Page 176 of Forbidden Lessons

“Oh come on! It’s been days since I’ve gotten something. I need a hit, man.” She’s got my parcel under her arm, trying to open a drawer without dropping it.

“Well it’s been years for me, so give!” I come up behind her and grab it, tearing it out from her arm.

She spins around, eyes round. “Years?”

“I’m exaggerating for dramatic effect,” I lie, turning my back on her. Then I turn back and hold out my hand. “Knife?”

“Ew, no. You’ll cut yourself and get blood everywhere.” She hands me a box cutter. Because, of course, everyone just has one of those in their kitchen drawer.

Mine had needles and drug pipes.

Melissa goes back to fixing our snack, adding bananas and honey to the mix, and I struggle to open the package without cutting myself. I’m kinda grateful she didn’t give me the knife.

There are two boxes inside the larger one. As soon as I see the shoe-box shape of one of them, my suspicions are confirmed.

Melissa comes around the counter and slides one of the bowls over to me, picking up the delivery note that had been attached to the outer packaging.

“Ooh, all the way from Ashwood Crossing,” she says. “What did you get from…” She slaps the paper down on the counter. “Laramie? Are you fucking kidding me?”

I quickly close the box flaps. “This is a big mix up. It shouldn’t have?—“

“I swear to God, open that box or I’m fetching a knife.” There’s a feral look in her red-rimmed eyes that I don’t have the moxie to challenge right now.

“I’m still not goin?—“

“Shut the fuck up and take that dress out of there like a good girl.”

I press a hand to the back of my mouth to suppress a giggle as I take out the shoe box and set it on the counter. Melissa doesn’t seem interested in that at all. Her eyes are glued to the large, flat parcel.

She claps her hands over her mouth. “Fuck me, it’s an Elie Saab.” She gives me a frantic look, nodding her head and whimpering.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, widening my eyes as I take out the box and pull off the ribbon. “It’s just a fucking?—“

She squeals when I lift the gorgeous blue fabric out of the tissue paper. “It’s so pretty!” Then her eyes jump back to me. “We don’t have enough time! We’ve still got to do hair and makeup. Do you need to shower? Of course you need to shower. How else are you gonna fucking shave?Ineed to shave.”

She pushes my hands down, closes the lid, and shoves my bowl into my chest. “Food in hole. Now. You’re gonna need the calories.”

Chapter 51

Kai

This tux is annoying the shit out of me and I’ve only been wearing it for like an hour. It’s not the fabric. That’s soft enough. But everything’s just too tight. The collar, the stupid cum-fucking-whatever-band around my waist, the cuffs, the goddamn collar.

At least the food’s good. I’ve had seven mini burgers and already I’m eyeing a platinum-blonde sorority girl heading my way with another tray of appetizers.

She catches me looking at her and smiles as she veers my way.

“Hey, handsome,” she purrs, her black dress shimmering as she shifts her hips side to side. “Like what you see?”

“Depends.” I scan the tray. “You got any of those tiny little burgers?”

She laughs like she thinks I’m joking, and her expression turns sour when she realizes I’m not.

“Jerk,” she snaps, walking away with stiff legs that have nothing to do with her ten-inch heels.

Time to dust off that old rumor about my Cambridge girlfriend. Seems people around here have forgotten about her.

Old news is dead news.

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