Page 83 of Crew Princess
“I don’t know. How do I not, though? He looks so much like me.”
I grinned crookedly. “Almost like you. You’re way hotter.”
“And Zeke Allen is his best friend. How the hell did that happen?”
I shook my head. “Who knows, but your half-brother is rich. Zeke Allen seems like a tool, who likes to collect all the right tools in his shed. You know? Maybe it’s one of those things?”
“Maybe.” His hands flexed, digging into my hips before he let me go. “We should get going.”
“Hey.”
He was about to pull away, but I stopped him, a finger to his chin.
He paused, waiting.
“Whatever is going on, you and I are good. Crew’s all that matters at the end.”
He nodded. “I know.” He straightened and kissed my forehead. “Walk me to the library?”
That afternoon, after school, I descended into hell—mykind of hell, not a normal girl’s kind of hell, but most definitely mine.
I was shopping for a prom dress, and I still stunk. I knew I looked a nightmare—bags under my eyes. I’d gone through three energy drinks, and I’m talking the big-ass ones, not the little cute can ones. So I was half acting like I was on something too, which maybe I was.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Seeing it was Cross, I answered. “Hello, my penis.”
Silence.
I pulled the phone away, checked to make sure it was him, and prodded, “Cross? Hello?”
“Did you just call me your penis?”
I kept moving down the line. How many colors of black were there? Off black. Midnight black. Lead black. Jet-black. Onyx. And I wasn’t even looking at the different cuts of the dresses or the fabrics.
“Well, if you think about it, you kind of are.”
Ooh. I never thought I’d be the girl who liked black lace, but I tucked the phone between my neck and shoulder and reached up to take the dress from where it was hanging. I stepped back, holding it up in front of me. “I don’t have a penis, but you do, and you’re my guy. There you go.”
Did I like the ruffle sleeves?
I put it back. I wasn’t the ruffle sleeve type.
“Okay. You sound weird. Where are you?”
“I’m shopping.”
And I was distracted again. Pink? Why was I feeling pulled toward this pink contraption? I didn’t even think it was a dress. It looked like a scarf, something I’d hang around my head. It’d be perfect as a weapon. I could wrap around it someone’s neck, climb up on their back, and then twist… I forced myself to move on. Those kind of thoughts weren’t healthy, not for this new and updated Bren.
I chose not to focus on the last two fights I’d been a part of.
“Shopping?” Cross swore into the phone. “Are you on something? I can’t believe I’m even asking that question.”
“Which? Shopping or the other?”
He was silent a moment. “Uh, both?”
I grinned, feeling flushed all over my body. “No, but I’m thinking I need to not drink so many energy drinks after a crew night. It’s either coffee or a nap.” A yawn worked its way up, and I waited until it passed before murmuring, “Maybe I should’ve done the shopping tomorrow.”
“Um.” He was so confused. “Whyare you shopping? I was looking for you after school.”
