Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Everleigh
Mila J - My Brain
“ S o, you coming to the party this upcoming weekend?” Amber asked from the edge of my bed, doing a good show of acting like my nasty ass house didn’t bother her.
“That’s the plan.”
I tried to go to as many parties as I could, mostly because it was one of the rare occurrences in which I got to kick back and be a normal college kid for once. My grandma had come through and took the kids for the night, giving us all a break, so that meant I had a day to myself for once.
We were relatively close with our grandmother, but she was older, and I hated asking her for help with the kids because of it. But she was the one who had called me. Her relationship with my mom was strained at best, so she usually called me for updates on the younger kids.
Briley chose that moment to whirl around from where she’d been checking herself out in the mirror for the last several minutes. “You’re going to the party next weekend?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, why?”
She huffed and moved to drop down onto her bed across the room. “Because I wanted to go. I already told Angie I’d be there.”
Annoyance simmered beneath my skin. I worked my ass off for these kids, Briley included. I helped with homework, made sure they got baths every night and brushed their teeth. I worked a dead-end job, did my best to clean during my down time—which was few and far between—made sure to grocery shop every week, and had them both in bed at decent times every single day. All Briley did was watch them for a few hours while I went to work.
I was just asking for this one thing. I never got to do anything for myself. Briley got to hangout with her friends whenever she wanted.
“And I told Lucas, I’d be there.” I turned to face her. “Look,” I breathed. “I understand that you want to go to this party and hangout with your friends. But there will be more. All I’m asking is that you let me go to this one, and I’ll let you go to the next one. I know it sucks, but Mom can’t watch the kids in her current state, Bry.”
She contemplated that for a moment, her eyes dropping to the floor. It made me feel guilty as shit, because she deserved to have a life, too. And it wasn’t like she was missing out indefinitely like I had been. It was just sacrificing one party. She could do that much for me, right?
Finally, she released a huff of frustration. “Fine,” she gritted out. “But I am going to the next one, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.”
“Fine by me.” I grinned. “Thank you.”
She grumbled something incoherently before rising from her bed and storming out of the room.
“Well, that went better than expected,” Amber said, jabbing her elbow into the side of my arm. “And while we’re still on the topic of the party, want to go shopping?” She waggled her eyebrows at me.
I snorted in response. “Yeah, because I totally have the money to splurge on materialistic bullshit.”
“Ugh. You’re such a bore. Do you think I would have invited you if I didn’t intend on paying?” She stood, offering her hand out for me to take. “I mean, seriously. What kind of friend do you take me for?”
Hesitantly, I slid my hand into hers and allowed her to pull me to my feet. “I don’t want your money, Amber.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure. You’re not going to a fucking frat party wearing athletic pants and an oversized T-shirt. You did that last year. Never again.” She propped a hand on her hip and gave me a pointed look. “I’ll make you go naked before I let you out of the house wearing something like that again to a party.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d definitely be the talk of the school then, huh?”
She placed a hand to her chest, pretending to clutch her nonexistent pearls. “The talk of the school? Oh honey, no. You’d be the talk of the town .”
I shoved her playfully and she giggled, looping her arm through mine. “Now let’s go, bitch. We have to find you something that’ll make your sorry excuse of an ex-boyfriend pissed that he’d ever lost you.” She paused, looking over at me. “And don’t think we’re done talking about that by the way. I need deets, hoe.”
I knew it was only a matter of time before she brought him up again. I’ve been avoiding her like the plague since he openly told Lucas that we used to date. The truth of the matter was that I never got used to them leaving without so much as an explanation. I’d spent countless nights bawling my eyes out because I was so confused and heartbroken. It was so bad. They just vanished right after it happened. Didn’t even finish out junior year. After about a week of their absence, I went to Ashton’s house. His mom looked at me with so much disgust and anger that it made me sick. The woman who once treated me with so much love and respect. She informed me that he’d be finishing high school online and told me not to come back again, right before she slammed the door in my face.
