Page 61 of Eye Candy

His voice came out softer after that, “I just worry about you. I can’t imagine what it’s like, trying to find your footing again after what you went through, but I want you to know I’m here for you. You’re my daughter, and I love you.”

I wanted to ask him,Do you? Do you really love me? Because it sure didn’t look like it when you used my kidnapping as fuel for your campaign, nor did it look like it when you got married to Tessa in one of the biggest weddings this city has ever seen.But I didn’t. I kept my mouth shut.

My dad finally got the hint, and he left my room, gently closing my door behind him. Whatever. I didn’t care what he said or what he thought; I knew the truth. I’d watched it go on the last two years, and the truth of the matter was: my dad didn’t need me. He’d used me as a prop, and now he had a pretty wife. I’d bet anything they were actively trying to replace me with a kid of their own.

I tried not having such venomous thoughts, but it was a constant struggle for me. It was so easy to lose myself to them, yet another reason why I was looking forward to tonight. I wanted to pretend, just for a little while, that I was a normal nineteen-year-old girl.

Night fell, and once I was fairly certain no one would come barging into my room to talk to me, I got dressed. I went with dark leggings and flats, paired with a low-cut, loose tank top that dipped low enough you could see the lace on my bra. The outfit was complete with a thin leather jacket and a glove on my left hand. Taking one look in the mirror, I was a strange but pretty mix of rocker and pastel colors. I didn’t bother with makeup or doing my hair.

Kelly messaged me she was waiting, my signal to go.

With my phone and house keys in my jacket pocket, I flipped off all the lights in my room, made my bed look like someone was sleeping in it using the pillows—an oldie but a goodie—and crept out of my room after tossing a glance both ways down the hall.

Mike looked to be shut in his room. I didn’t know where my dad and Tessa were. I hoped in their room further down the hall, but you never knew, so I had to move fast. Quickly and quietly.

My feet took me to the grand steps, and I hurried down them, racing no one but myself and the shadows of the house. I couldn’t waltz out the front door, lest the cameras see me leave, and that meant I had to get a little creative.

You’d think my dad would’ve gotten the entire house re-done after my kidnapping, but he hadn’t. There were still a few blind spots—such as the bathroom on the western side of the house, whose windowscreen you could pop out withoutmaking much noise. If I had to guess, I’d say my Devil had gotten into the house that way, and as I left the house, I felt closer to him than ever. In spirit, that was.

I left the screen leaning against the house, along with the window cracked open an inch, just enough I could slide my fingers under it and lift it open when I got back later tonight. Once I was out, I had to dart across the yard, being careful to keep out of range of the cameras, until I made it to the street. Only then did I let myself sigh in relief.

Even if they saw me leave now, it was too late. I could see Kelly parked on the street a hundred feet away, her car idling. I hurried toward it, getting in the front seat and heaving a sigh once I was safely in her car.

She watched me with a grin. “Damn, girl. Look at you. You look hot.” Kelly had dressed up, too. She wore torn jeans that showed off a lot of her legs, along with a deep purple shirt that hugged her torso and all of the curves therein. Her brown hair had been curled into loose waves, and the makeup on her face made her look like an airbrushed model.

“You look way better,” I told her, buckling up.

“No way. Your hair is so pretty! Are you wearing contacts?” Even though she was driving, she turned her head and squinted at me through the darkness.

“I am,” I hurriedly said, mostly so she could return her gaze to the road in front of us and not, you know, kill us on the way to the party. I wanted to have fun tonight, not die in a pointless crash all because my friend was too distracted by my pink eyes. “I ordered them when I got my hair done. They took forever to come.”

“Well, they look amazing. Not many people could pull something like that off.” She sounded like she believed it, andthat made me feel good. Having someone as gorgeous as Kelly compliment you really did wonders for your self-esteem.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“I’m so happy you decided to come tonight.” Kelly chuckled softly. “Remember that other time I got you to sneak out and come to a party with me? Kieran found you and literally threw you over his shoulder to take you home.” Her chuckles grew quieter, sadder, for obvious reasons. “How’s he doing, by the way?”

She’d been texting me all week about it, so she knew there was no change. I didn’t know why she had to even ask. “He hasn’t woken up yet,” I muttered, my heart panging at the thought. Literally, the image of Kieran motionless in that hospital bed was the worst thing I could think of.

Kelly sighed. “Shit. I’m sorry. That sucks.” One of her hands let go of the steering wheel, and she reached over and squeezed my arm in what was meant to be a supportive gesture. “We’re going to have some fun tonight. We’re gonna let loose and forget about all the shitty things going on right now. Sound like a plan?”

I nodded.

She let me go, tapping on the wheel as she made a left turn. The college was just over the bridge that separated the city from the rest of the world. It wasn’t a small campus by any means. It had multiple dorm buildings, along with tons of apartment complexes surrounding it.

Kelly parked her car in the student parking lot, and together, we walked to where this party was being held. Since it was still early on a Friday night—early for college students, anyway—the sidewalks weren’t empty. We passed other groups of students walking to their chosen destination.

The night air was chilly, and I was thankful I’d chosen to wear a jacket with my outfit. The wind tousled my hair, and I struggled to keep it in check.

“Yeah,” Kelly whined as we walked. “The wind is a bitch here. It’s always super windy, for some reason. It must blow off the river and hit us.” I wasn’t sure that’s how wind worked, but it made as much sense as anything else.

“Now,” she went on, huddling closer to me as we walked, “since this is your first college party, let me give you some ground rules.” Oh, these should be good. “One, and this is obvious, don’t accept any drinks you didn’t see get poured right from the source. Going along with that, don’t look away from your drink or set it down anywhere out of sight. You can pretty much guarantee there’s always a group or two at these things that’ll love to drug you if they have the opportunity.”

So far, everything she was saying made sense, so I stayed quiet and listened.

“Two, be keenly aware of any guy that’s smooth. Odds are, he’s got at least one or two tagalongs you don’t want to catch from him, if you get my drift. Three, but I guess it’s more like two and a half: condoms are essential at these things, with how many frat guys are manwhores—”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that one. “I get it, I get it. I’ll be careful.”

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