Page 149 of The First Time

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Chapter Twenty-Five

Piper

At home, I fall into an incredibly deep, incredibly satisfied sleep. I'm not sure I've ever been this satisfied.

I'm lying in bed, in that half-asleep, half-awake state when a knock on the door rouses me.

"Surprise!"

That's a woman's voice. A familiar woman's voice.

"You want me to let you sleep?" the voice asks.

That's not any voice. That's Violet.

I practically jump out of bed. "No, come in."

She steps inside. "We just got in."

Her claim is suspect, given how fantastic she looks in her incredibly hot lace-up corset dress. Her hair is sleek and her makeup is perfect.

"Why can't I roll off an airplane looking like that?" I throw my arms around her and squeeze tight. I'm glad Violet is here.

I want to tell someone about me and Kit.

I want to tell her.

But I'm not sure I can trust her. She is Ethan's girlfriend.

"Is Ethan here?" I ask.

"Downstairs. I told him I get you first."

I squeal with delight and hug her again. "Let me brush my teeth and get dressed."

"Sure, you have a grey eye pencil?"

"Yeah." I point to the makeup box on the top of my vanity. "Don't you have enough?"

"There's no enough when it comes to eyeliner."

"You haven't seen my prom pictures."

"You're right. I haven't." She moves to the vanity and takes a seat. "You have them handy?"

"In a minute." I head to the bathroom and go through my usual routine.

I can hear Mal and Ethan laughing downstairs. I should say hi to my brother, but I want to talk to Violet first.

I head back to my room, quickly change into a sundress, and grab my phone to get a prom picture off Facebook.

I have a text from Kit.

Kit: Hey. How you feeling today?

Violet is busy fixing her makeup. She looks very much where she belongs at my ornate vanity.

It's safe to text back.

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