Page 163 of Brazen Mistakes

She laughs, brittle and dusty. “I guess that’s praise.”

“I guess so too.”

She swerves around another few cars, a honk or two barely audible behind us. “Are you into cars?”

Tucking one leg under me, I watch us fly past a cop. “Police,” I call out, Summer cutting across traffic to an exit, then performing a series of turns that have us deep in a neighborhood before I’ve even really had a chance to think about it. “And no, but I’m a good driver. Not as good as you, but Jansen says I’ve got some skills.”

“And you have a good eye. Let’s sit for a few, then go overland.”

“I take it you like cars?”

She drops into park, checking all her mirrors before relaxing into her seat, reminding me of Jansen. Which makes me wonder if his cousin taught both of them. “I like things that are predictable, hold value, and that I can break but put back together. Nice cars fit all three.”

I mull on that. “I don’t think I’ve ever thought about cars like that.”

“I mean, they’re also hot as hell, but that’s a separate measure.”

Laughing, I glance around the car, happy to still see no lights chasing us. “I don’t think I’m a burgeoning car girl, but a motorcycle? I might get behind buying one of those.”

“Who’s given you the bug?”

“RJ has one. It’s, well, if cars are hot, then motorcycles are sex on wheels.”

Summer’s laugh this time sounds more natural, less like a costume forgotten in someone’s attic. “I think you’ll do alright in this world, Clara. I think you’ll be just fine.”

This is the most I’ve ever been poked and prodded in one day before. At least most of it is exceptionally pleasant and Zen. I have a strange inkling that Jansen would probably love a spa day. Walker, too. I’m not sure I’d be able to talk RJ or Trips into it, though.

By the time I’m done, the woman in the mirror is exactly who they expect at the party tonight. Not Clara, the poor, anxious, occasionally angry, baby criminal and college student, but Clara, debutante and woman of means. I’m both impressed and horrified by the change.

Summer must see the mounting panic on my face because she thanks the makeup artist—my last stop on the pampertrain—pulls the cash from my pocket, hands it over, then shoves me into her car. “You okay, girl?”

I nod, dazed. “How did she do that?”

“They were told to make you look like a girl-next-door movie starlet. I’d say they achieved the right vibes.”

Her face is doll-like, her eyes huge and her waist-length hair swept into a loosely twisted wreath around her head. “You’re beautiful,” I say, my mind still dazed by the girl I’ve been turned into.

She smiles, a hint of the devil warring with her angelic vibes. “I’d better be.”

We take off, a few flurries brushing against the windshield. “How worried should I be about this party?” I ask, suddenly unprepared for what’s coming. Trips shared enough for me to know this is dangerous. And I know enough to understand how woefully unprepared I am. I’m scared shitless just seeing my reflection. Being surrounded by people who have net worths that run in the multitude of millions? I’m going to mess up and look like the poor girl I am.

“You have Trips to guide you. You’ll be fine.” There’s a pause, and I swear she mutters “probably” under her breath, but she doesn’t clarify.

“How did you learn to fit in?” I ask, not sure if I’m supposed to allude to the fact that nothing about her adds up.

“I started swimming in smaller ponds and have only recently worked my way up to these dangerous waters. It’s tough, picking up the details, the mannerisms, the way a slight tilt to the right means something different from a bigger tilt to the left.”

“Oh my God. I was supposed to learn head tilts?”

She shakes her head, her lips twisting into an almost smile. “You’ll be fine. Just act like you own the room, and with Trips by your side, everyone will believe you do.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“It is. People are mostly sheep, no matter how much money they make. They don’t want to make waves; they don’t want to be more than a little different from their friends. You’re going to make waves no matter what you do. So just look the part and pretend like you belong there. A guest of a Westerhouse will have a lot of leeway. So don’t worry. Just don’t lose Trips. There will be sharks there, and I won’t be able to step in.”

“Why not?”

“My date doesn’t rank high enough. I’d be surprised if we did more than nod at each other from across the room.”

---