After that tragic heart-to-heart, I decided showing up at their houses was just self-destructive. They absolutely wanted nothing to do with me and as much as it killed me, I needed to respect it.
To make matters worse, Dad left us about a month later when he fully understood what Mom’s new diagnosis meant.
When we made it outside, I slipped in the passenger seat of her Mercedes Benz. Amber’s parents were loaded, and she was a spoiled little twat because of it, but I still loved her. She was the one person in this world who stuck by my side and liked me for who I was. She didn’t care about the amount of money I had, or about who I was dating. She just wanted me to be happy.
“So,” she began once we were on the road. “You want to fill me in on the notorious Ashton Banks?”
Sighing, I turned to look out the window. “What do you want to know?”
“For starters, why the fuck didn’t you tell me that you dated a billionaire?”
“His dad is the billionaire,” I pointed out. “And I didn’t think it was important. They weren’t that well known when we were dating. His dad’s company blew up toward the end of our relationship and just kept getting bigger from there.”
She hummed in response, tapping her acrylics against the steering wheel. “Were you guys serious?”
A laugh got lodged in my throat and I choked it down. “He popped my cherry. We dated freshman year through the end of junior year. Does that tell you enough?”
“Why did you guys break up if you were so in love?” she shot back with a smirk, raising her eyebrows. Amber didn’t believe in perfect relationships. But my relationship with Ashton was perfect. To me, at least.
I swallowed thickly, not even knowing how to answer that. I didn’t want to tell her the truth. I wasn’t even really sure what happened the night everything went to shit. “I’m not really sure,” I admitted. “Can we not talk about this? It’s still a sore subject for me.”
Her expression softened and she nodded. “Sorry, babe. I didn’t realize…”
“It’s fine. Let’s just have some fun.”
A grin broke out across her face. “Now you’re speaking my language.”
When we pulled up to a store that looked more expensive than my life was worth, I turned to her, ready to find some excuse to hit a thrift store instead. But she was already climbing out of the car. Sighing, I followed suit and stepped out onto the pavement. I felt completely out of my element as I peered through the glass where three mannequins stood front and center wearing more fashionable clothes than I’ve ever owned. Even back when we had money, I never had expensive clothes like this.
“We’re not here to window shop, skank. Get your hot ass in there.” She slapped my ass playfully before skipping toward the door. “Moment of truth,” she continued, turning to face me as soon as we entered. “I’ve always wanted to give you a makeover.”
I laughed in response. “Am I that fugly to look at?”
“Ew. What are we, in high school? Never use that word again. And you are not ugly.” She looped her arm through mine like she’d done earlier, pulling me close to her small body. “Your look is just…bland. You could easily be one of the sexiest girls on campus if you put a little bit of effort in.” She paused, her eyes skimming over the side of my face. “Are those split ends ? That’s it. We’re hitting the salon next.”
I laughed again, feeling lighter already than I had before seeing her. A weight had been on my shoulders, and she came in and erased it like it had never been there to begin with. Despite our vast differences, I liked that about our friendship. She pushed me outside of my comfort zone and made me try new things.
Amber turned to the nearest employee. “I need two clerks pronto. We’ll be here for a while.” She flipped her burgundy hair behind her shoulders like she owned the damn place and then shot me a sly smirk.
I shook my head with a small smile touching my lips. While this might not have been my element, it was definitely hers.
She led me to the back part of the store, her eyes roaming over the expensive clothes. While she was busy, I checked the price tag on a random dress and nearly screeched.
Twenty-five-hundred dollars.
“Amber,” I snapped, charging toward her. “I am not letting you spend thousands of dollars on me. I was skeptical about a hundred.”
She groaned like I was the one being unreasonable. “Girl. It’s fine. I want to do this.” She shrugged. “It’s not like I have siblings to shop for.”
