𝗖𝗥𝗬 𝗕𝗔𝗕𝗬, chris sturniolo.

𝟬𝟬𝟲. ( returning the compliment)

GAZING AT HERSELF IN THE mirror, deniz dusts off the bottom of her pastel yellow dress before sighing at her own reflection. the few strands of her wispy bangs that she'd decided to spontaneously cut during a university-related mental breakdown a couple of weeks ago hang just over her eyebrows, irritating her to no end.

she double checks one last time that she looks at least presentable, before applying another coat of lipgloss to her lips. deniz can't even begin to imagine the looks she would've gotten if she'd worn this outfit to the sleepwalker last night. the thought of chris scoffing at the dainty frill on her sleeves, which make her look exactly like the spoiled brat he believes her to be, almost makes deniz want to tear the dress from her body.

she doesn't though, obviously, since this is exactly how her parents want her to look. their perfect daughter for their perfect family, when in reality neither of which are perfect by any means. their family is a mess and, well, her parents definitely wouldn't think she's perfect if they found out where she was last night.

the memories of last night refuse to leave her mind, from the odd vibe between bryce and celeste to tristan's slight flirting with her all the way to her conversation with chris. she hates how much she's been thinking about him since then, hates the fact that his every action is engraved into her brain.

"deniz! time to go!"

her father's voice forces deniz to forget about chris — something she's surprisingly grateful for — and she begins making her way downstairs. her parents are both waiting in the foyer, her dad looking up at her somewhat impatiently meanwhile her mother doesn't even spare her a glance. she doesn't really mind, though, since she knows the minute her mom begins speaking, it'll quickly spiral into a life lesson that always ends up being deniz's fault.

deniz soon makes it down the stairs and walks over to her parents, where her mom is already rattling the keys in the door before swinging it open and stepping outside. she furrows her eyebrows, wondering what's got her mom in such a bad mood this early in the day.

"you look nice, honey," her dad says, quietly and honestly a little timidly. deniz hides the surprise on her face, merely giving him a small smile. after their argument last night, she's confused as to why he's suddenly being sweet to her now.

she and her father follow her mother out of the house, making their way to the driveway to get into her mom's car. it's an obnoxious white porsche, and it's so loud when her mom drives it that deniz is always embarrassed to be associated with it.

the bad atmosphere follows the kaine family into the car, seeping into the white leather seats and staying there. deniz swallows, instantly avoiding being swept into conversation by gazing out of the window like the street she's lived on all her life is the most interesting thing in the world.

"why were you out so late last night?"

the sound of her mom's voice causes deniz's head to snap in the direction of the front of the car. through the rearview mirror, she spots her mom's dark brown eyes, which are narrowed into thin slits. deniz briefly glances to her dad, whose expression is completely neutral, indicating that he wants absolutely nothing to do with the conversation. it's always like this — deniz is ridiculed by her mom and he just sits there pretending like they aren't his family.

"i wasn't," deniz replies with a shrug. "we got back at like, eleven."

her nonchalant response clearly angers her mom, because she literally turns around in her seat while driving to glare at her daughter. deniz resists the urge to reciprocate it, instead keeping her face bored to avoid getting into any more trouble than she already is.

"eleven is late when you knew we had to get up early for this meeting today," her mom argues. "you knew how important this is for me."

"and here we are, on time," she answers flatly. deniz sees her dad stiffen, and her mother has thankfully fallen silent. she's struck a nerve and is grateful for a short escape from her mom's grating voice.