Ashlei
“I’m going to miss you girls!” Erin pulls us each in for a hug, squeezing us a little too tightly.
“Oh yeah, I’m sure you’ll be thinking of us every minute while you romp around Europe over break,” Jess says sarcastically.
“Hush, you. I’m serious. Promise me you’ll all call.”
“We will,” Skyler assures, throwing one arm around Cassie’s shoulders.
Cassie’s eyes are dark, her face long. I don’t talk to her much – hell, I guess I haven’t really been around enough this semester to form much of a relationship with anyone – but even I can tell she’s not okay right now.
Hopefully winter break in Phoenix will help her get back on track.
Erin’s town car pulls up just as she hoists her bag up onto her shoulder.
She offers one last wave before climbing inside.
Jess leaves next, blowing us all a kiss and then flipping us off as she climbs into her Beamer.
Clinton pulls up not too long after in a cab and Cassie and Skyler climb in.
They’re hitting the airport for Cassie to catch her flight and Skyler to grab a rental car for the trip home.
Bo and I wish her luck at the tournament and then it’s just us.
“I’m going to miss you,” I say honestly, tucking my pinkie into her front jean pocket. I consider asking her to go back in the house with me to properly say goodbye, but her parents will be here any minute.
“I know. It’s only a few weeks, though.”
She’s so damn beautiful. Her dark hair is pin straight and shaping the thin features of her face as her inviting brown eyes appraise me. It’s like she’s trying to figure me out. Or maybe, how she feels when she’s with me.
Lord knows it’s not an easy feeling to digest.
Life has been a whirl since semi-formal.
We took what we have – whatever that is – to the next level, for sure.
Yet, at the same time, we still haven’t really talked about what that means.
Still, staring at her now, beautiful smile wide on her face, I don’t really care what we are – as long as we’re something.
“Uh, Lei?” she asks suddenly, her face falling. “Is that…”
I turn to where her eyes are focused and my heart stops before hammering in my chest. Kya is standing on the other side of our front yard, leaning against her black Jeep.
She’s dyed her hair a bright pink and streaked it with bleach blonde since the last time I’ve seen her.
Even leaned up against her car, she’s still as tall as Hayden and intimidating as hell.
Her green eyes are fierce, yet turned down as she waits for me.
“Hang on,” I murmur to Bo before crossing the yard. When I make it to Kya, she stands straighter, only making me feel worse.
“Sorry to interrupt your goodbyes,” she says, casting a glance at Bo before landing her eyes back on mine.
“What do you want, Kya? There’s no practice today.”
She sighs. “You still owe me, Ashlei.”
“What?” I blanch, then shake my head. “No, I paid you. I gave you the ten thousand.” After semi-formal, I swallowed my pride and asked my parents for the cash to pay Kya and be done with the whole situation.
I told them it was for a study abroad program this summer and they gave it without question.
I felt awful lying to them and I’ll have to figure out what the hell to do about my actual summer situation later, but for the time being, my problems were solved.
So what the hell is Kya talking about?
“Hayden stole a kilo from me, Ashlei,” she says with a sigh. “My supplier threatened him with his life if he didn’t pay. He lied about what happened and threw your name in the mix.” I stiffen at her words, but she just continues. “He skipped town. It’s on you now.”
“What? But you told them it wasn’t true, right?”
She nods. “I did, but it doesn’t matter, Ashlei. You can’t reason with these guys. You were a part of this and the ten thousand you paid barely covers any of what was stolen.”
“Jesus,” I murmur, pressing my clammy hand to my forehead. “A fucking kilo? What did he do with it?”
Kya shrugs. “I don’t know. He probably snorted some of it himself and sold the rest or used it to party. You know Hayden.”
But that’s the thing. I thought I knew him, but clearly, I was wrong.
“Kya, we have to go talk to this guy you owe. I only did the shit three times and I’ve already paid for that plus some. We can talk him off of this.”
She shifts. “I don’t need to talk to him, Ashlei. He doesn’t blame me, not since Hayden told him what happened.”
“But Hayden lied!”
“I know,” she says, holding up her hands to calm me. “I’m sorry, Ashlei. You have to pay them the rest. Just call your parents and ask for more.”
“I can’t do that, Kya. They’re not a fucking ATM.”
She looks at me like she doubts that, but then frowns. “There’s only one other option for you to pay them and trust me, you don’t want to take plan B. Just call your parents. Make up another lie.”
“I’m not paying them. Fuck this. I didn’t do shit.”
“Ashlei, please,” she begs. “You have to listen to me. They will come after you.” Her voice grows quiet. “They’ll find ways to make you pay.” Her eyes shift to Bo and I swallow.
“How much more?”
“Thirty thousand.”
I blanch. That’s three times what I’ve already paid.
“There’s no way my parents will just hand that over.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and shake my head. “What’s my other option?”
Kya cocks her head in warning but when she sees I’m serious, she sighs. “My supplier’s name is Xavier Rojas. He owns a high-end club downtown. He said,” she pauses, considering her words carefully. “He told me if you couldn’t get the money, he would let you work to pay it off.”
“Really?” I ask excitedly. “Well, that’s no problem. I can work. What does he need? Bartenders and stuff?”
She swallows, and I take a moment to think about what else he could mean.
Then my stomach drops.
“He wants me to dance, doesn’t he?”
She nods.
“Oh my God,” I whisper, shaking my head. Pole dancing is an art to me – a sport, a release, a personal challenge. I would never dance for money. I would never strip for money. “I can’t. I won’t do that.”
“What other choice do you have?” Kya asks, her eyes soft and sad.
I hate her for telling me this, but I know she doesn’t mean to hurt me.
It’s Hayden who fucked me over. It’s him I should hate, and he’s not even in the state – hell, he might not even be in the country.
Kya is just covering her own ass, and if what she says about Xavier is true, can I really blame her for not shifting his focus back to her, even if she doesn’t want to see me hurt?
Then again, maybe she couldn’t give two shits what happens to me. We’re not friends. We dance together, sure – but at the end of the day, the troupe isn’t a family. It’s not a sisterhood.
It’s not Kappa Kappa Beta.
There’s no way my parents will fork over that amount of cash, not unless I tell them what happened, which I definitely can’t do.
I could ask the girls, but that would involve telling them about my life outside of Palm South – another option I can’t consider.
I can’t lose KKB. I can’t lose my sisters.
Casting a sideways glance at Bo, I scan her face as she nonverbally asks me what’s going on.
How did I end up here? How did I land myself in this shithole?
And what the hell do I do now? My palms sweat as I consider my options.
I rack my brain for a way out, for a way to make this nightmare disappear, but I come up short.
“Well?” Kya interrupts my thoughts and I turn to face her again. My head is spinning, my mouth is dry, my heart is thundering against my rib cage and threatening to knock me down to the cold earth. When she speaks the next words, I almost can’t hear them through the ringing in my ears.
“What are you going to do?”