Page 23 of Allure

I nudge Dawn. “Hmm. Sounds to me like there’s a story there.”

Kaylie wrinkles her button nose and then sighs. “Yeah, fine. There is.”

“Are you talking about sophomore year of high school?” Eliza asks.

Kaylie nods.

“Wait, you two went to high school together?” I ask.

Kaylie nods again. “We were actually enemies at first then frenemies turned best friends.”

“Enemies? Let me guess, a boy?” Dawn asks, grinning mischievously.

When she’s not withdrawn, she really does light up. I make a vow to try to help Dawn come out of her shell more.

“You got it!” Eliza giggles. “Man, did we dodge a bullet, though. He ended up dangling the two of us for a few months before picking another girl. He has always been good-looking, but inside, he’s a bit of a prick, so, yeah, our hearts are safe from that asshole.”

“Back to the story,” I tell Kaylie.

She rolls her eyes and huffs a dramatic sigh. "Okay, so, what happened is… once Diego dumped us because he basically dated us both at the same time, playing the field, you know, so I moved onto the next guy."

“A senior,” Eliza interjects.

Kaylie makes a face and then shrugs. She grabs her phone out of her back pocket and scrolls through pics before handing me her cell.

“He is hot,” I admit, staring at the blond-haired, blue-eyed guy.

“I prefer guys with dark hair, but he isn’t that bad,” Dawn agrees. “Look at that jawline. It could cut glass!”

“Right?” Kaylie pretends to swoon, the back of her hand to her forehead. “His name is Bruce Parson, and I heard about a party he was having for Halloween. A Halloween party. Why not go? Dress up? Wear something slutty? Only it was just a party on Halloween. Not a costume party. I was the only one to be dressed up.”

“That must have been mortifying!” Dawn exclaims.

"I was teased about it mercilessly for about two weeks," Kaylie confirms. "I still have that costume, by the way."

“What were you?” I ask.

“A slutty nurse.”

Dawn shudders. “My mom would murder me if I ever wear a slutty nurse costume.”

I flinch. Murder.

Kaylie grins, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “I don’t have the costume, didn’t pack it obviously, but I can go grab it the next time I go home. You should try it on!”

“Oh, I doubt it would fit me,” Dawn says.

“I don’t see why it wouldn’t,” Kaylie says with a wave of her hand. “And you can take a few pics and send them to your mom! It’ll be a scream!”

“I would have to be drunk to even consider that.”

“Nothing wrong with a drink now and again,” Eliza says offhandedly.

“You drink?” I ask her.

“A beer here or there, sure. I don’t really care for the taste, personally.”

“Then why drink it?”

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