How do I know you’re not going to hypnotize me into becoming your slave nun?
The moment I sent it, I regretted it. It only amplified the sick feeling in my stomach, the urge to flee upstate and start a new life in the woods.
My phone buzzed almost immediately with a reply.
Wes
hot
In the privacy of my bedroom, I smiled. And then I frowned. Because that was a horrible response to my reasonable fear of him meddling around in my subconscious. And then another reply came through.
Wes
i wld nvr do that, Nova
i will only do wht u expressly ask me 2 do
I stared at the bizarre messages with missing letters and abbreviations. Why in the shit was he texting like that? Any feelings I thought I might’ve had for Wes—however minor and against my will—disappeared in an instant.
Ick! Major ick.
No more texting Wes. I wasn’t even sure I could evertalkto Wes ever again.
I left his texts hanging and pulled out my e-reader instead of opening my sad Word document.
It was Saturday. I couldn’t possiblywriteon aSaturday.
I made it until Thursday night before I caved and texted Wes again.
I’ve never even been drunk before. Do you think I’m crazy for considering this?
An hour passed.
no. & who cares what ppl think of u? maybe this is an opportunity 2 confront tht. fuck what they think or wht i think. do wht YOU want to do
I stared at my screen in utter disgust. It was like being comforted by the Buddha if he were in the 6th grade.
The next day, I put on another Bedford Avenue thrift store find: a long burgundy dress with a high slit and a neckline far lower than my norm. My deep brown eyes were big and sultry, accented by an artful smoky shadow, eyeliner, and highlighter. When I looked in the mirror, I felt even more powerful than I had last week.
And I wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but Ididlike how that made me feel.
Hudson and I had already made up. We were good at that. We said what was on our minds and then let each other live our own lives regardless. He was a good friend. Annoying, but good.
He whistled when he saw me, and Delilah clapped her hands together.
“Damn!” she said. “And with the bold cat eye.Meowww.”
Hudson stood. “Remember, no getting trafficked. No giving up your Julliard ambitions for a Morman heir to an airline company. No drinking any drink you didn’t pour yourself, especially Kool-Aid.”
“Yes, Mom,” I groaned, searching for a rideshare app. I hated that I couldn’t take the train, but it would’ve been a horrible idea in these shoes, not to mention the heat. “I’m going to have to start nannying again with these ride fares to Chelsea.”
“Worth it,” Delilah said. “Are you gonna do some insider trading with Mr. Hottie?”
I glared at her, my lip twitching. “Fuck off. You guys be safe too, okay?”
They both saluted me, and it did wonders for my burgeoning God complex. In a long, sexy dress and heels, I could doanything.
Anything except publicly speak without a near-stranger hypnotizing me.
