Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Hi,” I say. “I’m Riley.”
“Nice to meet you, Riley. Ignore our petty rivalry,” says Mari. “Ava stole Miss Port Stewart from me. After that I just kind of made bitter my entire personality.”
“I don’t know why you’re still hung up on that.” Ava smiles wryly. “The crown was ugly.”
Mari grins. “It really was. Like a melted-down wire shopping basket that had been dipped in rhinestones.”
“Did you know my updo got tangled in it?” asks Ava. “I pulled out a chunk of scalp trying to get free. There’s this little patch on the side of the head where my hair never grew back.”
Mari gasps. “Karma got you. Show me. Now.”
“No. I’m not messing up my hair. Keep your hands to yourself.”
Their laughter is so carefree, and I find myself enjoying their dynamic.
Connor: Need a rescue?
He’s on the other side of the room with his buddies. I shake my head no. But he stands there watching me with his cell in his hands for a minute. Just in case. Someone has protective instincts.
Me: I am fine. Go. Frolic. Cavort.
Connor: What does that even mean?
Me: Google it.
Me: I can drive if you want to have a few drinks. Wait. Am I allowed to drive your car?
Connor: You drive stick?
Me: Yes.
Connor: Then yes.
Soon I’m swept into their playful arguing. Because Ava is busy reading our texts over my shoulder. And the woman is outraged. “He never let me drive the Mustang!”
“Fuck off, please.” I tuck my cell back into the clutch. “That is so rude.”
Mari smiles. “You have teeth. Good for you. And Ava, honestly, can you blame him? Part of the reason he started working with cars is because you kept hitting things. Including my parents’ mailbox and his big brother’s motorbike, as I recall.”
Having a blunt person on your side is sometimes a gift. Not all the time though. They’re tricky.
“He didn’t used to cling. Do you need a rescue? Seriously.” Ava pouts.
“Guess he doesn’t trust you with his new girl either,” says Mari. “Can’t say I blame him.”
“What am I going to do?” asks Ava. “Drown her in the punch bowl? It’s not even that deep.”
I shake my head. “Heartening to know you’ve thought it through.”
We all turn to face my date, who is indeed still watching. This is getting a little embarrassing. Like he doesn’t think I can handle myself. I give him a meaningful look and he raises his brows in surrender and returns to his friends.
“Here, Riley.” Ava shoves a glass of cider at me. “Have a drink.”
“Did you poison it?” I ask.
Mari scoffs. “Like she’d be stupid enough to hand you a poisoned drink herself.”
“I’d get Mari to pass it to you,” says Ava.
“Plausible deniability. Always a good idea.” I delicately sniff the liquid. “It’s so sweet I can’t tell. Though arsenic has no actual taste or smell.”
“How the hell do you know that?”
“I’m a writer. We know things.”
Mari raises her glass of soda in toast to me. “I like this one. She’s fun.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” mutters Ava.
“Thank you,” I say. “Well, this has been interesting. But I’m going to go read some slash fic in the corner.”
Ava groans. “Will you stay if I promise to be nice?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to go catch up with friends from back in the day?”
“You mean the local ladies at that table over there? They’re not her friends,” says Mari in a sober voice. She discreetly nods at the gathering of Ava’s buddies from the night before. The ones she’d said were discussing who’d banged the new ball coach. “They don’t even really like each other. You know how sometimes certain people just become a habit? That’s what you’re looking at there.”
Ava nods. “They’re stuck in the schoolyard forever.”
“Like you’re so open to change.” Mari raises a brow. “That’s exactly why you keep coming back. What do they say about doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome?”
Ava is unimpressed. Big time.
Poker Face by Lady Gaga is replaced by Hey Ya! by Outkast. Connor has recommenced communing with his football buddies. Hard not to note how much more relaxed he seems tonight. When he’s not worrying about me, of course. Smiles come more readily to his face. He even laughs now and then. It’s like he’s learning how to be a little happier each day. Without having to put on the Mr. Nice mask.
Meanwhile, I don’t know if I should walk away or stay. No. That’s a lie. I know I should go. But my curiosity has been awakened. I want to know what these two are going to say next. Dammit.
“Brandon got remarried,” says Mari, watching the crowd on the dance floor. “She seems nice. And about to give birth at any moment.”
Ava sips her wine. “That’ll make the dance floor slippery. The tattoo on Katy’s leg is great. I wonder where she got it done?”