“Where?” I ask at the same time Summer says, “What about Mom? I was gonna head over. Spend the night.”
Rain crosses to us and fixes Summer’s curls framing her face. “I say this as your friend and life mentor, my young Skywalker.”
I scoff. “Star Wars? Really? Who knew random hookups in Boone’s bedroom would be so educational.”
Rain ignores me, intent on her latest protege. “You can’t stop living, babe. Your mom doesn’t want that. Besides, I need my wingwoman.”
“Your wingwoman?” Summer sounds uncertain as she glances at me.
Rain breezes past us on a mission to pick a different song. “Someone has to step up and take on the role now that Jessica is preoccupied with Ravencourt’s enormous dick.”
My mouth drops open. “Hey! That’s not true.”
Rain stops in her tracks and stares at me. They both do. And then the room explodes with laughter.
“She’s funny, your sister,” Rain says to Summer, who snickers into her oversized sleeve, while our crazy friend pokes her tongue in her cheek, pretending to give a blowjob.
I cross my arms and lift a brow, waiting her out, trying my hardest not to crack a smile.
“Where are we going?” I ask when she’s finally done making fun of me.
“Isn’t it obvious?” With a glint of mischief, she takes the vodka from Summer and tips it back. The clear liquid sloshes inside the bottle, and she drinks it down, staining the rim with her blood-red lipstick. Then she hands it to me. “We’re going to Dark Lanes.”
Rain sings along at the top of her lungs toLiquidby Ashnikko, the countless fake-gold bracelets clinking on her wrists. She probably shouldn’t drive in her state, but that’s never stopped her before.
“Here, you need some of this,” she says to us. She smacks the dashboard open and roots through it while watching the road.
Finding what she’s looking for, she holds the small pouch out, pinched between two fingers. “I scored it from Dex.”
I take the pouch and study the small pills inside. “He’s back out of jail and dealing again? Didn’t he get seven years or something?”
“Guess he knew the right people.” She looks at me, at the pouch in my hand. “You don’t have to worry. It’s good stuff.”
I put it back on the dashboard, and Rain gives me a surprised look. It doesn’t feel right to show up at Dark Lanes with drugs in my system. Kane will probably be there with his friends. I don’t know why I suddenly care so much when I never used to, but I’m already self-conscious about my background and financial situation. I don’t want them thinking I’m a gold digger, and I don’t want to play into the Falls stereotype either, which, if I’m being honest, is a toxic way to think. I shouldn’t be ashamed of where I’m from.
I glance at Rain, who is dancing behind the wheel, hands raised in the air.
Or who I’m friends with. I should be proud of where I’m from. After all, it shaped me into who I am.
So what if we’re poor? So what if we’re not heiresses? So what if we’ve never attended a debutante ball, like Kane.
So fucking what?
My handbag rests on my lap. I open it and glance inside, and when I see the dagger, my heart kicks harder. For obvious reasons, I don’t want Kane discovering it in my possession. I wrapped it in a kitchen towel before we left the house.
If everything goes to plan tonight, I’ll convince him to take me back to his place. Once he falls asleep, I’ll sneak out and return it to his father’s office. No one ever has to know it was missing, and I can finally stop feeling guilty.
The first time Kane sought me out and cornered me in the bathroom, I blurted that I’d pay him. It was the first thing that came to mind and I didn’t even think as the words left my lips. At the time, he had no solid proof it was actually me, at least not from the surveillance footage. I’d worn a mask to hide my identity.
Luckily, he didn’t catch the slip. I doubt he knows.
Now I just want to be rid of it so I don’t have to carry this guilt anymore. It’s too late to hand it back outright. What would I even say? Sorry I stole it from you? Yeah, right.
“We’re here,” Rain says, tearing me from my thoughts. In the back seat, Summer leans forward through the gap, her eyes wide as she takes in the busy scene.
Cars are everywhere. Some are parked hazardously along both sides of the road, hoods up, engines running. Others, like us, glide through the throngs of people heading toward the races.
“I’m already horny,” Rain says as the modified car in front revs its engine, rap music blasting from the open windows.
