Page 17

The only sounds in my room are the screeching of the hangers sliding against the metal racks in my closet and the shuffling of fabrics. Skyler isn’t here to help me pick out clothes, so I have to do it on my own. I finally chose a white v-neck tank top with lace on the v and blue jeans. When I look in the mirror, I’m shocked by what I see.
I don’t look too bad! The light makes the different shades of brown in my hair stand out more, and my hair is naturally wavy. People have told me more than once that I put highlights in my hair, but this is the color it is naturally. The sun naturally lightens some parts of my hair, giving it a unique look that is different from most brunettes. My hair is probably the best thing about me.
The more I look in the mirror, the more flaws I see in my appearance. So I decided to put on some light makeup before the ice twins get here… I like that name a little bit.
I’m ready to go now that I’ve put on some light brown smokey eye, mascara, and lip gloss. I can see that I have 20 minutes before they come to get me by looking at the clock. I’m always ready early, and this time is no different. I grab the book “The Catcher in the Rye” and start to read it again. But I can’t read more than a few pages before I start thinking about Jaxon.
I know I won’t be able to focus on this book until I at least check in on him. We texted this morning, but it was just to say hello. I had to get ready for class soon after. I stop scrolling through our texts when I realize that I’ve never been the one to text first. He always says good morning to me or asks how my day has been. What a thoughtless thing to do! He probably thinks I’m really rude…
I open a new message and type a short message. He doesn’t have to answer if he doesn’t want to.
Hey, me
I’m proud of who I am. I’m getting more self-assured and less shy and pathetic than I was when I first met Jaxon. He texted back right away.
Broody: Hi, sweetheart. What are you doing?
Me: Not much, just getting ready to go out with some friends. I’m ready too soon and I’m bored.
The text bubbles appear, showing that he is typing a reply to me, but then they go away. I wait a few more seconds, and then my phone buzzes. I scream in shock, and my phone flies out of my hand and onto the bed. I hold my chest and try to calm my racing heart. I see that Jaxon is calling me on FaceTime when I look at my phone. Damn it! Should I answer? I have to answer; the guy I like is calling me!
I swipe to answer and hold the phone up to my face. When I see Jaxon’s face on my screen, I smile right away. He also smiles. It looks like he’s outside. There are only trees in the background. He must be out hiking or something. He also looks like he’s not wearing a shirt, and I’m glad I can only see from his shoulders up, or else I’d be a stuttering mess.
He says, “I hate texting,” and his voice breaks up a little because of the connection. “My hands are too big, and I can never…” Jaxon stops talking and looks shocked. I can see his eyes getting darker through the phone, just like they do when he looks at me. It’s one of the things I like most about him. I can’t read his face very well, but his eyes say something else.
“Calla,” he growls through his clenched teeth and tight jaw. I’m lucky he looks so good when he’s Broody because every time I’ve seen him so far, he’s been Broody for a little while.
“You look great.”
His praise makes my heart race. I say, “Thank you!” and then I walk over to my dresser and put my phone down so that it leans against one of my bigger snow globes. Then I step back so he can see all of my clothes. Skyler isn’t here to help me pick out my clothes, but Jaxon might be able to tell me if they’re good for a night out with friends.
“I wasn’t sure if this outfit was okay. Skyler made fun of my last one, so I tried to pick something nicer. What do you think?” I ask him. I look down right now, but when I hear a low sound coming from his throat, my eyes move up. He then clears his throat, which worries me a little.
“Are you okay? Is your throat hurting?” He might be sick. That would explain all the noise he’s making now.
“No, I’m fine,” he quickly says, brushing off my worry. “Change your clothes.”
The words I am about to say are dead in my throat. When I look down at my clothes, my eyebrows come together. But… He told me I looked great earlier, but now he wants me to change? Did he lie before?
“Don’t do that, Calla.”
“What?” I say softly.
He sighs and then rubs his face in anger. “You look beautiful. Way too beautiful. You’re going out looking like that without me!” He points at me and then tightens his jaw again. “Every guy in here is going to want you. And you are mine, remember?”
As I try to find the right words, my mouth opens and moves around like a fish that is crying. I didn’t put on blush because my cheeks naturally turn red. I knew they would blush on their own.
I nod my head up and down without saying anything, which makes Jaxon’s smirk grow. “Good. Where are you going, anyway?” he asks. A car honks outside just as I’m about to answer. I look out my window and see that Felix and Elise must be here to get me. “I’m going to this bar, but I don’t know the name of it. It wasn’t my idea.”
I cut Jaxon off because I see that he wants to say something. I grab my phone, my bag, and a cardigan that I throw over my arm. “Jaxon, I have to go. They’re here.”
