Chapter 5
LENNON
T he Belmonts live on the outer fringes of town, part of a newer subdivision on land that used to be a horse farm. A development exactly like what would happen to Matthews Farm if we ever sold it.
Land in Landry is too valuable to graze horses on when the coveted zip code ensures people pay outrageous sums to live on the same patch of earth.
The truck wheezes ominously as I reach the final hill that Cassie’s family’s house is perched on, so I press harder on the gas pedal. Despite constantly sounding like it’s on its dying breath, I’ve never actually had the truck break down on me before. Hopefully that will remain true.
I park behind Cassie’s car and hop down from the truck, glancing around her neighborhood.
I’ve visited her house before, but this is the first time I’ve come over at night.
Lights blaze, not only in her house’s windows, but in the neighbors’ as well.
It’s a foreign sight to me. Matthews Farm is about fifteen acres.
There’s no one who lives close enough for any lights to be visible.
The winding, stone path leading up to the front door is also well-lit. Trimmed hedges that line it have been wrapped with hundreds of small, twinkling lights. They weren’t up the last time I was here, so I assume it was part of the Belmonts’ holiday decorations.
I ring the doorbell. Only a few seconds pass before I hear the pounding of footsteps.
The black door swings open to reveal a guy I’ve never seen before.
He looks older than me, but probably not by more than a couple of years.
Cassie has mentioned her two older brothers, so I figure he must be one of them.
It’s pretty obvious they’re related. He has the same dirty blond hair and brown eyes as Cassie.
And the same friendly grin, although his is tinged with a bit of mischief I don’t ordinarily associate with my sweet friend.
“Hi… Is Cassie home?”
“Yup,” he replies, still smiling broadly. But he doesn’t move to open the door any further.
“Can I come inside?” I ask. “She’s expecting me.”
I feel him look me up and down. A roguish smirk forms. “I’d rather you hang out with me instead.”
I roll my eyes. Where does this endless supply of cocky, overconfident guys come from? “I don’t thin—”
“Josh! What the hell?” Cassie suddenly appears, shoving her brother to the side with one elbow and giving me a wide smile. “Ignore him. Come on.” She opens the door so I can enter the expansive front foyer of the house.
“I was just getting to know your friend,” Josh says, completely unabashed.
Cassie grimaces and waves a hand between me and her brother. “Josh, Lennon. Lennon, my annoying brother Josh, with awful manners. Introductions done!” She grabs my hand and starts pulling me toward the stairs.
“Are both your brothers home?” I ask curiously as we climb the wooden staircase.
Cassie sighs. “No, just Josh. He’s still on break from college.
He was supposed to be off skiing, but his flight got delayed or something.
He’s been driving me crazy. He doesn’t know anyone here, so he’s got nothing to do.
But I don’t know what he’s complaining about.
He’s not the one who had to start over at a new school senior year.
He just has to live here for a few weeks.
” She glances at me, her expression apologetic.
“Not that I don’t like it here, I just—”
“I get it. I can’t imagine moving senior year. And Landry’s not exactly an easy place to live.”
Understatement.
Cassie leads me inside her bedroom, which is massive, especially compared to mine.
It’s decorated entirely in shades of white, which sounds boring, but is actually kind of cool.
I take a seat on the cream-colored loveseat while Cassie perches on an ivory stool in front of a matching vanity with a vast array of makeup spread across it.
“I’m almost finished with my eyeliner, then we can do yours,” she informs me.
“Do my what?”
“Your makeup.” She gives me a duh look.
“You don’t need to do that,” I assure her. “I’ll just watch you get ready.”
“Why? Do you not think people will be dressed up?” Cassie asks me, her expression nervous. She sees me as some sort of guide for all this, and I have no idea how to break it to her that I’m far more clueless than she is.
“No, I’m sure they will be. It’s just—well, I don’t want people to think I care,” I admit. “It will just give them more to talk about.”
Cassie’s face softens. “I’m not going to pretend like I understand the social dynamics of this town, because I don’t.
At all.” I laugh. “And I know some people are shitty. But I also think some of them might surprise you if you give them more of a chance. I know Shannon really likes you. So do the rest of the girls. They all think you don’t like them . ”
I open my mouth to reply, but she keeps talking, so I snap it shut again.
