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Carmen knew she couldn't avoid blake forever, but god was it nice to pretend.
she had turned off her phone and left it charging on the bed while she showered, scrubbing every last inch of her skin raw. she plucked and powdered and painted and sculpted her face to perfection, admiring the bruise free reflection staring back at her. this image had become so rare these days that carmen had never appreciated makeup more.
"carm? you here?" kiara knocked once on the doorframe of carmen's rarely open bedroom door.
"yeah."
the older girl rounded the corner, surprised at the simple response. "wow, what's got you being civil today?"
"step off, kie."
this was another rare occasion—carmen scarcely referred to her sister by her nickname, instead choosing her full name as the younger girl was constantly pissed off.
"holy shit! did carmy have a change of heart and realize not everyone's out to get her?" kiara steps further into the room, walking to stand behind carmen at her vanity table. she rests both hands on the girls shoulders, "what's with all the makeup? it's only noon."
this was a reasonable ask, as carmen tended to only wear products later on in the evening while getting ready to go out. now, though, she only shrugs. "can i help you?"
"just wondering if you wanted to come out with us later. that is, unless you've got plans with that grown ass man child of yours."
carmen shudders at the mention of blake. she shakes her head, "no, that's okay. think i'll stay in today."
kiara dramatically gasps, "carmen carrera staying in for a whole day?" she makes a point of lightly shaking her sisters shoulders, "who are you and what have you done with my baby sister?"
carmen sets her jaw, swatting the older girls hands off. "are you done?"
kie is amazed at her sisters lack of a reaction. "uh, yeah. just text if you change your mind, all right?"
carmen nods, not drawing her attention from her caked-on face as kiara exits the room.
as expected, it wasn't very long until carmen'sattendance was requested on behalf of blake barlow.
he must have sensed something was off as he didn't pick her up at the house—instead, he had asked if she would meet him and his friends at the golf course. of course he phrased it as a question, but carmen knew it was not one in the slightest.
and so she hopped on her bike and pedaled straight to the country club, underestimating just how hot the north carolina summer sun would be.
"hey, babe!" blake greeted as soon as he spotted his pursued. he slings an arm around a visibly uptight carmen, "sorry i didn't see you home last night, i got so blacked out i woke up at kelces." he chuckles dryly, "no idea how that happened."
carmen remains quiet and polite, smiling softly—just the way blake liked her to. she nods to make him aware that she had in fact heard and was not ignoring him, something she knew would make him upset. carmen much disliked hanging out with her boyfriend and his friends, as they were all quite older than she—blake was the eldest at twenty, rafe was nineteen, and topper and kelce both seventeen. today, only rafe and topper had accompanied blake to the golf course.
as the former two boys set up for the first putt, blake nonchalantly steered carmen off to the side, out of earshot from anyone else on the course. "hey, so, i'm not sure how much you remember from last night, but you were pretty buzzed—"
"oh, was i?" carmen played dumb, something that wasn't too hard after being around blake barlow so often.
"yeah, you were all over me. you wanted to...you know, but i didn't let you cause you weren't in your right mind. but if you ever wanna when you're sober, you know i'm always down." he winked and carmen swore she might vomit then and there.
how dare he? carmen thought, seething. how dare he twist this around to make himself out as the good guy? as hard as she tried to push it down, to not make a scene, carmen simply could not play the quiet, peaceful victim any longer.
she stood up straight, looking blake barlow dead in the eyes. "i remember the whole thing, blake, and i hope you rot. you can tell your daddy that he might wanna clear his schedule 'cause he's about to have a new client."
blake looks amused, crossing his arms. "is that so? who might that be, then?"
"carmen fucking carrera." if looks could kill, you wouldn't want to be blake barlow.
