‘blackout’ boys make their way from one space to the next, the others follow. Funny, though, while they stay within a few feet of the trio, they don’t approach them.
Maybe they’re hoping they’ll be the ones approached?
I could almost laugh.
These guys must know they beam as bright as a knockoff in a country club, but perhaps that’s how they want it?
Cali says they’re crazy, yet these girls are practically foaming at the mouth for a split second of acknowledgment, their jerky movements and pursed lips telling the tale of how they’ve yet to receive their wish.
Oh, how the entitled hate to be ignored.
I chuckle to myself at the hypocrisy of it all. How those deep inside this world, the ones who live for it, feign disgust, annoyance or irritation. Put off the whole ‘we’re the only one in the room’ vibe, when really, every move they make is for the benefit of those they hope are watching. It’s a comical sight and playing out right in front of me right this second.
The age-old truth behind their masks, the one the fathers in our world likely hate the most but can’t deny.
Every spoiled little rich girl craves herself a psycho, at least a time or ten.
“Girl, for real, you must have a death wish.”
I shrug, turning to Jules. “I’m bored, what else is there to do but study new sights instead of the same ones we’ve seen for the last month?”
“Boredom is what ends you, got it,” she jokes, taking the seat beside me. “You, my friend, are going to get murdered in your sleep.”
Little does she know they haven’t so much as glanced my way all night. My game of Susie Stalker is safe and sound.
“And you are going to get pregnant if you keep hopping on your man in the water,” I deflect, doing as she prefers and switch the conversation so it’s about her.
She laughs into the cooled air above us. “Honey, I’m all for it. That boy gets me pregnant, I’ll be set for life. Besides, I love him, so win-win.”
I shake my head, forcing a small smile, knowing she’s dead serious. If you’re not deemed ivy league status early, you’re a token your family will later cash in on. This is how it goes for a lot of us trust fund girls. Minus the love.
Love is not something anyone should chase in our world.
Convenience breeds confidence and keeps the daily dosage down. Love creates jealousy and doubt and mental instability.
Love kills.
The two of us look up when Cali walks over, officially swaying on her feet. “I’m starved. Who wants to help me order—”
The lights go out.
“Oh shit,” Cali hisses.
People yell in drunken numbness, some squeal and scream.
I roll my eyes, my fingers falling against the expensive leather at my sides, only to be pulled from it seconds later.
I frown, yanking my arms back.
“Jules, back—”
Something is slapped over my mouth as my hands are bound together.
What the hell?
A cloth is thrown over my head next, the soft fabric forming to my nose as my breaths quicken.
I kick, but I’m barefoot. I attempt to shout, but to no avail, and then I’m lifted into the air, not by one set of hands, but several.
I claw and scratch the muscles along the arm in reach, flexing as I do. When the cool night’s wind stings my skin, alerting me I’m no longer in the house, I wiggle every inch of my body in an attempt to set myself free, but all I get is a firmer grip on my upper thighs. My muscles clench beneath a rough palm, and a dark chuckle wafts over my chest.
I squeeze my lids shut, a knot forming in my throat as my Barocco robe is torn from my arms, leaving me in nothing but a triangle top swimsuit and bottoms a decent parent would slay their daughter for wearing at a party—a gift from my mother.
All I can think is I’m about to be raped, murdered, or kidnapped.
The air around me grows chillier, my pulse kicks higher, and I’m five seconds from confessing all my sins.
Suddenly I’m dropped into a pile of sand, and not two seconds later, a wave threatens to carry me out to sea.
I push my palms into the thick, soft sand and drag myself to my feet before the water steals it from beneath me, running up and out as far as I can, only to trip over something, slamming onto the sand once more.