Words I Never Said | UPDATED DAILY! 🎸⭐️

Chapter One - August 2023

"I can't put them on!" I shout through the doorway.

I doubt they can hear me over the blasting music. Grace's twangy country ballad is rattling the speaker, her attempt to muster our enthusiasm for tonight. Instead, it's giving me a headache. I'm not convinced her plan will go as well as she hopes. I give my right boot one last futile tug before ripping it off and stomping towards the noise.

"Can someone please get these boots on my feet? It's impossible!" I plead.

Cami doesn't look over, completely focused on her straightening iron. The bathroom smells pleasantly like hairspray, but not enough to mask the stench of burning hair. I would never risk frying off my hair with that thing, but Cami clearly does not share that fear. She clamps the tool tight around her copper curls, watching them smoke.

Grace stands beside her, rifling through her sequined makeup bag. She draws on neat eyeliner wings before holding out her hands to collect my new, crisp white cowgirl boots. I hoist myself up to sit on the counter and kick out my foot.

"Did you get the wrong size or something?" she grunts, failing to yank it over my heel.

"They fit in the store," I swear. "I tried them on and everything."

She tries for a minute before passing them back to me. "Sorry, but your feet grew."

"Or the boots shrunk," I joke. I slide off the counter with a sigh and march back to my suitcase.

The girls and I are sharing this hotel room, though Cami's Dad booked it for us last week. In the miraculous event of no traffic, the drive to Nashville takes fifteen minutes. Usually, spontaneous, parent-free road trips aren't my thing, but I am set on attending the University of Tennessee. Their psychology program is basically my dream come true. I toured the campus this afternoon and thought it was perfect in every way. I ogled and gushed over the school as Grace and Cami spent the tour planning a night of barhopping and line dancing downtown. I'd be excited if my boots weren't giving me so much attitude.

I decide to give up on the boots for now and finish my makeup. I clip back my hair and begin patting gold glitter over my eyes. Maybe I'll line them in black too; it's the only thing that makes my brown eyes stand out. I have a youthful face, as my mom would say. Wide eyes, round cheeks. Tonight, I need to look as adult as possible, or there's no way any bouncer is going to let us through.

"We need to leave in ten minutes," Cami warns, clicking off her straightener.

I quickly paint on some shiny lip gloss that will hopefully age me about five years. I shove my keys, a pack of spearmint gum, two bandaids, and my phone into my purse. Will I need a hairbrush? Tissues? I grab both just in case and join my friends by the door.

"Someone has the hotel key, right?" I pant.

"Cami does," Grace says quickly, spritzing herself all over with perfume, from her neck to the backs of her knees.

"Jade should take it." Cami fishes it out of her bag, dropping a tampon. "I'm just going to lose it and then she'll be mad at me."

"I'll guard it with my life," I assure her, tucking it into my purse. It's definitely in our best interest if I carry the key. I'm the only one trusted to protect anything remotely valuable.

We file into the elevator like a glittery army. An elderly woman heading down to the second floor eyes us warily. I get a few more stares for walking barefoot in the lobby, my boots tucked under my arm. I have no other option unless I want to wear my Birkenstocks with my sparkly purple top and miniskirt, which I do not.

Grace handles things with our Uber driver. In minutes, they're chatting about the best local bars, food, and music. She's our charmer all right, with her endless enthusiasm and lack of fear. A dangerous combination sometimes, but we keep her contained. Grace continues conversing as the driver pulls out onto the road. Cami stays glued to her phone.