Page 8 of Little Devil

Jordyn

Go change, he says.

This dress makes you look like a slut, he says.

I slam my bedroom doors behind me and grit my teeth, folding my arms behind my back to work the zipper down. It gets stuck three times where I’m so agitated with myself, but I finally get the stupid dress off and toss it into the corner of my closet, walking over to the rail on the back wall to grab the white one he demanded I wear instead.

You’re asking for it, he says.

What an asshole.

I should go down there and tell him to go fuck himself, tell him I’m no one’s goddamn property and I can wear whatever the hell I want, fuck him and his opinion.

I don’t do that, though.

Instead I pull on the outfit he chose for me and switch my heels out for a strappy nude pair, turning around to face the free standing mirror set up in the corner. It’s a skin tight, long sleeved dress with a cleavage cut out showing the top halves of my breasts and a little bit of thigh, but not too much. Sexy but elegant, my mother called it when she designed it for me a few weeks ago.

Whatever.

I run my fingers through my curls and plaster a smile on my face, forcing myself to head back down to the party I never wanted. I find Noah standing in the entryway with a couple of the boys from school and head over there, not so patiently waiting for him to finish talking before I open my mouth to speak.

“Better?” I ask, hoping he doesn’t notice the sarcasm lacing my tone.

“Beautiful,” he says quietly, leaning over me to kiss my forehead. “Go have some fun. I’ll find you in a little bit.”

For sex, he means.

He’ll find me for sex.

I bite back a scoff and walk away from him, passing a bunch of people I see almost every day but don’t talk to. I grab a cup from the kitchen island and make myself a vodka soda – full fat, because fuck everybody – rolling my eyes when I spot Penelope and Sienna talking shit to Alyssa Rose, the mousy haired new girl who failed to hide the fact she had a little crush on Noah when she first got here at the beginning of senior year. She doesn’t like him anymore – she realized pretty quickly what a self centred piece of shit he really is – but it seems my friends don’t feel like letting it go just yet.

“You’re not welcome here, loser.”

“Noah doesn’t want you.”

“He’ll never want a cheap whore like you.”

I do scoff this time. Loudly.

Fucking please, Penelope.

“Hey, Alyssa?” I call, tilting my head at the patio doors leading to the back yard. “Grace was looking for you outside just now. I think she’s pretty out of it.”

She offers me a grateful smile and I wink at her, raising a brow at the girls when they hit me with their pathetic scowls, angry with me for taking away their play thing.

Sienna’s mostly harmless – the blonde haired, follow the leader, all bark and no bite type of bully – but Penelope’s passive aggressive and toxic – the type of friend who’ll tell you how hot you look in a bikini and then make a gag face behind your back.

She won’t say shit to me, but I have a feeling that has less to do with our lifelong friendship and more to do with ensuring she stays on my boyfriend’s good side.

“We’re gonna go do shots with the boys,” she tells me, stepping forward to take a bottle of tequila from the island. “Wanna come?”

“Maybe later.”

She rolls her eyes at me and I roll mine right back, leaning my elbows on the counter to run a finger over the edge of my cup.

I’m so tired of this shit.

Tired of my mom and Noah treating me like I’m worthless beyond my looks, tired of the parties and my friends and their never ending pissing contest over who’s got the biggest house, the richest parents, the flashiest car, the smallest waist..

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