Unveiling The Sky Read online

  She met my eyes in the mirror and made it clear she wasn’t impressed with my sarcasm before returning to her task. It was also pretty clear Naomi wasn’t in the mood to have this argument tonight. Although, to be fair, she was never really in the mood, but her patience seemed particularly low tonight. Apparently, that feeling was short lived, because two minutes later, she started having this conversation again.

  “We just had this conversation, yes?” Naomi asked as she stuck out the tip of her tongue and raised the mascara wand to her top left lashes.

  “Yeah,” I mumbled like a grumpy toddler.

  She raised her hands like she was surrendering. “Hey, you’re the one who said—”

  “I know. I’m an idiot.”

  She laughed and went back to doing her makeup. “Well, if you don’t want to meet new people, you could always call—”

  “Do not say Chad.” I held up a cheetah-print halter top that left very little to the imagination. Dropping it in the hell no pile, I moved on to the few neutral shirts she owned.

  “Why the hell not? What exactly was wrong with him? He seemed pretty cool. A perfect height for you, blond hair, blue eyes, and a body that would make David Beckham jealous.” Naomi’s eyes went dreamy as she brought her hands up to her chest and pretended to swoon.

  “Yeah, you’re right. It’s obviously much more realistic to base my interest on his abs and pectorals. We’re clearly a match made in heaven. Oh my God!” I fake gasped and face-palmed my forehead. “Why didn’t we just get married? He’s probably taken by now.”

  “Cute.” Naomi threw the pillow lying next to her at my face before getting up and strolling out of her room and into the common area.

  Ditching my sarcasm and taking a serious tone, I left her bedroom and found her rooting around our fridge.

  “I’m not trying to be difficult. Yes, Chad was really nice, but it wasn’t going to go anywhere. I mean, he was ready to rush right into everything, and I need something slow, like glacially slow. You know that.”

  She sighed before shutting the fridge empty-handed and coming to stand next to me at the counter. With a gentle hip bump, she said, “I just want you to be sure.”

  I gave her an encouraging smile before reaching over and softly squeezing her hand. “I am. I promise. Now let’s finish getting ready.”

  We both went back to her room, where I sat on her bed and resumed my search from earlier as she started changing into her outfit for the night.

  “Why don’t you just wear what you’ve already got on?” she asked.

  I looked up as she started gathering her dark hair into a bun. Raising an eyebrow, I responded, “Because you and Sherry always say I need to dress less like a librarian.”

  She laughed and turned back to the mirror. “I’m pretty sure that was all Sher. But, seriously, we’re just joking. You always look nice, and it’s always better to be comfortable. Getting you out of your comfort zone doesn’t mean we have to throw you in the deep end without any kind of lifesaver.”

  “Okay, but you’re the one who’s explaining that to Sherry,” I said as I stood up and started heading to my room.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind going out tonight?” she asked one more time.

  I paused in her doorway and turned around to see a concerned look had washed over her face. I wanted to tell her yes, I did mind and just wasn’t feeling it tonight. But she was right when she said I had wanted this. I guess it’s just easier to want something from a distance, where all the scary realities are tiny and blurred. And although she never meant to, her looks of pity made me feel guilty about being the constant Debbie-downer.

  This was the last Thursday before school started, and since Naomi was about to spend the semester taking the LSAT and applying for law schools, she was going to be going out less this year, meaning she was really looking forward to this last weekend of summer.

  I gave her a bright smile that undoubtedly looked fake and said, “Of course I don’t mind. I was just being dramatic.”

  Naomi knew my real smile, my fake smile, and everything in between, so when she gave a slight frown and lowered her voice, I wasn’t surprised. “Look, if you really don’t want to go out, we can just go to dinner or something.” She sounded as enthusiastic as a kid going to the dentist, but I knew she meant it.

  “Sherry is probably wearing a skintight dress and an insane amount of makeup. If we go anywhere else, she’ll look like a prostitute.”

