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“Why?”
Again, that crackling sensation charged between us as I tried to get out of confessing. I had missed this feeling.
“Because . . .” We were moving closer to each other. “You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“It was a good distracting.”
Aiden touched his nose to mine. “Good. I’ll pick you up at eight tonight.”
We stood there and my hands grabbed his arms as I tried to steady myself. His lips were less than an inch to mine. They wanted nothing more than to kiss him, but I refrained.
“I’ll be waiting.”
LOOKING IN THE mirror for the hundredth time, I made sure everything looked okay. My strawberry red hair was now just below my shoulder blades. The feeling was weird as my head felt weightless after cutting nearly twenty-four inches of hair. The hairdresser had added loose curls and sprayed something called hairspray on it. Apparently, it was glue for hair. Styling my hair this way seemed easy to do and I believed I could mimic the look.
Brooklyn had showed me how to apply some makeup. I kept my natural look, but added a bit of color, then mascara which was made of bat guano. People actually put this stuff on their face. Who would have thought? It was slightly disgusting.
The clothes shopping trip had paid off. I now had a complete new stylish wardrobe for fall and winter. Altogether, I had spent less than four hundred dollars. It was a large sum of money for me, but I needed the clothes. It was weird having all these possessions. New clothes, new hair, new home, new life. The transition I’d been through was mind boggling. Sometimes I felt like I didn’t recognize who I was when I looked in the mirror compared to the girl who I’d seen at The Society.
Taking a deep breath, I smoothed my hands back over the lightweight black sweater that hung off a shoulder. My new jeans had, as Brooklyn put it, artfully ripped holes. Yeah, people actually paid for clothes that had holes in them. Go figure. Since I had nearly killed myself in heels, I stuck with some cute black flats. I felt fashionable and like I fit in. Every day was a struggle to make sure I didn’t slip and show how clueless I’d been—still was in some areas.
The time approached a quarter till eight. I needed to get out of my room. If I checked my hair one more time to ensure I didn’t look like a freak, I was going to drive myself crazy. Brooklyn was downstairs in jeans similar to mine and a blue turtleneck.
Standing at the counter, Brooklyn looked my way. “You look amazing, Kenzie. Aiden’s going to love it.”
“You think so?” I was still nervous at my appearance even though I loved this new change.
“I know so. He’s a good guy, Kenzie.”
I nodded, while I affirmed her statement. “I know. Hey, can I ask you something even though it may be presumptuous?”
“Go for it.”
Having Brooklyn’s full attention, I proceeded. “If something more does happen . . . between Aiden and me . . . are you okay with it?”
Brooklyn came over to me to give me a hug. “Kenzie, I think you guys will be perfect for each other. I’m happy for you both.”
Knowing my roommate supported us being together helped immensely. “Sometimes, I feel like there’s something else between us and then I feel like we’re only friends. I’m not sure how all this is done, but I want to make sure you’re okay with it.”
Hesitantly, Brooklyn chewed on her lip as she debated something. Taking a deep breath, she continued, “Aiden’s been hurt pretty bad with a previous girlfriend. He’ll kill me if I say anything more, but it’s why things have taken so long.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. He’s never mentioned it.” Then, thinking about the last part of her sentence, I added, “What’s taken so long?”
Giving me another hug, she giggled. “I love how innocent you are.” Then, more somberly, she added, “Just be gentle with his heart, Kenzie. That’s all I ask. Even if things don’t work out, don’t hurt him.”
From Brooklyn’s tone it sounded like Aiden had been through something rough which I hated. Aiden and I hadn’t discussed it. “Brooklyn, I would never hurt him.” Aiden had quickly become one of my only best friends, other than Brooklyn. Besides that, hurting people wasn’t in my nature.
“I know. In case you were wondering why it took him a while to make his move, I wanted you to know.”
Nerves returned for a different reason. Maybe there was a chance for Aiden and me. “We’ll see what happens. I don’t want to get too excited for something that ha
sn’t happened yet.”
After all, my life had been a series of ups and downs as I pieced together the truth recently. The doorbell rang. Brooklyn jogged to the door as my heart picked up its pace. What if it’s Aiden? I felt ill.
Mike, a good looking guy too, stood behind the door in jeans and a T-shirt with his fraternity’s Greek letters on the chest. Towering in the doorway, Mike ran his fingers through his sandy-brown hair while his dark-brown eyes took in every inch of Brooklyn. In high school, he’d been a basketball player.
