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I pulled onto W 22ndSt and drove for about a quarter mile before I saw a strip mall. It wasn’t anything fancy like the ones you’d find in LA, but it served its purpose, and it was way easier to get to. It had some shoe stores, a sporting goods store, a pizza place, bookstore, and a Chinese restaurant as well. There were a few more random stores in there, but I never really looked around much. I didn’t like to shop.
The lot was packed, and I had a hard time finding a spot. I located one toward the middle and put it in park. The second I opened my door, I heard the thunderous rumble of an old muscle car. It had to have been late ‘60s to early 70’s, but I couldn’t see it. I sighed. Nothing got my heart pounding quite like driving fast in an old powerful car.
I wanted to hunt it down, but I figured one of two things would happen. Either they were on their way out, and I’d find it while they were pulling out and miss getting a good look at it, or they may have just arrived which would give me the opportunity to check it out when I came out.
Taking my chances, I headed into the Chinese restaurant. Lucky me—they were packed. There was no seating available, and several people were waiting by the door in stand-by seating. I groaned to myself.
“Are you guys waiting to be seated or to order takeout?” I asked.
A few people held up a small black disk that served as a pager that would vibrate and the lights would go off when a table opened for them. A few others verbally replied, “Waiting for seating,” simultaneously.
“Thanks,” I said before heading inside.
Fuck it. I’d just order out, I guess. Normally, I’d just go somewhere else, but I had my heart set on Chinese, and I didn’t want to spend twenty minutes trying to figure out where I wanted to go and another twenty to get there, plus whatever waittheyhad. I’d rather just wait here.
There was a line at the counter, and a few people had wallets out. I figured most were there to pay, but I assumed a few others were there to order something. As I navigated through the crowd, I found the end of the line and stood there. It wasn’t terrible, so I hoped I wouldn’t regret it.
I hadn’t been standing long when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around to see Britney Langston standing behind me. She had a beaming smile and sparkling green eyes.
“I thought that was you!” she said with excitement.
I smiled back, though I didn’t really feel like chatting. My gut was threatening to eat itself. I could actually hear it growling over the din of the restaurant, which I found pretty impressive. That wasn’t her fault, though, so I tried to be nice.
“Hey, Brit. How are you? You here to eat or for takeout?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes and made a disgusted face. “Ugh. Today is my stepmom’s bitch of a daughter’s birthday. She wanted to come here, of all places.”
My smile faded, and I had to force another as I nodded. “Yeah, that sucks,” I said, though I didn’t mean it.
“Right? We could have gone to Angotti’s, for fuck’s sake.” She rolled her eyes again. “She has no taste at all—literally or figuratively.”
Britney hadn’t always been insufferable and conceited. I met her in middle school. She had brown hair then and was super nice. She hung out with anyone who was nice to her. Then she got involved with Harper fucking Avery. Harper was a bitch and a half, and that was being nice. If Damian was the king of Crestview, she was the queen. Even though they’d never dated.
She’d always wanted a piece of him, but he wouldn’t get near her. He wanted her, too, but he liked fucking with her more than the idea of actually fucking her.
Damian was complicated.
But so was Harper.
And once she got her claws into Britney, it was all over. Britney had bleached her hair since the eighth grade. It was naturally super curly, and she had it relaxed. It destroyed her hair for a while, but now it looks good. She also wore the most expensive clothing she could find, has had her nose done to match Harper’s, and wore contacts that were the same color as Harper’s eyes.
It was fucking disturbing.
“I wonder if my parents would notice if I got out of here,” she said with a playful smile, pulling me out of my thoughts.
Clueless me, I looked around. “Inthismess? I doubt they’d notice much of anything. There are plenty stores around here for you to go to.”
She laid a hand on my chest as she stepped in closer.Oh, no.
“Is that an offer to take me shopping?” she asks, one of her eyebrows lifting.
I swallowed hard, trying to figure out how to get the hell out of this. I’d liked her once as a friend, but I couldn’t handle her mean girl bullshit attitude. Idefinitelydidn’t want anything to do with her romantically or sexually.
“No, actually, I’m just here picking up some food and then heading back home,” I said. I looked around and moved up in line when I saw there was a gap.
She moved closer.Fuck me.I managed to keep my groan to myself. I was trying to be nice, but she never took no for an answer.
Her playful smile grew. “Oooh,” she moaned out, giggling as she dragged her index finger down the center of my chest. “Does that mean you want to take me home with you instead?”
