Page 1 of Shades of Scars

1

Scarlett

“Do you ever just think that today’s going to be the day that fate decides to stop being a fickle bitch and actually throw one of us a lifeline?”

My room mate has fucking jokes, apparently. I snort, rolling my eyes without looking over at the pretty brunette perched on my rickety ass kitchen table, an unlit blunt stuck between her cherry red stained lips. “Are you already high?” I would be exasperated with her, but that would mean I’d actually have to give a shit.

Spoiler alert: I don’t.

“You never take me seriously, Scar. Honestly, I think your name should be Debbie, because you’re always such a goddamned downer.” She gets a little whiny when she’s already high, too. When I flick my gaze over to her at last, finally taking my attention off of the email I’d been reading through on my phone, her dark blue eyes are practically sparkling and not at all bloodshot.

Interesting.

“Don’t you have a shift at the diner?” Redirecting Kate usually gets her to back off enough to give me some breathing room. It isn’t like it’s hard to tell that I’m the poor omega’s only friend in this entire shit hole city. I’ve barely known the girl fora year, and she’s already stuck to me like a bad smell. Nothing I seem to do is enough to shake her loose.

If anything, being mean to her only seems to endear me to her more. And there’s no damn way I’m going to be nice. It just isn’t in my blood. Too much bad shit has happened to me to get the ice surrounding my heart to thaw enough for a genuine friendship with a fellow omega.

There’s a reason I keep people at a distance.

Kate Bennett clearly doesn’t give two fucks about that, though.

She takes out her lighter then, lighting up the blunt between her lips before I can say another word. It isn’t that I have a stick up my ass about the pot. If it was any other day, I would’ve passed it around with her. In the entire eleven months I’ve known her, I’ve never been able to tell her what to do.

“I switched shifts with April. She needed tonight off since she can’t make it in tomorrow.” Kate shrugs with an infuriating amount of give no fucks, taking the blunt out so she can puff smoke circle into the air in my general direction.

“I have shit to do tonight.” I flip her the bird before returning my focus to my phone.

She groans like she’s being murdered. “Come on, Scar. You never come out with me. It’s Saturday night, for Christ sake. Live a little.”

I purse my lips. “I told you. I’m busy.” If she doesn’t leave it at that, I’m going to have to get creative in redirecting her. Murder is off the table, since I’ve listened to enough True Crime shit to know I’d never get away with it.

“Come on,” she grumbles and hops off the table, waggling the blunt towards me without actually getting too close. She knows better than to get in my space without my express permission. At least ten feet away at all times. Those are the damn rules. “That new club just opened last month. I bet I can get us in VIPwithout even flashing a nipple. April went opening weekend, and she said it’s fucking amazing.”

I scoff. “Seriously, Kate, no thanks. I’m pretty sure you know me well enough by now not to even suggest something like that.” I’m definitelynotgoing to tell her that I have a job interview at the very club she’s so desperate to get into. If she finds out about that, she’ll beg me to get her in VIP permanently, and there’s no way that’s going to happen. Not that I think the owner of the club would mind, if Ididhappen to get the job.

I just don’t want Kate bugging me every damn Friday and Saturday night.

I have boundaries, dammit. I need the spaceandthe cash.

“Killjoy, Scarlett. A serious fuckin’ killjoy.” She grumbles while shoving the blunt back between her lips, finally turning away to head towards her bedroom.

Glancing at the time on my phone, I groan softly. I have forty minutes before I have to be downtown for my interview.Ravenis the newest club in Black Tide Valley. The alpha that owns it apparently breezed in out of nowhere, shortly after I arrived a few months back, and bought up the last large commercial building located off of Tide Parkway.

It was a surprise last month when theGrand Openingannouncement appeared in the local paper that a new club was opening. I don’t know very many people around the city, but the alpha in charge of the place is quite the enigma. No one seems to know much of anything about him. If he belongs to a pack, that’s also a secret. The only thing I know about him is his name, courtesy of the interview invite still sitting in my inbox.

Mr. Madden. No first name. Just a fancy ass last name that sounds like he’ll be more trouble than he’s worth.

Goddammit, I need this job.

Ducking into the bathroom I’m forced to share with Kate, I close the door and flick the lock for good measure. I quickly stripand start up the shower, slipping beneath the spray of water before it has the chance of fully heating up, enjoying the way it pelts against my skin like shards of ice for a few, blissful seconds.

Using my favorite scentless body wash, I scrub my skin until it’s red and nearly raw, refusing to look over at the scar on my right shoulder. If I do, I’ll completely lose my shit and forgo the interview to stay holed up in my nest of cheap, stiff pillows and blankets that aren’t nearly as soft enough for my tastes.

I don’t bother washing my hair. I just got the ends dyed my usual sky blue, and I don’t want the color to fade quicker than it needs to. I turn off the water, and reach out to grab my towel hanging on the wire hook on the back of the door.

Drying off in record time, I exit the bathroom with the towel wrapped tight around my too slender frame, coming to an abrupt halt when I spot Kate in the kitchen making a smoothie.Weird fuckin’ omega. She glances over at me as soon as the bathroom door opens, and a frown pulls down her plush lips.

I ignore her as I head into my bedroom, closing the door and engaging the lock before she can say anything. I’m sure she’ll have some words to say when I come back out, so I make sure I take as much time as I can to pull on the strappy black dress I’d picked out for the interview. It falls to mid-thigh, making my pale skin appear even more so. It’s the fanciest outfit I have.

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