Page 8 of Find Me
“Ah! Here it is. What the hell was it doing in my sock drawer? Oh well,” she mused out loud.
My sister could be a ditz and that scared me sometimes. “You know, if you stay home, we can binge watch Netflix and gorge on popcorn.”
“Or you could come with me and let loose for once,” she countered as she slipped on her cuff. She’d gotten it for Christmas from our parents last year. The cuff was designed with two feathers overlapping each other, forming a beautiful bracelet. It was unique and beautiful. Just like her.
I scoffed. “You know that will never happen.”
“Lame,” she groaned.
“You know why I can’t go.”
She rolled her eyes and stomped over to her full-length mirror next to her closet. “You haven’t heard from Mr. X in over a month. He’s probably moved on to better things than sending love letters to a teenaged girl.” She fluffed her blue hair. “I’m thinking of changing my hair to pink.”
It was my turn to roll my eyes because I swore, she had the attention span of a gnat.
Her eyes locked with mine through the mirror. “Come on, Shi. Maybe you’ll meet a guy and finally get past first base.”
I scrunched my nose.
“We’re going to be seventeen and all you’ve done is make out with that nerdy transfer student you dated for like a week.”
“He broke up with me after a week because I wasn’t ready to do more than kiss him. Nerd or jock, guys at our school are major jerks.” I sighed. “I’m not going to go, but if you won’t stay home with me, please be safe. I didn’t absorb you in Mom’s womb for a reason. Don’t get behind a wheel drunk or let some asshole spike your drink and ruin my master plans.”
She gave me a warm smile. “I love you, too.”
* * *
My eyes opened to darkness and shadows dancing on my bedroom ceiling. They flooded immediately as I remembered my dream-slash-memory. I let the tears fall and a pain-filled sob ripped from me. The pathetic sound pierced the silence and echoed off the walls. I winced, then remembered that it didn’t matter if I was loud. I was alone. I lay there crying until I didn’t have any more tears left. I missed her. I missed them, with every fiber of my being.
Rolling over, I picked up my phone from my nightstand to look at the time. It was almost five in the morning and today was my first day of school. I didn’t have time for a run, even though I was desperate for one. Running would have to wait until after school. I did, however, have time for a smoke. I was down to one every other day. Opening my nightstand drawer, I grabbed my pack of cigarettes and lighter.
Because I was wearing very short Spider-Man sleep shorts and a white tank that I was pretty sure was see-through, I scooped up a zip-up hoodie on my way out the front door. Stepping out onto the porch and taking a seat on the top step, I slipped into my hoodie. The sun was slowly peeking over the mountains and it was already getting hot, making me wish I had pulled my long and heavy hair up. I settle with tucking it behind my ears before putting a cigarette between my lips and lighting it. I tossed both the pack of cigarettes and the lighter next to me on the step. That first drag was terribly divine.
“No running this morning?” a deep familiar voice asked. I looked toward Colt’s house. His oldest brother was standing there looking like he was heading to the gym again. Like his brothers, he was gorgeous. Very broody and standoffish, which I found totally hot. The Stone brothers had definitely won the sexy gene lottery.
I blew out a puff of smoke. “No time. At least not enough time for my type of run.”
“You have enough time to run for half of the amount of time you usually run before you have to get ready for school.”
I guessed Colt had told him that I would be attending the same school. “Once I start running, it’s kind of hard for me to stop,” I said and took another drag.
He eyed my cigarette and judgment hardened his frown. “Where are your parents?” he asked.
My immediate reaction was to be defensive. I forced it down. Mustering the patience I knew I had buried deep, I put out my cigarette and got to my feet. Stuffing my hands in the pockets of my sweater to hide my clenching fists, I leveled my gaze with his. “They’re dead.”
He grimaced.
Without another word, I turned on my heel and went back inside to get ready for school.
* * *
I took my time getting ready by curling my long lilac hair and doing my makeup. I wasn’t a makeup expert or anything. I just knew what Shayla had taught me. It had been her dream to become a celebrity makeup artist and because of that I had always been her guinea pig for new looks. I went with light, shimmering colors to enhance my gray eyes and cheekbones. My face was a little heart-shaped and I had pouty lips with a defined Cupid’s bow.
Standing in my closet, going through my clothes, I tried to find something cute to wear. I had gone shopping last week for clothes that would cover my scars but also wouldn’t cause me to overheat. Wearing jackets and sweatshirts was getting old.
I decided on a cream-colored dress that billowed around my thighs and had long trumpet sleeves. I paired the dress with black thigh-high stockings and black ankle boots. Because the sleeves were gaping at the ends, I would need to be careful not to reveal my wrists. Remembering my dream, I walked over to my jewelry box on my new dresser and pulled out Shayla’s rose gold feather cuff. I slipped it on my wrist, and it did a good job at hiding one of my many nasty scars. My fingers brushed over the beautiful bracelet as I stared down at it. At least I’d have a piece of her with me today.
I finished getting ready by sending one of my two check-in texts for the day to Logan on the bare-bones burner flip phone, then stuffed it, along with my regular cell phone, in my backpack. After grabbing my car keys, I was ready to start my first day of school.
