Page 77 of Out of Bounds

"We’d like to see those out of the case," Ryan confirmed.

"He’s losing his marbles. He didn’t mean to say that."

The attendant blinked at us. "So…do we want the bracelets out or…?"

I said a firm no at the exact same time that Ryan insisted on them.

"I will walk right out of here, I swear to god," I warned him.

"Fine." Ryan conceded but thumbed towards the curtains behind him. "No bracelets. But we still have room three."

Is he serious?

"Ryan…"

"Kassie. This is where Cleo wants us to go."

That was all well and good, but I couldn’t fight the awful feeling resting somewhere above my kidneys.

I don’t belong here.

But…if I could get my huge quarterback to pull a little distraction so I could snap some photos of the bracelets. I snucka look at Ryan and made my way into the fitting room. Ryan took a seat in the only chair.

"I need your help," I whispered out of the side of my mouth. "Ryan, you need to make a distraction so I can go take pictures."

He stretched out. "You like those bracelets."

"Yes, which is why I’m going to cash in on having creative roommates. It’s not like they have studying and homework and mental health to prioritize. You just fixed up the apartment, they’ll come through now."

"I could just buy them."

"No."

He sighed. "Art girl, that’d be a lot easier."

"You’re not listening to me." I held up my phone. "What I need is adistraction. Use your technophobia for the greater good. Ask her how to open a tab."

"I don’t know what a tab is."

"Exactly. Just keep asking questions. What’s a tab? What’s a phone? What’s electricity? She’ll never suspect a—"

The curtain brushed open, and the saleswoman poked her head in, with six black dresses on her arm, all gorgeous and stunning.

"Never—uh—" I stammered, trying to collect myself. "See, at the training center, they’ll never…never…"

Ryan chuckled behind me—what a help he was—and the saleswoman bowed.

Shebowed. We were in a store where the salespeople casuallybowed.

30

Kassie

A Ten Thousand Dollar Straitjacket

"I hope these satisfy you!" The attendant slid the dresses through the curtain of changing room three and beamed at us again. "I’ll find more while you try them on. Let me know what style works best."

I waited until she left. "We're not buying any of these."

---