Page 47 of Made for Cyn

With a quirk of his brow, he walks away, and I watch him go before shaking my head and moving toward my next class. But I spend the remainder of the day obsessing over that kiss and wondering if maybe I should get over myself and take what he’s offering.

???

When I inform Iris of my invite to Anya’s birthday on Saturday, she laughs incredulously but agrees to come. Her reaction leaves me uneasy, but I do want friends, mainly because my relationship with Iris feels tentative at best.

“You can’t wear that,” Iris insists before pulling out one of the dresses she picked out for me the other day at the mall.

Dubiously, I look from my jeans, which I switched to from my skirts when the weather got cooler, to the dress. I don’t want to freeze my butt off, but also, it’s far more revealing than I’m used to showing, and I’m not sure I’m ready.

But isn’t this what I wanted—to experiment with my life? To step out of my comfort zone?

I agree, grudgingly, and only because she’s going to this party with me, and I get the sense Anya wasn’t lying about how much Iris doesn’t like her. This is a sacrifice Iris is making for me, and the least I can do is wear a short dress to a party.

With my hair curled softly and hanging to my waist, courtesy of Iris, and a soft palette of eyeshadows that make my eyes sparkle, we head down the stairs. Iris is chattering ahead of me about some guy in her third-period class who had a seizure in the middle of the teacher’s lesson when Uncle John steps into the foyer.

“Where are you ladies off to?”

Immediately, I shrink in on myself as Iris sighs long and loud. John’s eyes dip to my legs, and I pull my skirt down my thighs, shuddering when he tracks my movements before he stops on my ass with an intensity that makes my skin itchy.

“We’re going to a birthday party,” she says in a snotty tone.

John finally pulls his pale gaze from my ass to raise a brow at Iris. “You know the rules.”

“Sure do.” She stalks out the door with a sassy wave of her hand, and I follow, refusing to look back even though I swear I can feel his eyes on me the entire way to the car.

Iris seems unconcerned by John and his rules, which makes me wonder if she’s ever clashed with him and if he’s ever asked for a hug or anything else that might be inappropriate in the aftermath.

“What are the rules?” I ask once we’re on our way.

I’m curious if she was given the same speech, which is why I don’t mention my conversation with John.

“No sex. No boys. Home by blah blah blah,” she grumbles.

“So, you’re not allowed to have a boyfriend?”

“Nope, which is total bullshit. I turned eighteen over the summer!”

“Doesn’t seem to have stopped you,” I say dryly, and she laughs.

“Nope.”

“They must know you’re having sex. I mean, what about . . .?”

Her mouth forms a thin line and her hands clench around the steering wheel. “John doesn’t know. My mom never told him.”

“Oh.”

So, John’s in the dark, which is probably for the best, but I’m curious what he would do if he knew she was sexually active. The thought is terrifying at best because I got the third degree for coming home late, and that was completely innocent.

“Wow,” I say as we pull up to a bonafide mansion, the sprawling home lit up brightly and illuminating two stone lions guarding the entrance.

“Yeah, Anya’s daddy is a lawyer.” Iris makes a rude face as she steps from the car.

Following her up the steps, we enter through the door, which is unlocked, and Iris bulldozes her way inside, making a beeline for the back of the house. Curiously, I wonder if she’s been here before because she has no hesitation as she follows the music, and we exit through a set of sliding glass doors that open onto the backyard.

There’s a vast pool lit up with a blue light, fancy space heaters lining the perimeter, and a live DJ spinning records at the opposite end. Underneath a tent to the right, there are several tables set up with food and a guy serving drinks behind a portable bar.

I easily spy at least a hundred people, many of whom I recognize from the school, although just as many are strangers. Iris pulls me toward the bar as the music gets louder and the DJ says something about Anya’s birthday.

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