Nico Vaughan, the junior class "Nice Girl" wants to be free from her abusive and obsessive ex-boyfriend.
Valen Henford, the school's resident "Rich Guy meets Bad Boy" wants to spend his senior year with the girl he's been in love with for years.
W...
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"I'm so afraid of losing something I love that I refuse to love anything" (Jonathan Safran Foer).
|◁ II ▷|
I take a deep breath and walk to my front door, expecting to see Nico all dolled up for the gala.
November 9th... Where'd all the time go?
I feel like our deal just started. Damn, we made the deal August 27th. That's been... almost eleven weeks?
I blink when I open the door. Instead of seeing a beautiful Nico in makeup with her hair done up, I see Nico in a button up and sweatpants, and Amber and Rachel stand beside her with the dress and a bag with what I assume is everything they need to get ready.
I thought Nico and I would get to hang out before the gala.
"Hi."
"Hello."
Amber and Rachel walk in after their quick greetings. Nico walks in and stops in front of me. "Hey, Valen."
Valen.
"Hey. Um, they—y'all can go upstairs to the bathroom. Um, I'll show you where mine is."
Nico and I walk in front, Amber and Rachel walking silently behind us.
I lower my voice and lean over to Nico. "I thought Amber was upset with you?"
Nico's brows furrow, and she frowns, her voice and tone low. "Yeah... I didn't want to leave her out. She came to help, but she hasn't said much to either of us."
I take a deep breath. Nico won't tell me exactly what happened or what Amber said, but it really hurt her. I really don't want her in my house or hanging out with Nico right now.
I show the girls to my bedroom and bathroom, and I let them "oo" and "ah" at the large room. Rachel even slides her hands across the big marble countertop.
"Here's the lights," I show Nico, clicking each one. "There's four switches. One is for the light above the tub. One is for the lights above the sink. One is for the mirror. One is for the overhead. This little button turns the floor heater on. I can't remember what it's set to."
Nico immediately jabs the floor heater button with a large grin.
"Oh," I push one of the tiny buttons on the light switch for the mirror, turning the brightness down. "You can also adjust this. Just wanted to make sure you get your lighting right, and stuff. That's important, right?"
Nico places her hand on my arm and gives it a squeeze. "Yes, darlin'. Thank you."
