Page 116 of Matteo
“Nah, you don’t need therapy,” Skye signed, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “You just need a five-finger necklace. Some hottie to bend you over, pull your hair, and call you a good girl.”
Francesca sputtered her drink and I choked on mine.
“What the fuck, Skye?” I coughed. “Give a girl some warning next time.”
“What do you even know about that shit?” Francesca inquired.
“What are we talking about?” Amara asked curiously, her attention on us.
Skye shrugged and signed with a straight face, “Hannah.”
“She certainly has the skill of persuasion,” Amara pointed out, her eyes narrowed on the scene across the parking lot. “Those college boys know they’re being used, yet they don’t care.”
“Truthfully, I’m curious how Hannah managed to convince them to join this charade,” Skye pondered.
“I was really hoping for a wild Las Vegas girls’ trip,” Anya muttered. “Not… this.”
“It’s her bridal shower,” Penelope chimed, dismissing her. “For yours, we can go to Vegas.”
She scoffed. “We might be waiting a while, then.”
“Thank God fall semester is just around the corner,” Amara stated. “I’ve taken a cue from Arianna and registered for extra classes to finish my bachelor’s degree early. I’m planning to take a backpacking tour of Europe.”
“Are you sure the Colombiano will allow you to go?” Skye signed.
“What Colombiano?” Amara asked, but her crimson cheeks betrayed her. It would appear she wasn’t as indifferent to Gabriel as she’d led us to believe.
“There’s only one that matters,” Anya grumbled. She, and everyone else here, knew something was going on with Amara and Gabriel. “But fine. Be like that. Hold out on us.”
“What about you?” Penelope pinned her with a stare. “Areyouholding out on us, Anya?”
My eyebrows shot to my hairline as I prayed my friends’ attention wouldn’t dart to me. One of Hannah’s helpers approached, smiling shyly, thankfully halting all further discussion.
“Hey, ladies. Would you like something to drink?” He glanced over his shoulder and pointed to a group of college boys. “If you’re up for it, we have a cooler full of…”
“Beer?” Anya asked.
“Yes, among other things.”
We shared a glance. As a usual practice, we tended to avoidnormalboys, but every once in a while, we’d cave into temptation.
It would seem today was one of those days because I heard myself answering, “Sure, why not.”
Two hours later, we were all smiling, most of our gloomy thoughts chased away by the shots we’d taken. Each time we’d taken one, we earned Hannah’s approval and drew everyone’s attention.
All remaining cars had been sent away with the excuse that we ran out of soap, but the truth was that Hannah wanted to use it to drown us in bubbles. With the alcohol traveling through our veins though, somehow it seemed like an excellent idea.
Dancing, drinking, and howls of laughter almost kept us from registering the moment a loud sports car pulled up.
“Holy shit, is that a Bugatti Chiron?” one of our new friends whispered, wide-eyed. Awed gasps traveled around while our friends looked unimpressed.
Hannah stood stiffly next to me, her expression several shades paler than it’d been a mere minute ago.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, leaning toward her.
“What color is that Bugatti?” she rasped against my cheek.
I flicked a gaze that way before answering.