She returned her attention to a short red dress. It was gorgeous. Embedded with lace and had a sweetheart neckline. It would look amazing on her.
“What’s Ashton’s favorite color?” she asked, tapping a finger against her chin thoughtfully.
“Red. At least, that’s what it used to be. Why?”
She motioned to the dress she was just looking at. “What do you think of this one?”
I snorted. “I don’t have the tits for something like that.” My breasts weren’t small, but they also weren’t the center of attention, either. A dress like that would probably just look awkward on me.
“Those are your insecurities talking. But fine, we’ll find something sluttier.” She shot me a wink.
Two employees approached, greeting us and letting us know that they were at our service. Amber barely spared them a glance, focused on all the clothing around us. Finally, she turned to one of the workers and told her to go find something slutty in my size and stated that it needed to be red. She didn’t sugarcoat, and I didn’t know if I should laugh, or feel embarrassed that she used the term slutty in an establishment such as this.
The worker came back with a few options, but there was only one of them that had my breath catching in my throat. It was slutty, alright. I reached out, taking the dress in my hands. The fabric was smooth beneath my fingertips.
“Go try it on,” Amber urged with excitement. “Dressing room is right through there.” She pointed to a desk across the room.
I stared down at the red piece between my hands, my heart racing. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d worn a dress just for the hell of it. I made my way across the room and slid into one of the stalls, locking the door behind me. These were some of the nicest dressing rooms I’d ever seen. There was a large, soft bench seated to one side, and a wall-length mirror as soon as I walked in.
I placed the hanger on one of the hooks plastered into the wall and hurriedly stripped down to my underwear before slipping it on. The dress was smooth and snug against my body, pushing my breasts up to make them appear larger than they were. It had a giant hole over the chest area, showing nearly all of my boobs except for the nipples—probably because I still had my bra on—and the sides. A string sat beneath them, holding the dress together from the bottom, and there was a smaller hole beneath it, showing off the top of my stomach.
One thing was for sure.
Under any circumstances, I could not bend over unless I wanted to flash everyone. It was that short. But I loved the way it looked on me and the way it hugged my curves. My legs appeared longer than they were because of the length, and I was absolutely obsessed with it.
I changed back into my old clothes and slipped out of the room with my new item resting over my arm. Amber was in the same place I’d left her, but both of the workers she had with her were drowned in clothing and jewelry.
“I found the one,” I said. “Since you’re so hellbent on getting me an outfit.”
She paused, turning to look at me. “You’re so funny. It almost sounded like you said an outfit, meaning one.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m getting you a new wardrobe, bitch. Keep up. If I have to see you walking around in a pair of joggers one more fucking time, I’m going to burn them all.” She grabbed a box of the sticky silicone bras that I’ve seen countless times in commercials. “You’ll be needing some of these.” She handed them over to one of the employees before taking my dress from me and looking it over. “Sexy.”
My mind was short-circuiting, trying to keep up with all the random bullshit she kept spewing. “Amber,” I warned.
“Nope. Don’t cause a scene.” She shot me a condescending smile, letting me know she won this round, and she knew it. She handed my dress to one of the workers.
“Why are you so concerned with the way I dress?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest.
She sighed before turning to look at me. “Look. It’s not because I think you have a shitty fashion sense. Which you do, by the way.” She gave me a pointed look. “I just know that you don’t have a lot of clothes. I’m not doing this to change you, or to make you feel shitty about your situation, but I’m not going to let my best friend walk around in the same three outfits every week when I have an entire spare room for a closet. So, let me do this for you.”
My chest tightened, but not because I was in pain or in discomfort. It was because it was the last thing I expected her to say. She didn’t get vulnerable often. In fact, it was extremely rare, and I wasn’t about to take it for granted.
“You’re not responsible for me,” I added.
She rolled her eyes. “If you say so. Now go pick out some shoes. And no sneakers.”
