When the Circle Fades - Episode 2 - Sarah

Chapter 1

                                                 -- Sarah --

There's nothing worse than a morning hangover. Dry, crusty mouth. Headache so bad it feels like a permanent clamp has been squeezing for hours. And regret—the sneakiest symptom of all. I'm feeling each of them as I roll out of bed on Saturday morning. Or more accurately, Saturday afternoon.

The fact that my parents haven't barged in demanding details about last night tells me I owe someone big time. I have no recollection of getting home.

I drag my exhausted body to the bathroom and pray the resilience of being seventeen will help me through the rest of the day. Or at least enough to keep up the appearance of perfection that is demanded by my mother—Annabelle Hampton, Steeple Chase's elite socialite, president of the boosters and empty of soul. I fear we resemble one another in more than just our looks.

The shower washes away the stench of vomit from my hair, but does little to ease the tightness in my chest as I remember who pulled it back for me—Emily. My palm presses against the cold, white tile, but the urge to make a fist and slam it there instead pulses through my veins.

I force myself to stand up straight and finish rinsing conditioner out of my hair. I will not be pitied. Not for the sham of a marriage my parents reside in or for the decisions I make. We each took a path and mine led exactly where I wanted.

Cold air rushes in when I open the shower door. I welcome the chill. Welcome anything that keeps me numb and alert. It is the Hampton way. Smile, look stunning, be the envy of all around you and never, never let them see your weaknesses—or better yet, don't have any.

I tighten the sash of my fuzzy robe and wrap a towel around my hair. My reflection is barely visible in the foggy mirror, but I already know I'll need an extra dose of concealer.

A rhythmic knock echoes across my bedroom leaving a pit so deep in my stomach I fear the vomit will return. I know that knock. He's been doing it for almost two years.

"Sarah, you up?" Zach knocks again and I sit at my vanity before answering.

"Yeah. Come in." I don't want to see him. At all.

He turns the knob and slips in, shutting the door quietly behind him. "Your housekeeper let me in." He winks at me, knowing my mother "frowns" upon Zach and I being alone together in my room. Although she's never followed up her lectures with actual punishment.

I pull out the three bottles that make up my skin care routine and watch through the mirror as Zach hops on my bed, bouncing twice. I hate that he looks like a Greek god. That his muscles are visible through his t-shirt and that his arrogant blue eyes land on my bare leg. I tug at my robe, gaining an inch of coverage.

"Why are you here?" I don't mean to sound snotty, but after the display last night with his stripper-wanna-be, I have no interest in a heart-to-heart.

"I changed my mind."

"About what?"

He leans back on my bed until his elbows touch the comforter. "I don't want our breakup to be public."

I rub cream into my flushed skin, feel the sizzle-pop of anger all over again. "It's a little late for that."

Zach blows a long, loud breath out of his mouth. "Did you see her little Mardi Gras performance?"

My anger simmers down a little. "Oh yes. Me and half the football team."

"I know they got pictures and video." He sits back up and runs a hand over his face. "My dad will kill me if I'm linked with her."

"You should have thought about consequences before you brought trash to the party. I kept my end of our bargain."

We had broken up over the summer, finding that without school, we had nothing in common except rich parents and physical attraction. And since I'd halted his quest to deflower me, we found ourselves at a stalemate. Zach convinced me to keep it quiet and put up appearances once we got back to school. I gave him a cover and he ensured my queen status remained intact.

Zach's mouth tightens. "Tongue-wrestling Tom Neiss isn't exactly acting the doting girlfriend. Besides, I'm not the one who wanted to break up."

I slam my astringent on the marble surface. "No, you're just the one who wouldn't hear no when it came to sex." The tension between us flames higher with each passing moment of silence.

He stands and walks toward my chair. I look down so I don't have to face him through the mirror. "It was never just about sex, Sarah. You're like an iceberg I couldn't melt, no matter how hard I tried. I get needing a façade. Hell, I live with a state senator. But you couldn't even be real with me."

I glance up, catch his blue eyes through the glass. "Is there a point to this conversation?"

Zach's shoulders straighten. "My father is having a fundraising dinner tomorrow. I need an acceptable date."

PHILIA flashes through my mind and chords of uncertainty cinch around my heart. "I can't tomorrow."

Annoyance thickens Zach's well-bred accent. "Come on. I can't go there alone. There will be too much speculation about Candy."

"Candy? Seriously, that's her name?" I roll my eyes and continue rubbing my cotton ball over my face.

"It's short for Candace." He comes around to my side and crouches down. His hands touch my thigh, while his eyes beg me to say yes. "Please, Sarah. I'll do anything. A grand apology at school. With a dozen roses. I'll be so sickening that the girls will literally turn green."

My mouth hitches up as I imagine the scene in my head. "What time is dinner?"

"Hors d'oeuvres at five and dinner at six."

The circle is supposed to meet at four. I mentally do the math. I'd only stay to see who sent the text. That's it. No reminiscing, no bonding, and absolutely no apologies. I'd go for Hannah's sake, because I made a promise around her hospital bed five years ago that I refuse to break.

"I might be able to make dinner."

Zach shoulders sag in relief. "I'll take it. And if they ask about Candy?"

"You mean the stalker chick who's been spreading lies all over town?" With my skin all cleansed and tingly, I pull the towel from my head and let my hair tumble down my back.

He smiles and for a moment looks at me like he did when we first started dating. "Thank you." Zach runs his hand through the wet strands and kisses my cheek while he stands.

"I want red roses. And make it two dozen."

"Your wish is my command." Zach dramatically bows and his blond curls bounce when he straightens back up. He heads to the door.

"Hey, one thing. Do you know who brought me home last night?" Our blue eyes connect and his blank stare sends a shiver down my spine. After the stairs/car fiasco with Emily, Meagan brought out shots and things just got ugly from there.

"Not really. Chuck said he saw you draped all over Ryan Sanders before you disappeared. But we both know there's no freaking way that happened. He knows I'd kill him. Wasn't Sally Anne on babysitting duty?"

I force a smile and keep the horror out of my eyes, because I suddenly remember every humiliating detail of Ryan bringing me home.

"Yep. That's it." The lie rolls off my tongue easily. I look at my bed and icy fingers of regret claw at my insides. No one could ever know what happened here last night.