Page 18 of The Heavier the Guilt…

I should not care what Lars Finley did. It should not bother me if he’s hooking up with other girls. Lars and I were just friends, and we’d been friends long enough for me to knowexactlyhow he got his reputation. Though Talon had done his best to steer me clear of that kind of gossip, it hadn’t been possible to unhear it all. Girls had been trying to use me to get the goods on Talon, Hunter, and Lars for years. Whether the truth or exaggeration, I’d heard plenty.

The problem was that I was beginning to see Lars differently now that he was no longer acting like the carefree, flirty, devil-may-care Lars that I was used to. Always the funny one, Lars had been the easygoing friend that everyone needed to ease the stress of life. Lars had kept Talon and Hunter from growing too old before their time, though they were still a bit serious for their ages.

However, this Lars?

I didn’t knowthisLars Finley. This Lars Finley growled more than he smiled. This Lars Finley snarled more than he laughed. This Lars Finley wasn’t friendly at all. It felt like I was meeting him for the first time ever, this new side to him being one that I’d never met before.

“I can handle a couple of drunk guys, Calliope,” I assured her. “Talon had been good about making sure that I could take care of myself.”

“While I’m sure that he did, I just don’t think that you should drink on your first night out,” she advised. “Better keep your head about you until you get a good feel for the party scene.”

“On that I agree,” I said, grinning. “While I’m looking to have a good time, I’ve got to get up early tomorrow for some volunteer work at the local rec center. I don’t need a hangover making the rounds with me.”

Calliope’s green eyes widened happily. “Are you setting up for the Marion Concert?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I help every year.”

“Cool deal,” she said. “I volunteered to help, too.”

“I love classical music,” I admitted. “There’s something incredibly passionate about it.”

“I love the violins,” she said, confessing herself.

“Right?” I agreed. “They’re just so powerful when the music is composed perfectly.”

Calliope grinned at me. “So, no drinking tonight.” She gave me a firm nod, sealing the deal. “We’ll dance, mingle, and make new friends, but no drinking. No hangovers on the menu.”

“I also don’t want you to feel like you need to babysit me, Calliope,” I told her. “If you…find someone you’d like to…uh, hang out with, then I’m good with that. I know enough people to get by if someone catches your eye.”

She laughed. “If I were a better person, then I’d tell you that I’d never ditch you for dick, but…”

“Believe it or not, I appreciate your honesty more than you know,” I laughed back.

Calliope eyed me carefully before saying, “There’s something that I want you to know before we head to T.J.’s party tonight.”

I took another sip of my tea before asking, “What’s that?”

“Ninety percent of the girls in this school have already given up the goods, Edie,” she said, surprising me a bit with that statistic. “So, while I don’t think that you’ll encounter any mean girls because of who your brother is, don’t let anyone shame you if you do decide to date one of the guys at this school. Hell, even if you choose to have a one-night stand just to get your virginity out of the way, that’s perfectly alright, too. Do not let anyone make you feel bad for wanting…more.”

“Luckily for me, along with teaching me how to defend myself, Talon also taught me not to care what other people thought of me,” I told her. “I don’t make decisions based on what others think.”

“While I can see that, just know that…” She shrugged. “Yeah, girls can get catty at parties if another girl snags the guy that they’re interested in.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

The warning bell rang, ending our little heart-to-heart. “Well, I better go. Do you need me to pick you up for the party tonight?”

My only other option was riding with Lars, and that wasn’t going to happen. “Yeah, that’d be great.”

Dumping the rest of my tea, I hurriedly made my way to my locker before heading to class. Thinking of the party, a part of me knew that Lars was going to be there, but I couldn’t let that deter me. If he could hook up with girls and go about his life like everything was normal, then he had no say in what I did tonight. Plus, I could always call Talon again.

I always had Talon.

Chapter 7

The feelings that we shouldn’t feel.

Edie~

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