22. Rory
Twenty-Two
Rory
Ieyed the little black dress. For a split second I considered wearing it, but my thighs were riddled with scars and this dress left little to the imagination. My tattoos covered most of them, but certain ones on my back and legs were harder to disguise, even though I tried my damndest.
Instead, I opted for my favorite leather pants that made my ass look heavenly, with lace-up sides that showed enough without accentuating the remnants of my past. I grabbed my distressed, DIYed Avenged Sevenfold tank.
The top was one of my favorites, its bleach spots and grommet eyelets with chains in the front showing my cleavage.
I took boob tape and secured the girls in place before pulling the shirt on.
It was Friday, which meant we had a party at Reject’s Paradise.
I only scheduled two tattoos so I could have fun tonight.
I loved the parties, mainly because I got to shake my ass in front of the women I wanted, and my sister couldn’t fault me for having fun.
It was also one of the only times I got to see Babs.
I sprayed an unhealthy amount of hair product into my pink tresses and scrunched my wannabe curls.
My makeup looked the same as always as I finished the thick wing and applied the false lashes.
Depending on how the night went, I might sneak away and go back to Crestview, but it could raise the alarm going so early.
Fuck, I think I was in love.
No.
Love involved a lot of shit, and I couldn’t fall in love with someone after one night. Even though it might’ve been the best night of my life in a long time—it was just that.
One night.
My phone dinged from an Instagram notification.
HeavenlyHades liked your post. The post in question was from three years ago.
And then it hit me. Hades? I clicked her profile and my heart skipped a beat—figuratively of course, but goddamn.
The woman who rocked my world and left an impression was stalking my Insta.
How did she find me? It was my turn to stalk to see if I could find anything.
She was from Crestview, and rumors flew.
I stopped at a picture of her and an older man.
He was familiar. Axel Morningstar. Oh, shit.
Damn, when I said the universe was cruel, I meant it figuratively, but now?
Someone must have loathed my existence because there was no way I actually fucked the enemy.
I fucked the daughter of the man my sister detested most in this world—and then caught feelings.
There was a knock on my bedroom door before it was pushed open, and a flash of bright blue hair danced through my peripheral. “Bitch!” Babs sang.
Too many months had passed since I last saw her. I jumped out of my gamer chair and tackled her to my bed, pulling her into a tight bear hug. Babs straddled my hips and kissed my cheek.
“Oh we're getting frisky?” I laughed, moving my hips and switching positions.
“I fucking missed you, Babs.” I toppled to the side, sitting cross-legged on my bed and letting Babs up.
She grabbed my hands, squeezing them slightly. “I missed you!” she chimed. “You won’t miss me for long, though. After graduation, I’m coming home.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why? Not that I’m not stoked to have you back, but I thought you wanted to be a doctor?”
She sighed. “I did. I do. I’m homesick.” Babs’s voice rose while she was lying and her cheeks turned red. Right now she could hit a high note, and her face was three shades darker.
I furrowed my brows. “You’re lying. What’s the real reason? You know you can tell me anything.”
She huffed, falling back onto my bed and covering her face. “I’m pregnant.”
My jaw hit the floor. “Excuse me? Can you repeat that?”
She moved her hands from her face and sat back up, her hand going to her stomach. “I’m pregnant, and I don’t know who the father is. I mean, there are three guys to choose from, but yeah.”
I knew my girl had game, but goddamn. “Three?!”
“And they are all friends. Oh, and I have a girlfriend.”
Babs was pansexual. I was actually her gay awakening when we had a slumber party slash study session for the first time.
She told me she had feelings for me, but I was not ready for anything remotely close to serious.
A few drinks later, we quickly learned some things about each other.
And that was how I kissed my best friend—and by kiss I mean we were one layer away from fourth base.
Cinder interrupted us, and Babs was too embarrassed to continue.
I told her we could be friends with benefits, but she didn’t want to make our friendship weird.
Ever since, things have been strictly platonic.
It was fully her choice, but I was her wingwoman when it came to women and sex.
She was my lifeline when I had days where I didn’t want to get out of bed.
I still had my good and bad days, but before, Babs would force me out of bed, make me get dressed, and force me to go out, even if it was just to the gas station.
She was number one on my hit list if I was irritated and didn’t want to be touched.
Babs said she loved me and didn’t want to see me in a dark pit.
It helped sometimes. Once I got my bike, I never allowed myself to stay sad for too long.
When I kept my mind busy, I could forget how fucked up my brain was.
“Bitch. You mean to tell me you have three guys and a girl, and I can’t even date! I’m moving to Florida.”
Babs never showed interest in relationships, let alone being polyamorous. Get a girl away from her roots, and she could blossom into her authentic self, I guess. I was glad she finally got her nose out of a textbook and had fun.
“I would love you to come live with me. There’s also another thing.” If she told me she was having twins or she was married, I would squeal. “All of them, except for Cass, are from Crestview.”
“Do you expect me to shun you?”
“I know how your sister feels about anyone associated with Crestview.”
“Well if we’re confessing our dirty little secrets...You cannot—and I mean it on our graves—tell anyone, especially Cinder.” She nodded. “I had the hookup of my life with a woman from Crestview, and I am contemplating on seeing her again.”
She squealed like a child. “Girl! Tell me everything!”
We both dove into our shared sexual experiences since the last time we saw each other, and goddamn was I proud of my best friend.
Babs was the good girl. She was sickly sweet, so much so that she made my teeth ache, but we clicked instantly.
Even when I dove in and told her about my trauma.
Meeting her was the greatest thing that could've happened to me.
Babs wore a tight black dress that barely covered anything, making her vibrant blue hair pop.
I couldn’t believe I was going to be an aunt.
My excitement could barely be contained, if it weren't for the inconvenient detail that I had to wait to tell the world since no one else knew.
And of course, the father should be the first to receive the news before I went and spilled it throughout Briarwood.
Reject’s Paradise was packed. I took Babs’s hand and pulled her to the bar, ordering her a Sprite and myself a mocktail. Some people—meaning the patrons, not the Vipers—thought it was odd that I went to a bar and never drank. I hated drinking in public; alcohol scared me thanks to Mom and Jude.
I shook the memories from my mind. Tonight was about being with my best friend, not my demons.
There was always peace before the storm. And tonight the storm manifested itself in the shape of a dumbass that pushed Babs against the wall and grabbed my ass, thinking I would spread my legs and fuck him right then and there in front of God and everyone else.
“Consent goes a long way dickwad,” I growled. “Get the fuck away from me.” The rest happened in a blur. There was a searing pain that erupted from my nose, followed by Babs screaming as the asshole fired a gun before pointing it at my chest, all while blood poured down my face.
I was tired of men ruining my goddamn night.