  She smiled. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” I made a move to leave when her voice stopped me again. “Hey, Alara?”

  “Yeah?”

  She opened her mouth but was silenced by a knock at the front door. With a quick glance behind me, she put on a relieved smile that she didn’t have to finish what she was about to say and walked toward the door. “That’s probably Sher,” she said as she passed.

  I followed her and made it to the living room just as Sherry crossed the threshold. Her long, auburn hair was full and in beachy curls that extended past her barely covered chest. She wore a strapless, skintight red dress that ended mid-thigh and shifted to an almost indecent level every time she moved. She walked in so smoothly you’d think she was barefoot instead of strapped into four-inch heels. Sherry, unlike me, had the coordination required to wear those death traps.

  I’d gone out numerous times over the last few months in my efforts to be more social, and almost every time, I was told “girls’ nights” demanded I wear a pair. And despite all the practice, I never stopped walking like a horse with gum attached to its hoof that was on the verge of falling over every twenty seconds. But ever since I’d known Sherry, she’d walked like they were made for her.

  “I have a confession,” Sherry said, snapping me out of my random thoughts. “I may have pre-gamed a tiny bit in the cab.” She brought her thumb and pointer finger up and made the gesture for just a little bit before pulling out a flask of what was probably tequila. “But don’t worry. I left enough for each of us to do one shot before we go. Please tell me you have limes and salt.”

  “I’m pretty sure everyone has salt in their kitchen, Sher.” Naomi walked into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. “But it’s a negative on the limes.”

  Sherry huffed. “You really need to be more prepared for these things.”

  “Sorry. Next time my boyfriend comes over, I’ll tell him not to use the limes for dinner, just in case my alcoholic friend shows up demanding them with her tequila.”

  “That would be appreciated,” Sherry said with a smile, not the least bit insulted.

  “I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t be pre-gaming either, what with the whole designated driver thing,” I said.

  “What? You’re not driving.” Sherry turned toward me with an incredulous look as Naomi took out her cell. “This is girls’ night and girls’ night requires us all to drink. And I’m not saying get drunk, because I know you”—she paused to point to Naomi—“only like to do that when you’re at home. And you”—pointing to me this time—“don’t like to get drunk at all. But just have a couple drinks. Just loosen us all up, yeah?”

  Naomi’s hands froze over her phone as she looked up. “Sher, she’s not supposed to drink at all while taking her meds.”

  Sherry’s face fell. “Shit, I forgot. It’s just been so long. I’m sorry—”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said as I waved her off. “I can have a little bit. We’ll just be careful and monitor it well.” I looked at Naomi and lifted my eyebrows in question. “My doctor said it’s better than stopping cold turkey,” I added.

  She cast me a doubtful glance before setting her phone down and crossing her arms. After eyeing me for several seconds, she asked, “And you promise you’ll be honest if you start feeling anxious, overwhelmed, sad—?”

  “Yes.” I cut her off. If she listed everything, we’d be here all night. Clearing my throat, my gaze traveled between them. “I promise.”

  Naomi nodded warily while Sherry whooped.

/>   I smiled, but inside I felt a little numb. I hated the fact that my depression was affecting any part of my friends’ lives. Even something as simple as this, them not being able to let loose because they’d be worrying about me.

  “This is perfect. More for me,” Sherry said as she winked and gave me a reassuring smile, almost like she knew the dangerous turn my thoughts had taken.

  “So…” I started, now more desperate to get us back on track. “Are you just going to crash on our couch tonight?” I directed my question toward Sherry.

  “Nope, I’m gonna crash on your bed. Because we’re gonna find you a guy tonight.” She winked as she took out her lipstick and reapplied.

  “What happened to girls’ night?”

  Sherry waved her hand in the air. “After girls’ night, we’ll find you a guy.”

