AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We have to go our separate ways when we leave Brewer Hall, but Sienna gives me a sympathetic half-hug before she parts. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”
I give her a half-hearted shrug before pulling away. She might be a hugger, but I’m not.
“It’s not a big deal. He’s a jerk, but he’s bearable. Hey,” I change the subject mid-conversation, “I know Halloween is coming up in a few days. Would you be interested in coming out with Kaye and me?”
Sienna and Kaye briefly met in the dining hall a few weeks ago. They had a quick chat, but my best friend was between classes, and Sienna was meeting up with a study group. It was a five-minute conversation before they headed in opposite directions. The two have wildly different personalities but seem to like each other well enough.
“Sure! That’d be great. Are we dressing up or…?” Sienna trails off, leaving it up to me to decide.
I purse my lips in thought. Kaye and I talked about doing a couple’s costume, going as salt and pepper, but I wouldn’t want Sienna to feel left out. “Can I get back to you? I’ll look up trio costumes tonight.”
Sienna’s eyebrow raises, suddenly self-conscious of what she agreed to. “What did I sign up for?” She jokingly asks.
“Probably the best night of your life. It’ll be fun, I swear.”
Ideas are already flowing. We could go as the trio from Clueless. Or the Power Puff Girls. Maybe the Hocus Pocus witches. The sky is the limit. This will give me something else to think about than that forsaken video on my phone.
Chapter 15
Christine
For Halloween, our trio costume is a tequila shot. Sienna volunteers to be the lime, and Kaye dresses up as the salt, leaving me to be a bottle of Jose Cuervo.
“I definitely couldn’t pull that off,” Kaye announces when she sees my shimmery gold dress. “Every eye is going to be on you, and that’s too much pressure for me.”
Kaye wears a little white dress that’s simple but stunning, accentuating her curves in all the right places. Tiny, metallic strands of fabric catch the light and make her shimmer like a star. The neckline is cut into a delicate V-shape that frames her collarbone, and the short hemline adds a playful element. She is the salt to our tequila and lime, and the dress contrasts beautifully with her dark features.
“I don’t know why you think no one will notice you, babe. You’re a fucking catch.” I hate that Kaye doesn’t realize how gorgeous she is. She may not have the same bold personality as Sienna or me, but she has a quiet confidence that draws people in.
She blushes prettily under the heavy layer of makeup I applied earlier. “Thanks, but no one is going to be looking at me when you’re around.”
I’m about to tell her to knock it off when a sharp rap on the dorm room door indicates Sienna’s arrival. “Come in!” Kaye yells, eager to change the subject.
Sienna steps through the door, looking just as hot as Kaye. She wears a short skirt and an artfully arranged top in lime green. With her hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail, her jawline and cheekbones make her look like a Greek goddess. “Oh, my god,” Sienna shuts the door behind her, “this was such a good idea.”
“You’re telling me.” If I could reach, I would pat myself on the back for a job well done. “Ladies, we are single, we are hot, and we’re gonna get laid tonight.”
“Not me,” Kaye frowns. “I’m just hopinghedoesn’t show up.”‘He’only has one meaning between Kaye and me: her stepbrother, Xavier—Mister Tall, Dark, and Deranged.
Sienna doesn’t know the whole situation, but I’ve warned her that if a really good-looking, muscular, tattooed God starts coming toward us, run the other way. “I think you could still make out with some strangers,” she offers, oblivious to what Xavier McCade will do if he finds out that his virginal stepsister is kissing other guys.
“Strangers? Like, multiple people?” Kaye’s eyes nearly pop out of her head.
Sienna giggles. “Yes, multiple people. A few make-out sessions won’t kill you.”
“Xavier might,” I mumble under my breath.
My best friend points at me. “Yes, there, that,” she agrees. “And if he doesn’t kill me, then he’ll probably kill whoever I make out with. I’m not ready for someone else’s death on my conscience.”
If I’d informed Sienna of the whole situation, she might have chosen something else to say. Instead, she shrugs and asks, “Who’s going to tell him?”
Kaye and I exchange a look because we both know that no one has totellXavier anything. He finds out whatever he needs to know, with or without help. It’s his superpower.
While Kaye and Sienna discuss the merits of going home with strangers from the bar, I open up Snapchat and take a photo of myself in the mirror hanging on the back of our dorm room door.
I study it briefly before deeming it appropriate to send, but that’s where I get hung up. I could send the picture to my story and call it a day. The thirsty boys would roll in with compliments, asking if I’m free tonight and giving me the attention I’m looking for.
But then my finger hovers over Niccolo’s name—seven little letters and a skull emoji. The little voice in my head is screaming at me to keep scrolling, but my heart races as I add him to the list. I hit‘send’before I can chicken out, publishing the snap to my story and sending it to my stepfather simultaneously. Then I pocket my phone before I can deal with the repercussions.
