Page 79 of Not Your Little Girl Anymore

“Here, this matches. You can put your phone and wallet in it, so you don’t have to carry that obnoxious backpack everywhere.” Chloe hands me a white leather purse.

I give a small smile, taking the purse from her hand. “Thank you for everything.”

She looks at me with sympathy. “Don’t thank me. You would do the same for me.” I sigh, looking back at myself in the mirror. My eyes meet Chloe’s for a second before she reached into her small makeup bag and pulled out eyeliner and mascara. “Come here.”

I turn to her, and she pops open the eyeliner, and helps create a beautiful smokey look on the top of my eyelids, moving onto a little under the bottom. She then tops it off with mascara.

When I turn back to the mirror, I choke on a laugh. “I look ridiculous.”

“You look sexy,” she teases, biting her bottom lip and scrunching her nose. “OK, let’s go.”

Groaning, I grab my phone off the nightstand and turn it on. I frown seeing that there hasn’t been a single call or text from my father. Maybe he feels embarrassed for what he has done.

Good, he should.

I tuck my phone into the purse, glancing back to ensure Chloe isn’t in the doorway—luckily, she isn’t. Swiftly, I slip my hand under the pillow, stow the gun in the purse, and button the small button before slinging the bag over my shoulder. My heart rate rises, yet a few deep breaths are all it takes to calm it.

“I’m ready,” I say to Chloe as I walk into the living room, where she waits for me.

She nods, and I follow her into her car, allowing her to drive me where she plans to take me this afternoon.

The drive is quiet, the air still, and I want nothing more than to be OK and actually enjoy going out with Chloe. In truth, I can’t pretend to be OK any longer. And so, I’m not. She makes me laugh, even through the sadness. But the pain is too deep and sucks me down until there is almost nothing left.

It’s a tricky balance, really.

Should I expect something else? I’m not sure. All I know is that what my father had done… twice.

“You OK?”

I turn my head to Chloe slowly. She keeps her focus on the road, but I give her a little smile anyway. Deep down, I know it’s fake, but I don’t want her to know that.

“I’m fine. Everything is fine.” But it’s not.

She breathes. “Good. Everything will be OK. If just for a few hours, I promise.”

I turn my head to look back out the passenger window when my heart leaps. I hadn’t realized the direction Chloe was going. But now that I’m looking in front of us, anger is brewing inside of me. Or is that sadness?

“Why are you taking me to this field?” The words come out harsh, but I can’t help it. She knows how much I’ve had to deal with. The last thing I need is to be in the field that reminds me of the man who shattered my heart and used me.

“Can you trust me?” Chloe glances at me briefly before moving her gaze back onto the road. Then, flicking the blinker on, she turns into the Tale’s Gate Recreation Field parking lot.

The commons where I first saw Alec Sokolov play.

“Take me back,” I demand through clenched teeth. “Take me back right now.”

Chloe’s chest rises, but her expression remains blank. “Summer, I am your best friend. Sisters from another mister. I would never do anything that wouldn’t benefit you.”

“Benefit me?” I scowl. “How is you taking me here where his band is playing beneficial?”

She breathes. “Trust me, Summer.”

Un-fucking-believable.

Crowds of people gather together, walking the pathway toward the field. I don’t bother getting out of the car when Chloe does.

From my peripheral, I see Chloe sigh. I can’t hear her through the car’s closed windows, but she throws her head back dramatically. She strides around the vehicle, stopping at the passenger window. I hover my finger over the lock button and press it.

She can drag me out of bed, but like hell is she going to drag me out of this car to see the person I was falling deeply for? There’s no way. Chloe brings her knuckles to the window, knocking twice.

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