“Please, I’m fine.” She wrestled a bikini from the bottom of her drawer. “It’s you who’s falling to pieces.”
“Thanks for that.” I crossed my arms at her. “Hey, wait a minute, don’t try to change the subject.”
She buzzed back to her closet, her shoulders slumping. “Okay, I caught them kissing in the student union, in front of everyone. So I dumped his ass. There, you happy now?”
“What a jerk.” I squeezed her arm, and her almond eyes softened. “I’m sorry, Shanda, you deserve way better than that.”
“You’re right, I do.” She hoisted the silver sequined party dress over her head like a trophy. Her lined expression broke into a grin. “We both do, now put this on.”
“No way.” I shook my head. My eyes stung. The waterfall threatened to return. “It’ll only remind me of who I wore it for last month. I don’t want to think about him tonight.”
“That’s the spirit.” She clapped her hands together like a cheerleader. Why was everyone acting so unlike themselves today? At least she had a reason, unlike Bryan. “Maybe Julia has something you could wear. We should invite the suitemates, too. Then it’d really be a girl’s night.”
“If you insist.” My mind wandered to the image of Bryan and his sisters I made up whenever he talked about them. Even though I’d never met the older one, I always pictured Brooke in the background, dwarfed by her very driven and strong-willed siblings. So what if she reminded me of Bryan? Maybe she needed to get away from him, too.
Shanda waggled her perfectly manicured finger at me. “Don’t think, Lucy, just do. You think too much.”
I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. “You’re right about that.”
She beelined to the sink, pulling out her super-hot flat iron and her giant makeup bag. “Here, get started on hair and makeup. I’ll find the perfect dress.”
Brooke and Julia burst in from the bathroom door. “What’s all this fuss about?”
“What fuss?” I dropped the flat iron and glanced behind me. Shanda left a mess like a tornado had blown through. Clothes all over her bed, jewelry all over both desks. Purses and accessories were strewn across the butterfly chairs and sparkly heels littered the fuzzy white rug.
“We’re getting ready to go to the city.” I shrugged it off, as if the mess didn’t even matter, and picked up the flat iron to flip out the ends of my hair.
“Yeah,” Shanda hollered from the closet. “I’ve just been dumped, so we’re going to celebrate life without boys.”
“Aren’t you seeing someone, Lucy?” Julia eyed Brooke, who glared daggers at her like she’d just given up the rebel base. Who on campus didn’t think that?
“Not tonight, she isn’t.” Shanda danced over to them and grabbed their hands, twirling both of them around. “Tonight it’s just girls on the town. You’re coming with us, right?”
“You bet. Better get ready.” Julia squealed and darted back into her room.
“Wait up, girl, we need to raid your closet.” Shanda disappeared into the bathroom after her.
Brooke picked up a glittering gold purse, nibbling her lip like a gerbil. “Are you sure about this? What would Bryan say?”
My eyes met hers in the mirror. I set down the flat iron and turned around. “Tonight, I don’t care what Bryan says. Maybe it’s dangerous out there without a Guardian, maybe it’s not. I don’t know. I just know I need to get away, let off some steam. If you come with, then I’ll be okay. You’re a Guardian, too.”
Her small smile shone up at me, her blue eyes backlit with a new light, just like Bryan’s. An ache ripped through my stomach.
“I’m only an apprentice, but I can protect you.” The smile on her lips faded into a hard line. “I will protect you.”
“We can still have fun, you know.” I hung the glitter purse over her shoulder. “What do you have that goes with this?”
“I’ll find something. This is going to be the best night ever.” She ducked back into the bathroom.
I fluffed my flipped-out hair in the mirror, spritzed it with hairspray and took a good hard look at myself. A mocha-eyed girl stared back at me like she had nothing to lose. “You’re a single girl tonight. Forget about boys and just have fun.”
If only I could.
Chapter 27
Broadway billboard lights twinkled as Shanda sped down the highway toward the city. Light danced on the tiny waves of the Hudson River like a million fireflies bobbing in the murky water, biding their time, ready for flight. They swayed with the ebb and flow of each current, breathing new life into me, renewing my hope. No matter how dark the world felt, one little ember could shine bright enough to light up the blackest corner. Yep, not it was official. Bryan’s absence had turned me into a total sap.
“One block over is Broadway.” Shanda steered her red Fiat down the Hudson River Parkway. “We call this the backside of Broadway.”
“Where are we going?” Brooke asked from the backseat.
“My favorite coffee shop, Arabica.” Shanda slammed on her brakes as a dark Mini Couper cut her off. She pounded the horn, swerving into the next lane. “You’re so five years ago.”
“Arabica, doesn’t that sound exotic?” Julia’s knuckles bumped the back of my head, her fingers crunching into my headrest.
“That’s just the type of bean all good coffee comes from, girl.” Shanda flipped on her blinker, zipping toward the bright lights of Times Square.
“What about after that?” Brooke’s face glowed in the light of her cell phone. What was she doing with that?
I swiped at her cell. “Better not be texting Bryan.”
“No way.” She shook her head so vehemently I had to believe her. “Laura actually, she wanted to study.”
“She better not tell on us. Or maybe we should’ve invited her.” I pulled out my cell to send her an apology, but Shanda smacked my hand.
“None of that. We’re here now and we’re going to have some fun.” She swerved
