The Good Girls (3 page)

“I’ll be eighteen in a few weeks. I can’t wait. I want to get out of this place as soon as possible.”

My stomach sank at the thought of losing the only person I’d know at school. Dawn and David didn’t seem very hands-on, but they also didn’t seem like people to run
from
, which made me wonder if there was someone she was running
toward.
I realized I was probably making a face and quickly tried to make my expression neutral.

“But obviously, that would take money, and I have none,” she added, making me feel more at ease.

Cara slid the bowl over to me and grabbed us each a fork from the drawer. She took a seat across from me, and we both began to eat. I moaned as I took a large bite.

“I know my salads are good, but seriously?”

I felt my cheeks heat in embarrassment. “I haven’t eaten since last night. I think cardboard would taste delicious right now.”

“Ouch. I liked it better when you were moaning.” She laughed and shook her head before clearing her throat. “So what book are you
really
reading?” Her eyebrow rose as she called me out on my lie.

“Where’d you
really
go last night?”
Something tells me you’re more fascinating than the book I’ve been reading.

Her eyes narrowed as she fought against a smirk, and for a second it felt like she knew what I was thinking. “I’m not ready to divulge all of my secrets just yet.”

“Fair enough.” I let it go, but now I was really curious about her.

We finished our salads, and Cara took our bowls. “It’s best if I get this. I don’t want to have to clean any more wounds.”

“You’re not going to let that go, are you?” I asked as I grabbed us each a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Not until I get some better dirt on you,” she teased as she rinsed out plates and took the drink with a thanks. “I’m going to go run through the shower.”

“Yeah, I should probably unpack a few boxes,” I said as I followed her up the stairs. I thanked her again for the food, slipped inside my room, and lay on my stomach across my bed. I was dying to get back into the book I was reading, and the last thing I wanted was to be reminded of my life prior to living here. It was too painful.

Cara appeared in my doorway and dropped a towel on my water mess. “Wouldn’t want you to slip,” she joked as she headed back down the hall.

When I heard the bathroom door close I unlocked the screen, chewing my lower lip as I devoured a few more chapters of my book, getting lost in the illicit debauchery. After a long night in the stranger’s apartment that earned her nice pay, the heroine was now startled back into reality, sitting in one of her college classes and listening to her professor’s lecture. I began to skim the pages, wanting to know what her next secret encounter would be. The dull repetition of her everyday life was like looking into a mirror, and I wanted it to fog over, allowing me to drift off in my own subconscious.

“Skipping to the good parts?” I jumped, turning on my side to see a smirking Cara with a towel held against her chest. It wasn’t wrapped around her and I could see her bare tan hips on either side of the white fabric that stopped just low enough not to reveal her private parts.
Holy shit. I wished I was as comfortable with myself as she seems to be. Life must be effortless when you look like absolute perfection.

She bent down closer to me, and I held my breath, uncertain of what she was going to do. Embarrassment washed over me as she picked up the e-reader. I grabbed it, but she gripped it tightly as she began to read aloud. “His hand slid into my panties, and I gasped as he entered me with two of his long fingers.” She finally released her grip and let me take the e-reader back as I lay frozen in horror.

“I didn’t think you’d be into that kind of stuff, Ellie. You’re full of surprises.” She shook her head in mock disapproval as she straightened. “And here I thought you were one of the
good girls.
”

“You’re one to talk. It’s your book,” I retorted.

She laughed, shaking her head and causing her long damp hair to cling to her sun-kissed skin. “I’m sorry. It’s just so easy to cause you to blush. It’s cute.” She grabbed the edges of her towel and pulled them around her to cover her backside as well before heading to her own room.

I groaned, flopping onto my back as I wallowed in humiliation. I’ll return it to Cara and find the local library tomorrow. But first, I at least needed to know how it ended. I read as fast as I could, chapter after chapter until the sun sank outside of my window. My father and Dawn came home from work. They were both exhausted and turned in without even saying a word.

CHAPTER FOUR

Cara

D
ropping the towel just inside my door, I grabbed my makeup bag from my dresser, sat down on the edge of my bed, and began to paint the pretty illusion of contentment on my face.

My mind drifted to the look on Ellie’s face as I busted her reading that book.
Was she checking me out, or had I imagined it?
Her innocence made me yearn for the days when I never saw myself as wrong or bad. It made me envious of her, but at the same time I was curious about how she could hold herself together, so sure of herself. I wanted to learn from her.