I thought Jaxon was Broody before, but now he must be really angry. “Calla, don’t hang up on me. You’re going to a bar? Where drunk, horny men hang out to take advantage of beautiful girls like you?” Every word he adds makes him louder and louder until he’s basically screaming at me. I don’t get why he’s so angry with me. I’m just going out with some pals.
“Jaxon, I don’t have time for this. I’m not drinking. It’ll be fine. If you want, I’ll text you when I get home.” The doorbell rings as I run down the stairs. I move slowly to the front door and try to open it while holding my purse, cardigan, phone, and keys. I must be Wonder Woman because I can open the door. Felix looks me up and down, then meets my gaze and smiles.
“You always look great.”
I blush and am about to say something when my phone starts to ring. Jaxon. “WHO THE HELL IS THAT?”
It was hard for me to hold everything in my hands and bring the phone up to my face, so I quickly told Jaxon that he was my friend and that I would call him later.
“CALLA, DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT HANGING UP ON ME. WHO THE F**K IS-
I hung up. I sighed, put my phone in my bag, and locked the door to my house. I didn’t want to bother my mom and Maisie because they were still inside. We’ve been ignoring each other for four days now, and I’m still not talking to my mom.
A laugh pulls me out of my thoughts. “Who was that guy? Was he your boyfriend or something?”
“No, I mumble.” “He’s a good friend, I guess.”
“You think?” Felix says with a smirk. “Don’t you know if you’re in a relationship?”
“Shut up and let’s go before I leave you alone with your sister,” I say, pushing past him and heading for the car. I can feel my phone vibrating in my purse, but I don’t want to deal with Jaxon’s caveman behavior right now. I just want to have fun and hang out with my new friends tonight.
Felix drives us, and I sit in the passenger seat because Elise is in the backseat. “By the way, where are we going?” I ask. I know it’s a bar, but that’s all I know about this strange place.
“Oh, it’s a new bar called Nectar Noir. I’ve heard great things about it. They have a lot of food and drinks, and there’s music and dancing and-”
“Hold on a second!” I cut Elise off. I turn around so that I am facing her in the backseat. “Are we—Are you taking me to a club?” I yell at her, and she smiles sheepishly. I can’t believe how bold she is. “Elise!” I yell.
She raises her eyebrows and acts like lying to me about where we’re going isn’t a big deal. But really… Felix was the one who told me a lie. I turn around and push Felix in the shoulder. I could see that there were no other cars around, so pushing him wouldn’t put anyone else in danger, even though he was driving. I know what’s going on around me even though I’m angry.
“Felix, you lied to me! You said we were going to a bar, not a club! Take me home right now!” I pout, cross my arms, and sink lower in my seat. I just did something that Maisie does all the time, but I don’t care right now.
Felix talks to me while keeping his eyes on the road. He looks at me every now and then. “Calla, I’m sorry. Elise wanted me to go with her, and I didn’t want to go alone. I thought it would be fun! I knew you wouldn’t have agreed, and Elise said that if I lied, you would come, and it worked!”
I mumble, “That’s not right.” Felix and Elise both laugh, as if they heard me. “No, but really. Turn around. I’m not going to a club.”
Elise jumps out of the car and says, “Girl, we’re already here.” And sure enough, the bright neon violet sign for Nectar Noir is right in front of me. I see a line of people outside and cringe inside. It might not be a good idea to tell them I’m claustrophobic right now.
Felix unbuckles his seat belt and looks at me. “C’mon. It’ll be fun.” He smiles at me, but it doesn’t help my nerves about going in there. Jaxon was mad when he found out I was going to a bar, but what will he say when he finds out it’s really a club? What if he’s right and a bunch of horny guys try to take advantage of me? I’ll just stay in the car and-
Hearing my own seatbelt unbuckle pulls me out of my thoughts. Felix unbuckles the seatbelt and leans in close to me. “Listen. We’ll go in there for Elise for an hour or so. If you don’t like it, let me know and we’ll leave her. She can get an Uber or a ride with someone else.”
I look up at Felix. His platinum hair is styled with a gel that makes the front of his hair stick up. He also had on a plain white shirt and blue jeans. It made me smile a little that we were kind of matching. “Okay. But I’m not happy about this. Don’t lie to me again.”
“Well, I didn’t lie to you. I might have deceived you.”
“Lie, cheat, whatever you want to call it,” I say. “It’s wrong. Are you not learning anything in class?”
Felix smiles at me and opens the door. He yells, “Nope!” and slams the car door shut behind him. I take a deep breath to get ready for the crazy night ahead. I get out of my car and join Felix and Elise for a night of dancing.