Page 16

Kota

I told Bridget to keep an eye on my things while I wasn’t home, so hopefully she’d drop this whole Switzerland thing she had going on for the day and be on my side.

I was still on a high from hearing the story of Crew’s failed hookup this week. I almost wished I’d been home so that I could’ve seen the poor girl running out of the apartment.

I knew Crew was fired up and that he’d retaliate, but anything he came up with wouldn’t have anything on me.

Because the thing about Crew was that he was too predictable.

If he was gone in the morning, he was at practice.

If he was gone during the day, that meant he was either at class or at the gym.

If he was gone at night, he was fucking around. And if he was fucking around, that meant he probably wouldn’t be coming home alone.

That’s where the real opportunities were at.

I was pretty proud of this one. After all, tampon mistletoe was a spin-off of something else I saw online, but this prank was all me. An original masterpiece by Dakota Darling. I should’ve signed my name on the wall next to Harry Styles.

I already had a multitude of ideas of the best ways to torture him further, but for the moment, those fun thoughts had to be put on the backburner. Because I was currently on my way to see my mom.

We were planning on doing some shopping and grabbing lunch. My mom had some fundraiser gala thing that she’d be attending next week, so she requested that I helped her find a dress.

Ironically, I was jamming out to some One Direction when I parked in the parking garage that led inside to the mall. I smirked as I shut the car off, letting out a small giggle.

My mom was waiting at the entrance for me, her arms extended out with an ample smile on her face.

I accepted the gesture, squeezing my arms around her. “Hi, Mama!”

“Hi, honey. How are you?”

“Good. How are you doing?”

“I’m alright. Minus all this stuff,” she gestured around. “You know shopping stresses me out.”

“I know,” I smiled. “Don’t worry! We’re gonna find you a hot dress.”

She let me take the lead, trudging behind me as I examined the window of each store, deciding if it would be worth our time or not.

I stopped outside one that had mannequins wearing prom dresses in the window. “How bout this one?”

Mom raised a brow, skeptical. “Those dresses look a bit too glittery for my liking.”

“Mom,” I rolled my eyes, “they probably have other dresses inside.” I grabbed her hand, dragging her along. “Plus, you’d look great in a bedazzled dress.”

“I don’t wanna draw too much attention to myself,” she countered.

I let out a quiet sigh. This was where my mom and I differed. We had the same feisty personality and sense of independence, but when it came to being the center of attention, she wasn’t a fan. Whereas I would gladly fuck up a sparkly dress on the dance floor, she’d rather hide in the corner with it. She didn’t like an immense number of eyes on her, although I wasn’t sure why. Since Mom had me while she was in college, she was still pretty young, only in her early forties. She looked like she was ten years younger though, still as beautiful and lively as she had been in photos I’d seen of her from decades ago.

But since she refused to wear any fun dresses, I picked out some simpler dresses for her to try on.

She spoke as I waited outside her dressing room door. “How are things at the apartment?”

I smirked, holding in laughter. “Great.”

“That didn’t sound too convincing.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m not even being sarcastic.” The door opened, and I could see my eyes light up in the mirror behind my mother. “Wow! Mom, you look so pretty.”

“You think so?” she asked, glancing in the mirror.

The dress was an elegant floor length, fire red, a striking contrast to her dark hair.

“Yes,” I nodded firmly. “I love it.”

“Okay, okay,” she said, giving a small spin. “Let me try the other ones on just to be sure.”

“I agree.”

As Mom shut the door behind her again, the silence didn’t last long. She jumped right back into our previous conversation.

“So, are things better with your boy roommates?”

I gave a light snort at her awkward wording. “Yep. I’ve got everything under control.”

“Oh, God,” she said. “What’s that mean?”

“It means I’m adjusting well.”

“Um, yeah, that’s not very reassuring.”

“Oh, c’mon, Mom,” I said. “Don’t you know me at all?”

“Yes,” she replied confidently. “That’s why I’m concerned.” All I could do was respond with a wily laugh. “What did you do to those poor boys?”

Now, I was scoffing. “Poor boys?” I practically shouted. “Mother, they are devious little monsters. Well,” I corrected myself, “one of them is.”

The door opened again, revealing my disapproving mother in a sky-blue dress that had a slit down one leg.

“I like this one a lot, actually,” I said.

“Don’t change the subject,” she insisted. “But for the record,” she glimpsed in the mirror, “so do I.”

My mouth stayed clamped shut, my only response being the mindless nod I gave, eyes glued to the dress.

“Kota?”

“Mhm?”

Impatience clouded over her eyes as she raised a brow at me.

“Mom! This isn’t about me. We’re finding you a dress.”

She gave a light sneer, and it was like looking in a mirror. “Dakota Lyn,” she shook her head, scolding me.

“Alright, well can we change the subject, for real? Because I need your advice,” I said.

I hadn’t been planning on asking my mom for her opinion on my current situation with Bobby, so I wasn’t quite sure why I felt the need to bring it up in the moment, but if it was going to skew the conversation away from the boys, I guess it was worth it.

My mom gave a small sigh, but her eyes lit up with both fascination and concern. “What is it?”

“You know the guy I’ve been seeing? Bobby?”

“You mean the one I still haven’t met?” she said, giving me another look of disapproval. Seems like she was full of disapproval today. “Yes.”

I rolled my eyes. “Mom, I told you that you could meet him once we officially start dating,” I explained. “Which is sort of the problem. We’re still not an official couple.”

“Hm,” she nodded along, still studying herself in the mirror.

Silence followed, and I could tell she was deep in thought about her dress fiasco, causing me to sigh.

The delicate blue hanging off her skin perfectly matched her aura— compassionate, yet resilient. Even though my mom and I looked so much alike, I didn’t think I’d be able to pull that dress off. It was far too soft of a color for someone so full of rage and stubbornness.

I allowed the silence to saturate the air for another moment before I cleared my throat. My mom gave a slight jump, snapping her attention back to me. “Sorry, honey,” she murmured.

“So... do you have any advice?”

Watching me in the mirror, she said, “Just give him a tiny bit more time. Maybe he’s trying to take things slow.”

I didn’t hesitate to tip my head with a look that said Really?

“Maybe he just wants to get to know you better first.”

“Um,” I lightly cringed, “yeah I don’t think that’s it.”

With a huff, she studied me harder in the mirror. It was like her gaze was shooting straight into my brain, reading every thought I’d ever had.

“Oh goodness, Kota. I don’t like that look you’re giving me. I know exactly what it means.”

My mom and I were close, and we told each other a lot, but there were certain details of our lives that we most definitely never disclosed.

Our sex lives was one of them.

“You better be being safe,” she added.

Heat was rushing to my cheeks, and I knew red was blossoming over my warm skin complexion. I was afraid to look at my reflection in the mirror; my eyes skimmed the floor. Regardless of the sudden embarrassment flooding over me, my voice remained strong and secure. “I am, Mom. I’m smart. Don’t you think so?”

The stiffness in her shoulders relaxed, but she clutched onto the side of the dress. “Of course, I do. But still...” her voice lowered, “things happen.”

I knew she didn’t want to use the word “accident” or “mistake”, granted that I was the accident.

“Yeah,” I nodded softly, “I know.” Neither of us said anything else for a few minutes, the only sound being the rustling and chatter of people out in the store area. “Did you decide, Mom?” I finally asked.

“Yeah,” she grinned lightly. “I think I’m gonna go with the blue.”

Well, I could’ve guessed that.