Golden Boy's Game

│06│

SUNDAY BROUGHT ABOUT a feverish tremor of excitement at home. Delia had been upstairs in her room the entire day with her friends, getting ready for the wedding. Ryder had left early in the morning to get ready at his house. I'd been somewhat surprised to hear that he even had a house, considering that over the past week, he'd practically lived at our house.

I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror that stood at the side of my room, as I rhythmically combed my hair in neat, even strokes. I'd put on a simple, light blue dress that had been sleeping at the back of my closet. After weaving my brown hair into a single, simple braid, I pulled out my small makeup set and began with some basic makeup. Looking down at my makeup set, I couldn't help but remember Amanda, who'd taught me everything there was to know about cosmetics.

Guilt ripped through me every time I thought of her and the awful possibility that Emmett was using her. The horrible possibility that he was using her because of me. That I was going to be the root cause of a terrible breakup. I took a deep breath as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. What kind of a friend are you, Emeraude? A horrible one, that's for sure. 

I'd grown, that was for sure. I was taller than I'd been at the beginning of the year. My face was growing more defined and my chest, which was still small, had grown slightly more prominent than before. 

My eyes drifted towards my phone and I picked it up to check my messages. There was a text from Caleb and Eloise, but nothing from Amanda or Emmett. With a soft sigh, I opened Caleb's text first.

Hey gorgeous. Can't wait to see you today. I'll see you at the church.

I couldn't help but smile slightly at his casual greeting of "gorgeous". He really was a charmer, I had to give him that. Shaking my head, I looked back at the mirror.

How the hell am I going to win this game?

The scary possibility of falling for Caleb was looming. Over the week, things had grown between us and I could feel it. I'd gained a confident edge over him and I was being free with all the kisses. But when would the game become reality? Would those kisses become something more than just a method to win the game?

I could only hope that the answer was never. My shield had to pull through. If it failed me, I was done for.

The ringing of the doorbell echoed, breaking me out of my thoughts. Glancing out the window, I saw a familiar blonde waiting at my doorstep. Smiling, I hurried out of my room door.

"Emeraude, can you get the door?" I heard Delia's muffled voice from her room. "Who is it?"

"One of my friends!" I yelled back as I headed down the stairs. "I'll get it!"

I pulled open the door to greet a cheerful Eloise, who was dressed in a shirt and sweatpants. In her hands was a bag that was covered up. Her blonde curls were untamed, spilling down her back in relentless waves. Even though it was the crook of the morning, her striking blue eyes were as awake as ever. 

"Hey," I greeted her eagerly, welcoming her inside. "Is that your dress?"

"Yeah," she replied brightly. "So where's the bride to be?"

Rolling my eyes, I led her up the stairs. "Getting ready in her room with the bridesmaids. Here, we can hang out in my room. You can get ready there."

Eloise seemed happy enough, her eyes darting around my room, with its light blue walls and minimalistic design. I walked over to the window, to pull back the curtains a little more when my eyes drifted through the glass and into the outside world. Right across the street was a familiar baby blue car, that I knew all too well. I'd almost forgotten that she was coming.