Page 56 of Paper Doll

Bryce releases me and pulls back to give me a once-over, frowning. “Heard you’re on Chelsea’s hitlist after the stunt you pulled at the party.”

I snort a wry laugh, ribs smarting from the kick they took. “You could say that. It’s kind of ridiculous that I’m being slut shamed for something I didn’t even want to do.”

“That’s the patriarchy for ya,” he quips, reaching into his pocket and brandishing a joint and lighter. “Wanna get high?”

I nod a little too eagerly and he grins, leading me over to the wide ledge that runs along the center of the roof. I sling my backpack off my shoulder and drop it on the ledge before sinking down, Bryce lowering himself to sit next to me. He sparks up the joint, taking a puff then passing it over, studying me for a moment as he holds the smoke in his lungs. “Are you in trouble or something? This stuff with the Kings?”

“No, it’s fine,” I lie, raising the joint to my lips and dragging in a deep inhale. I sputter a cough as I let it go, passing the joint back to Bryce. “I’m handling it,” I mutter.Another lie.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” he says as he plucks it from my fingers.

“I don’t.”

“Fair enough.”

We pass the joint back and forth a few more times in silence, until my head starts feeling floaty and Bryce crushes the smoldering remains of the roach beneath his heel. I slide my overstuffed backpack further away and pull my legs up onto the ledge, turning sideways to face Bryce and looping my arms around my knees.

“Well, we’ve already established that my week has sucked, so tell me how yours has been,” I say, tilting my head curiously. “Anything exciting happen?”

Bryce swipes a hand over his chin in contemplation, squinting at the sky. Then he gasps, turning back to me eagerly. “Oh, you know my ex-roommate that I told you about? The homophobic jock?”

I nod.

“I totally sucked his dick last night.”

“What?!” I gasp, jaw going slack.

Bryce smirks, wetting his lips with his tongue. “It’s always the closeted ones that put on a front of being raging homophobes, I swear.”

I dissolve into a fit of giggles, the weed working its magic to make me forget my troubles for the time being. “Why would you do that after he was so mean to you?” I ask once I manage to regain my composure.

He shrugs a shoulder nonchalantly. “He’s a total douchebag, but he has a nice cock.”

I snort a laugh. “Sounds familiar.”

“Ah, so she’s admitting the Kings have nice dicks,” Bryce teases, winking at me.

I kick out a leg toward him, my foot connecting with his thigh. “I’m not admitting shit.”

Bryce laughs, but the sound of it dies out too quickly, his eyes suddenly rounding in earnestness and his expression turning somber. “Seriously, Ava, if you need help…”

I shake my head adamantly. “No, I’ve got this. And besides, I won’t allow you to become collateral damage in whatever vendetta my stepbrother has against me. You’re my only friend here.” I wince, slapping a hand over my mouth. “Oh my gosh, I just realized how pathetic that sounded, forget I said anything.”

He grins like a psychopath. “No way, I’m never forgetting that. We’re officially besties,” Bryce declares, shuffling closer to me. “And I told you, I’m not scared of them.”

I feel the color drain from my face. “You should be,” I deadpan.

He just shrugs again. “Fear is a construct.”

“Don’t tell me this is the part of your high where you get all philosophical on me,” I groan, rolling my eyes.

“Yup, that’s exactly where we’ve arrived, so buckle up, buttercup.” Bryce wags his brows, then launches into a bizarre theory on human behavior that has me cackling. I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed so much. We hang out for a little while until our high finally mellows out, then the two of us climb down from the roof and walk back to Sutton Hall together.

Before we go in, I reach out to snag Bryce by the arm, pulling him back. “Thanks for this,” I say quietly. “This is the first time in days where I’ve felt…normal.”

“Well, you’re not exactly normal, you’re stoned,” he teases, ruffling my hair.

I swat his hands away, smoothing my tresses with an annoyed huff. “Yeah, well close to normal, then.”