And I was right. The kids in my class blabbed during lunch hour today and Krew and Decker found out. They scowled at me from the across the lunch room. I know they hate my guts now. Maya feels bad for passing me the note, but it’s too late.
I’m never ever going back to school again.
Love, Regina
Chapter One
Regi
Present Day
“I don’t know how you talk me into these things, Maya.” I glanced up at the steel girders running along the high ceiling of the abandoned warehouse. This seedy building was in a less-than-reputable section of Chicago and had more holes than Swiss cheese. Just standing there gave me the heebie-jeebies. “Are you sure this place is safe and legal?”
“Safe? Yes. But legal…” She pursed her lips and shrugged.
“Jesus,” I snapped, folding my arms across my chest. “You aren’t serious, are you?”
“Stop being so damn naïve. You worry too much, Regi. Jess told you when he dropped us at the door that it’s all good—we’re safe here,” my best friend hyped, avoiding eye contact with me.
Her attention was solely on searching the crowd for her current boyfriend, her flavor of the month. it had been a few months and Jess Duncan was still around. Although, who knew if he’d last the rest of August.
“I don’t care what Jess said, I want to leave. This isn’t my type of place to hang out, Maya, and you know that.” I gripped her arm and tried tugging her back toward the doorway we’d entered through.
“Damn it, Regi,” Maya admonished as she pulled out of my hold.
“I want to leave.” I took a step back from her.
“You’re not leaving, Regi. For Christ’s sake, girl. It’s Saturday night, and you never go out. Stop acting like some fucking nun. We’re here now. So, let’s have some fun and enjoy ourselves.” Maya clasped my hand and yanked me through a crowd of well-dressed people.
Most of the men were in expensive suits, but the women—including my friend—were glitzed up. They looked as out of place as I felt in my black babydoll dress that Maya had insisted on me wearing.
She’d actually walked into my closet and pawed through my clothes until she’d found it. Maya was adamant that it was her duty as my best friend and roommate to make sure I was appropriately attired—her word, tonight.
Everyone was dressed up and acting like this was an exclusive nightclub and they were here to drink and dance the night away. But this place was like no nightclub I’d ever been in—or would go to.
“Fun?” I hissed in her ear. “Watching two people beat the crap out of each other isn’t fun, Maya.”
“Then close your eyes,” she said with a sneer, before she replaced it with a toothy smile that didn’t reach her brown eyes. All of her angry bravado was gone. “Stop being a bore, Regi. Besides, maybe you’ll meet somebody here. Get laid—anything to get that old lady stick out of your ass.”
“I don’t have a stick up my ass,” I huffed out. And what the heck did she mean by old lady? “And I’m not old.”
Maya swiveled back around toward the crowd. “Yes, you do have a stick up your ass,” she threw over her shoulder at me. “Ever since you took over the manager’s position at the salon, all you do is work and sleep. I’m surprised you even had time to put on makeup and do your hair tonight. All work and no play makes Regi an old lady.”
I snorted. Maya was ridiculous. “If I hadn’t done my face and hair, you’d be bitching up a storm about that. At least…” I bit my lower lip to keep from saying anything hurtful. But maybe she was right and I needed to loosen up. It had been quite some time since I’d last gone out and had some fun.
Maya got in my face. “Say it,” she hissed. The glint in her dark eyes displayed a warning I knew all too well. My best friend didn’t play nice, especially when she was pissed off. And since she was my ride…
“Nothing.” I backed down. There was no point in arguing with her. Maya had been there for me at the most horrific time of my life, and throwing trash back in her face wasn’t nice. It wasn’t me.
Now that I’d given in, the ire slipped out of her eyes and the familiar warmth of friendship reappeared.
“Girl, it’s been ages since we let down our hair—or what hair we have left on our heads.” She ran her fingers through her new pixie cut. “This will be fun—and we don’t have to stay long. I promise.”
Dang it, I hated when she gave me the puppy dog eyes.
“Fine, I’ll stay,” I grudgingly agreed. “Talking about hair, why did you cut yours off? I thought you were growing it out. And did you match my color too?”
“I loved your color and cut so much I wanted the same. Is that okay?” she asked in a chirp.