“Just think about it, okay? If you don’t want to wear makeup because you don’t want to, that’s fine. Just don’t decide based on what others might do or say.”
I know she’s right. “Okay,” I sigh. “Just a little, though.”
Cassie beams. “That’s all you need, anyway.”
“Why wouldn’t Shannon or any of the others say anything to me?” I ask. “I mean, no offense, but I’ve known them all a lot longer than you have.”
“Are you serious?” Cassie asks. She answers her own question. “I guess you are. You’re intimidating, Lennon. You’re smart and gorgeous, and you might care what other people think, but you don’t act like you do. And you always know just what to say. People are envious of you.”
I scoff, and it’s thick with disbelief.
“I mean it,” Cassie insists. “You should have heard the girls at lunch yesterday after you went to sit with Caleb. I mean, he’s Caleb Winters .” Her voice holds the same blatant admiration I’ve heard so many times before.
I shrug. “He’s just a guy.” My voice is indifferent, but I’m not. Not entirely. I keep picturing him sitting across the table from me in the library this morning.
Cassie shrugs, evidently not sensing my mixed emotions. Maybe she’s right; I am better at hiding my true feelings than I thought. “True. But he’s a very hot, very popular guy this entire town seems to have some sort of unhealthy obsession with.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I acknowledge.
Cassie keeps talking as if I hadn’t spoken. “None of us could come up with anything to say to him, but you acted completely normal. Not that it mattered. He didn’t pay attention to anyone but you.”
She’s right, I realize, with a jolt of surprise.
Cassie doesn’t bother waiting for a response, too excited about me agreeing to a mini makeover.
She beckons me over to the stool and sets to work.
It’s a surprisingly relaxing process. A swipe of lip balm and some moisturizer is usually the extent of my morning routine.
I have a new appreciation for the girls who show up at school with a full face of makeup when I realize how long it’s taking Cassie to do what she assures me is a minimal amount.
Finally, she finishes, and I have to blink at my reflection a couple of times.
The liquid she spread across my whole face has given me a glowing, dewy complexion.
My lips look soft and shiny. And my eyes look green again, thanks to the flattering lighting that surrounds the vanity and the black Cassie has rimmed my eyes with.
“Wow, thank you,” I tell her, hesitantly raising a hand to touch underneath my left eye. The patch of skin that normally appears almost bruised has been seamlessly altered, making me look well rested rather than sorely sleep deprived.
After makeup, Cassie moves right along to clothes. I lounge on the loveseat as she tries on outfit after outfit, before finally settling on a pair of black skinny jeans and a sparkly sweater.
Then, her attention shifts to me. I end up changing out of my oversized sweatshirt and into a clingy, maroon sweater Cassie insists looks amazing.
As we head out the door to go back downstairs, Cassie hands me a gray woolen jacket to wear over it.
The material and sleek design look fancy enough to be an outfit all on their own.
I feel completely transformed as we head back downstairs.
Only my jeans remain unchanged, but I know that’s mainly because I’m several inches taller than Cassie.
“Nice Guy is not going to know what hit him,” she tells me on the stairs.
I laugh, but it morphs into a yawn.
“Lennon! It’s not even ten yet!”
“I know,” I reply. “Early morning, that’s all.” Not to mention I usually go to bed at ten, never mind when I’ve been up since four thirty.
The faint sound of raised voices is just audible as we prepare to depart. Cassie seems to rush to put on her shoes, but she doesn’t say anything, so I don’t either. Avoiding uncomfortable family drama is certainly something I can understand.
We’ve just reached Cassie’s SUV when a shadow emerges from the side of the garage. I study it curiously, but Cassie jumps a few feet in the air.
“Josh!” she exclaims when the twinkling lights reveal her brother’s features. “What are you doing out here?”
He jerks his chin in the direction of the house. “Avoiding them. Can I come with you? Just for a bit?”
“To a high school party?” Cassie scoffs. But her gaze wanders to me, and I can see the conflict reflected there.
“I’m nineteen, not thirty,” Josh retorts.
Cassie holds my gaze, and I can see the silent question hovering.
“Marcus is the youngest of five,” I inform her. “There will probably be some older kids there.”
After another moment of hesitation, Cassie nods. “Okay, you can come,” she tells Josh. He grins. “But if you embarrass me, I’ll tell Mom and Dad some things that will make their current argument look tame, got it?”