It was in this moment I decided I wasn’t going to avoid Ellie any longer. I was going to get to know her, bring her out of her shell. Right now I felt like I needed someone on my side as well, and it might do us both some good.

Once I finished my makeup, I blow-dried my hair and straightened it before looking myself over in the mirror. I was pretty certain Ellie’s eyes had lingered on my exposed flesh. I ran my hand over my stomach, turning sideways to examine myself. I hated that even my own boyfriend felt like I was something to be hidden away in a closet.

Huffing, I went to my dresser and pulled out a pair of turquoise lace panties and slid them up over my hips. Grabbing my favorite vintage Monkeys tank top and a pair of fitted jeans, I finished dressing before falling back on my bed and staring at the ceiling. Normally, I’d fill the void between now and sneaking out with reading, but Ellie had my e-reader.
I wonder what sordid chapter she’s reading now.

I flipped my cell over in my hand, wanting to text Tristan but forcing myself to wait until he apologized first. He was probably out with his mother right now. After the call I’d had earlier today, I really wanted to make things right between us.

I sent him a quick text telling him that I didn’t want to fight before pulling open my laptop and clicking on my browser reading application.

I smiled when it asked me to sync to the last page read in
The Good Girls
. Chewing on my lip, I clicked yes as my eyes scanned the new location. I was shocked that she hadn’t quit reading it. There was a dirty side to her, and it made me want to get to know her more.

Ellie was reading chapter 14, and I knew exactly which part she was on. It was a scene where the main character, Claire, was fantasizing about sleeping with her best friend and not just any friend, but another female. My eyes scanned over the digital pages line after line as the story played out in my head.

My body was running hot as I pictured the girls grinding together on the dance floor as the world around them fell away. I decided to relieve some stress of my own, and I stood from the computer and fell back on my bed. Unzipping my jeans, I let my eyes flutter closed as my fingers dipped below the edge of my panties and disappeared beneath the lacy fabric.

I pressed against my damp clit as my hips rolled forward to create more friction against my smooth flesh. I let the story continue to roll through my mind and wondered if Ellie was doing the same. My eyes flew open in horror, but my fingers continued to move against me. I squeezed my eyes shut again, picturing Tristan’s tanned, stubbled face between my thighs as his tongue lapped against me with expert precision. Quiet pants escaped my lips as I pressed my head back against my pillow.

My release was fast and hard, and I was certain someone had to have heard the quiet moans that resonated from the back of my throat. As soon as the pulsing ebbed, I was immediately awash with shame.
What the hell was I doing?
I buttoned my pants and hurried to the bathroom, where I took a scalding shower, scrubbing my skin so hard I thought it would leave a road rash.

My mind was a flurry of memories and pain, not because I’d fantasized about Ellie, but because for the first time, I wasn’t thinking about Tatum. My heart broke as I pictured her strawberry-blond curls splayed across my pillow as we laughed and told each other secrets until the sun came up.

We’d been best friends for years, absolutely inseparable. She’d always join my family at church on Sundays, and I would go camping with her and her father every May. We were often teased by the boys at school about how close we were. Tatum would flip out and yell at them and tell them we were like sisters. I would just smile and know that they wished they’d gotten to spend so much time with her.

I dragged the razor over my calf as my eyes blurred, mixing my tears with conditioner. I could still see the horror on her face, though, when she and I were kissing, claiming it was practice for the day we met a guy we really liked. We’d done it countless times and our make-out sessions had gotten hot and heavy on many occasions, but this day was different. We’d become too comfortable in who we were and forgot how the world around us would judge us if they ever found out. We learned our lesson the hard way when Tatum’s father caught us together in her living room when he was supposed to be working late.

A man I looked up to and treated me as if I were one of his own now looked at me in disgust, as if I’d just murdered someone. And in his eyes, I had. I’d killed the perfect image of his precious baby girl. But instead of standing up for what we had, Tatum was afraid, and she denied our love for each other, telling him that I had kissed her out of nowhere.

After a humiliating phone call with my mother and then being forced to talk to the priest at our church, I was deemed unworthy of compassion or love and sent to live with my mother’s friend Dawn, the only person left who could look me in the eye. But living with Dawn came with a price, and that was having to live with David.

