Page 1 of Exactly What I Needed
Chapter 1
Iscanned pages with heavy, tired eyes. Words and symbols that I should have been able to recognize floated around me in a blurred haze. Too many English papers to grade, too much work on a Saturday. But this was my life, and I wasn’t complaining. It was, however, sometimes monotonous.
I didn’t mind the routine—most of the time.
“Cosette!” Sydney squealed, sliding into the living room on her socks. She danced in place for a moment and plopped herself down on the wooden coffee table in front of me. Right on top of my students’ essays.
Lifting my gaze to hers, I raised a questioning eyebrow.
She swept her long, blonde ponytail behind her shoulders and leaned back against her hands. “Are you positive you don’t want to come tonight?”
I chuckled. “You know I’m not a huge fan of concerts in general. The music is always too loud, the crowd is even louder, making it so you can’t actuallyhear the band.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know. I know.” Suddenly, a mischievous smile spread across her lips. “With it being late at night, you’ll still have time to get groceries for all of us before we go. And did I happen to mention that I have tickets three rows back from the stage? In the pit, so hearing the band won’t be an issue.” She wiggled her brows, her bright blue eyes twinkling.
“Still, it’ll be way too crowded.Especiallyin the pit,” I replied. A lie to cover the one secret I was determined to keep bottled tight. One that I’d carried for years. The words of every deceitful thing I’d ever spoken leaked through my mind like a faucet not quite screwed tight. I couldn’t seem to keep it from flowing. I wanted to stop it.
The stage. The life of a musician. The ever-imploding drum incessantly humming in the back of my head was a sound I was all too familiar with, haunted by, yet at this moment, it was completely vacant. There was no music playing behind the painfully loud tick of time called life.
She clicked her tongue, pulling her plump lips into a thin line. Annoyance twisted her perfect features, her cheekbones high and pronounced. She rolled her almond-shaped eyes once more, the picture of desire. I was blessed she never made me feel less than her because of it.
“Just this once. Please,” she begged, sliding off the table onto her knees. She clasped her fingers together. “You know Void is my favorite progressive metalcore band, and Becca backed out. As much as I love the rest of the group that I normally go with, it’ll put me as an odd seventh wheel if you don’t come. Plus, they’re like the hottest band right now. Once this tour ends, we’ll never get tickets like this again.”
I sighed and leaned back against the couch cushions, staring at the black ceiling fan that was whirring above. She was exaggerating herdesperation, something that wasn’t new. I had to admit I was forever grateful that, despite my constant grumbling, she never seemed discouraged from inviting me places.
“They’re meet-and-greet tickets.” She placed her chin against my legs and pouted with the largest puppy dog eyes.
Also something that wasn’t new.
“Fine,” I grumbled, biting back a smile.
She shot off the floor and squealed again. “Come on! I want to curl your hair!” She snatched my hand and yanked me off the couch. “And do your makeup! You’re going to look absolutely gorgeous! I’ve been dying to turn you into a sexy temptress!”
Again, not new.
One last blast of hairspray from Sydney settled over my dark brown, nearly black hair. Loose curls framed my heart-shaped face. It accentuated my plump cheeks and higher but subtle cheekbones. She dabbed some shiny lip gloss on my Cupid’s-bow lips and clapped her hands in glee.
“There!” She spun me towards her bedroom mirror, and I barely recognized the girl who stared back. Gone were my enormous, round glasses that hid my eyes. Mascara coated my thick, long lashes, blinking over bright hazel eyes that seemed surprisingly happy. Maybe I was a little excited to be going out for a change.
While the name Void didn’t really ring any bells, I figured I’d recognize a song or two, considering it was Sydney’s favorite band and she had tohave played something by them for me before. Going with her also meant I wouldn’t be stuck at home working. My hesitation when it came to trying new music was something I was willing to relinquish, if only for tonight and only for Sydney’s sake.
Ringing pierced through my thoughts as Sydney brought her phone to her ear and squealed. Her words became jumbled as she chatted with whoever was on the other line, gossiping about the concert and how packed it was going to be since the arena was sold out.
She suddenly started panicking, zooming through her closet. Tossing shirts, skirts, and dresses onto her bed. “We’re going to be late!” she gasped, putting the call on speaker. “Katie, what should I wear? What should I have Cosi wear?”
“I can put on something from my own closet,” I muttered, gesturing at the door.
“No, you will not wear any of your—” She paused and glanced up from the jumbled pile on her pink bed. “Actually, go put on your cute black high-waisted bell-bottoms. Wear a thong so you don’t have any panty lines, and then come back. I have the perfect top to pair it with.”
I chuckled and stepped away from her white vanity. The irony was not lost on me that she was the one who preferred metal music and yet loved bright pinks and white. She’d tried for years to convince me to at least give some of this heavier music a chance, but I’d always brushed it off. If music was involved, I stuck with the classical genre; it kept me levelheaded and calm. It kept me from exploding and losing control, something that took me years to accomplish—if it even sticks.
But mostly, it was familiar.
After quickly dashing to my room and changing into my burgundy lacy thong and bell-bottoms, I was back in Sydney’s bedroom, where she tossed me an onyx lacy cropped corset and grinned.
This was definitely not my style. Definitely not teacher-appropriate. Definitely not something I would’ve ever bought for myself. Definitely…not…me?
“Oh, come on. Step outside your comfort zone for once,” she said, and I stared at it.
