Page 30 of I Don’t Need Your Protection (Harrington Bay Academy #1)

Addie

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?” I ask Caleb as I add pajamas to my backpack.

“Didn’t we already discuss that you’re free to hang out with whoever you want?” Caleb leans on the wall of my room with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeah, but…”

“But what?” He pushes off the wall and moves closer to me. “Addilyn, I want you to make friends. I want you to live your life and have fun.”

“How will you keep an eye on me when I’m in Clarissa’s house?”

“That’s for me to figure out. You just focus on having fun at the sleepover.”

I sit on my bed and stash some more items into my backpack, trying to ignore the way my stomach twists around itself. Caleb is being really sweet and kind about the sleepover. I thought he would for sure convince me not to go.

“Are you nervous about going?” he asks me.

“No.”

“Are you sure? After what happened the other night…”

I slowly turn around to face him. “You think I’m worried I’ll have another nightmare?”

He keeps his eyes on me for a few seconds, then says in a soft tone, “Are you?”

I twist back around and focus on putting an extra pair of clothes in my backpack, just in case. “I’m not worried I’ll have another nightmare.”

“Okay. Good.”

We’re both quiet.

Then he says, “If you are worried, no one would hold it against you if you don’t go.”

I shake my head. “I want to go.”

“Okay.”

I grab some last-minute things and stand, throwing my backpack over my shoulder. Caleb and I stand before each other for a few moments. It looks like he wants to say something, but he moves aside so I can get to the door. I give him a curt nod before moving to the door and reaching for the knob.

“Addilyn?”

I turn around.

“I want you to have fun at the sleepover, but be vigilant, okay? Always trust your instincts.”

I nod and walk out of my room.

Clarissa told me to meet her in her room. Once I get there, I knock on the door and it opens a few seconds later to reveal Luna. Her beautiful blonde hair is pulled into a high ponytail. She smiles and widens the door. “Hey, Addie. Jemma is here, too. We’re just about ready to leave.”

I say hello to Jemma and Clarissa, trying to shove away the nerves building inside me. I really want to have fun at this sleepover and not act like a total freak. Mainly because I want to feel comfortable with Warner’s friends, but also because I want to have an enjoyable time at this school.

“I can’t believe this zit popped up out of nowhere,” Clarissa complains as she studies her reflection in the vanity mirror and touches her forehead. “Who invented zits, anyway? They should be banned.”

“You can barely see it,” Luna assures her.

“I used to have like crazy zits a few years ago,” I inform them with a nervous laugh. “I was really insecure about them, too.”

Clarissa glances at me and lifts a brow. “A zit on you? Yeah, right. Your skin is flawless. Ugh, my mom is stressing me out because of math. And it doesn’t help that my tutor is in college and so darn hot.”

“Are you flirting with him?” Jemma asks with bright brown eyes, pushing some of her curly brown hair out of her eyes.

“He has a girlfriend, but I might work my magic on him.” She gets up and smiles at us. “Ready for the sleepover? Oh my gosh, Addie, your outfit is so cute. ”

I glance down at my clothes. I’m just wearing an old T-shirt and jeans. “Thanks.”

I follow the girls out of Clarissa’s room and out of the building, toward the student parking lot. She also has a car that looks like it was beamed from the future.

“I get shotgun,” Luna declares as she reaches to open the door.

“You got shotgun last time,” Jemma complains.

“I so did not.”

“Girls, how about we let Addie get shotgun?” Clarissa suggests.

Both Luna and Jemma frown at me, like I’m stealing their most prized possession.

I lift my hands. “I’m fine with sitting in the back.” I open the door and slip inside, not wanting to get in the middle of whatever feud this is.

Jemma slides in next to me and takes out a small mirror. “Ugh, my nose.”

“What’s wrong with your nose?” I ask. “It’s beautiful.”

She gives me a look. “What are you, my mom? It’s huge.”

“I don’t think so. You’re perfect just the way you are.”

She scoffs. “Yeah, right. I’d have to have mad confidence to walk around with this huge monstrosity. I’m so having plastic surgery as soon as I’m eighteen.”

“You have the right to do what you want,” I tell her. “But I think you look amazing just as you are.”

“Can we stop talking about your nose for a change?” Clarissa groans as she pulls out of the parking lot.