“Shit.” A sob ripped from my chest as the blur became crimson running down my leg. I rinsed my hair quickly before holding my leg under the water, letting the redness swirl down the drain.

I needed to forget about Tatum and move on with my life. I
had
moved on with my life. Tristan was a good guy who had goals and treated me well. I’d never had someone stand up for me and protect me the way he did. I only wished I could trust him with my secrets, but I was too afraid he’d judge me like my mother, and I’d lose him, too.

I stepped out of the shower onto the fluffy white bath mat, a drop of crimson slithered down my leg and spread out onto the white tuffs of fabric. Grabbing the soap, I wet a washcloth and scrubbed the spot until it was a faded pink.

Next, I tended to my own injury as I did earlier with Ellie, cleaning and bandaging the tiny nick. I slipped a towel around my waist and quietly crept back to my room.

I let the towel pool on the floor around my feet and made my way to my dresser. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a yellow tank top with matching yellow panties and pulled them on quickly. I reapplied my makeup and straightened my hair, feeling lethargic after a good cry but still wanting to escape this place for a little while. I finished off my look with assorted bangle bracelets that hid the ugly bruises on my wrists behind something shiny and beautiful.

I grabbed my phone, and to my surprise Tristan had texted me back while I had been in the shower. He apologized for upsetting me last night and told me that he wasn’t ashamed of me at all, but he didn’t want to subject me to his judgmental parents, whom he avoided at all costs.

My thoughts drifted to Ellie and the strain between her and David. I had to get her out of here, even for a little bit, because I owed her. She had helped me escape the memory of Tatum, even if momentarily, and even though she wasn’t aware of it.

CHAPTER FIVE

Ellie

I
wasn’t the least bit tired, but there was nothing else to do. I rose from my bed and flipped open one of the boxes, searching through my clothing for something to sleep in as my door squeaked open behind me. I turned, startled as Cara laughed, clicking the door closed behind her. Her hair was straightened, her emerald eyes lined in black.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

I held up a pair of sweat pants. “Getting ready for bed. What are
you
doing?”

Her eyebrows pulled together as she shook her head. “No you’re not. We’re going out.”

“Oh, I don’t think my father would like that.”

Cara rolled her eyes as she pushed from the door and walked toward me, flopping down on my bed. “What would
you
like, Ellie? No offense, but I know him, and he is oblivious to everything…like the fact that technically what I do at the hospital is community service, and it ended weeks ago. Or the fact that his daughter is in desperate need of his attention.”

“None taken,” I huffed as I stood, and my eyes drifted down Cara’s torso to her fingers that were playing with a small silver ring looped in her belly button.

“It’s cute, right?”

My eyes snapped back to her smiling face. “If you like that sort of stuff.”

She laughed as she pulled her pale yellow shirt down to cover her stomach. “Oh, come on, Ellie. Dawn and David aren’t here. You can drop the act. I already caught you reading porn.”

“What act? And do you really call your mother by her first name?” I completely ignored her porn comment, because I knew she was just trying to get a rise out of me.

“This perfect little good-girl act, and she’s
not
my mother.” She stood from the bed and snatched the sweat pants from my hand. “I can tell when you’re lying.”

“It’s not an act,” I snapped. I reached for my pants, and she held them behind her back. I wanted to press her about Dawn not being her mother, but asking would be rude, and regardless of how Cara was acting now, I would keep my composure. I didn’t like how easily Cara was able to make me squirm.

“Yes it is.” Her head cocked to the side as she looked me over, clearly amused. “Just come out for a little while. I want to get to know you, and I promise you won’t get in any trouble.” She drug her finger over her heart in a cross motion. “You wanted to know where I go when I sneak out. Here’s your chance. I figured I owed you after picking on you, and maybe deep down under that prim and proper dress”—she paused as her eyes looked me over—“
maybe
there is a wild side to you.”

As uncertain as I was about Cara, I really did need to get out of this house before I lost my mind. Two days, and I was already wanting to claw at the walls. This was my chance to step outside of the structured world I’d built for myself and just do something spontaneous, actually enjoy myself. Cara looked at me eagerly, and I was pretty sure she was holding her breath in anticipation of my answer.

I sighed heavily as my eyes looked over around the barren room. “Where are we going?” I asked. Cara squealed and looped her arms around my neck, nearly knocking me off-balance.

“This is going to be so much fun!” She pulled back, and her eyes danced down my body. “But you need to change. This dress is a little much for where we’re going. Throw on some jeans and a T-shirt.”

