Page 66 of All The Happily Ever Afters

I was a rabbit last year. I felt so cute. The ears are white, and I had a cute white dress with a puff on the butt for my bunny tail. I did my own makeup, all cute with little dots and whiskers.

But I spilled something on the dress, staining it at the end of the night last year.

And since Khloe came to me last minute, crying about not having a costume, I’m just in a white tank top and jeans. I don't even have a cute little puff on the butt. I just pulled these ears out of the back of the closet instead of getting a new pair. She should’ve been the damn bunny.

I did put some pink lipstick on the tip of my nose and drew whiskers on my face using eyeliner. But I don’t feel nearly as pretty in this getup compared to last year's.

My cheeks heat with a blush. He’s going to see me like this.

My fingers fly to my face to check if my makeup's okay. Which is stupid as fuck, 'cause as I look down at my fingertips which are now covered in black eyeliner, I’m sure all I did was smudge it.

I need to get to a bathroom ASAP. Khloe starts to say something while rolling her eyes, but I ignore her and head straight to the kitchen. I know there’s a bathroom nearby.

As I walk away from her, I hear Levi call out my name. My blood heats, and I almost trip in these heels. No way. I am not going over there like this. It’s been years since I’ve seen Ryker, and I need to make sure I don’t look like a mess. Even if that's what I feel I am right now.

I keep walking straight ahead and pretend like I don’t hear him. I don’t stop until I reach the bathroom, quickly closing the door and leaning against it, sagging in relief. Holy shit.

He’s really here. A broad smile covers my face as I push off the door and go right to the mirror. I slide the strap of my clutch off my wrist and pull out my eyeliner.

This is gonna be an easy fix.

I breathe out deeply and shake out my nerves. The smile on my face won’t go away. I’m finally going to put my big girl panties on and make sure Ryker knows exactly how I feel about him.

RYKER

My heartbeats feel like weak flickers in my chest. I know she saw me. I fucking know she did. And what’d she do? She turned and walked away as fast as she fucking could.

Maybe I’m remembering all this wrong. I thought she was into me back then.

Maybe she’s pissed. After all, I did up and leave without saying a damn word to her. Maybe she’s just grown up and realized I’m not good for her.

That thought fucking hurts. Mostly because it’s true.

When we were younger, I used to help her get through the woods in the back of our development. I knew I couldn’t have her, but whenever she asked me for help, I couldn’t say no.

She wanted a shortcut to the strip mall right behind the woods. So I made one for her. It took a few days, but I made her a nice little path. She was too scared to go by herself, and I used to hang out at the mall anyway, so I didn't mind escorting her. I used to wait for her to come knock on our back door during the week. My parents were hardly ever home until later in the day. Much later. And she was so predictable, coming by every day at four.

If my parents were home, she’d come out her back door late at night and throw rocks at my window to get my attention. She’d ask all sweet and shy if I was gonna go with her the next time she planned on making a trek. She always apologized. She never got over that, even the last time we went. I remember how she looked up at me with vulnerability in her eyes, expecting me to be annoyed or just say no.

I never did. I would never tell her no.

She was so fucking cute. If only she knew how much I looked forward to seeing her.

It was a guilty pleasure of mine. I knew I could never have her. She was too sweet and innocent, and I was just a lowlife who’d never amount to anything.

But I could at least enjoy her company and pretend like there was more between us.

That was years ago, and back then she didn’t know any better.

She should know better now than to let me have a taste of her. My heart plummets in my chest, all the way down to my stomach. She does know better. That has to be why she walked away.

I don’t realize I’m staring until Levi shoves a beer in my hand. It’s ice cold, and the condensation on the outside of the bottle almost makes it slip from my grasp.

The guys are all looking at me, and I wanna smack the shit out of them.

“What?” I ask in a hard voice.

“Guess she didn’t hear me,” Levi says and shrugs. She heard him. Just like I heard that chick with the pearls ask what I was doing here. I think I recognize her from somewhere, but I can’t place her. Maybe she was friends with Catherine back when I used to live next door. I don’t remember any of her friends beinglike that toward me back then, but that chick in the pearls sure as fuck doesn’t like me now.

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