All Bilee wants in life is to fit in with her artist family. Her twin sister can do it all. Sing, dance, and paint. Her brother's well-known for his portraits, and even her father can carry a tune without hesitation. Bilee is what he calls "tone dea...
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Anger.
That was the feeling settling into the pit of Bilee's stomach as she lay upside down on her bed, dangling a ribbon off the edge in a vain attempt to entice the kitten out of hiding.
No, the poor orphaned cat wasn't the sole subject of her rage. That spot was reserved for the one and only Effy Stonem. The kitten was just an unfortunate casualty. "Come on, No-Name." She tried to coat her voice in kindness, but a set of large amber eyes gazed back at her- unwilling to venture out the safety of the darkness. "Please, No-Name. I'll get you more tuna."
The tiny creature looked at the girl as if she were stupid. And Bilee would be lying if she said she didn't feel a bit foolish, especially after how her first day of college ended.
She'd been obsessing over Freddie and that idiotic list all day. Try as she might to rationalize the reason for Effy's betrayal, she couldn't quite make sense of it all. Even if Bilee wasn't able to admit her crush out loud, Seren had made it clear. Repeated teasing her for getting flustered and all choked up around the admittedly dreamy boy.
So why did Effy feel the need to piss all over it by offering to "get to know" Freddie if he completed the list first?
And why on earth would Freddie entertain the idea? She was beginning to drive herself crazy, thinking just maybe she'd misread the signals. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if he was using her to make a pass at Effy. Even if he said he wouldn't "get to know her", Bilee saw him. She saw the look on his face when Effy entered the room. Love-struck, as her mum would say. A dopey grin and googly eyes. Effy knew exactly what she was doing, and it pained Bilee to watch it all unfold.
"No-Name, please," she resorted to begging the cat feeling her sadness swallow her, "come out. I need you. Please?" The small creature took a step forward. Poking it's head out of the closet to get a sense of the room. Bilee's heart swelled, lifting with just enough hope to give rise to a smile. "That's it, girl. Come 'ere." The cat inched closer, twitching her nose as she cautiously slinked into the open space. Bilee bit her lip and pulled herself into an upright, letting her feet dangle all the way off the bed as she doubled over and reached forward. "That's it, almost there-" She could see the nerves all over No-Name's body as the cat sniffed her hand. This was it, the moment of truth. No-Name was discerning Bilee's motives. And after a few breathless beats of waiting, the kitten bumped her head into the girl's palm, signaling it's trust in her. "Oh, thank you, Jesus!" Bilee cheered scooping the cat up into her arms. The baby immediately broke out into a low pur, the silvery sound easing some of Bilee's nerves as she held it close to her heart. "We can be friends, now, can't we?"
She needed friends after a day like today.
As if the list weren't enough to keep her mind busy, Bilee had the pleasure of watching Freddie pursue Effy after the emotionless girl made a failed play at Cook. It was like Effy was actively trying to destroy their friendship. Seren had the balls to make her claim to Cook, but Bilee knew if push came to shove, she'd roll over.
