I bury mine as deep as I can, as far down below my skin as possible, so I can pretend it's not killing me slowly, painfully, constantly. Even now, just thinking about the fact I have damage, not even what that damage is, makes my blood run cold. Fuck.
I shake it off as I try to hand Sage some cash, what little I have left from my time out there in the world by myself, and she shrugs me off. "My treat this time. I know North won't let you get a job, so it's the least I can do."
I roll my eyes at her. "You're the one who is helping me out. I should definitely be buying dinner."
She giggles at me as we both stand and start to make our way out of the library together. "Oh, yeah? How good is your fake ID to get us those margaritas?"
Damn. I forgot about that. I sigh dramatically, lifting my hands up to the sky like I'm imploring some benevolent god in the sky. "It was fantastic, but then North got a hold of it and now it is no more."
Sage laughs and threads her arm through mine. "Yeah, I guessed that. No worries, Riley hooked me up with a good one."
The smile slides right off of her face at the mention of his name. I kind of want to meet him just so I can see if he is as great as she thinks he is underneath all of this drama.
I'd also like to chew him out a bit for her, just tear into him for not seeing how freaking amazing she is.
I squeeze her arm. "Ok, rule one for the night: no more talking about our idiot Bonds. Let's stick to the important stuff, like what color I should dye my hair next. I'm thinking lime green streaks."
I don't add that I'm thinking lime green because I'm sure that will piss North off the most, because I'm serious about keeping the conversation away from the guys. I haven't had the chance to hang out with other girls my age since I was fourteen and my whole world changed, so I'm so freaking excited about having the chance now.
Plus, Sage is a really great person. An A plus, amazing human being that doesn't deserve the piles of shit Riley and Giovanna keep heaping on her.
They should count their blessings that I can't use my powers, otherwise they'd both be royally fucked.
We have to part ways outside the library so I can make my curfew and Sage can grab our food. She jumps into her cute, rundown little VW Bug and I take a quick photo on my phone at how freaking adorable she looks in it. I save the photo on her contact in my phone and grin at it a little more. Shit, having a friend is so much better than I remembered.
Mostly, my pre-teen friends were all about the drama. We used to fight over clothes and boys, none of the other girls were Gifted, so they didn't understand why I insisted on crushing on like twelve guys at once.
I remember one of the girls saying I was going to be a whore like my mom and that she'd seen guys coming in and out of our house all the time. My mom was the Central Bond and I had three dads. I can't remember why we lived amongst humans, I feel like it had something to do with my mom's job, but they tried their best to be discreet about it.
I kind of blew it that day when I told Alexandra Hargraves that all three of my dads could kick her scrawny dad's ass if she didn't learn to shut her petty gossiping mouth.
My mom was not happy with me.
I got three consecutive high-fives from my dads though.
Worth it.
The memory keeps me happy and warm inside the entire walk back to the dorms.
Chapter Eight
“A lavender rinse? You want me to turn my hair the same color as the old bitties at the milk bar?” I choke on the margaritas and Sage giggles at me uncontrollably.
There’s bags spread out over my bed and the floor all around us, overflowing with snacks and beauty products because Sage decided on her way over that a girls night would only work for us both if she got to mess around with my makeup.
I wonder how long it’s been since she got to do something like this, because it’s been years since