Page 12 of Take What You Want

“Is someone else approaching Brent right now?” I ask, pointing across the room.

“Where?” Grace spins her head around so fast, her hair whacks me in the face. I don’t even have time to scold her for it before she’s scampering away and entering the crowded blob of people dancing in the middle of the living room.

I breathe a sigh of relief and lean back against the wall once more.

“You don’t want to go out there?” Nikolai asks, planting a shoulder next to my own.

I shoot him a look.

“You’re right,” he laughs. “I should know better than that.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t dancing. Or already off with someone else tonight.”

“Reid beat me to it.”

“You like Cassidy too?”

He shakes his head. “God, no. We were just trying to see who could pick her up first tonight. Gotta keep these things exciting.”

“You’re pigs,” I scoff. But as I watch Nikolai scan the room, I see a pang of emptiness as he takes in his surroundings. But in a blink, it’s gone, replaced by the usual charisma and charm he works the room with.

People walk by and clap his shoulder, offering to get him another drink, but he waves them off with a smile. Everyone loves him. The moment he walks into parties on the weekend, cheers erupt and a natural path is paved for him through the crowd.

My brother, Hayden, and Reid are all a part of that, too. Walker and Nikolai eat it up the most though. They live for the attention and notoriety their band is starting to give them asthey’ve been playing more and more shows not just around the city, but also in the state.

By proxy, some of that attention has rubbed off on me since I always go where they go.

And I don’t like it.

I don’t like the whispers of whothat girlis with them. I don’t like the snarky remarks about my body and how I got in with them, when they don’t know that these guys are all my best friends, nothing more.

And I especially hate the way that certain parts of my body have changed over the last year and the way that now it’s all boys seem to stare at. They may be put off by the rest of my body, but my newfound chest that even sports bras can’t contain…that they love.

“Aren’t you warm in that?” Nikolai asks, fingering the hem of my jacket. His own white T-shirt clings to his slim chest with a light sheen. A lock of hair falls in front of his eyes that he pushes back, running his fingers through the almost shoulder-length strands.

“You need a haircut.”

He doesn’t. The length allows for his waves to fall in that picture-perfect way.

He smirks, knowing I’m trying to deflect. “C’mon, LJ, don’t hide yourself away from the world.”

I straighten my spine, pushing my nose in the air. “I don’t hide.” The lie tastes bitter and I hate it. I hate that I’ve lost the confidence I carried as a child when self-consciousness seeped into my veins.

“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter. You’re hiding. You’ve been doing that more lately.”

“And you’re not?”

“Hiding?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“You are.” He uses his smile like I use my jacket.

He smirks, looking around the room. “Just know, you can never hide from me, Jane.”

“Whatever. Go off and be with your friends.” I wave toward the entirety of the room.

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