Page 31 of The Devil's Hunt

She huffed, crossed her arms, and calmly nodded toward the end table. "If you're going to lie to me, you could at least hide it first."

I followed her gaze to the end table, where my phone was sitting on top of my clothes, now dry and folded neatly. "Oh," I mumbled, confusion seeping into my voice. "I don't remember having it when we got here."

Her eyes softened, and she came closer to sit down on the edge of the bed. "Are you alright? I was so worried about you."

I stared at her momentarily, contemplating how much I should share. Before I could respond, her gaze wandered around the room,taking in the ambiance surrounding us. Her eyes widened as they landed on dried crimson bloodstain in the center of the bed.

Her eyebrows furrowed in concern as she turned to me, her voice barely a whisper. "Mila, what happened here? Is that blood?"

I gulped, a wave of panic washing over me. "I-I…"

She gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth. "Oh my God. This is your blood! Are you kidding me? You let that playboy take your virginity? I can't believe this. He took advantage of you. That's the only explanation. I'm going to kill him when I see him."

"Lacey, please. Stop," I pleaded with her.

"Mila, how could you give something so important to...him?" She gave me a disgusted look. "I am making you an appointment to get tested. Who knows what diseases he has."

"Enough!" I snapped, standing up in anger.

She closed her mouth, staring at me in shock, waiting for me to continue. I usually let Lacey go on her tangents, never interrupting her, listening to every word she said. I didn't regret my decision to hook up with Archer last night. Not even a little bit. In fact, I felt powerful. I finally embraced my femininity. Archer was wild, and his presence called to me. I couldn't have picked a better person, monster or not, to let go with.

"Look, I know you just want the best for me. No one is faulting you for that. But you can't keep controlling my life. I am not a little girl. I can have the experiences you and every other girl here have. Archer may not have been your choice, and that's alright. He was my choice. He didn't take advantage of me. I was and still am of sound mind, and I would make the decision to be with him again."

Lacey's eyes widened in disbelief, her jaw slack. "Mila, he's a monster. And you're an angel. I can't believe you gave your virginity away so easily."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "He isn't a monster. He was an experience that I deserved to have."

"Do you really believe that?" she asked, her voice full of skepticism.

"Yes, I do," I replied, my voice steady and firm. "I've been living inyour shadow for too long. I want to step out of your protective bubble and live my own life for once. Even if it was just for one night, being with Archer made me feel alive.”

She sighed, obviously not happy with the situation but accepting that she couldn't change my mind. "Fine, but I don't like this. I want you to promise me that you'll use your head and be smart. I've heard about the things he does to girls like you, and I don't want you to get your heart broken.”

"I promise," I said, wrapping my best friend in a tight embrace.

As I hugged her, I could feel the tension in her body. I knew this was a turning point in our friendship, but I also knew that I couldn't compromise my happiness to please her. We were both strong-willed, independent women, and it was time that we started treating each other as equals.

Lacey pulled away from me. "I have instructions to take you home. I guess Archer and the others had to leave abruptly."

"What? Where did they go?"

"I don't know. All I was told was to get you home. So get dressed so we can go and catch up on Gossip Girl reruns." She smacked my butt playfully as I slid the robe off and started to get dressed. My clothes smelled like fresh laundry and Archer. A smile spread across my face at the thought of him, making my heart flutter. With a grin, I laced up my boots and snatched my cell phone from the nightstand.

As Lacey drove home, I checked my messages and saw one from "Archer." He must have put his number in my phone while I was sleeping.

"Had to take care of something. I left you a present at your apartment. I expect to see you wearing it when I get back."

"You know, breaking and entering is a felony,"

Three dots appeared almost instantly.

I've done worse. How are you feeling?

Sore.

Good.

When will you be back?

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