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Violet: Are you?
Ethan: You know I am. It's friendly. We'll be friends.
Violet: Just friends?
Ethan: Just friends.
Violet: You honestly believe we can do that?
Ethan: I can. Can you?
Violet: Remember that bit about you being an attractive man?
Ethan: You're still hot as fuck, Violet. Doesn't mean I can't be your friend.
Violet: Yeah. I guess you're right. I'll see you tomorrow.
Ethan: Sweet dreams.
Violet: You too.
Chapter Eight
Violet
I spend the morning having breakfast with my dad. He's not jazzed to see me leave, but he's more excited about this potential opportunity than Mom was. It takes a lot of effort to keep from blurting this is a load of bullshit, I'm doing work that has nothing to do with my field but I manage.
Then it's coffee with Mom. By
the time I get home, I only have an hour to pack. I appreciate how much my parents want me around, I really do. And I know they love me.
But I still want to be somewhere else.
I'm not sure that tagging along on my rock star ex-boyfriend's tour is where I want to be, but at this point, I'm willing to try just about anything.
After I pack, I spend far too much time picking out the perfect outfit to make Ethan regret throwing me away. High-waisted skinny jeans, a carefully cropped Garbage top, and heeled boots are just the right mix of ordinary concert outfit and I'm hot and I know it and I want to make sure you know it too.
I finish my makeup just as the doorbell rings. Piper, Ethan and Mal's little sister, is driving me to the show. It's in Los Angeles, only an hour away without traffic. This time of day, we should manage an hour and a half.
I take one last look around, I say goodbye to the memories that are haunting me here, and I meet Piper downstairs.
"Oh my God, Violet, you look great!" Piper's dark blond hair bounces as she throws her arms around me. "Your haircut is cute. And it's bold. I could never pull that off."
"Thanks."
She grabs my rolling duffel.
"I can get that."
"No, I insist." She leads me to her car—a practical silver sedan-and opens the passenger side door for me.
"Such a gentleman," I say. "Gentlewoman, I guess."
It's hard to believe Piper is such an adult. She must be nineteen and she really does look like a woman and not a girl. She's wearing a snug navy dress and wedge shoes and her makeup is pretty and subtle.
She gets into the car with a smile. "You have to tell me all about school and about living in New York City. I love visiting."
I catch her up on all the interesting details while she gets onto the freeway, then I take my turn asking about her life. She's a freshman at UCI now. She's not sure what she's going to study. She's still stuck with Ethan and especially Mal being annoying and overprotective, but I can tell she still adores both her brothers.
