Happy Everly After

Chapter 15

I rummaged through my closet, tossing rejected outfit after rejected outfit onto my bed. My frustration grew as the "maybe" pile remained small in comparison to the ever-growing "no" pile. It's just a casual get-together at Charlotte's, but I couldn't seem to find anything that felt right.

My mum stood at the door, watching me with a sympathetic look.

"I have no clothes", I huffed, feeling defeated.

She raised an eyebrow and gestured towards the piles of clothing. "Right, so what are all these then?" she asked, giving me a sideways glance. She picked up a pair of ripped jeans from the no pile and headed to my wardrobe.

I let out a groan and picked up yet another dress from the "no" pile, giving it a half-hearted glance before adding it back to the growing mound. "They're all old and nothing matches", I protested.

"Hush", my mum scolded gently as she headed to my wardrobe. In less than a minute, she pulled out a khaki V-neck bodysuit that would go perfectly with my ripped jeans. "See? You just have to look harder", she exclaimed proudly.

I motioned to the door for her to leave. She took the hint and pointed to a pair of comfortable converse and then to a pair of black heels, "either would look good" she said.

"Thanks mum" I replied as she left.

As I checked my watch, I realised that Charlotte would be arriving soon. My hair was already curled, and I had applied minimal makeup, except for a new mascara that enhanced the rich emerald hues of my eyes. I admired myself in the mirror - it had been months since I had put this much effort into my appearance. I had stopped trying to be perfect every day like Cassie, Amelia, and the rest of the girls - it was exhausting and expected of me. But being isolated for months had also brought a sense of freedom.

As I smoothed over my top and added a fresh layer of lipstick, the doorbell rang. Charlotte was here. Grabbing my bag, I rushed down the stairs where my mum was greeting Charlotte with a hug.

"She can't breathe, mum", I said, but it was clear that both of them were enjoying the reunion. They'd missed each other. She wasn't close to her mum and saw mine as a kind of surrogate.

I grabbed Charlotte's arm and pulled her towards the door, eager to leave before my mum could embarrass me any further. "I won't be late", I called out as we hurried to the car.

"Back by 12pm Everly" she shouted after us as I speedily headed for the car.

"I know we haven't hung out in a while, but what's the rush?" Charlotte asked as she started the engine.

"I don't know, I just want to get to your house", I replied anxiously, wiping a stray strand of hair from my face. "Let's go", I said impatiently, tapping my fingers on the dashboard.

Charlotte gave me a curious look but didn't question me further as she drove us to her house.

I'd psyched myself up for this. The sooner I told them the better.

Her home was always immaculate - her mum spent hours making it look like a show home you wouldn't even think a family lived there. As we stepped into the almost blindingly white kitchen, I noticed that Charlotte had laid out all our favourite snacks. My eyes immediately landed on a plate of caramel truffles, and I made a beeline for them, until Charlotte's hand swatted mine away.

"Excuse me", I pouted, rubbing my hand where she had lightly hit it.

"No touching until everyone is here", she insisted.

I eyed the truffles longingly before finally asking, "What Owen?"

She disappeared into the living room and after quickly looking around to make sure no one was watching; I popped a truffle into my mouth and let out a satisfied squeal.

But then there was a knock at the door, and I heard Charlotte greet Owen. Wait... there were two voices. One belonged to Owen, but who was the other person? Curiosity piqued; I strained my ears to listen.

"No fucking way Cassie. Really!"  The words exploded from my lips like fireworks, sharp and colourful.

I tried to calm down. This was going to be a long night, and it'd just begun. Why did he bring her here? I dipped my head, arms outstretched on the kitchen counter. My body was tense as I focused on my breathing.

I caught the familiar scent of Cassie's perfume, a sickly scent of floral and cherry, mixed with the sharper and muskier smell of Owen's jacket as they walked past the kitchen. I did my best to put on a smile and walked in the living room to a sheepish looking Owen and a smug looking Cassie. My initial reaction was to send daggers their way, but I quickly corrected myself and put on a composed expression. Inside, however, I was seething.

Cassie's voice was cool and uninterested as she spoke to me, her eyes fixed on her sharp, talon-like claws. The room seemed to darken around her, mirroring my mood.

"Nice to see you too, Cassie", I replied with forced enthusiasm, trying to hide my own discomfort.

Meanwhile, Charlotte seemed oblivious or ignoring the atmosphere, scurried off to get snacks and Owen followed her without saying a word.