Page 3 of Good Girl

Maybe Haley was right, in her own way.

Something needed to change.

2

CHARLOTTE

The only thing worse than heading to class with a hangover was heading to class alongside a best friend with a hangover. Not that I had ever experienced a hangover. The two drinks I’d had last night hadn’t done enough to give me anything other than a slightly fuzzy tongue when I woke up.

Haley was not so lucky. Nor was she forgiving about my absence.

“God,” Haley groaned, “how can we have come so far in tech advancement but we still can’t instantly cure hangovers?”

Haley clutched at the crook of my arm, leaning into me as I led the way to class.

“Well... alcohol is technically a poison,” I replied, “so if you think about it—”

“Charlotte,” Haley cut in, her voice rough and husky. “I literally donotcare.”

I parted my lips, ready to argue back about how technically, she did ask, but I quickly decided against it. There wasn’t much point in trying to tell Haley anything while she was in this state. So I kept quiet and guided her through the crowds of people surging toward their various classes.

“Ugh, my head hurts,” she grumbled. Dressed in a hoodie and leggings and hidden behind large black sunglasses, Haley still managed to look fabulous even with a hangover, and part of me was a little jealous. While I was back into my comfortably long skirt and buttoned blouse, I had never managed to look as effortlessly beautiful as she did. Then again, maybe that was just my insecurity talking.

“Your stomping about isn’t helping, either,” Haley muttered. I immediately came to a stop in the hallway and pulled my arm free of her grip. Haley could be extremely catty when she was uncomfortable, and most days, I could let it slide, but I was still feeling a little sensitive from last night.

“Haley, if you’re going to be in thissourmood all day, then maybe you should just go back to the dorm,” I snapped. “You’re no use to anyone in this state, and I don’t have the energy to put up with it.”

Haley stopped in front of me and lifted one slender hand to tilt down her sunglasses. She stared at me over the lenses for a moment, then she sighed deeply.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Sunglasses back in place, she looped her arm through mine once more. “My head hurts, my feet hurt, my mouth is dry, and I feel sick, so I’m grumpy.”

“You really should have stayed in bed,” I replied, accepting her weak apology for the purpose of justmoving on. Falling back into step with each other, we strolled toward the lecture hall, and Haley chuckled dryly.

“I wouldn’t miss today for the world.”

“What? Why?” My heart instantly skipped a beat. Did we have something important today? Was I forgetting about a test or an exam? Shit, did we have a presentation?

“Trust me.” Haley patted my arm and then stepped away as we approached the door. “You’ll see soon.”

The mystery of Haley’s words followed me into the lecture hall, and her refusal to elaborate didn’t help calm the anxiety now churning in my gut. I glanced around the class, but every other student looked completely relaxed and at ease. We took seats near the middle, with me taking the aisle seat. That was something I preferred as I would end up with more space to breathe without being squashed between other students.

As I pulled my laptop and a few other tools from my bag, a tinkling sound caught my attention, and I glanced over to see Haley’s phone lighting up on the desk with the namePaul.

“Ugh,” Haley scoffed when she saw the name. She instantly put the call on mute.

“Are you still not talking to him?” I asked quietly. My mind drifted back to the man Haley had been all over the night before. Surely, actions like that meant Haley had decided her time with Paul was at an end?

“God, no,” Haley scoffed, and she paused when she looked at me. “You really are clueless with boys, aren’t you?”

“It’s not clueless,” I shot back. “You were mad at him for a lack of effort and refused to talk to him. Now, he’s trying to talk to you, and instead of telling him how you feel, you’re just going to ignore him?”

Haley raised one perfectly arched brow. “Yes.”

“Butwhy?”

“Suck a guy’s dick, Charlotte. Then you’ll understand.”

Warmth flooded my chest, followed by a swell of irritation. Charlotte’s half answers and coded meanings were infuriating sometimes, but before I could voicethat, my own phone buzzed into life. I barely noticed that the class had fallen somewhat quiet as I dug out my ringing device and silenced the notification. On the screen scrawled a message from the one person I had expected to see less of when moving into the college dorms.

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