Page 29 of The Truths We Seek

“I was getting up, sheesh!” I grumble as I roll out of bed and she slaps my ass as I hustle into the bathroom while cackling to herself.

“Don’t make me come back and get you. We leave in thirty and we have appointments to keep, so get a move on.”

“Yes ma’am,” I mock with a salute before closing the bathroom door.

She bangs on the door and I laugh when she yells, “Don’t you sass me!”

Shaking my head, feeling a little lighter already, I turn on the shower. Stripping out of my underwear and tank, I climb beneath the hot water, taking the time to wash my hair properly, exfoliate, and just kind of pamper myself a little. She said I had thirty minutes, using half of that in the shower seemed like a great idea.

Especially since I can’t remember the last time I showered.

Got to love grief.

Once I’m done, I roughly blow out my hair, slip into jeans and a t-shirt, with the black leather jacket Hunter left outside my door two days ago, and pull on my Converse. My jeans are loose and the t-shirt a little baggier than I remember.

I guess not eating and working out like I have been are having an effect.

I glance at my reflection and sigh as I turn sideways. My ass is shrinking too. That was never the plan. I guess I’ll need to change up the workout stuff to help keep my bubble butt. Checking out the rest of me, I shrug to myself. I’ll do, I guess. Runway ready I am not, but then, I’ve never tried to be.

Swiping my phone, I glance at the letter in the frame of my mirror.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I’ll read the letter and face my fears, but today… Shae was right. Life is for the living, so I’m going to try and have a good day.

“Are you nearly ready?” I hear Shae holler, and I laugh as I open the door.

“I’m heading down now,” I yell back, before stumbling into Bruno. “Oops, sorry. I keep forgetting you’re back.” Wincing, I realize how bored he must have been while I moped in bed the last few days.

Oops.

I find Shae waiting in the kitchen with the guys. She’s sitting on the counter, legs swinging while she sips on an iced coffee, Carlos fawning over her while the guys sit at the table, talking and eating.

“At last!” Shae exclaims as she jumps down to her feet. “See you boys later, she’s mine for the day.”

I glance over at my guys with a sheepish smile and give them an awkward wave before Shae grabs my hand and drags me from the room. “So, where exactly are we going?” I ask as she drags me past Bruno, outside to where Tonio is chatting with O’Connor.

“That is what you’re going to find out.” She winks at me and leads me to the car, where Tonio opens the door for us. “Thank you, Jailor.”

“You’re welcome, Brat.” He responds, rolling his eyes. I softly laugh at their back and forth. Sometimes I think they’d be perfect together, you know, if Shae liked dick, but then other times they bicker like siblings. It’s an amusing rollercoaster to watch.

Tonio slides in after us as Bruno and O’connor climb into the front of the car. “We need all three of you?” I ask Tonio, who glances up front and nods. The engine rumbles on command and we make our way out of the compound.

“No, probably not, but we follow orders.”

“Ignore them, we’ll hardly notice they’re around today anyway.” Shae tags in, pulling out her phone and tapping away. Moments later, Ready For It? by Taylor Swift starts blasting through the speakers. “This is girls’ day, and we are going to live. It.”

Laughing, I join her for car karaoke, a mixtape of Taylor, Demi, Selena, Kelly, and so many more powerhouses. We screech away, dancing in our seats, living life the way she reminded me earlier we should be doing while the guys all look kind of miserable.

Well, except for Bruno. I haven’t missed him mouthing the words to the songs, but I’m not about to call him out on it either.

I lose track of time while we’re driving, but we pull up in front of a hair salon and Shae claps her hands together. “First stop of the day! Hair!”

I blink at her, ignoring how ratty my hair has gotten of late—I mean, I’ve had more important things going on.

“Come on,” she groans, reaching over me to open the door, but O’Connor jumps out of the car and grabs the door as she’s swinging it open.

“Thanks,” I say to him with a small smile, still feeling weird about the whole escort-driver thing. Bruno appears as Shae and Tonio exit the car and heads inside first. “This will never not be weird.”

---