Page 55 of Relapse
I twisted my neck to argue, but was blinded by a flash of light. Did she just take a picture? I swear I heard a click. My heart all but stopped when my vision came back. Shelby was busy tapping on her phone. Was she sending it to people so they could laugh at me? Naomi did that once.
She pretended to be my friend just so she could get me in a compromising position, claiming I would look great in a dress. Once I’d stripped down to my underwear, she flicked on the light and everyone in the room laughed.
It was almost four years later and I still couldn’t change in front of people. At school I hid in the bathroom stall and when Lana came home with me, I waited until she left to get out of my uniform.
“W-what are you doing?”
“I told Logan you were a hottie and now I have proof.”
Her finger tapped down on the screen in her hands, sending a text that made my heart race.
“Why would you send that to Logan?” I was so stupid. How could I fall for the nice girl act again?
Inquisition furrowed Shelby’s brow as she tipped her head and studied me. Attempting to get away from her scrutiny, I shifted and swung my eyes around her room. It was pretty in here, with splashes of pink and black on the bed and other furniture. This was what a teenage girl’s room should look like. Even with the pile of unicorns in the corner, Shelby’s room was way more sophisticated than mine.
“Harper,” Shelby sighed. “You know I’d never hurt you, right?”
Wouldn’t she? I was at the bottom of the food chain. It was kind of my job to get kicked around.
She walked over and placed her hand on my arm. I tried not to flinch away when she tipped her head to look in my eyes.
“I mean it. I really do think you look fantastic.”
Silence filled the room as I stared back at her. I wished I could believe what she said, but let’s face it, I was anything but fantastic.
Still, I muttered, “Okay.”
Whether she believed me or not, I didn’t know. Before she could say anything, we were interrupted by her phone. The ringtone alone was enough to tell me who was calling. Shelby rolled her eyes as ‘Pony’ by Genuine filled the room.
“That bastard changed my ringtone again.”
I mean… was she surprised by this? She chose to date–sorry, marry–Logan Hudson. Who I was pretty sure didn’t have a sane bone in his body. When we were kids he used to do stuff like walk over hot coals and jump off cliffs, and his decision making skills hadn’t improved any over the years. My gaze narrowed on Shelby as she answered the call. There was definitely something wrong with her.
“What do you want?” she snarled while holding the phone out like that could keep him away.
For a second I wondered what it would be like to have someone that obsessed with you. Don’t get me wrong, Logan Hudson was not the kind of guy I’d want following me around. But it had to feel a tiny bit good to know that you were someone’s whole world.
“What the fuck did you do to Harper?”
Logan’s question made my eyes narrow further. I knew they were going to make fun of me.
“Oh, calm down. I just put a little make-up on her.” Shelby curled her lip at the phone. “It’s not like I paraded her around in a sexy dress.”
She paused, cocked a brow up at the ceiling, then looked over at me as if she was considering the dress part of her statement. I furiously shook my head back at her.
“Oh my god, Babe,” Logan called out. “You need to stop and do that shit right now. And please, please send a picture to Mase.”
What? No! Mason couldn’t see me like that. The last time I let someone dress me up he was pissed. He didn’t leave me alone for weeks.
Suddenly my lungs refused to work. All the air in the room had been sucked away. I couldn’t take a breath to save my life. The only thing that saved me from collapsing in a shivering mess was Shelby’s response.
“I’m not playing into your sick games.”
Now I was really confused. Wasn’t she on their side?
“Oh come on, Cherry Pie,” Logan whined.
“No,” she stated firmly. “And you know what else? I’m not fucking you tonight.”
