Ever After (East Raven Academy Book 1)(45)

Uh.

My mouth has no filter.

“Yeah, I think I heard that somewhere,” he says, grinning at me.

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be awkward.”

“Trust me, I like it.”

“I think I’m really comfortable with you,” I say. “Usually, I only blurt things out when I’m nervous or when I’m really comfortable with somebody. Like, I always say random things to Charlie.”

“I want you to be comfortable with me,” he says. “And, like I said, I like that you’re a little bit awkward. It makes you seem more... human.”

“I don’t seem human?” I ask, trying not to sound offended.

“I mean... sometimes you seem like you’re too perfect.”

Too perfect?

Is he serious?

“I’m far from perfect, trust me,” I say. “You, of all people, know that. I’m lying to everybody here.”

“But you’re doing it because of your safety. It’s not like your lying because you want to,” he says. “And I know that you’re not a liar normally.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’re a really bad liar. You have the worst poker face,” he says.

I smile at his words.

Because I’ve been so worried about all the lying.

I hate lying.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

“For what?”

“For saying that. I feel like I’m turning into a pathological liar,” I say. “You’re, literally, the only person I can be myself around, right now.”

“Well, thank you for sharing your secret with me.”

“We should hang out more often,” I say.

Because this is nice.

Being with Estaine.

Being myself.

Not having to watch what I say.

“I’m definitely okay with that,” he says.





Sunday, August 27

You better have kissed the boy.





I am woken up by yelling, early on Sunday morning.

Emma is standing by Teagan’s bed. Teagan looks like she was just as rudely awoken as me.

“What’s wrong with you?” Teagan asks, looking at the clock. “It’s seven on Sunday morning.”

“Why are you tired?” Emma asks, putting her hands on her hips. “Maybe because you stayed out late, without asking me to come?”

“Emma, it was just Phoenix and Estaine with Jason and me. It was a couples’ thing,” Teagan says.

Couple?

Since when is she calling Estaine and me a couple?

“I could’ve brought Bryce,” she says, still sounding hurt.

“No offense, Emma, but I didn’t want to listen to you and Bryce fighting all night. I just wanted to make out with Jason and Phoenix wanted to do whatever she did with Estaine,” Teagan says.

“We don’t always fight,” Emma says.

“Uh, yeah, you do,” I say.

Emma glares at me, her eyes narrowed.

Teagan nods. “She’s right. You do.”

“I know,” she says, letting out a sigh. “I’m so pathetic. I know I am. But I love him.”

“I’ve heard it all,” Teagan says. “So many times, that I have your speeches memorized. Let’s just... not talk about that loser. Let’s have a girls’ day.”

“Really?” Emma asks.

“Absolutely.” Teagan looks at me. “You in?”

“I would say yes, but I haven’t done laundry since I got here,” I say. “I’m running out of clothes.”

“I’ve got laundry to do, too,” Emma says.

“Me, too,” Teagan says. “So laundry, junk food and boy talk it is.”

“I’m not talking about Bryce today,” Emma says.

“Oh, I know. But I need to hear about what happened with Estaine and Phoenix last night,” Teagan says, smiling at me. “You better have kissed the boy.”

She’s going to be disappointed.





8am.





Laundry and relationship drama.





An hour later, we all have our clothes in the washers, coffee in hand, and are relaxed in the comfy chairs in the laundry room.

“Wait, so you went on a date with Brooks yesterday and a date with Estaine last night?” Emma asks, her mouth hanging open. “You are pretty much a legend. You got the two hottest guys around here. Not only the hottest, but those two boys are impossible to date. They never show interest in any girl.”

“Maybe they both think pathetic girls are cute,” I say.

“You’re not pathetic,” Teagan says, rolling her eyes, then looks at Emma. “Oh, my gosh. You have got to see her and Estaine together. They are so adorable.”

“By the way, last night was not a date,” I say, remembering that Emma said I had two dates yesterday. “Estaine and I were just hanging out.”

“You two looked awfully cozy when Jason and I found you guys on the dock,” Teagan says, then says to Emma, “He had his arm around her and she had her head on his shoulder. It was so adorable.”