I groaned but turned to dig through my boxes for an outfit that looked like hers. With clothes in hand, I turned back around to see Cara sitting on the edge of my bed.

“Can I have a minute?”

“What? You have something under that dress that I’ve never seen before? Because if you have a dick, I’ve already been there, done that.” She rolled her eyes and tossed my sweat pants toward the pile of boxes. She laughed as my eyes widened from her crass comment.

I chewed my lip as I turned my back to Cara so she wouldn’t see me turn pink again. Pulling my blue sundress over my head, I was wondering if I’d regret my decision to go out with her. I’d never had many friends, so I wasn’t comfortable undressing in front of anyone, but I wasn’t going to make myself look any more naïve than I already had. Besides, my paisley bra and underwear covered as much as a bikini would.

“Wow, you have a killer body, Ellie. I’m envious. I have to say, I expected granny panties under there to hide the stick in your ass.”

I let out a small laugh. Someone as beautiful as Cara saying they were envious of me was ridiculous. I stepped into my jeans and wiggled them up over my hips. “Come on. I saw you in nothing but a towel, and we both know you have nothing to be envious of. Oh, and I don’t have a stick up my ass.”

“Oh my God. I bet that was the first curse word you’ve ever said!”

I glanced over my shoulder and narrowed my eyes at her. “I’m a nice person, not a
fucking
robot,” I replied, and now it was she who was shocked.

“I’ll have to stay between you and Tristan tonight.”

“Who’s Tristan?” I asked as I pulled my shirt on and turned to face her. She got up from the bed and walked toward me. Her hands slid on either side of my neck as she pulled my long hair from under my gray shirt before slipping her fingers under the delicate chain of my mother’s necklace and pulling it out as well.

“Tristan is my boyfriend.” Her face lit up as she looked me over with approval. “But he has some really good-looking friends, and they will be fighting to get their dirty hands on you,” she added with a wink before taking my hand and pulling me toward the bedroom door.

“Wait,” I slid my feet into my sandals before letting her pull me out into the hall. We tiptoed our way to the stairs, pausing whenever one creaked beneath our feet. When we reached the bottom, we both made a dash for the front door, struggling to suppress our giggles.

Sitting at the end of the driveway was a dark car that was already running, but its headlights were turned off.

I shook my head at Cara as her smirk grew. “You’re a bad influence.”

“Maybe. But you’re a good influence, so I need you. You can’t back out now, Ellie. I’m tired of only hanging out with guys.” Her bottom lip jutted out in a mock pout, and all I could do was laugh as I was practically dragged down the porch steps to the waiting vehicle.

Cara pulled open the passenger door, and the driver smiled, revealing dimples in his sun-kissed skin. He was the male version of Cara: breathtaking. Tugging at my tank top, I looked down to the ground.

“I’m Tristan,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling as he ran his hand over his sandy brown hair that was a few inches long on top, but shaved shorter on the sides. It was dark, but he looked a few years older than us, and I wondered how they met.

“This is Ellie.” Cara bent down and slid across the bench seat, not releasing my hand, forcing me to sit next to her.

“I could sit in the back,” I mumbled as we pulled out into the dark street.

“The guys will be sitting back there, and I can’t let you alone with them on your first night out.” She reached forward and turned up the radio as I stared out the passenger window, my hand still in her grasp.

“Ellie…is that short for Elizabeth?” Tristan asked, glancing around Cara.

“Elise, actually. I was named after my father’s great-grandmother.” I replied, averting my gaze from his mesmerizing blue eyes. He was almost too handsome to look at.

“I’m going to call you El,” Cara said as if she was just thinking out loud.

“So Tristan, did you go to school with Cara?”

“Nah, I’m in college. I go to U Dub.”

“I’ll be going there in a few months,” Cara said. Tristan didn’t know that she was going to still be in high school next year? I wondered what else she had lied to him about.

“What about you?” Tristan turned down a street to our left.

“Umm…I’m not really sure. Plans change.” I stared out of the passenger window, begging myself to keep my tears at bay. I was supposed to start college after senior year, but after my mother’s accident, I needed to get a job and my own place. I had no intention of staying at David’s for any longer than necessary. I wasn’t completely opposed to having my father in my life. In fact, it was something I’d always dreamed about when I was younger, but I didn’t want it to be like this. I wanted him to want to be my parent and not be forced to step up to the plate.

