Page 37 of Race to Me

“I’m not letting him in, Kate. I’m not kidding.” She gives me a look that tells me she doesn’t believe me.

“Screw him. Lock the doors.” Kate stands in front of her mirror, holding up different dresses in front of her tall body. “So, since you won’t be spending your birthday tomorrow sitting in your room working on a project with mister tall, tan, and tattooed, what do you want to do?”

I laugh, but it’s small. Idowant to hang out with Foster, but again, I’ve been hurt enough in my life. This entire college experience was all about a sliver of freedom, and I’m free to decide who I want in my life. Right? But the heart is a tricky thing, and I know Foster is more than what he lets on.

“We could get Chinese food, binge some Netflix?” I suggest.

“Uh, no.” Kate shakes her head. “You’re coming out with me.”

This smells like trouble. “Where?”

“Brett’s throwing a party. It’ll be fun!”

I tilt my head to the side, trying to weigh my options. “Maybe,”

“It starts at ten, and you better be there!” She smiles brightly at a pressed, white bodycon dress, and I’m just imagining all the ways that it’s going to get stained after a few rounds of beer pong. The door creaks open, earning my attention. “Oh, wonderful. Barbie is here.”

“Oh, the wicked witch of the east is here.” Kate sneers at Envy as she walks into the room. She’s dragging loads of suitcases inside, struggling to do so.

Finally, she lets out an exhausted breath and plops onto her bed. “Fuck you.”

“No thanks,” Kate retorts.

Using her neon nails, she twirls her hair. “Whatever. Just keep a leash on your lost puppy. She seems to wander around.”

I want to screamthat I’m right here and she shouldn’t talk about me like I don’t exist,but I refrain. My singular focus is on Foster’s leather jacket that’s draped around her shoulders. It’s not the one he normally lets me wear, but I distinctly remember this being in his room when I cleaned it.

Envy notices me staring. “What?”

“Nothing. It just seems crowded in here now.” I gesture to her things, not sure where this sense of self-confidence came from to talk back to Satan herself.

Kate chimes in, “Yeah, your closet is already full. Why are you bringing more stuff?”

“Normally, I stay at Ghost’s place, but he kicked me out.”

Kate and I laugh in unison.

“Don’t find too much humor in it. He always lets me back,” She winks and lays down on her bed.

I know she wasn’t staying in his room because none of these bags or clothes were in there. “What did you do?” The question comes out before I have time to think. I want to know, but I’m not normally this intrusive.

“It’s just some bullshit.” She shrugs. “After the fight, he was so riled up. Kept going on and on about how things need to change and that he needed to be better.”

I scoff. “There’s nothing wrong with being better.”

“Look, I don’t want a lecture from you. What happened that night wasn’t his fault and you know it. He doesn’t need to change.” I want to say he needs to change certain people he hangs around, but that’s not my business.

“Care to elaborate? Because I have no fucking idea what you’re talking about.” Our voices keep rising in octaves as we go back and forth, but I can’t help it.

She leans forward, slumping over as if the conversation with me is literally boring her to death. “I gave him something to calm him down.”

Even Kate is listening intently at this point.

“And by gave him something you mean?” I ask, my voice low.

“Some pills,” When I gasp, she laughs at me. “Chill dude. Everyone does it.” Envy replies, now playing with her nails. Can this girl not have a direct eye-to-eye conversation?

I stand up, unable to sit any longer. “Does Foster?”

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