AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Not bad. Got an A on my business administration paper, so I’m feeling good.” He peers at me a little closer, a look of concern flashing over his face. “Are you okay? You look a little flushed. You’re not getting sick, are you?”
“N-no, I’m just hot,” I tell him. “It was really hot in my last class. Maybe the air conditioner is broken.”
Embarrassment rises inside me, and I’m sure it’s making me look even more flushed. I hate how turned on I am by what Malice did to me. He’s not even here anymore, and I’m still feeling it.
I just want to benormal. I want to like normal things. I want safety and security and all the things that go along with that.
None of those things are things the three brothers represent. It freaks me out that I’m drawn to them the way I am, like a moth pulled toward the flame that will end up destroying it.
Oblivious to the turmoil churning in my gut, Colin grins at me.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” he says. “You’re still coming to the party on Thursday, right?”
I nod, trying to get my mind off of Malice and the others. Parties are normal. College students go to parties and hang out with their friends, and that’s what I’m going to do.
“Of course. I’ll be there,” I promise.
21
WILLOW
On Thursday evening,I dig through my wardrobe, trying to find something that will work for the party. I’ve never really been to something like this before, so I have no idea what people wear.
“Something nice, but not too fancy?” I mutter to myself, holding up a skirt and then ultimately rejecting it, tossing it on the bed.
I sort through my underwear drawer, looking for a pair that will make me feel confident, even though no one’s going to see them.
“That’s weird. I thought I washed that purple pair…”
They aren’t in the dresser drawer or my laundry basket, and I sigh and shrug internally. That’s the thing with communal laundry rooms. Sometimes something gets left behind and then you never see it again.
I pull on a pair of black panties instead and a matching bra, posing in front of the mirror and then rolling my eyes at myself. The outfit I pick is slightly dressy, with a nice skirt and a long-sleeved shirt that clings to my curves a little more than most of my other shirts. It covers my scars, but I think I still look nice.
It should be good enough that for one night I can pretend I’m just a regular college student and forget that I’m from a fucked up home with a hooker for an adoptive mother, scars on my body, and now three dangerous men who move in and out of my life like deadly shadows.
I just want to forget all of that for a little while.
I give myself a once-over in the mirror, brushing my hair until it looks a little wavy from the product I put in it, then fixing my makeup. I’m not some stunning supermodel, but I think I look pretty good.
The skirt swishes around my ankles when I walk, and the shirt is low cut enough to show off a little cleavage and none of my scars. I smile at my reflection, take a deep breath, and then head out to go catch the bus to take me to the party.
Colin said it was going to be held at one of the frat houses right off campus. I have to walk a little from the bus stop to get there, and I would be worried about walking alone at night, but I can hear the music from the party from a full three or four blocks away.
It would be impossible to miss this party or get the wrong house. All the doors and windows are open, music blasting, and colored lights flashing randomly. People spill out of the house onto the lawn, laughing and drinking. Even from the outside, it’s clear the house is packed with people, and when the music changes to one of the popular pop songs that plays on the radio all the time, a huge cheer goes up from everyone inside.
It’s overwhelming, and I take a second to breathe and steady myself before I walk up the lawn to the door.
“You can do this,” I mutter to myself under my breath. “This is what people do.”
I don’t want to leave without at least seeing what it’s like. I’ve never been a big partier, especially since I don’t actually have many friends at school to invite me to parties.
So I’m determined to make the best of this one.
For a little while, I wander through the large house by myself, moving in and out of crowds of people. There seem to be little pockets of activity, everyone having a good time in their own way. Some people are dancing, some are playing cards around a table in the kitchen. Two guys in nothing but shorts streak past me, chasing a girl in a soaking wet t-shirt while they hold water guns and they all laugh.
It’s a sensory overload, and I move to where a table is set up, piled high with drinks and snacks. I’m not really sure about most of the liquor on the table, so I grab a cup and fill it with beer, alternating between sipping at it and eating pretzels.
Someone bumps into me from behind, and I turn to see one of April’s friends.
