Page 15 of Tasting Innocence
Dex inhales, staring down at me, fighting with himself on how he should respond, but soon, Trevor bursts in, walking between us to investigate the bed.
“Looks like scratch marks on the wall,” he says.
I glance up at Dex before wandering toward the closet.
Everyone’s in the room now, going through the drawers of the nightstand and looking at the torn wallpaper.
“Someone wrote something here,” someone says, but I don’t turn around. I pull open the closet door and scream when a body falls against me.
“What the fuck?” I scramble back, my heart racing.
Dex rushes over and grabs the large doll that fell from the closet, laughing at me. “Don’t be a baby.”
“Fuck off. That thing looks too real.”
It has a full-length white dress on, with long, brown curly hair. Stupid fucking dolls.
“I’m going to another room,” I say, leaving the boys.
In the hall, I hear someone yell, “Oh shit!” from the other end, and then they start laughing. Looks like these rooms are full of jump scares. Great.
I pass a couple rooms before choosing to open another door. I shove it open quickly, waiting for something to happen before I step inside.
It’s nicer than the last one, and slightly bigger with a twin-sized bed in the center with two small end tables on either side.
Of course there’s a stupid fucking doll on the bed, but I go straight for the window and wipe some of the dirt off so I can see outside. The land is expansive, and there appears to be a little garden area in the back.
“That’s probably where all the ghosts hang out at night,” Dex says from behind me.
I jump. “Shit! Don’t do that!” I put my hand on my heart, feeling the rapid beat.
He laughs. “Sorry.”
I exhale. “I’ll get you back.”
“Oh, I look forward to it.”
I turn around and walk past him and back into the hall. Scarlet screams from whatever room she’s in, so at least I’m not the only one being scared.
Dex follows me, though I’m not even sure where I’m going. “You okay?” he asks.
“Mhmm.”
To be honest, I’m annoyed, and I don’t really know why. Yeah, typical teenage girl emotions, blah, blah. That’s always the go-to excuse. Sometimes I’m mad, sometimes I’m emotional, and sometimes it’s because I’m on my period, and other times, who knows? The joys of being a woman.
Maybe I’m embarrassed that I was scared by the doll. Maybe I’m mad that Renzo doesn’t even think Dex is remotely interested in me, and he’s willing to send us off together because even he views him as a brother. Perhaps, I’m pissy because I want to be with Dex, and even if I were to find out he’s into me, I don’t know how it would work because my brother would be up my ass about it.
I don’t want their friendship to get messed up, but my friends are right. Zo isn’t my boss. He’s not a parent. I get that he cares, but it’s not up to him. Plus, let’s not forget he owes me bigtime. Maybe I’ll use that. Afterall, I brought Ronan home. I was interested in him first. Little did I know he was in the closet and instantly fell for my brother, but still. I wasn’t a bitch about it. I helped them out. I kept secrets and did what I could so they could spend time alone.
“Fuck!” Trevor yells several doors down. He laughs. “Shit, I almost had a heart attack.”
The other two guys he’s with chuckle and talk shit to him, then their voices get muffled as they enter another room.
Since they’ve opened several doors, I have a little more light in the hall, and I spot a smaller, different-looking door, so I reach out to open it.
“Wait,” Dex says, grabbing my shoulder. “That’s not a room.”
“Well, it has a door. It has to be something.”