says, she would look like a hypocrite. Before she could muster any courage to talk to her, he turned around and followed Rose out of the house while Zoey just hid her face in the pillow.
•••••••••••
"I messed up bad. Didn't I?" Zoey asked Olive through the laptop screen. They were talking through a videocall because both of them weren't allowed to leave their houses tonight.
"You kinda did, babe." She said, putting a handful of MnMs inside her mouth.
"What about you? You ditched the movie too? Althea is going to throw a fit in the school tomorrow." Zoey commented and Olive nodded in agreement.
"It's not like it was my fault. My parents have invited the neighbours for dinner and I was supposed to be there, if I don't want to end up grounded like you." Olive said and then lay down on her stomach, securing the iPad on her pillow.
"Neighbours?" Zoey frowned. Who invites their neighbours to dinner these days?
"I don't know. I think my mother wants to set me up with their son who, by the way, is studying to be a pastor." She told Zoey.
"Oh. When are you going to tell your parents that you swing the other way?" Zoey asked and Olive shrugged in response.
"How do you tell your religious parents that their perfect little daughter isn't straight?" She asked rhetorically.
"Well if you ever do, you can join my club. We have a strict policy; you have to be an utter disappointment for your parents." Zoey joked to lighten the mood.
"Very funny." Olive muttered dryly. "Okay, I have soccer practice early morning. I should sleep now."
"Bye." Zoey said and cut the call.
Her mind once again travelled to Travis and guilt enveloped her. She knew he must be hating her at that moment and she couldn't blame him. She was really a jerk to his mother back there and that's not something a good guy like Travis takes easily.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
YOU ARE READING
Privileged
Teen Fiction"You want to know what I think of you?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. I smirked in a confident manner and nodded, eager to hear his answer. He took a brief pause and his heated gaze lingered on my face. "I think you are a privileged, spoilt brat...
