Cheaters Anonymous

chapter 10 | little white lies

She had chosen a dramatic nude look for me, with a sheer lip gloss, winged eyeliner, and glowing foundation. I touched my sleek straightened hair, admiring the way it complimented the split thigh dress I had on.

"What does that even mean?" Christian said, throwing a wadded up paper ball into the trash can.

"Sex? It's when two people-"

Christian flipped Jasmine off before she could finish, and she laughed.

"Jas, I absolutely love it," I told her.

"I try," she beamed as she placed her makeup brushes back into her bag. "Okay, now it's time for you guys to shower me with compliments."

"You look good as always," I said. I meant it, too- Jasmine's skintight black jumpsuit accented her curves perfectly.

"You'd look better if you were modest. Have you ever heard of that J? Modesty?" Christian said, grinning as he adjusted the collar of his shirt in the mirror. "You know, I never understood a salmon colored shirt. Why's it even called salmon? Salmon is just fancy French or something for pink."

I turned to him, placing my hands on his shoulders and feigning seriousness. "Chris. We're going to get you some guy friends after this."

He shook his head. "You guys are basically my bros. Now if you're ready, shall we?"

"Ready for our last day in paradise," I said, spraying my favorite perfume - vanilla with a hint of sandalwood- on my wrist. As soon as we walked outside to the veranda, Jas turned her head, and I tried not to smile.

"Looking for someone?" I said.

"Zach?" Christian folded his lips into a ridiculous duck face, imitating Jasmine kissing.

Jasmine glared at him and I couldn't help but laugh. "You still didn't tell us if you guys kissed last night."

"Depends. Did you finally succumb to the sexual tension between you and Ellis?" She retorted.

Christian raised his hands. "Whoa, D. Ellis? And you? This is new."

"And completely made up," I explained. "Jasmine has a cupid theory that's super wrong."

"Hey, Dakota. Can I talk to you?"

I turned to see Talia, waving shyly. Her hair was loosely curled, and she was wearing a pretty white bodycon dress that she had paired with gold sandals. Despite Vanessa's warning about her, she didn't look bitchy at all. For a second I was worried she had overheard what Jasmine had said about Ellis but the smile on her face said otherwise.

"Of course."

"If you need us, we'll be over there finishing the tequila," Christian said. As him and Jasmine left, Talia turned to me.

"So, Conan's place is really something huh? He always talks about how expensive this cabin is," she said.

I laughed. "That seems like Conan."

She smiled before hesitating. "Actually, I was a little worried at first about you coming. I didn't want you to hate me."

"Why would I hate you?" I turned to her curiously.

"I saw you at practice talking to Vanessa, and she's not my biggest fan. I figured she might've told you a bunch of bad things about me, and I just wanted to get a chance to clear things up." Talia fiddled with her bracelet nervously.

"She didn't," I said. "What happened between you guys?"

"I've always been nice to her. But after Addie's death, she kinda blames me, you know? Like I'm some shitty person who wanted something bad to happen to Addie." Her eyes grew watery. "I didn't want to take Addie's spot as the lead dancer. And definitely not because she..." She trailed off.

I felt bad for her. Even though Vanessa was probably hurting about the loss of her best friend, it wasn't like it was Talia's fault.

"It's not you," I assured her. "You can't blame yourself. You did what you had to do."

She nodded, wiping her eyes and laughing through the tears. "My mascara is probably ruined. I should not be crying at a party."

"Happens to the best of us," I said, reaching into my purse and pulling out a mascara wand. "Which is why I always bring this guy. Just in case."

"Thank you," she said gratefully, fixing her mascara. "And Dakota? I'm actually glad you came. Maybe you can hang out with us more. We're not all that terrible," she teased.

I tried to ignore the feeling of guilt as I forced a smile. "Yeah, I think I'll be around more."

That was the thing, about weaving a web of little white lies.

You had to make sure you didn't get caught yourself. 

A/N

I hope you guys enjoyed this double update! :) It wrapped up their weekend getaway, and things at Calington are about to get a little more interesting. Tune in Friday ♡