  “You think I’m going to meet my soul mate in a bar?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

  “Who knows?” She shrugged. “I have no clue—and neither do you. So stop acting like you know everything for five seconds and come out and have fun without thinking about what’s gonna come of it. Okay?” The smile never left her face, but I knew she still thought she had to persuade me. “Come on. It’ll be fun. I promise.”

  “Now who thinks they know everything,” I muttered.

  “Are you guys ready?” Naomi asked as she finished slipping on her shoes.

  Sherry hollered an affirmative while I slipped on my nude ballet flats, readying myself for a bar night just like any other.

  My first shift went as smooth as could be expected with my complete lack of experience and the confrontation with Miranda yesterday still fresh in my mind. I was set up to train with Derek for the next two weeks, which meant I worked whenever he worked, and fortunately, tonight, that was just the dinner rush. We were both out by 8:30, just missing the Thirsty Thursday crowd.

  “Thank God we missed that,” Derek said as we exited, and he pointed behind him. “The last Thursday before school starts is always crazy.”

  “Yeah, I remember. Or at least I remember the first thirty minutes of those nights.”

  Derek laughed as we began walking back. “So whadya think?”

  “Not bad. It’ll probably be better once I actually know what I’m doing.”

  “You’ll get the hang of it quick. As long as you got common sense and can deal with people’s shit, working in the food industry is pretty simple.” We continued the rest of the walk in silence. Derek was constantly typing out texts on his phone while I looked around and tried to familiarize myself with the area.

  As soon as we got home, I walked to my room and fell face-first on the bed. Even though the only physical thing I did today was organize my new bedroom before we headed to work, I was still pretty tired.

  My eyes closed just as I heard Derek’s chuckle from the foot of my bed before he asked, “Tired?”

  “Just a little bit,” I slurred into my pillow. His feet padded across the floor, but I didn’t open my eyes until I heard the ripping of tape. My head was turned in the direction of my closet and gave me a clear view of Derek tearing at several unopened boxes labeled clothes.

  “Come on. Get dressed,” he said as he turned to face me and gestured to the boxes.

  “Uh… why?” I asked.

  Ignoring me, he stepped closer before sniffing the air around me and taking a step back. “You better shower, too. I’ll text Naomi and let her know we need about a half hour.”

  He made a move to leave the room when my voice stopped him. “Umm, I think I’m going to need a little bit more information here.”

  Derek slid his phone in the front pocket of his jeans. “Sorry, my bad. We’re going out tonight. Celebrating you getting a new job or moving in or… whatever the hell we want really. My sister, Naomi, and a couple of her friends are going out, and she asked me the other night if I wanted to come. At first I said no, but now I figure why the hell not?” He shrugged before continuing out of the room. “Oh, and my sister hates when I’m late to shit, so try not to take too long,” Derek pleaded as he vanished down the hall.

  …

  Thirty minutes later, we were pulling up to another college bar, making my relief at avoiding drunken co-eds short lived. We immediately made our way to the bar, and I was surprised to find it wasn’t as noisy as I was expecting, so when I leaned over and asked Derek where his sister was, I could actually hear his answer.

  “Just a sec,” he responded right before throwing back a shot. He offered me the second one, but when I shook my head, he quickly knocked it back without a second thought.

  “DEREK!” I heard the shriek over my left shoulder two seconds before the embodiment of that voice launched herself at his chest.

  “Hey,” Derek managed to puff out as he reached out to steady himself on the bar. Once he regained his balance, he set her down and placed his hand on her hip to steady her as well. She made a big production of running her hand down his chest and smiling suggestively as she kissed his neck. I really hope that’s not his sister.

  “Hey, Becca. How are you?” He placed a quick, chaste kiss on her cheek.

  “I’m great.” She winked before turning my way and holding out her hand. “Becca.”

  “Gabe.”

  “How do you know Derek?” she asked while wrapping her arm around his midsection.

  “From work,” Derek interrupted quickly as he worked to untangle her arm from his stomach. “Becca… it’s been good seeing you. But we’re actually meeting people, so…” Derek trailed off as he motioned for me to follow him to a spot farther down the bar, leaving her standing there gaping at us.

