Stuck With Me - Melissa Brown Page 0,5

Maren had something to say, that could only mean one thing.

Lyra was coming on our ski trip.

Lyra, Maren’s best friend and my arch nemesis—we drove each other crazy and could barely handle being in the same room without bickering. If Trupti was coming, I wouldn’t give Lyra a second thought. We’d be in our own little bubble, doing our thing. But now… Now I had to deal with one of my least favorite people on Earth. For four freaking days.

“So…” Maren began, I could picture her smiling on the other end of the line.

“What?” I was already irritated.

“Lyra’s taking the shuttle and is almost to the resort. She said she’s about fifteen minutes away.”

“And?”

“And so, it’ll probably just be the two of you in the suite before the rest of us get there.”

“What about Scott and Allison?”

“They’re getting in later tonight. Scott had to work.”

I huffed into the phone. “What the fuck, Mare? Why didn’t you guys give me a heads-up? I would’ve waited, stayed home awhile. Shit, I would’ve gone to a coffee shop for three hours…or five.”

“C’mon, Dev.” Maren sighed into the phone, but I shook my head, feeling defiant. First Trupti and now this. I had zero patience left.

“What? I’d do just about anything to avoid being stuck with her. You know this.” And she did. Maren knew almost better than anyone just how badly Lyra and I got under one another’s skin. The feeling of disdain was totally and completely mutual. Lyra despised me just as much, if not more, than I did her.

Maren’s tone softened. “It’ll just be a few hours. We’ll get there as soon as we can. Besides, you two can tolerate one another for a little while, can’t you?”

“Highly doubtful.”

“Dev!”

“Fine. I can handle the Mistress of Evil for a few hours, I guess. Pretty sure I packed my earbuds… Maybe I’ll just tune her out until you arrive.”

“That’s the spirit,” she deadpanned, and a chuckle escaped my mouth. I loved irritating Maren. She was such a sweetheart, but if you crossed her too far, look out! She was cute when she was mad, though, and so I loved to poke and prod and get her to that breaking point. And even at her worst, she was nothing compared to the headstrong piece of work that was her best friend.

“I gotta go, Mare. All this talk of Lyra is really upsetting, and the last thing I need is to get into an accident due to emotional distress,” I teased, a wicked grin on my face as I watched my windshield wipers flip back and forth, squeaking softly against the glass as the large snowflakes continued to land in heaps on the glass.

“You’re such an ass, but we love you. Be safe, and we’ll see you soon.”

I gripped the wheel and exhaled, mentally preparing for Lyra Castillo, utter pain in my ass.

Chapter 2

LYRA

“The roads look pretty rough, folks. It’s going to be a bit longer than the itinerary suggests. Please be patient and know that we’ll get you there as quickly and as safely as we can.”

People around me groaned and grumbled, but I smiled down at my book, knowing I had more time to escape into the story I was currently obsessed with. I’d read every word Jane Austen had ever uttered, but every time I reached the end of a story, she left me craving more. And so I was rereading my favorite book of all time, Pride & Prejudice. Again. And pretending I was a member of the Bennet family, losing myself in every page, in every word.

My mother had two names for me…soñadora was the first…and the one I heard most often. I was a dreamer, a fantasy chaser, the one who’d written her happily ever after back in chapter 3. But real life never seemed to measure up to the fictional characters I’d read about, and so my actual happily ever after seemed unattainable. Rather than pout about it, I’d followed my true passion—books.

Happily reading while the others on the Brighton Resort shuttle grumbled and complained, my phone buzzed from my purse at my feet. I smiled when I saw my best friend, Maren’s name on the screen, but scowled when I read the content of her message.

-Don’t kill me, but Dev will be getting there soon after you….and Peter and I are running late. His cat puked right before it was time to go. Took forever to clean it up.

-Ugh. You have to stop sneaking him people food!

-I