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I was tempted to demand No more surprises, but that would open myself up to a line of questioning about the night before that I didn't feel ready to handle yet.
"I think I have hit my social quota for the week. Or month. You guys know me. I like staying in. Maybe we can do a movie night or something." Even as the words came out of my mouth, I knew how unlikely that was. We weren't teenagers anymore.
"Come on, one more night won't kill you. And it's an excuse to get dressed up," she added, trying for chipper but her own lip curled a bit.
"You're getting dressed up."
"No, no. I believe you misheard me. You can get dressed up. I am going as my usual underwhelming self," she said, waving a hand down at her outfit. "It's actually usually a dressy kind of affair, but I was the one who did a favor for the owners, so they will let me in no matter what I look like. Say you'll come. Don't make me send the others over here."
Really, they weren't going to give me a choice. It was better to get on-board now than to waste precious time and energy trying to fight it.
"Fine. What is it?"
"A surprise," she told me, smiling.
"I don't like surprises."
"Since when? You were the queen of loving surprises."
I had been. Once upon a time. Until I got the biggest surprise of all. Realizing I would never be able to see my best friend again. Just the cold-hearted man now wearing his face.
God, I was seeming pathetic. Even to myself.
Maybe going out with Hope would help shake me out of my bad mood.
"People can change, you know," I said, shrugging it off.
"Well, let me have one last surprise, okay? And you can leave at any point. I will even help you sneak away, lie about you having a headache."
She was being strange.
And maybe that should have put up warning signs for me.
But Hope was a friend, even if we'd grown apart. I had to trust her. I needed friends in town.
Now that I lost my best one.
Ugh, no. I needed to stop thinking about that.
I didn't typically operate that way. I wasn't someone who could just beat down their feelings. I always needed to experience them fully, then I could loosen my hold on them and let them go.
But just this once, I was going to try something new. Because I wasn't sure I was strong enough to let go just yet. I needed to hold on. Just a bit. For a little while longer. Then, I was sure I would be able to leave it, let it rest, move on without it. Without him.
"Okay. Fine," I agreed, taking a deep breath. "What do I need to wear?"
"Fuck if I know. A black dress if you own one? I think they're supposed to suit any occasion."
"I don't have any black dresses."
"Of course not," she said, smiling, not unkindly, even though I knew she was teasing me for always wearing light things. "Well, wear whatever feels fancy enough without being crazy."
"That's vague, but I will try my best. Do I need to bring anything?"
"An ID I guess? Be ready at eight-thirty. It opens at nine. And I know it takes you twenty minutes to say goodbye to all the various... beasts," she said, waving a hand, giving the goose another side-eye. "We're taking an Uber," she added, turning to walk away, leaving me alone with any questions I might have had.
With nothing else to do, I went inside to prepare myself.
In the end, I settled on the only in-between dress I owned—a white lace midi dress that scalloped a bit across the bodice and fell just at my knee. It was fancy, but could just as easily be casual, so it would hopefully fit whatever Hope had planned for the evening.
I was immediately suspicious as soon as we got in the backseat of the Uber.
Hope kept casting glances my way. And not those "I am trying to figure you out" glances she was known for. This was different, but I couldn't place it. That was reason enough to be nervous, to worry. I had a feeling that if Hope was scheming, I somehow wouldn't like what was coming my way.
"What is this?" I asked when the driver pulled up to the front of an old abandoned school that hadn't been open since, well, I'd been alive.
"You sure this is where you want me to drop you ladies?" the driver asked, looking in the rearview, brows drawn together.
"Yep. This is it. Here you go," Hope said, passing him a tip then pushing me out the door, climbing out behind me.
"Is this a house party or something?" I asked, looking around dubiously, not seeing any houses with cars parked out front or anything.