We ended up spending hours in that store, and I found myself enjoying it once I got past the fact that Amber was buying things for me. We grabbed a bite in between at some expensive restaurant that I’d never be able to afford. I tried talking her into a diner, or a fast food restaurant, because I’d at least be able to pay for my meal that way, but as expected, she refused.
Her parents were both wealthy. Not as wealthy as the Banks, but pretty damn close. Her dad was a businessman while her mom was a well-known fashion designer. I think that’s where she developed her fashion sense and the love for shopping, despite having everything she could ever need.
We pulled into the parking lot of some massive salon. There were a few other cars in the lot, but it didn’t appear to be that busy.
“You’re sure we don’t need an appointment?” I asked, glancing around. Once again, I was out of my element.
“I’m sure. My mom’s friend owns this place. She told me to come by anytime and she’ll squeeze me in.”
“You’re spoiled,” I shot back.
I always knew that Amber was well off financially. She wore designer clothes to school daily, and never wore the same thing twice. I must have underestimated just how well off her family really was, though. It was hard not to be a little envious. Not because of the amount of money she had, but because she didn’t know what it was like to struggle financially. She never would.
Sighing, I turned to face her. “Before we go in there, I’m setting some ground rules,” I warned. “I’m not doing anything drastic. I like my hair color just fine. I only agreed to a trim.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know what I’m doing. Now come on before the parking lot fills up.”
She turned off the car before sliding out onto the pavement, leaving me to follow. When we entered, my breath might as well have left my body. Bright lights bled throughout the room and there was a whole ass sectional in the lobby for clients to wait. Amber looped her arm through mine, not entranced by the beauty of this place in the slightest—like she’d been here a thousand times before, or she had so much money, she couldn’t even appreciate it.
An older woman, around my mom’s age, made her way toward us. Her dark blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail.
“Amber.” She smiled brightly, her blue eyes twinkling beneath the bright lighting. She pulled my friend into a warm hug, causing Amber to step away from me. “I’m glad you stopped in.” She turned toward me at last, her eyes assessing me from head to toe. “Who’s your friend?”
“Oh, this is Everleigh. She goes to school with me.”
The blonde woman nodded fondly. “You might know my daughter then. She’s a sophomore there.”
“What’s her name?” I asked.
“Crystal Hopkins.” She smiled proudly, like her daughter was her most prized possession and she loved to flaunt her whenever the opportunity presented itself.
I smiled tightly, hoping it looked genuine. “I’ve seen her around.” I wasn’t about to tell her that I’d also gone to high school with her, or that she was a pain in my ass.
“She’s a mess, that one.” She beamed. “But she means well. I’m Brienne. But most people call me Bri,” she rambled off, making my head spin.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Amber snaked an arm around my shoulders. “We were hoping you had time for a walk-in. Everleigh here needs some serious help with her split ends. I’m thinking layers, a trim, and some choppy bangs.”
Brienne stepped toward me, reaching out and running her fingers through my long black hair. She hummed in contemplation before stepping away from me again. “I can work with that. Follow me.” She turned on her heels and started for one of the booths, wrapping a black tarp around my shoulders before gesturing to the chair.
I slipped into the leather seat, taken aback by how comfortable it was. Amber smiled at me through the mirror, her face glowing like this was the most fun she’s had in ages.
I suppose being rich could be boring if you had no one to share it with. Especially when you’ve had that wealth your entire life.
My hair change was simple enough, so it took less than an hour. My bangs were jagged, sweeping across my forehead, and she added layers at Amber’s request. By the time she was done, my hair looked a lot healthier and even had extra volume. The black tint in my hair shined blue beneath the fluorescence, and I was obsessed with it surprisingly enough.
Brienne handed me a business card on our way out and told me to stop by anytime—like I could ever afford it. At least I didn’t look as poor as I was.
When we got back to my house, Amber helped me put away everything before falling on my bed with a dramatic sigh. Her dark green eyes bounced toward the ceiling.