“This sleepover is all about having fun, not whining about our flaws.” She flashes me a smile through the rearview mirror.

“I’m so happy you’re hanging out with us, Addie.

Warner can’t stop talking about you. It’s so annoying. ”

I perk up. “Really?”

“Yeah, it’s really annoying,” Luna says, rolling her green eyes.

“I don’t think he’s ever been so obsessed about a girl before,” Clarissa adds. “You must be really special, Addie.”

“Me special? No way.”

“I love this song!” Jemma raises the volume on the radio and starts to sing along with it.

“Oh my gosh, welcome to hell,” Luna grumbles.

“I hate the song.” Clarissa lowers the volume. “And you seriously need to stop singing along with the songs, Jemma. You don’t have the best voice.”

“And you sound like a frog when you sing,” Jemma retorts.

“Have you guys been friends for long?” I ask. “You act like you are.”

“Since first grade,” Luna says. “All three of us were the only kids at a charity event and we hung out all night. And we’ve been best friends ever since.”

“Wow, that’s so cool. I hope you guys stay friends forever.”

“As long as Luna doesn’t steal Bobby Wicker,” Jemma says, scowling at her friend.

“Take it up with my parents.”

“You can pretend to hate his guts.”

“Who’s Bobby Wicker?” I ask .

“Just a guy Jemma and Luna are fighting over,” Clarissa says in a bored voice. “He’s not even that hot.”

“He’s hotter than your college tutor,” Luna says.

“You must be blind.”

She slows down before a mansion and the four of us get out. A staff member drives off to park it. This mansion is just as beautiful as my grandfather’s and Nila’s, but it’s a bit smaller.

“I know, right?” Clarissa says with a frown. “It’s so ugly. My mom wants to renovate the whole thing, but Dad refuses because it has ‘sentimental value.’” She makes air quotes. “So if you hear my parents bickering tonight, you’ll know what it’s about.”

“I’m sorry your parents are fighting,” I tell her.

She shrugs. “That’s normal. Don’t your parents ever argue?”

“They didn’t really, not often. I mean, no. They don’t really fight much.”

She shrugs again. “You’re lucky, I guess.”

“My parents’ divorce came out of nowhere,” Jemma tells me. “They didn’t argue or anything. They just woke up one morning and decided to split up.”

I touch her arm. “I’m sorry. That must have been so hard.”

“It was. But it was for the best, so I’m not upset about it.”

A staff member lets us into the house. The place is gorgeous, but Clarissa wastes no time pointing out all the areas she agrees with her mom that need to be changed. In my opinion, the place is exquisite, but what do I know?

“Hey, Clary, Luna, and Jem,” a woman who looks very similar to Clarissa greets us in the foyer. “And is this the new girl? Abbie, right?” She must be her mom.

“Addie,” I correct.

As she gazes at me and my outfit, I swear I see her nostrils twitch a little. As though she can detect just by looking at me that I’m not from her world. But she throws me a smile and says, “Well, you girls look so pretty tonight. Remember the rules, Clary. No sneaking out and no sneaking in boys.”

“Oh my gosh, Mom.” Clarissa rolls her eyes. “I know the rules. You don’t have to breathe down my neck every time I have friends over.”

“I was a teenager once. I know what goes on in those heads of yours.”

Clarissa groans and marches up the stairs, with Luna and Jemma hurrying after her.

“It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Thomas,” I tell her.

She smiles again. “You too, darling.”

I rush to catch up to the others, and Clarissa says, “Don’t mind my mom, Addie. She sucks the fun out of everything. She thinks I’m going to get into trouble like my sister.”

“Your sister?” I ask.

“She ran away with a boy they didn’t approve of and got married. I swear she has this irrational fear that I’ll run off with the cook’s son or something.”

We reach her room, which is set up with four beds, each one queen-sized and appearing very luxurious. “Wow,” I say.

The girls choose their beds, leaving the one next to the door for me. I drop my backpack on the bed and then fall down on it, marveling at how soft it is. Just like my bed at my grandfather’s house and my room at school.

The sleepover starts off like a typical one, the same I had with my old friends.

