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Goodbye, high school. Hello, real life.
My eyes dart around the room, taking in my former classmates who are getting shitfaced in celebration. After dropping the bomb about Jenni’s father to my monster, nothing has happened. I suspected within a few hours my best friend would stop texting me, but here I am, standing in the middle of her kitchen, celebrating our graduation and freedom from high school with my very alive best friend. She’s still in the same spirits, smiling and laughing. Hell, she’s even shown me the rock on her finger that Elias gave her yesterday after getting down on one knee.
“You should run away with him,” I giggle, nudging my shoulder into hers.
“No need to now. Oh my God, will you be my maid of honor?” she squeals, pulling me into a hug.
“Just go to Vegas,” I laugh. “I’ll come with you.” Anything to get her away from here and away from my monster waiting in the wings with whatever he’s going to do. Please. Just run away with him and get away from me. Leave here. I’m desperate for her to just go.
“Take another shot with me!” Jenni yells over the music pumping through the speakers all through her house.
Why did I think coming to a party full of people was a good idea? Oh, right. It wasn’t really mine. Despite doing my job and getting him the information he requested, I’m still on her tail, reporting anything of interest back to him.
"Befriend Jenni. Tell me about her family life." For fuck's sake. Do it yourself, asshole.
I sigh, fake grinning in her direction. This entire situation has drained more out of me than I ever thought possible. Before I was made to follow people around and gather intel on them while being the invisible girl. Not this time. I had to put myself out there and make a new friend, someone I oddly have come to care about. Jenni is a magnificent person with so much going for her, and I’ve taken her future away with my lies and spying ways.
The darkness within me swirls in my brain, attempting to shut my feelings off and do my job. But I don’t allow it to. If I can still feel the guilt and the shame in the back of my mind, then I know I’m alive.
It’s the day I stop feeling that I’ll know I’ve died inside and no longer care about my humanity, which slips through my fingers faster than sand.
I wrinkle my nose and pull down the back of the tight dress that Jenni insisted I wear when she picked me up at my trailer earlier. Why did I let her convince me to wear this tiny monstrosity? I have no idea. In my mind, it was the best thing ever. Look hot. Grab everyone's attention and maybe have some fun with someone like I did the night the masked men took me.
And it worked. Almost too well. Everyone's eyes—or that's what it feels like—have been on me since I walked through the door. God, I hate being the little snake in the grass feeding off everyone’s information. I’d rather hide in a hole and bury myself alive at this stage of the game. Maybe more alcohol will help to loosen me up and relax.
The clock is ticking away on Jenni’s life. I have to convince her to get the fuck out of here before my monster strikes.
“Sure!” I shout over the music, taking a shot glass from the counter and raising it in the air. “A toast to our friendship!” I say with a blinding smile, causing her to laugh.
“We’ve gone to school together for so long! I can’t believe we’re finally friends, and it’s the end,” she shouts, dumping the shot down her throat and cringing at the taste. “God, I hate tequila.”
Yeah, me too. Oh, the things I do for these assignments from my monster. Like drinking tequila, wearing uncomfortable dresses, and drinking until I can't feel anything anymore. What a dream come true. The only downside? I have to report all this back to him and take pictures and videos as proof that I was here.
“Yeah,” I croak after swallowing my mouthful and setting the shot glass down. Fucking gross. “Tequila is terrible.” I stick my tongue out, trying to remove the taste from my tongue.
It burns like damn gasoline lining my throat. I’m really not that big of a drinker. I have hardly touched a sip since the night my sister was savagely taken from me and I was too busy drinking to protect her. It haunts my every waking hour. It also doesn’t help that my mom is barely ever conscious on her diet of drugs. I've stayed away from it to keep my wits about me, except with Jenni. With her, I’ve had to play the part and drink my life away. It’s the way to her heart, after all. Not to mention, it’s freeing to let go and giggle at nothing in her company.
My eyes scan the party when she pours us two more shots. Everyone is here from school, including my damn nightmare—Leighton LeMaster. The boy who can’t take no for an answer and never has been able to.
“You good, Journey?” he asks, leaning in close so his breaths brush against my cheek. His hand wanders up and down my back as I sit at a table in the library, trying to figure out my English homework.
I cringe, shifting away from his touch. He just smiles at me, leaning against my table and invading my space.
“Oh, my God! He came!” Jenni squeals, jumping up and down and clapping her hands together, knocking me out of my thoughts.
Fuck Leighton and his wandering hands. He's so damn touchy and insistent with everyone.
“Who?” I ask, scanning the crowd.
I don’t have to search for too long when my eyes find him. The man with the blue spider tattoo painted near his thumb.
Elias.
The man who has no clue my monster is onto him. And Jenni… I swallow hard. This is the worst thing I've had to do.
"You no longer feel guilt, Little Snake." My monster's eyes burrow under my skin as I kneel before him just outside my prison. A knife rests in his hand, twirling with every step. "Now, let's learn how to hold in your emotions."
“My fiancé,” she giggles, putting her manicured nails over her lips, displaying the gorgeous pink diamond nestled on her ring finger. “That’s so strange to say, right?” she murmurs to me with a huge grin. “He wasn’t supposed to show up. But since my daddy is out of town on business, he must have decided to surprise me!" She sighs, watching him dreamily as he greets other partygoers with hand shakes and head nods. "Ew, Leighton," Jenni scoffs, eyeing him as he saunters up to Elias, and they shake hands, looking as if they're exchanging something.
