Page 16 of Entwined
“I’m fine,” I mutter, rubbing the twinge away, glancing over at the girl standing next to me. She’s dressed in a flouncy pink top and blue jeans, her blonde head cocked to the side as she watches me.
“Don’t be offended, but you don’t look fine.” She doesn’t seem put off by my silence, giving me a small smile. “I’m Florence, by the way.”
She inches closer, ignoring the look I slide her as I mutter, “Felicity.”
“I know who you are,” she interjects. “You’re pretty infamous around these parts.” Her eyes are twinkling with amusement, and I huff.
“That’s not such a good thing.”
Florence shrugs. “It can be sometimes.” She narrows her eyes, considering me. “You look like you need to let loose a little. Are you coming to the Halloween party tonight?”
“What party?”
Her mouth pops open. “You’re kidding right? It’s only the biggest party of the semester.” She tips her head toward the woods, in the direction of the cemetery. “I’m going with my roommate. Why don’t you join us?”
I don’t have much experience with girls like this being nice to me—not without some kind of agenda—so I narrow my eyes. “Why?”
Florence lifts perfectly shaped eyebrows, her pink-glossed mouth pursed. “Because you’ve had a shitty year”—my cheeks flush at her candor, but she doesn’t stop—“and you look like you need a friend.” She waves a hand at herself in ata-dagesture. “I am volunteering for the position. And I’m gonna voluntellmy roommate, Ada.”
I’m not really sure what to make of this girl. “I’m not in a party mood.”
“Well, get in one,” Florence says brightly. “You no longer have a choice.”
I inhale slowly through my nose, staring at her. She doesn’t look away, her smile never fading. “You know who I am,” I say. It’s not a question. Still, she tips her chin down in confirmation.
“I do.”
“So, you know why spending time with me is a bad idea.”
Her expression doesn’t falter. “There are a few things in this world that scare me, Felicity, but your family isn’t one of them.”
When there’s a knock at my door later that night, nerves flutter in my stomach. For the longest second, I just sit on the edge of my bed, hoping she’ll go away.
A series of knocks, each louder than the last, immediately dashes that hope.
“Felicityyy!” Florence sings through the door. “Your entourage is here!” Before I can move, there’s a muffled conversation. The words are impossible to make out, but it sounds like she’s arguing with someone. And then Florence bursts out, “Ada, I refuse to let her waste away in her room because other people suck. You haven’t been here, but I promise you, if anyone needs a friend, it’s this girl.” There’s a pause, and then, “Felicity, if you don’t open this door, I’m gonna go tell your RA there’s a gas leak! In three… two?—”
I rush across the room and fling the door open, crying, “Don’t you dare!”
She’s standing there, dressed as an angel in asee-throughdress. Her lacy white underwear is on full display, the cups of her bra doing God’s work, pushing her breasts almost up to her chin. My mouth drops open, and I know I’m staring, and by the time I drag my eyes up to her face, she’s smirking.
“See, Ada?” she tells her friend, who rolls her eyes. “This dress was the perfect choice.”
Ada’s wearing a leather minidress, and she looks anything but comfortable as she fidgets with her devil horn headband. “Hi,” she murmurs quietly, eyes flitting between me and Florence. “Look, you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
Florence squints at her. “Whose side are you on, roomie? She absolutely does need to come.” She turns back to me. “But you can’t wear that.”
I frown, looking down at my hoodie and jeans. “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“Babe, we’re going to aHalloweenparty,” she says. “You need to dress the part. Not to worry. I have theperfectthing.”
Florence turns and skips back down the hallway, presumably going back to her room to retrieve the “perfect” item, leaving me and Ada standing there in shell-shocked silence.
After a beat, she lifts a champagne bottle I hadn’t noticed before, a wavering smile lifting her lips. “Wanna drink?”
CHAPTER TEN
felicity