Page 7 of Tangled Emotions
I stripped down, got in the hot water and took my time for once. No rushing to shave my legs. Or rinse the conditioner out of my hair. I could stand there until the water ran cold and let myself be brain-dead.
Once the water cooled, I rinsed off and got out, then went to my room wrapped in a towel. I found my favorite shorts and tee, slipping them on and went to the fridge to grab a beer.
After I popped the top off, I went to my purse and dug out the pack of smokes I had hidden there and went to sit on the front porch.
The moment I lit the cigarette Evie, and her friend walked up.
“That’s bad for your health.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
I snorted. “What are you going to do? Tell on me?”
She shook her head. “No. But I just wanted to be sure you knew you were trying to kill yourself slowly.”
Her friend Flavia shoved her. “Chill out, Evie.” Then she held her hand out. “Can I have one?”
“You’re too young.” I took a drag and as I blew the smoke out, she pulled a pack from her pocket and lit one up. “What the hell, Flavia?”
She shrugged. “My dad knows.”
“My dad would kill me.” Evie snorted. “Which means he’d kill you too.”
“I don’t smoke all the time, Evelyn.” I took another drag. “Just here and there to take the edge off.”
“Hrmph.” She looked around and then at her watch.
“They’ll be here, Evie.” Flavia grinned. “Cesare promised.”
“I don’t get what you see in him.” My sister took a seat on the sidewalk.
“Um, he’s hot.” Flavia widened her eyes. “Like arm porn hot.”
“Cesare Cordova?” Evie wrinkled her nose.
Her friend shook her head. “More for me.”
Laughter bubbled out of me. They reminded me of when I was their age talking about boys with my friends.
Some things never change.
“Speaking of.” Flavia took another drag from her cigarette and nodded behind Evie.
She turned and then looked back at her friend. “Cesare brought Marco the Martian with? Ew. At least Amanda can keep him on a leash.”
“Why is he a Martian?” I took a swig of my beer.
Evie rolled her eyes at me. “He’s a foreign exchange student.” I couldn’t stop the laugh that happened, causing me to spit my beer all over her. “Gross, Edie!”
I wiped my mouth off and shook my head. “Sorry, Evie.”
“S’up.” The Cordova boy smirked at Flavia and set down a case of bottled beer. “It’s cold.”
“And my favorite kind.” She batted her eyes at him.
Fuck my life. When Evelyn asked about having friends over, she knew they’d bring booze.
“So you’re parents are gone?” The new girl took a seat beside my sister. “Who’s she?”
“That’s myoldersister, Edith.”