* * *
Coming out of my reverie, I see the same foolish grin on my face and think about how much the necklace really means to me. But is it too meaningful? If we’re taking a break this weekend, maybe I shouldn’t wear it. I reach up to take it off but can’t seem to make myself follow through. It doesn’t feel right not to wear it if there’s still a chance. And if he sees me not wearing it, that will cause even more problems. So on it stays.
For the final accessories, I snatch a stack of sparkly, golden, Lucite bangles and a matching pair of large hoop earrings. They’ll look great against my olive skin while all the other girls Blake might be checking out will still be washed out from the winter, only having just started to hit the tanning beds.
Hollie can help me with hair and makeup later. For now, I’m set. This certainly isn’t my normal approach to my appearance, made more than obvious by my morning routine, but I freaking want Blake to know what he’s missing. And if he doesn’t appreciate it, then maybe I don’t want him anymore.
I walk over to the giant papasan in the corner to relax and drink some more when the TV turns on—seemingly by itself. Whipping my head to the side, I glimpse a shadow similar to the one in the hall this morning.
My eyes focus, and I know I’m alone. Whatever I just saw didn’t linger like the one had earlier—this one only stayed a split second. Still, my stomach drops, feeling like it’s full of rocks, and my heart rate quickens.
Heck, the cat probably stepped on the remote, genius. But … the cat isn’t in the room.
Besides, something inside me knows better. I know something’s happening lately, I just can’t figure it out. But something could mean anything. And I don’t think I really want to know all about it. Rather than letting my thoughts follow those creepy lines, I attempt to find normalcy in the situation.
I call out into the hallway. “Hols, where are you? Something’s going on with your TV.” I stand up to search—for the cat, the remote—anything to ease the anxiety.
Hollie waltzes back in the room with a few bottles of water. I’m glad to see she is going to stay in control tonight, as usual. No way could we keep pace, especially since the night hasn’t even started.
“What happened, did it turn on by itself again?”
“Again? Is there something wrong with the TV? I’ve never had that happen before.” I laugh with relief. To calm myself further, I attempt to joke. “Do you guys have ghosts living with the creepy furniture now or something?”
“Ha ha, funny girl.” Hollie squints her eyes and sticks her tongue out at me. “Nah, it’s just my ‘F with me fairy!’"
I brush the comment off and grab a water from my friend. Inside, though, the calm disappears as quickly as it arrived.
Faeries! What does Hols know about faeries? Somehow, I actually feel offended, but with no clue as to why. Must be the drinks kicking in. Not likely, but something is giving me major anxiety. To lessen it, I take controlled breaths and walk back over to the papasan.
Leaning back, I twist open the lid of my water bottle and take a long drink. I focus on trying to forget anything strange has happened. Especially since Hollie knows nothing about all the weirdness and I certainly don’t feel like explaining it.
Over the next hour or so, as we hang out and get ready, I do forget the strangeness—the magical effects of my best friend wearing off on me. The ‘incident’ is gone from my mind completely when I grab my cell once more to let Olivia know we’ll be ready in twenty.