Page 106 of Scattered Glitter

Alaric: Does she have a purse that matches the glittery shoes?

Sylus: Are you the fashion police now?

Alaric: No, but she’ll probably need one to pull the switcheroo.

I’ll make sure she brings one.

Levi: How would you know that her shoes are glittery?

I pause, arching an eyebrow as a picture notification pops up, an image from Alaric. It’s Glitter, neck down, showing off the dress in the store’s dressing room. No trace of her face or the burn on her shoulder, which doesn’t surprise me. The glitter and sparkle are her armor.

And she thinks her body is the only thing of worth.

I shake my head, frustration and something I can’t quite name filling me.

Levi: She sent you a picture?

Alaric: I asked if you guys found a dress to see if she could hide something on her body.

Sylus: Sure.

And I’m the Queen of England.

Alaric: It’s the truth. But yeah, that dress will do.

Sylus: Yep.

Levi: Assholes, it won’t just do. She’s hot as fuck.

Alaric: That’s basically what I said.

I grip my phone tighter as irritation bubbles up.

Don’t talk about her like that. She’s too smart to be reduced to her body.

This kind of shit is probably exactly why she thinks like that of herself. I wait for the replies, knowing exactly what’s coming.

Alaric: I never said that!

Sylus: It smells like simp.

Sylus: Ez and I will be there in maybe thirty minutes, Dove.

Levi: Told you guys, he’s a goner.

Keep it up, Dove, and I’ll have them write Ken and Barbie on the cake.

Levi: Go ahead, it’s already ruined.

Sylus: What’s wrong with the cake?

I slide the phone back into my pocket, ignoring the texts still pouring in. Letting out a sigh of frustration, I walk up the hallway to her door.

They don’t get it, and maybe they don’t need to. This isn’t about me simping. There’s a sharp mind behind those green eyes, a rawness she tries to bury. It’s obvious she’s been through hell, and yet, here she is, standing, fighting, surviving.

She’s more than another pretty face.

That’s what’s caught my attention. But that’s all it is right now, attention. I’m not ready to let myself fall for someone in the way Levi keeps implying. I can’t afford that, and honestly, neither can she.

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