Page 89 of Crystal Iris
“I know a place.”
“Are you free tomorrow afternoon? The party is on Friday.”
“Yeah, I’ll text you the address.”
I go to pass her the phone when I glance at one of her texts.
“Is that from Broc?”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t know you guys kept in touch.”
She’s typing.
“What are you saying?”
“A dirty joke.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Yeah, why? Don’t look at me like that. It’s harmless.”
“Is it?”
The oven beeps.
“We’re covering Velazquez next week. Please familiarize yourselves with his work,” I say at the end of the lecture. It’s tricky to teach with only one arm, but a couple of students are kind enough to help. I leave in a hurry to meet Akira, hoping I can still grab lunch before I have to be back on campus for my next lecture.
“For someone who hates parties, you seem to go quite frequently,” Akira says, walking around the store.
“Don’t you think I know that?”
“How about this one?” She lifts up a leopard print dress. I simply look at her. “Kidding.”
The store she picked is a world away from what I’m used to.But so am I. I’m looking at myself in the mirror… I feel much different from just a year ago.
“You look hot!” she tells me when I come out of the dressing room.
“It’s not too... much?”
“Aaron will definitely make a scene.”
“That’s what we’re hoping for.”
“Remind me to always stay on your good side.”
I laugh. “Welcome to my dark one.”
Twenty
“I invent nothing, I rediscover.” – Auguste Rodin
Istare at myself in the mirror, at my bright red lips. My arm is still recovering, but luckily, I was able to take off my bandage. The gold dress I picked is borderline inappropriate—too much skin showing. I remind myself that it’s all part of the game: make Aaron jealous, get Hoyt’s money back, restore my peace of mind.
I’m outside.I read Hoyt’s message. I glance at my reflection one last time. Once again, I’m wearing my prism for all to see. I thought about hiding it, only I’m not wearing enough cloth to do so. I’m as vulnerable as I can be.
Hoyt opens the car door for me. I’m a sucker for gentlemanly gestures. Even with the warmer day, I can’t skip the coat. I need... coverage.
