Page 35 of Dancing with the Devil

I got out, closing the door behind me but stopped.

“Oh,” I said, bending down as I looked at him through the rolled down window. “You might want to tellSparkle Toesthat I used her leather jacket to clean up some orange juice that I had spilled on the kitchen floor.”

Antonio tilted his head to the side, taking in my words, and I showed him a big, innocent smile. “Bye now!” I waved before standing up straight and walking onto the sidewalk.

CHAPTER 8

Nirah

AFTER HAVING GAINED enough courage, I walked through my entire house with precaution.

I confirmed that the house was empty, then got in contact with the locksmith, and now my house was safe again. At least for now.

“So he really took you to his house?” Silvia immediately blurted out as I opened the front door. “Please, talk to me, Nirah… I’m genuinely worried about you.”

I think it was time I told my best friend what was going on.

“Come in,” I sighed, closing the door behind her.

Silvia and I got comfortable on my bed, and I told her exactly what happened. I ended up telling hereverything. I finally came clean.

She stared at me with tears in her eyes a few times and made sure to engulf me in her arms every now and then. After we cleared the air, we cooked up something to eat and got comfortable in my living room.

“Does Antonio know about all this?” she asked.

“He knows some of it. He asked me questions, and you know me, I’ll blubber on and on.”

“Are you sure you can trust him?”

“I don’t know…” I hesitantly trailed off, shifting on the coach with my pillow on my lap. “I know it sounds weird, but I feel comfortable with him. Safe almost. It’s like I can tell him anything,” I murmured, looking down in embarrassment. “I know… I sound dumb.”

“No, of course not,” she chuckled. “You have a crush, and it’s cute.”

My head snapped up to her in denial. “I donothave a crush on him. He’s arrogant, mean, doesn’t hold his tongue, and thinks that he’s better than everyone in any aspect.”

“Sounds… like your type, yeah,” she nodded, and we both started laughing. “Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?” she asked, sounding hurt.

I shrugged my shoulders lightly. “I was afraid to drag you into my mess, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to lie to you anymore.”

“Well,” she heavily sighed and took my hand in hers. “I’m glad you told me. Now you don’t have to go through this alone. I’ll always be here for you, okay?”

“Okay.”

* * *

Silvia and I swayed our hips with ear to ear smiles as we walked into the club.

One of my favorite songs boomed through the speakers, and we sang it at the top of our lungs. We fought our way through the crowd until we finally made it to our dressing room with a heavy exhale.

“We’re getting a drink after my performance,” she grinned, touching up her blush.

“Silvia, you know I don’t like drinking when I perform.”

“Just one…” she hopefully pleaded, looking at me through the mirror. There was momentary silence until I finally agreed, and she excitedly hurried over to hug me before leaving the room. I shook my head at her as I plopped down in front of my vanity.

* * *

My performance tonight went smoothly, but my excitement on stage vanished as soon as I made eye contact with Sylvester. He held a ridiculous grin on his face as he sat near the back, covered in black clothing from head to toe. I let out a shaky breath, and I hurried off the stage.