Page 37 of Spelled By Truth and Tresses

Indiana walked over to us, then smiled sheepishly. “Zellie, can you ladies please take this conversation somewhere else? I’ve got some complaints about your loud conversations.” His face turned beat red, the blush even spreading to his ears.

“Oh! Yeah, of course, Indy. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause you problems.”

I slung my backpack over my shoulder, then waved and smiled at Indy as we fled the library.

Eleanore waved at us from the steps of the administration wing. “Damn. I haven’t seen her in forever.”

“She’s been so busy preparing for Mortingoak Academy,” Lalita explained.

Eleanore would be out of Crimson Leaf before any of us. What separated her from the rest of us was her incredible intellect. She was the first to read and write in kindergarten. She had an almost photographic memory, and she literally remembered everything someone told her.

“Hey ladies.” She greeted us with a tired smile.

“We haven’t seen you in ages, Eleanore!” Lalita mock chastised.

“Can you hang out soon?” I asked Eleanore.

She looked conflicted and glanced at the pile of books she was holding. “I need to study, but I swear we will soon.”

“Okay,” I said, knowing that our friendship was ending with Eleanore.

“Wait,” I called out as Eleanore started walking away. “Screw this. This is our final year at Ghost Rose. We all could do with a day to let loose.” A fire raged in my stomach. I was so tired of being surrounded by uncertainty and sadness. We should have been enjoying ourselves. Plus, Josh did forcibly invite Jax and me to that mixer. We shouldn’t have to suffer alone.

Eleanore eyed me suspiciously. “What were you thinking?”

I played with the tail of my braid, then said, “I’m thinking we go to a party. Jax and I are going to one in the dorms tonight.”

Lalita furrowed her thin eyebrows. “I thought party-girl Zellie was gone.”

I stood straight. “Oh, trust me, she definitely is,” I said, then grinned. “But if I have to suffer through this mixer, so do the two of you.”

Eleanore relented. “I could do with one break.”

Lalita grinned. “That’s the spirit. Hey, I can invite Josh.”

“Who?” Eleanore implored.

“Jax’s cousin,” I explained, “but he’s actually the one that invited Jax and I, so he better be there too or I will fucking strangle him.”

Eleanore joined us and held my other hand. For the first time in a long time, we were a threesome again. With them at my side, I could do anything.

CHAPTER 16

The mixer took up two floors of the male dormitory. The outside of the dorm was made of stone, tall black fencing surrounding the building, white lights floated along the perimeter and lined the path to the entrance. Jeering from the party goers could be heard as we knocked on the door. No one answered, so we just walked in.

Lalita held my hand. She always got nervous at parties. “I wish we did some shots before we came,” she shouted over the music.

I squeezed her clammy hand. “You have me and Eleanore. We’ll protect you from anything that makes you uncomfortable,” I reassured her, then smiled.

I dragged them past two guys kissing on the front steps and through the main entrance. Every door on the first floor was open, students passing through them and into the hallway as they explored what each room offered. Black webbing hung over the hall and draped over the doorways. If someone tall walked through a web, it giggled and sent static electricity through their hair.

I covered my mouth to hide my laugh as I spotted the back of Jax, his dark brown locks frizzy and standing on end. His signature leather jacket covered his broad shoulders, and his firm ass begged to be bitten in fitted dark jeans. Damn, he looked sexy as hell. I took a step toward Jax, but a delicate hand wrapped around my arm.

A petite woman with a lavender pixie cut gazed up at me with adoration and heat banked in her gaze. “I don’t know who you are, but I felt compelled to tell you how stunning you look tonight.” She blushed, then batted her mascara coated eyelashes at me.

“Um. Thank you,” I replied, then gently removed her hand from my arm. She quickly disappeared into the mass of bodies. I was used to the constant attention from all sexes daily. So, I normally avoided parties, especially where alcohol was served. The lowered inhibitions just exacerbated the need my siren looks held on every living person.

I turned back to go find Jax, but ran into something solid. My nose ached as I pulled away and looked up. Josh gripped my shoulders and shook me lightly, then looked me up and down. “Well, damn.” Josh grinned. “You look incredible, Zellie. I’m glad you came.”

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