Page 47 of You Were Never Not Mine

“Eight and a half.”

“Oh perfect. I wear an eight.” She pulls out a pair of strappy gold stilettos and holds them out to me. “These are an eight and a half. I’ve never worn them because they’re too big.”

“Why did you buy them, then?” I take the shoes from her, my gaze lingering on the thin, pointy heel.

“Because they didn’t have my size and I was hoping I could make them work.” She shrugs. “They’re yours now.”

“Hey thanks.” I slip them on, tying the straps up around my calves, feeling stupid as I wobble over to the mirror. But oh my God, the shoes look amazing with the dress. “I have gold hoops I could wear.”

“Put those fuckers on,” Elise says. “And wear that bracelet and matching necklace you’ve always got on too.”

I add my jewelry, watching myself in the mirror the entire time. Thinking of August naturally because when do I not think of him?

Realistically? I should despise him. There’s a part of me that does. He’s a horrible human with a bad attitude and an arrogance that is astounding. I’ve never met anyone like him. Maybe that’s what intrigues me.

Well, that and his talented tongue and fingers.

My cheeks turn red and I press my cold hands against them, still watching myself. “I look like a joke.”

“Oh stop it. Your self-esteem is the worst when it shouldn’t be. I mean, look at you.” Elise stops right next to me and I take in her outfit. Short black leather mini skirt and a tight black short-sleeved bodysuit that makes her boobs look ginormous. “You’re gorgeous.”

“So are you.”

“Right.” Elise nods, grinning. “We’re gorgeous, we’re young, we basically own this campus. We can do whatever we want and tonight, we’re going to have fun and kiss whoever we want!”

I turn to look at her, shocked by what she said. “Why aren’t you wanting to kiss GG? Or…Tim?”

Elise wrinkles her nose. “I’m bored with them already.”

I know for a fact she was with them just last night because she told me. “But you went to their dorm room.”

“Ugh, and watched them make out instead of them making out with me. I swear I think they’re into each other. I’m just a prop for them to have around so they feel straight. They need to admit their feelings for each other and just get on with it.” She blows out an aggravated breath, irritated.

I watch her stomp away, going to her closet so she can dig through her shoes again. She pulls out a pair of black leather knee-high boots and holds them up. “I think I’m going to wear these. I want to look like I can kick someone’s ass.”

“Okay.” I swallow hard, shocked by her mood change. Now she seems frustrated. I wonder if she’s upset at her throuple falling apart? “Maybe you should go talk to Rafe?—”

“Nope. No way.” She shakes her head as she pulls a pair of socks out of the top drawer of her dresser and puts them on. “The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.”

I’ve heard that before and never thought it applied to me. But maybe…

Maybe that’s what I should do. Find some hot guy and hook up with him. I’m probably hung up on August because he’s literally the only guy I’ve ever been with. For all I know he could be complete shit at the sex thing and I just don’t know any better.

Probably not, but hey, it’s possible.

Elise pulls on the boots and studies herself in the mirror, a pleased expression on her face. “Okay, the boots are the perfect touch. I love it.”

“I love it too. You look great.” She really does. Completely unlike the girl I met on move-in day, but I’m guessing I looknothing like that girl either. That’s a good thing. We’re growing. Changing. Aren’t we supposed to evolve during college?

“Ready to go?” Elise asks as she shoves her phone in a tiny black purse.

“Definitely.” I send one last look at myself in the mirror and then turn to face Elise with a smile. “Let’s do this.”

The streets are packed with people, and the majority of them are drunk. Meaning they’re loud and obnoxious. Most of the fraternities and sororities are in the same neighborhood, making it easy for us to move from one house to the other. The problem is, we can’t get into the more popular houses because they’re already packed. There are actual lines of people waiting to get in and everything.

“This sucks,” I tell Elise after we’re turned away at yet another house. This one was a sorority and the girls at the front door were kind of snobby. “Maybe we should set our sights a little lower.”

“Did you hear that one chick? I’m pretty sure she called us skanks.” Elise shakes her head, a fierce expression on her face. “Like seriously. They don’t even know us. They have no idea if we’re skanks or not.”

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