Page 56 of Pretty Little Fears

“Haveyour fun and meet us back at the house in two hours.Nota minute longer or we’re leaving without you and you won’t haveanyfun withMr.Young.Gotit?”Ireply.

Grimmbrings his hand up to his forehead, saluting me. “Sir, yes sir!Nowexcuse me,Ineed a blunt and some head before we depart for our mighty expedition.”

Hestands and walks to find a vixen for the hour.LeavingJaden,Eli, and myself to wait for his no doubt, untimely arrival for our operation.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

BLAIR

The Boy Is Mine - Ariana Grande

I'msittingat my desk studying and bored into oblivion, wishingIwas doing literallyanythingelse.Ihave been so consumed withEmmettand school thatIhaven’t gotten the chance to make many friends on campus, minusAspen.Asmy first semester drags on,InoticeI'vegotten much closer toAspenbut not so much the other girls.

Bythe other girls,Ionly meanVerena.Idon't think there's any room in my life for a girl likeLorelei.Anytime she speaks to me, it’s laced with bitchiness andI’mnot sure if it’s just how she is or if she reserves it for me.

Iguess it might be owed, seeing asIleft our last girls’ night early whileIwas on the brink of possibly being kidnapped.Chewingon the skin of my lip,Itext our group chat to see what their thoughts are on a girl’s night in.

Me: Hey girlies, what are your plans for tonight? I was wondering if anyone is up for a chill girls night at the house?

Ofcourse, my trusty and reliableAspenis the first to respond.

Aspen: Always in with you girl! What are you thinking? Movies and snacks are a must. I’ll pick up everyone's favorites after my last class today.

Thechat is quiet for a few more minutes and my anxiety heightens, fearful that the other girls don’t want to join.Iwas really hoping to at least attempt to bond with them below the surface level.

Iplace my phone down on my desk and let out a sigh.Continuingto study,Itoss glances at my darkened phone screen, eager to receive a message from the others agreeing to a night filled with snacks, movies, and bonding.

Myphone buzzes and from the wayIjump to retrieve it, you’d thinkIwas waiting for a life or death call.Verena’sname flashes on the screen andIclick open our message thread.

Verena: Fuck yes, I desperately need a girl’s night. I can run and grab drinks after work! What do you drink Blair?

Aspen: She doesn’t know V, she drinks whatever you put in front of her. Lol. Get our usuals and some seltzers.

Ilaugh atAspen’stext, feeling excited for the night ahead.RelievedthatI’llget to spend some more time getting to know the girls,Itry to focus on studying some more, knowing the fun will come later tonight.

Twohours later,I’vegathered enough information on the credit crisis for my upcoming paper.Shuttingmy books,Ido a little happy dance in celebration.Islip on my shoes and grab my wallet before heading out to make a quick trip to the party store.

Backhome,Istart to decorate the main living area for our girls' night.Thehouse is still empty since it’s still early afternoon, soItake advantage of the time to add a little bit ofrazzle dazzle.

Iventure off to our garage that’s attached to the side of our house.Idon’t own a car of my own, soI’venever had much use for this room, butIknow there’s a ladder in here somewhere.

Ittakes thirty minutes to lug the ladder inside the house on my own.Thethought comes to mind of callingEmmettfor help.Hell, he’d probably watch me struggle with the ladder for the fun of it.Ilet out a small laugh and wonder how the hellIgot so comfortable with being watched unknowingly by that man.

Thefact thatI’dprefer him watching my every move sends a warm chill throughout my body.Myheart skips a beat remembering the feel of his hands roaming over every inch of my skin andIcan feel the blush spread on my cheeks in response to the thought.IknowI’mplaying a dangerous game by tempting him, but being watched by the devil is addicting.

Myphone buzzes with a text, snapping me out of my daydream and back to reality.Ireach into my back pocket and pull it out.Theface identification method opens it up to my text thread with the girls beforeIhave a chance to see who the message is from.

Lorelei: I’ll be there.

Ugh.Iam not looking forward to spending time with an unenthusiasticLorelei, but maybe this is our chance to really understand each other.It’spossible she’s been hurt and has a wall up.Hopefully, tonight is my chance to take a piece of that wall down.

Droppingthe phone on the couch,Ifocus on my task at hand.Iset up the ladder, climb all the way to the top, and begin to hang the hot pink and white streamers, decorating the ceiling.

Matchingballoons are inflated and litter the floor.Iset up the plastic plates and cups on the kitchen island, then step back to see the final product.

“Perfect!”Isqueal, my voice bouncing off the walls.

AsIwait for the girls to arrive,Ihead to the bathroom and freshen up.Ifix my hair and makeup and change into cute pajamas.I’msliding on my slippers whenIhear the front door open and two feminine voices yell out, “Partytime!”

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