Begin Again (Again #1)(10)

Who knows how many episodes I had gone through, but at some point I nodded off. No wonder, I’d been on my feet all day.

Headphones still on, I was awakened by a muffled bang. A beam of light crossed my face, and I blinked sleepily. Someone had pushed open my door and knocked it into the shelf behind it.

“Sorry,” said whoever it was, shutting the door again.

Disoriented, I pulled off the headphones.

“Kaden, man! There’s a knockout broad in my room!” I heard the voice calling straight across the apartment. The guy was slurring his speech. Suddenly my door opened again. I drew the blanket up to my chin and stared at the guy who was now standing in the middle of the room, grinning at me. He looked like a surfer boy.

“Hi, I’m Ethan. This used to be my room, and it used to be a girl-free zone. Until I met my girlfriend, I mean. That’s exactly where my bed was, that’s where Monica and I used to—”

“Baby,” came a cautious voice from behind him, “I don’t think she cares what we used to do in this room. Leave the poor girl alone.” A young woman appeared in the doorway. She grabbed Ethan by the arm, pulled him out of the room, and gave him a gentle shove toward the living room.

Then she turned back to me. She was wearing a lot of makeup, there were colorful streaks in her hair. “Sorry. I’m Monica, and that was Ethan. We just wanted to say hello.”

“Um … hello.” I rubbed my eyes. Good God, how late was it anyway?

“Hello,” repeated Monica, staring at the glowing stars above my desk. “Hey, it’s really cute in here.”

“Thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say.

“And you’re a girl?” Monica blurted out, astonished.

I stared at her confused.

“Yes, I think so,” I said, letting the blanket slip down a few inches. Monica couldn’t miss it. She squinted and regarded my lacey top. “Oh, yes, clearly.” A grin spread across her face. “Wow, Kaden must think you’re okay if he let you stay here.”

“Hm,” I grunted, swinging my legs over the sofa. “I’m not sure about that. He said he needed the money and his other candidates had bailed.”

“Take my word for it, he must think you’re okay. Normally he throws women out of here. Before Ethan moved in, Kaden had a girl living here, and like an idiot he couldn’t keep his hands off her. She fell in love with him, and he … ” She made a gesture like tearing her heart from her chest. “After she-who-will-not-be-named-under-any-circumstances moved out, there was an absolute ban on ladies. In the end it got out of control. I think she even mixed hair removal cream into his shower gel. Can you picture Kaden without any hair on his legs and arms!”

I let out a huff.

Laughing, Monica shrugged and turned to call someone else in the living room. Then she looked back at me. “If you want, come on out and join us. We don’t bite.”

Hesitant, I looked down at myself. I was in my pajamas, no makeup—not exactly ready for a party. Especially since I hadn’t gone out without makeup since my eleventh birthday. My mother had always insisted on the importance of putting on your face before going out. The notion of leaving this room without makeup was absurd.

“At least most of us don’t bite,” Monica continued. “With Kaden you never know.” She jerked her head toward the living room. “Come on. The beer’s on me.”

It was my turn to grin. Her uncomplicated nature was just as contagious as Dawn’s. “Give me a second. I have to change.”

She raised an eyebrow and let her gaze fall on my cleavage for a meaningful moment. “Yeah, if you hadn’t suggested it, I would have! We don’t want Ethan’s eyes to pop out.” She laughed aloud at her own joke, which made my smile even bigger. Then she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

I got up and rummaged in my dresser for a pair of pants that were comfortable and not too tight. I picked out a pair of stretch jeans, left on my lacy top and threw a button-down sweater over it.

Then I glanced in the small mirror standing on my desk. My eyes looked tired. For a moment I considered at least putting on some concealer, but no. What would it say about me if I did?

That you’re still the superficial bitch you always were, who always takes everything for granted, a hateful voice echoed in my head. I silenced it.

Instead I looked at my new hairstyle again. I ran my fingers through my hair, went to the door and counted to three. If anyone acted stupid, I would just go back to bed. With a determined smile I stepped out of my room.

The apartment was in such chaos that I couldn’t even take it all in at first. There was a crowd in the kitchen, and the balcony was also packed with people smoking and talking loudly. Music droned from some kind of device on the kitchen counter. Red Solo cups, glasses, and bottles of various alcoholic beverages littered every surface. No idea how I’d managed, but I’d slept through the noise.

Automatically I scanned the room for Kaden. I spotted his brown, styled hair sticking up behind the blonde head of a girl who was perched on his lap. She whispered something in his ear, her hair pouring down over his chest. It didn’t seem like her attentions were making him too happy.

“Hey, there you are!” called Monica, grabbing my hand.

Surprised, I let her lead me into the kitchen. “Want a beer?”