Misfits (#2)

36.

"Ev."

"Yes, its cos I miss you." He sighs again, "How's shitty France?"

"It's good-"

"Who are you talking to?" Sage's voice sounds out and I jump. My phone slips from my hand, splashing into the water. Now, I shriek, "No! No, no, no-" I reach for it but it's sinking faster than I can catch it. I dive under but just as my fingers grasp it, it slips again and falls to the bottom. When I hurriedly retrieve it, I rise above water, sputtering as I look down to it.

"No!" I shriek so loud that Sage winces and it echoes in the air, "Ugh, Sage! Why do you just have to pop up, like a stupid scarecrow? Get a bell or something, god!"

I slap my palm against it but the screen's black. It won't turn on and dejection runs through me. Great. I don't even have any way of contacting Everest, to tell him that I'm not ignoring him. My shitty phone's broken because of my shitty brother.

When I look up, I'm glaring. He raises an eyebrow, "Wow. You've been alive eighteen years and I've never seen you glare. If you tried, you could be scary, Violet."

"If I tried, I could also kill you." I hiss.

"Relax." He scrunches his eyebrows at my phone, "We could buy fucking hundreds of those. I'll get you a new one."

"I need this one. Now." I tilt my head back, groaning, "All my pictures, everything. Seriously get a bell. You're almost as demon-like as Az."

I pull myself out of the pool, water slipping down my body as I storm off, Sage hot on my tail. I continue banging the phone like it'll help somehow, smacking it against my thigh as I leave wet footprints all over the villa.

"What is wrong with you?" Sage asks nonchalantly.

"Go away." I mutter.

"There's a gala I want you to come to. It's a big one." He says and I stop in my tracks. I turn around to him just before I enter my room. He smirks, "You look like an angry puppy."

"Shut up." I grumble but can't deny that my interest's peaked, "What type of gala?"

He rolls his eyes, "The type you get to dress pretty at. It's for some sort of cancer and the Amory businesses are making a deal with the family that founds the charity. It's best if we make an appearance."

He had me at dressing pretty. I've only been to one French charity gala years ago with dad and it's the prettiest one I've ever attended, to date.

"When?"

"You have a few hours."

I turn around and walk into my room, "I'm still mad at you."

He smiles, "Wear blue. It's the dress code."

Everest.

I'm doing homework. It's not even mine. It's Benji's eight year old math homework he doesn't want to do.

What the fuck has life come to?

It's come to boring shittiness since Violet left for France. The two weeks are almost up but everyday so far has felt fifty hours long. I don't know what it is. Every bit of my day is biding my time until I see her again, so it's all just dragging.

"You should try to look less like you want to die." Ria absently comments, not even looking at me where she's sat in front of me.

We're at Emerson's diner - the diner that Val's mom and dad owns. It's classically 90's themed and ever since Ria started working here, we occupied a booth here in the back just for us. She's on her break, discretely perching a cigarette between her lips.