Arsen steps out, and instead of lifting his seat, he reaches for my hands and motions for me to step up on the edge of the car. I do and his free hand finds my hips, gently lifting and setting me on the ground.
He pushes my hair from my shoulder, winks and slips back inside.
“Well, I owe you guys a thanks,” I say with my eyes on my house, slowly looking their way once more.
Ransom’s head falls back on the headrest, a single brow lifting. “For?”
I pull my lipstick out of the side pocket of my bag, quickly gliding it along my lips. I rub them together with a light pop and tap my palm on the frame of the door, redirecting their eyes up to mine.
“Good night, boys.”
I turn and walk away.
Inside, I toss the little black tube in the air, catching it on its way down, and head toward my bedroom, but before I reach my door, my sister appears, leaning a shoulder on the frame of her own.
“Well, look at that.” She crosses her arms with a grin. “She does smile.”
Was I smiling?
I keep my shoulders straight. “Smiles are not rare, dear sister.”
“No,” she says lightly as I continue past her, but it’s not until I reach my room that she adds, “only the real ones.”
My muscles freeze, but only for the shortest of seconds, and I jolt forward. Tossing my bag on my dresser, I fly into the bathroom, yank the drawer open, and tear into the small glass box.
In the mirror, I stare at my own eyes, a hazel-like color not all that different from Beretta’s, at the maroon liner framing the black painted wing curved along my eyelids, a shade rivaling the natural highlights of Arsen’s hair, at my lips... painted a rich, creamy red.
Kiss From The Devil, my go-to shade.
Ransom’s favorite color, or so he claimed.
I lift the makeup remover wipe and swipe it over my mouth until every little hint of the lipstick is gone.
What the hell is the matter with me?
They’re nobody. Strangers.
I spent the day with strangers.
I shake my head, turn off the light and walk out.
In my room, I open my bedside drawer with a glare and a prolonged exhale.
Two blue pills to the rescue.
“Earth to Jameson.”
My head snaps left, and the girls laugh.
“Girl, what’s with you?” Cali passes me my coffee, but before I can grab it from her hands, she pulls back, a nasty frown taking over her face as she stares at the paper cup. “They can’t even wipe the edges. If this shit would have dripped on my top, I swear to God.”
“It’s fine.” I stick my hand out farther.
“You sure, because I can totally tell him to make you another one?” She speaks loudly, and I don’t have to glance over to know the baristas are looking this way. “The least they can do is give us clean cups.”
“As long as all my espresso shots are in there, I’m sure.” I wrap my fingers around the lower part of the cup, and though she hesitates a split second, she releases it the next.
The cup is not ‘dirty,’ it simply has a small drip that slipped from the side when the lid was put on; it happens sometimes when you get extra shots but still want the same amount of frothed milk and an indulgent amount of whipped cream.
“Come on, let’s go. We’re already going to be late for class.”
“Speaking of ‘class,’ remind me again why we agreed to go to your parents’ benefit dinner this weekend, Cali?” Jules complains. “You said last week they could fuck off when they demanded your presence.”
“That was before I found out my dad’s gorgeous, self-righteous business partner would be making a surprise appearance.”
“Wait, what?!” Jules grips Cali’s elbow, stopping us dead in the center of the promenade. “Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?”
I look from Jules to Cali. “What am I missing?”
“All junior year, Cali was an intern under the guy, her dad’s company had set it up. The guy told her he loved her on Christmas Eve, fucked her Christmas Day, and then left on some business trip, completely cutting her off, not twenty-four hours later.” Jules looks to Cali.
Cali clears her throat. “And came to my parents’ party on Valentine’s Day... announcing he had a fiancée.”
My jaw drops and the girls both laugh.
“Honestly, I’m over it,” Cali swears, sounding as if she’s trying to convince herself rather