After changing into pajamas, we do our nails while watching the latest teen drama, we try on the many clothes Clarissa has in her humongous closet (even bigger than mine), we play around with different kinds of makeup, browse social media, and of course we talk about boys.

“Hudson is so hot,” Luna says with a happy, faraway sigh. “But he barely pays attention to me.”

“He’s more into the bad girl type.”

“I can be bad.”

“Forget Hudson,” Clarissa says. “Have you guys noticed that Marcus got so sexy over the summer?”

“I thought it was just me!” Jemma exclaims. “He used to be such a nerd.”

“Don’t even think about it, girls,” Clarissa warns. “He’s mine.” Her eyes shift to me and she smiles. “What about you, Addie?”

“What about me?”

“You and Warner,” she says with a giggle. “What’s up with you two?”

I return the smile. “Things are going well.”

“Has he asked you to be his girlfriend?” Luna asks.

I shake my head. “We’ve only been hanging out for a few weeks.”

“You guys are really cute together,” Jemma tells me.

“Thanks. ”

“So…?” Clarissa waggles her brows.

“So…?” I ask.

“Is he a good kisser or what?”

I tuck some hair behind my ear. “Um, didn’t you date him? Shouldn’t you know if he’s a good kisser or not?”

She laughs. “I’m asking you .”

I play around with my pillow. “We haven’t kissed yet.”

“What?” Luna nearly explodes off her bed. “You’ve been hanging out with Warner for a few weeks and he hasn’t tried to kiss you yet?”

My eyes flit from one to the other. “Is that bad?”

It appears like Jemma is about to say that it is, but Clarissa says, “Of course not. Obviously it’s not the right time, right? I mean, he kind of has a reputation of being a player, so it’s weird that he hasn’t tried to kiss you yet. But I’m sure he has his reasons. Anyone want a snack?”

As she leaves her room, my mind gets stuffed with so many thoughts.

I never thought it was weird that Warner and I haven’t kissed yet.

I mean, sure we’ve been hanging out for a while now, but I don’t think we’re at that stage yet.

I did consider it, of course, but clearly it was never the right moment. It’ll happen when it’s meant to happen.

But I can’t help but wonder why he hasn’t tried to kiss me. Does he find me repulsive or something? Or maybe the girls don’t know him as well as they think. Maybe he wants to get closer to me before taking that step.

After Clarissa returns with the snacks and settles down on her bed, she pins her eyes on me. “So how is Warner with you? Does he treat you right?”

My lips lift in a smile. “He treats me really well. He’s kind and he listens to everything I say. He doesn’t seem like a player at all. He’s sweet.”

The girls exchange glances and then burst out laughing. “Warner, sweet?” Jemma scoffs. “In what century?”

I shrug. “He’s sweet to me.”

Clarissa puts on a smile. “Well, like I said before, he must see something really special in you, Addie. You put a spell on him.”

I laugh as I shake my head. “I definitely did not put a spell on him. Maybe he feels comfortable sharing a part of himself he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing with anyone else.”

For a second, I think I see something pass over Clarissa’s face, but she puts on another smile and squeals, clapping her hands. “That’s so cute! Maybe you guys will be the next It Couple.”

“I don’t care about that. I just want to be happy.”

Luna clutches her heart. “Oh my gosh, that is so cute.”

As they talk about the music that was just released, I grab my phone and check my texts.

My friends have sent me a few, mostly wishing me luck and reminding me for the millionth time that I should call them immediately if something goes wrong and I want to get the heck out of here.

But they have nothing to worry about—I’m having a good time with Clarissa and her friends.

I might not agree with them on everything and it might take some time before I’m one hundred percent comfortable with them, but I’m thankful they’re taking the time to get to know me.

I thought I might have a text from Caleb, letting me know that he’s in the area and looking out for me, and that all is well. But there’s nothing from him. I’m sure he’s in his car near the house and doesn’t want to bother me.

When it starts to pour twenty minutes later, I can’t help but feel concerned for him. If he really is in his car and plans to stay there all night, won’t he be cold? I’m tempted to text him and tell him to go home because I’m safe here, but I know he won’t listen.

“Okay, I’m bored,” Clarissa says as she rolls onto her stomach and kicks her feet in the air. “Let’s play a game.” She smiles brightly. “Truth or Dare?”