Page 18 of They Break Beauty

Brianna: Of course. I’m leaving right now. See you in fifteen.

Nice.

Chloe: You’re the best.

And she really was.

The lengths she went to in order to be a good friend to that trainwreck was worthy of sainthood. I knew from my research on Brianna, that she was putting forth a bubbly and excitable persona wanting to enjoy life and have fun, so it made sense that she’d be pulled to that in Chloe Anders. However, Chloe took it too far the majority of the time and it had put them in volatile and sometimes outright dangerous situations. Fortunately, as soon as I’d found out she’d been here at Stonewell U, I’d had eyes on her and people strategically intervening when those sorts of incidents had occurred to ensure nothing had come of it, that Brianna hadn’t been harmed.

She hastily pulled on her cardigan, rushed out of the bedroom and I shifted to watch her grab her three-quarter-length pastel-pink coat, then head on out, locking the door behind her.

I noted that she didn’t turn the lights off on her way out.

She didn’t want to come back home to the dark.

As soon as I saw her charcoal-gray Charger driving out of the parking lot, I headed for the apartment building.

Coconut.

That was the scent that had infused me when I’d gotten up close to her during that party.

I smiled at the shampoo bottle in my hand and opened it, sniffing it. Sure, enough, it was the same scent. As I’d already found out her body wash was as well.

Mmm.

It smelled best when it was on her skin and in her hair.

I continued around the bathroom, taking in her glittering silver electric toothbrush, a hair straightener and a curler too.

I opened the cabinets and found the standard toiletries to be expected.

A hot-pink silk robe was hanging off the back of the door. I stroked the sleeves, then breathed it in, smelling her scent all over it.

I opened the mirrored doors of the cabinet above the main vanity mirror, taking in her makeup. Silver eyeshadow, the expected pink too, a lot of lip gloss.

And then I caught sight of something behind a box of tampons and her birth control meds.

Vials of medications.

Anxiety meds. Heavy-duty sedatives. Sleeping pills.

Hmm. One of the things I hadn’t been able to determine was this. Reading the name on the prescription vials, it made it clear why. She hadn’t used her real name to acquire them. Likely her father’s doing then.

I made my way back into the bedroom.

I liked to start from the farthest point then work my way back out. Not that I had a lot of experience with breaking and entering people’s homes and going through their possessions. Of course not.

Ribbons hung from some sort of organizer just to the left with a jewelry tree beside it full of beaded bracelets and rings, but no necklaces or earrings. I knew why there were no earrings—she didn’t have her ears pierced. And the lack of necklaces, I had a strong theory for.

I continued around the bedroom, finding a thick book of fairytales on her bed, a couple of faux-crystal silver and pink lampshades on her nightstands. I’d also seen some origami creations around the open concept space of the living room and kitchen before I’d walked into the bedroom.

That, combined with her studies for her Software Engineering degree, and the fact that she was out a lot socializing with Chloe, made for an extremely busy life with barely any time to rest.

Very little time to think was more like it.

Her closet was no surprise at all. Bright and bubbly. There was nothing hidden in the far back either.

But then I went for her nightstands.

---