The scent of mold was potent in the air as it always was when I returned home. She was doing a banging job of pretending she couldn’t smell it. Briley was gone, presumably with Angie again, so that gave me the house to myself for a while.
Amber was scrolling through her phone when she paused, her eyes widening and lips parting. “Oh my God,” she whispered.
“What?” I asked, moving to sit beside her.
She swallowed thickly before pulling her phone toward her chest to hide it from view. “Nothing,” she lied.
I raised an eyebrow, my pulse thundering in my veins. Even without her having to tell me, I could sense that something was wrong. The air in the room had grown heavy, causing me to work twice as hard to suck in oxygen.
“Amber, what is it?” I demanded.
Finally, she released a sigh. “Are you following the school website?”
A stitch formed between my brows, and I fished out my phone. When I located the site that I was indeed following, I scrolled and scrolled, not finding anything of importance. Just a bunch of events coming up.
I turned my device toward her, and she blew out a breath. “Not that one,” she said, plucking my phone from my hands. “A group of students made another one. That’s where you go if you want the latest gossip, or to find out about parties.” Once she was finished scrolling, she handed me my phone again. “There.”
The first thing that popped up was a video. The caption reading: What do we have here? Public sex anyone? A current of dread coursed through me, causing my hands to tremble and I hadn’t even watched the video, yet. It was posted by an anonymous user, and already had hundreds of likes and comments.
I braced myself before pressing play and widening the screen so I could see better. The image was zoomed in, and you could clearly see everything . My back started out turned toward the camera, my hand in the air with a very visible condom packet between my fingers. My heart was racing as I fast forwarded a few seconds. Lucas spun me, forcing my back to the side of the house before hoisting me up and plowing into me. Over and over again. My face was visible the entire time, my head tilted back like I was having the best sex of my life, when in reality, I’d had to fantasize about someone else just to get off.
Acid burned the back of my throat as I started scrolling through the comments.
Kaitlyn Demarco: I always knew she was a whore. Just got that vibe from her.
Allyson White: Ew. Oh my God. What a slut.
Crystal Hopkins: Guess that means she won’t be mad if I take Ashton for a spin then.
Lucas Rivers: Take this down right now!!
Jameson Decker: Not surprising. Trash calls to trash.
Kash Rivera: @Jameson Decker Facts.
Daniel Roberts: Ugh lame. Where the titties at?
Nausea churned my stomach, tears stinging my eyes as I scrolled and scrolled, feeling completely open and violated. I must have underestimated the assholes at Northbrook University. Lucas had been right. They were fucking vultures.
“Fuck,” I hissed, throwing my phone down on the mattress, my hands tearing through my hair.
Amber sat up, placing a hand on the back of my shoulder. “I’m sorry, babe. If it makes you feel any better, they couldn’t see anything other than your face, and you looked hot.” She shot me a reassuring smile that did little to calm my nerves.
Whoever took that video had to have been in plain sight, only hidden by the darkness of the night. It pissed me off that they got away with something like this.
I picked up my phone, unable to help myself and glanced at the comments again.
Briley Knight: Oh wow…I did not need to see that.
I winced at the comment my sister had left, hating myself even more for being so reckless. How had everyone known about this page except for me? Even Kash and Jameson had seen that video before me.
“Nope,” Amber said firmly, plucking my phone out of my hands. “We are so not doing that. You’re not going to sit here and mope like a pathetic little bitch. Monday morning, you’re going to walk right up into that bitch with your new hairstyle, new clothes, and with your head held high. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to get your nails done. You are a bad bitch, Everleigh Knight. This changes nothing.”
Easy for you to say. You didn’t just get videotaped having sex outside.
But as tempting as saying that out loud was, she was right. I couldn’t give them this power. This was my life. Lucas was my boyfriend, so obviously we would have sex. They were just acting like children, trying to get a rise out of me.
Whoever posted this video wasn’t going to win.