Whispers of Shadowed Hearts

Chapter 11

Summer Brooks

"Hey, you have to come to this party! It's going to be amazing, and it'll help you clear your mind!"

"I don't know, I'm not really in the mood for a party." Alice kept tugging at my arm, pouting.

"Please, for me?" She batted her eyes, trying to look cute, and I giggled.

"Why do you want to go to this party so badly?"

"Life just feels so boring lately, and I want to have some fun. And lucky me, you're my best friend now, so I can't go without you."

"Okay."

"What?"

"Fine, let's go." When I first came to Blackthorn, I swore to myself I'd stay in the background and lead a quiet high school life. Unfortunately, those vows had already crumbled the moment I ran into Riven Rothschild on my first day. Now, it was too late to stay in the background.

The old Summer would never have left a party, in fact, she would have hosted them, sitting on her golden throne at the center, observing people. She used to gather people's weaknesses and keep them for later, in case she needed them. She was so used to holding power that when it was taken from her, she was shaken.

The old Summer Brooks was gone, and I would do anything to make sure she didn't come back.

"I love you so much! I was right to choose you as my best friend!" She threw her arms around my neck, practically jumping on me, and I had to hold onto the chair to avoid falling. "So, we'll get ready at my house. You'll come straight to mine after school; I've got the perfect dresses for you. We'll do our makeup and hair there too. Maybe we should leave now—there's only one class left!"

"Alice, breathe." The sparkle in her eyes matched her wide grin. Alice was always so bubbly, and I wasn't surprised when one of the Golds fell for her.

I still hadn't asked who that guy was. A part of me suspected it could be Jordan, but I didn't dare ask.

Did she know Jordan's car had been outside her house that night?

The messages hadn't continued. My phone screen had gone black, and for a few hours, I couldn't turn it back on.

I couldn't help feeling nervous. It had only been a few weeks since I moved to town—what kind of maniac had targeted me?

Even though I suspected Riven and Lydia, I wasn't sure they would go this far.

Also, I had heard there had been a big breakup. I regretted not seeing Lydia's face; I'd heard it was hilarious.

After school, Alice and I headed to the parking lot. She was talking nonstop about what to wear, and at some point, I had a hard time keeping up.

"Actually, navy blue would suit you, but it's become such a classic color. You shouldn't be like all the other girls at the party—you should shine brighter than them. Maybe we can even find you a handsome Blackthorn guy. And it's a college party, too. You have no idea how much I begged Kyle to take us."

I could imagine.

Kyle was her older brother, and the party we were going to was being thrown by college students from Blackthorn. That's why I wasn't sure about going at first, but there was no doubt it would be fun. On the other hand, someone had to keep an eye on Alice.

As soon as we got to her house, she dragged me to her room. "It'll take us a while to get there, so we should start getting ready. Kyle will pick us up in two hours, and we don't have much time!"