I lived only an hour from Blackwell, but it felt like a completely different world than I’d been raised in. My mother had grown her own vegetable garden, and she spent her evenings off with me. We lived in a modest two-bedroom apartment, but it was plenty of room for just the two of us.

My father’s house seemed to be designed to make sure the occupants didn’t have to interact unless absolutely necessary. The thought made me sad, like most of my thoughts lately.

After a few minutes of silence, I tried to make small talk. “So where are we going?”

Cara and Tristan looked at each other and laughed. “Don’t freak out”—Cara cleared her throat—“but we’re going to hit a frat party.”

“You’re not serious,” I groaned. The car made a sudden right turn, and we drove down a long dirt driveway.
I can handle this.
“This doesn’t look like a party.” My eyes narrowed as I looked over the darkened house at the end of the lane, and my heartbeat seemed to slow. This wasn’t so bad.

“Not here. We’re just picking up Luke, Cameron, and Brody.”

“Great,” I mumbled as three guys came out of the shadows of the wraparound porch. As they stepped in front of the headlights, I had to swallow back the lump in my throat. They were all tall, muscular, and every bit as handsome as Tristan.
What do they put in the drinking water around here?

“Cameron is the taller one with dark hair, and Luke and Brody are brothers.”

My eyes danced over the three men. I could definitely pick out the brother who had dirty-blond hair. One had a sleeve of tattoos, and the other didn’t have any that I could see.

Cameron pulled open the back door and slid into the backseat, placing his large hand on Cara’s shoulder next to me.
He smells incredible.

“Who’s your friend, Cara?” he asked with a deep, husky voice. The other two guys slid into the seat on either side of him and the doors closed, causing the overhead light to go off. I was thankful they could no longer see how pink my cheeks were.

“This is my girl, El. She just moved in with me.” She squeezed my hand reassuringly, and I relaxed a little. I was never good around groups of people. I usually kept to myself, my face buried in a book. Social interaction wasn’t my strong suit.

“Nice to meet you,” the deep voice called out. “I’m Cameron.” I turned to look at him over my shoulder. His eyes were dark like mine. His hair was chestnut brown and cut short all over but still managed to look messy.

“Nice to meet you,” I nodded before turning back forward.

“The other two are Luke and Brody. You’ll have to forget their rudeness,” Cara said as her voice rose, cutting into their private conversation in the back.

“Sorry. El, is it? Nice to meet you,” one of them replied.

“It’s about time Cara started bringing some girls around.” The other laughed, and she turned to glare at him. “Getting tired of hanging out with all these assholes all the time.”

“It doesn’t make a difference, Brody, because El isn’t into douchebags.” Cara gave me a side glance as she tried to stifle a laugh. I was glad she was standing up for me. Maybe this party wouldn’t be so bad.

We drove for another fifteen minutes while the radio blared and the guys sang off-key.

“What’s that smell?” A cloud of smoke enveloped my head from behind, and someone laughed.

“It’s just pot,” Cara whispered as a hand came between our faces holding a small silver pipe.

“Cara,” I groaned between gritted teeth as her hand left mine. She took the small pipe. A second later a lighter was passed up to her, and she placed the device between her lips and held the lighter to the bowl end.

“C’mere,” she choked out as she tried to hold her breath.

I leaned closer to her as one of the guys from behind us said, “Fuck, yeah. They’re gonna make out.”
Was she really going to kiss me?

“Stop being gay, Cam,” Tristan called out, and Cara flinched at his choice of words.

“How does it make me gay to watch two girls?” he asked, offended that his manhood was being challenged, whatever that meant. “That doesn’t even make any fucking sense.”

“First of all, my girlfriend won’t be doing nothing with another girl unless I’m between them. And you damn sure won’t be watching,
Bingo
.” His tone was not playful in the slightest, and it made me stiffen. I wanted to ask why he’d called him Bingo, but after his outburst, it didn’t feel like a good idea.

I glared behind me as Cara grabbed my chin to keep me facing her. “Breathe in.” As the words left her lips, thick white smoke rolled from her mouth. I inhaled as much as I could. “Hold it in.”

I struggled to hold my breath, but my chest began to burn, and as I exhaled I coughed and sputtered. The guys began to laugh, but Cara tucked my hair behind my ear, concern in her eyes. “Are you all right?”