Page 17 of Wallflower No More

“Yeah. You can't let her dictate what you do.” Hector agrees.

I consider their words carefully. “Maybe y'all are right.”

“Besides, she won't mess with you when you’re with us,” Hector replies.

“Yeah, thanks to Dani, she runs the other way when she sees us these days,” Jaxon explains.

They're speaking my language. It doesn't hurt to let loose every now and again. “Yeah. Okay, boys. I'm in!”

“Yes!” They cheer.

Looking at Axel in my rearview mirror, I see he’s lost in thought in the back of my truck bed. He's frowning, making me wonder what he's thinking about. He looks in my direction, and I quickly divert my eyes and almost swerve off the road. My stupid, treacherous eyes. “My bad guys!”

We pull up to my new home and quickly unload my whole life. With so many people, it takes no time at all. Everyone leaves to go get ready for the party, so Jared begins his makeover on me.

“Ouch, Jared! For the love of God! If you burn me one more time.” He laughs, and my scowl grows deeper. He's not intimidated in the least. He takes my three-barrel curling iron and clamps it before my face, which makes me jump.

I elbow him making him scowl, “I will cut you.”

“I'm petrified.” He doesn't intimidate me, either.

“You should be, but enough with the violence. Look at you, Scar. You're a total babe. You're gonna have that future baby daddy howling! Owwwww.”

I laugh and poke him in the ribs. “Thank youuuuuu!” Mimicking his howl but I do give him a stern look after we stop laughing. “He is not my future baby daddy!”

My hair is styled to perfection in true 80s fashion. My nana always said, “The higher the hair, the closer to Jesus!” Jared did such a great job on everything. He used electric blue for my eyeshadow and completed my sultry eye look with black winged eyeliner. Sultry was his words, not mine. My blush is light pink in color, but my full lips are doused in color and stay hot pink. I can't get over how full and pouty they look. He styled me in an off the shoulder elbow sleeve black fitted top. The shirt has hot pink lips on the front. My outfit is made complete with black leather leggings and a hot pink tutu. I look through my closet. “What shoes, Jared?”

He moves me “quite rudely” out of the way. “You really need to go shoe shopping, but since we have no time for that, you only have two measly options.” He pulls each option from behind his back. “Fuck me, pumps, or I'll eventually wind up as a cat lady in black flats.”

I laugh but also flip him off. “I can't fit my fat feet in the black pumps. I stole them from Janet because she was being annoying, and they were her favorite. So, future cat lady, it is!”

“You really stole them?” He laughs.

“Yeah. Have you met her?” I'm so proud of myself.

“Listen, I'm glad you did it. I just didn't think you had it in you!” He spins me around and hugs me. He also whispers something about being proud of me.

I smile at him sweetly. “Tread lightly, or you may see my vicious side.”

Which makes him roll his eyes at me. He ain't scared. Sasha knocks on my door. “Y'all ready?”

I smile at our reflections in the mirror. Jared has on white linen pants and a Hawaiian flamingo shirt. He looks like sex. “We're ready!” Thankfully, Jared walks out first because it wasn't going to be me. I'm not, per se, shy, but these are not my people yet. The girls cheer for Jared as he struts out. Show off. Peaking around the corner, I see that Axel is staring intently in my direction.

Jared comes to stand in front of me. He grabs my arm. He's stronger than he looks. “Get your sexy ass out here.”

My first thought is to fall like a fat kid on a seesaw, but since there are spectators, I don't. The whole room is silent. Jaxon finds himself first. “Damn.”

Hector is next. “Damn, is right.”

They both look at Axel, but he turns his head. Asshole. He seems nervous. But why? The girls come up to me. “You look hot.”

“Not as hot as each of you!” And it's true. They are total babes!

We run out the door, and to my surprise, they have assigned who's riding with whom. And the only two in Axel's truck are me and him. Not sure how I feel about that because he's acting different today. Less caveman and more laid back. Does he still want to do this? Butterflies run up and down my belly as he opens my door, and I climb inside.

***

My nerves haven't been this shot since I hired that private investigator to hunt down my mom. Which led to nowhere, but at least this will land me between my lady's legs tonight—Scarlett's on the menu.