Page 59 of Pretty Monsters

"Yup," they once again say together.

"I don't like it," Shane agrees with me.

"It's that thing he does with his hips, isn't it?" Jen asks, and Raven blushes.

"Baby," Shane whines. "We agreed you'd forget the fact you and Ford ever dated.”

She laughs and kisses him on the cheek. "No, you said it and I didn't say anything. I love you to the moon, but there are some things a girl gets to keep for herself."

"This is an incestuous little group," I mumble.

"Yeah, well welcome to it. We've all pretty much slept with Ford," Shane bitches.

Ted raises his hand. "I haven't."

Ford chuckles.

Ted looks at Amber. "Really?"

"Chill, dude. Recall that cheerleader you hooked up with last year?" Ford reminds him.

"Aw, man, she told me she was a virgin."

"I'm pretty sure she told you that to make you feel better about it being your first time," Shane comments.

"The two of you are way too much alike," Raven says to me.

"Looks like we know your type," Jen teases.

Amber giggles. "Yep, hot and tortured."

Ford and I both wince.

"Well this got really fucking uncomfortable. How bout we hit the road before we share any more," Shane demands.

Jen and Shane appear to be the only ones dressed and ready. They're pretty much the only real functional adults in this group.

"I'm going to make breakfast while everyone gets ready. After we eat and clean up we can get going," Jen announces.

Ford lifts his hands in prayer. "Pancakes please?"

"Whatever you want," she tells him and kisses him on the cheek.

Shane grunts and looks at me. "Sometimes I want to punch him in the face, and he's my best friend. You'll get used to it." He slaps me on the back and moves outside to close up the grill and the hot tub.

* * *

The closer weget back to Playa Pacifica, the more tense Raven gets. The few days we spent away didn't exactly allow her to relax like we'd intended.

She trades places with Ted in the car so she can sit next to me and not be in the back with Tessa. They came to a truce, but I doubt there will ever be a close friendship there.

I reach out and take her hand. "Are you afraid to go back to the apartment with Lucien?" We should have talked about this and come up with a plan. If anything it is going to be worse now, because there is no way he isn't going to notice the shift between us.

She nods. "We need to talk to him."

I tense. He isn't exactly open minded, and there's still the small matter of the fact he seems to view Raven along the same lines their father does. I believe him when he says he doesn't agree with arranging her marriage, but he seemed to view her virginity as an asset, and didn't respond well to learning she had lost it years ago.

Ford turns around from the front seat. "You think there's going to be a problem?"

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