Aggro - CoraLee June Page 0,33
sat in my car for a few more moments, steeling myself with affirming words Violet used to pray over me.
You are unstoppable, Breeze Shirley. Act like it.
I grabbed the box and slowly made my way up the stairs to the Joneses’ immense deck, and I had to shuffle up the steps awkwardly to avoid putting strain on my side. I felt the strain with each step, and although I felt a brief lapse in my insecurities, I still knocked on the door instead of just letting myself in.
It took a few minutes before anyone answered the door. I tilted my chin up and puffed out my chest, crafting a smile of defiance and friendliness on my face. Celeste opened the door. She was wearing a loose white tank top with shorts that barely peeked out below. Her blond hair was pulled up in an effortless ponytail, and a touch of makeup made her sun-soaked skin glow.
“Oh! Hi, Breezy,” Celeste greeted me with an air of superiority. I flinched at the nickname. Chase had adopted it as a term of endearment; I’m sure he didn’t remember that Celeste and her crew used to torment me with it in middle school. Easy Breezy is what they called me. Ironic, considering I’m probably the last virgin in our class.
“Hi, Celeste.” I didn’t feel the need to ask her what she was doing here, I already had a pretty good idea. But she volunteered that information anyway.
“I was helping Chase work out some tension.” She rolled her shoulders and gave me a wink. “But I was just leaving,” Celeste added with a smirk before brushing past me. I couldn’t stop staring at the confident way she moved, my eyes following her as she practically skipped down the stairs. Before she got in her car, she gave me a little wave and called out, “Bye, Breezy!”
I waved politely before shutting the front door. I then walked up the large, winding stairs to Chase’s bedroom, arriving just in time to see him quickly pulling on a shirt and trying to smooth his hair into submission. The sight of his rippled abs made my breath hitch. His hair was wild, and there was a purple bruise on his neck. I knew that Chase wasn’t my boyfriend and that we weren’t exclusive, but it still felt like someone had punched me in the gut.
“Breeze! Celeste just, uh, brought me some lunch. Making sure I’m eating and taking care of myself, ya know? I didn’t know you were coming,” he rushed out while crossing his arms over his chest. He looked uncomfortable, but his words sounded forced, as if he wanted to seem casual and was failing. I hated this awkwardness between us.
“Yeah, sorry,” I muttered, trying my best to act like I was fine. It was probably better this way. It was wrong of us to try anything other than friendship. I didn’t think I could handle any additional guilt. Completely ignoring his comment about Celeste, I continued, “I picked up some things from Kai’s, and I wanted to bring them over. I also wanted to talk to you about something strange that happened while I was there.”
“You went to Kai’s house again?” Chase asked, his playful face now twisted in a mix between anger and concern.
“Yeah, can we talk downstairs?” I asked, my nose wrinkled at the smell of sex in the air. I didn’t want to have this conversation here, with Chase’s bedding rumpled and Celeste’s jasmine perfume permeating my senses.
“Yeah, of course,” Chase said before quickly walking out of his room. He paused in the hallway and took the box from my hand before descending the steps. I slowly followed after him, taking my time as a swell of emotions built in my chest. Celeste was here. Chase had been so sweet to me. Tender. Caring. He spent the night and cuddled me.
But I guess he had other needs, too. Needs we both knew I wasn’t emotionally capable of meeting. There was still so much guilt weighing us down. Plus, it felt almost taboo. I couldn’t be with my best friend’s twin. Girl code didn’t just disappear because one of the girls was dead. This was better. Really. Chase cared about me, but as a friend. And I should be thankful for that—or at least that’s what I was telling myself.
“So, what is this stuff?” Chase asked when we were downstairs in the living room. I took a moment to look around before answering. The