Page 19 of Make Me Yours

I cringe at the way a group of men standing behind us whistle and bark as we walk by. When Ruby said we needed to dress like we were going clubbing, I didn’t think we’d be coming to Pleasant Hills. Not that the clubs in Galen Grove don’t have douchey guys who’d hit on us in these outfits, but at least they don’t look like psychotic gang banging criminals.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better because it really isn’t? I swear I stepped on a used condom back there.” A condom that was lying next to a used needle, cap off.

She turns abruptly, taking my face between her hands. “Listen Stella, I am all for you living your little sheltered life in the shadows. You don’t want to be seen for whatever reason, and you are just as fucked as I am. But what you don’t understand is we’re not here to make all that’s in here,” she says, tapping my head, “Go away. Our trauma, all the shit that’s gone wrong in our brains, it’ll all be there by the end of the night, but being here, partying, drinking, having a good time, it’ll make it hurt a lot less.”

I’m shocked by how easily she saw right through me today. It’s never been a problem before. I’ve never been so transparent, or at least no one has ever noticed. But as I open up more, as I get closer to Ruby, Kai, Jade, I realize I’m risking them seeing everything I’ve hidden so well for so long, and that’s a dangerous thing.

I nod, knowing well enough this temporary fix is exactly what I need after last night. “Then let's make the best of the night. Show me how it’s done, Drake.”

Ruby smiles the widest I’ve ever seen, her perfectly straight teeth a stark contrast to the dark red stain on her lips. “It’s showtime.”

Just like Ruby said, we easily make it inside, skipping the line as everyone shouts obscenities at us for being and I quote “skanky spoiled rich girls.”

Here goes nothing.

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