My phone vibrates again and again, and then again.
Candace: I can’t believe you won’t even respond to me.
Candace: Do I really mean that little to you?
Candace: I hate you, Paxton.
“Everything okay?” Caleb asks.
I silence my phone and set it face down on the coffee table. “Just more Candace drama.”
Caleb glances from my phone to me. “What’s she wanting?”
I shake my head. “I don’t even know. She wanted me to come over tonight to discuss shit.”
Rae appears from the kitchen, a paper banner trailing from her. “Don’t let Candace suck you into her drama,” she says.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Preparing for the party. Didn’t Lincoln tell you?”
Caleb glances from her to me, a smirk on his face. I’ve been friends with Caleb for as long as I can remember. Everything in my life, he’s been there for, and I’ve worked hard to reciprocate the same level of friendship and loyalty to him because, with Caleb, there are no expectations. If I quit football today, he wouldn’t give a single shit except for making sure it was what I wanted. “I think what Rae’s trying to say is Candace has a habit of manipulating you and playing mind games.”
Rae shrugs. “In a much more diplomatic approach, sure. If you need a more direct approach, I can offer that, too.”
I shake my head. “We have a history,” I point out.
Rae nods. “I know. I understand … or I’m trying to.”
“You and Maggie have always talked about closure. I honestly think that’s what she needs.” I point out, mentioning our older sister, who is all about feelings and emotions and is currently living in Nigeria.
“Yeah, but you need to make sure you’re considering your needs as well,” Caleb says, setting his controller on his lap. “She’s like your kryptonite. You get around her, and you forget about your breakups. You guys have an attraction that makes you both want to take risks and try again.”
He’s so damn right.
“Give yourself a few weeks. You need some time to adjust and find your own stride and your own routine. Then, if you want to meet with her and try to gain closure for you or her or both of you, you can, and it won’t be from such an emotional state.”
“Exactly,” Rae says. “And luckily, you have a busy weekend because we’re having a party!”
4
Poppy
Our movie-themed idea for the Halloween party is separating the creative from the unimaginative as people arrive and wander through the house. Many costumes are shockingly artful and creative, but I was so distracted between planning for the party and seeing Mike that I forgot to consider that people love couples’ costumes. It seems nearly every couple or group of friends is matching tonight. Dressing up as Jessica Rabbit was inspired by my red hair and an attempt to step outside my comfort zone, but now it’s just a reminder that there’s not another half to this costume.
Each time I move, the slit on my right thigh distracts me, though my boobs have admittedly never looked better. The combination should have me feeling confident and brazen, but instead, I’m feeling self-conscious and nervous that Mike might show up, and I’ll have to pretend I am this new, sexy, assertive person.
“Hey,” my friend and fellow co-party host, Olivia Reid, smiles as she pulls me in for a hug. She’s dressed in a blue dress with a white apron tied around her waist, her dark hair in a low ponytail that hangs over her shoulder. She’s the perfect Belle and looks like she came out of the Disney movie. Rose Cartwright, another co-host and friend, grins. She’s wearing a flapper dress that contours every flawless inch of her body, and a bright red shade of lipstick that makes her full lips appear even plumper. The two are best friends, and over the past several months, our paths have continued to cross, initially because they both date guys on the football team, but now it’s because we’ve built a friendship based on much more than convenience.
“You guys look fantastic!” I say, hugging Rose. “Did Arlo dress up as the Beast?”
Olivia laughs as she nods. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he wears it to every event this year.”
As she says this, I can imagine him doing just that. I’ve known him since he moved here from New Jersey to attend and play for Brighton, and became friends with Paxton. He’s funny and lighthearted and went from being one of the biggest flirts on campus to not even registering that another girl was near him after meeting Olivia. “I hope he does.”
Olivia shakes her head. “Don’t encourage him.” She looks around at the house that they helped us decorate after hiding anything breakable or of value in the bedrooms upstairs, which has given Lincoln the excuse to crash at our apartment all week. “We deserve a pat on the back. Every other party tonight will have flat beer and a fog machine, and this place looks like a medieval castle. We did good.”
“Correction, we did awesome,” Rose says.
“Cheers to that,” Chloe Robinson says as she and her twin sister, Vanessa, join us. The two are juniors from Florida who we’ve become close with