  “Ex-girlfriend?” At his grimace, I dropped it and changed the subject. “Do you see your sister yet?”

  “Not yet, but I really need a smoke. Then we can look for Naomi, yeah?”

  “Sure.”

  As we made our way to the front door, the silence was comfortable, and I allowed my eyes to wander around the bar. The instant they landed on a booth in the back, everything seemed to go quiet. Two girls sat there, one in the dead center of the booth, gesticulating enthusiastically and laughing so loud it reached us several yards away. Her thick, dark hair was piled high on her head, leaving her porcelain face and neck free from obstruction. But despite her theatrics and faraway beauty, she wasn’t the one who held my attention. That was reserved for the girl directly to her right, who was casually leaning against the seat. One hand fluttered to her neck as she adjusted the long, blonde braid cascading over her right breast, drawing my attention to her modestly covered yet enticing chest. She laughed along with her friend, but her laugh was restrained and timid, like she was afraid someone would look at her if she was too loud. She must have sensed my stare, because her eyes jumped to mine, and after a few seconds, her lips tipped up into a small, tentative smile that—

  My head spun to the petite brunette in front of me as she stumbled backward and flew out her arms in hopes of catching herself. I quickly grabbed her before she fell and held on as she regained her balance.

  “Hey, I’m sorry about that. Are you all right?” I asked the girl I must have run into.

  “I’m great,” she slurred. The small smile I had on my face disappeared as she leaned toward me. “But I know a way I could be even better.”

  “Hey!” The shout came just before the shove that had me releasing her and regaining my own balance. “Hands off my date, asshole.”

  I lifted my hands in surrender and gestured toward the swaying brunette. “Just making sure she stays on her feet.”

  He grunted before looking over at her. “That’s a full-time job. This bitch prefers to be on her back… or her knees.” His friends started laughing and gave each other high-fives right as she shoved him. Derek had just turned around to see where I was when she punctuated the shove with a slurred insult.

  “You’re such an ass, Carter.” Her voice was strained as she looked down in embarrassment.

  “I have to be when my date’s such a
slut.” He looked smug when her cheeks turned a brighter shade of red, because he thought she was still embarrassed, but I wasn’t so sure. She seemed more pissed than anything else. A fact she made obvious when she slapped him. Hard. His eyes flared with anger.

  “Bitch, you—” he started, but she was already stumbling away and heading toward the exit. He moved to follow, but his friends held him back.

  “Forget about her, Carter. Just find another one.”

  He reluctantly nodded before the group pulled him away and toward the bar.

  “What the hell was that about?” Derek asked when he finally made his way back to me.

  I shook my head. “No fucking clue.” I blew out a breath and nodded toward the door. “How about that smoke?” We started making our way to the exit once more as I thought about the girl in the booth. But when I looked back over at her table, she was smiling at someone else.

  Our brief eye contact broke when he caught the girl he just smacked into. He offered her a warm smile as she leaned into him, and I quickly looked away before I was caught.

  Naomi and I were waiting at a table while Sherry was at the bar, getting our drinks. Guys had flanked her on both sides, but she only seemed interested in one. He was leaning against the bar, standing between her and the competition, although he didn’t seem to think of them as competition. His friend was standing next to him, almost forming a wall against anyone else.

  “I hope she at least brings us our drinks before she ditches us,” I said.

  “She’s not going to ditch us. It’s girls’ night.” Naomi turned, and we both watched Sherry accept the drinks from the bartender as the guy she was chatting with paid the tab. Juggling the three drinks in her hands, she turned around and started to walk toward us without a single backward glance. Mr. Generous quickly caught up to her and relieved her of two drinks while his friend set his sights on someone else.

  When Sherry reached the booth, she slid in next to Naomi while Sherry’s suitor blindly placed our drinks on the table, not taking his eyes off her once. “Thanks again for the drinks,” she said as she took a sip of her beer.