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On autopilot, I pull my phone out of my pocket. I begin texting my dad, like I always do. But I know what he’s going to say before I even ask. He’ll say no. It’s seven thirty. I’m supposed to call him in an hour for our weekly updates. I love his calls, but I think he chose Friday nights just to keep me out of the bars and clubs, not that I mind. It’s also why he chos
e Yale for me over some of the other colleges. Yale isn’t exactly known for being a party school. I prefer his calls to drinking until I puke, like Scarlett does.
My thumb hesitates over the phone. I’ve never really had the opportunity to try out my theory on drinking until I puke. I’ve just assumed I would prefer talking with my father to it. And I can’t make any more mistakes.
I move my thumb to press Send when Scarlett’s body tackles me to the ground. My phone drops from my hand and slides across the hardwood floor. It’s a miracle it doesn’t shatter, but from where I lie on the ground with Scarlett’s body pressed to me, it doesn’t seem like it even got a scratch on it.
“What—get off of me, Scar.” I try to wiggle out from underneath her bony body, but it’s no use. I have no leverage to get out from underneath her.
I stop fighting and resolve to listen to her. “What was that for?”
“I am not letting you ask your father for permission to go to a bar tonight.”
I narrow my eyes at her, trying to figure out if I can use the element of surprise to get out from under her grasp. “Why not?”
“Because you are a grown-ass woman who can make her own decisions. You turned twenty-one three days ago, and you haven’t even so much as gone out for a drink yet.”
I frown. “I did, too, go out for a drink.”
“Yeah, you had champagne with your family, and you were back by nine o’clock. That’s not exactly what I mean, Kins.”
“It was a weeknight! What was I supposed to do? Go out and get so drunk that I wouldn’t have even made it to my classes the next morning?”
Scarlett nods. “Yeah, that’s exactly what you were supposed to do. That’s what any normal college student would have done.”
I shake my head. “But we aren’t normal.”
“Yeah, well, for one night, we are going to be.”
“No, I’m going to study, and then I’m going to call my dad in an hour, like I always do.”
I reach back for my phone that is just a foot or so above my head, but Scarlett pins my arms to the ground with her hands.
“Come on, Scar, let me go,” I whine.
I try my best to give her puppy-dog eyes, like she did with me earlier, but I’m not the best actress in the world. And even if I were, Scarlett doesn’t have a heart. She’s ruthless when she’s made up her mind.
“Not going to work.” Scarlett’s grip on my arms tightens. “The way I see it, you have two options. One, you can spend the night lying on the floor with me sitting on you. Or two, you can get your scrawny ass into that closet of yours, pick out something slutty to wear, and go out clubbing with me.”
I wear a pinched expression as I stare up in annoyance at my supposed friend who is blackmailing me into going out. I look at my scrawny arms. I knew I should have gone to the gym at least once or twice. I don’t have an ounce of muscle on my body to fight her off.
“You’re really going to sit on me all night if I don’t agree to your terms?”
She smiles. “All night.”
“Fine.” I sigh. “I’ll go with you. Just let me text my dad to let him know.”
“Nope.” Scarlett jumps off of me and scoops my phone up. She turns the phone off before slipping it into her cleavage. “You are not asking your daddy for permission. Tonight, you’re going to have fun.”
I quickly stand up before Scarlett changes her mind and pushes me back to the ground.
“Let’s go then.” If I appease Scarlett and go to a bar for an hour or so, then I will still have enough time to come back, call my dad, and get some studying in before bed. No harm done.
Scarlett laughs. “Oh, Kins, you know nobody goes out this early. Plus, we need time to change if we are going to find a guy for me to hook up with tonight.”
She grabs my hand, and I follow her past my kitchen where my favorite chocolate-colored chandelier hangs overhead. Then, we go down my hallway to the spare bedroom that I turned into a closet—or boutique is more like it. The room is overflowing with clothes I was given from various designers after doing shoots for them. The other half of the room is filled with every brand of makeup and every jewelry and accessory that I have ever worn. It is every girl’s dream. I’m just not sure it’s my dream.
Scarlett begins scrolling through the clothes in my closet, as easily as she would if it were hers. She is attracted to the tight skirts and cleavage tops that will show off her bought curves. She begins stripping before trying on a variety of my clothes, and then she throws them onto the floor after deciding they aren’t sexy enough.
