(Spin-off of Imaginary, more so specifically it's second book, Severity)
Cleo Vexer, a problematic teenage girl, is the sensation of your average pessimist and mediocre criminal. Still having to survive the rest of her senior year bitter and lonely...
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I ended the call, slipping my phone off the side of my face.
Riley just called and Caslon is already driving her to The Grey Park Bench. I rest my phone on the table, moving the emerald curtain aside. Thursday afternoon finally started to brighten.
Several minutes later, the door creeks open.
I swallow the Oreo cookie I was eating and quickly toss the bag of Oreo's on the table.
"Riley," I greeted with a smile. My gaze landed on Caslon. "Thanks for bringing her."
Caslon nodded, closing the door behind him as he stepped closer inside.
My head snaps, eyebrows scrunching together. "Oh Cassie, you're not staying." I wagged a finger at him.
I could hear Riley's snicker.
Caslon stared back confusedly. "Well, why not?"
"Because," I started to shove him out the door. "Girls need their privacy."
"I'll see you on Friday!" I chirped before slamming the door in his face.
Riley let out a laugh, a smile fixated on her face. "I love how you have Caslon wrapped around your finger."
I shrugged nonchalantly as I backed away from the door.
"One of us has to wear the pants." I gestured to the chairs. "Take a seat."
"What's with the curtain?" Riley pointed to my emerald green curtain strung aside.
"Oh, I usually hang it up when I'm with regular clients, I prefer conversing with strangers like a voice." I said, caught in a web of ongoing thoughts.
"And what is it you do here exactly?" Riley asked, leaning forward with undivided attention.
I smiled softly. "I help revive power to the misunderstood. I think of it as a way to embrace the perspective of villains."
"I like that." Riley awes as she holds her head in her hand, a wispy smile crawling onto her lips. "I like the idea that there is more to a villain than their weaknesses."
"That there is, Riley." I nodded in agreement. "Sometimes I play the villain. I have a long list of ex-boyfriends who tell stories of me, claiming that I've gone insane. They're just as bad as me, if not worse, but they don't like spray paint cans so I guess they can play the hero."
"I'm into graffiti," I admitted with a coy smile. "And if you wrong me then I will track you down with my duffel bag full of spray paint."
A mist of laughter spread around us.
"You're more than what meets the eye, Cleo." Riley's eyes shined with golden sparkles. "You're my hero."
My head tilted as bullet trains of thought ran through my mind. "You're going to grow up to be something phenomenal, Riley Allway."
"You think?" A hopeful look crossed her face.
"Most definitely." I nodded. "You belong somewhere that'll not degrade and ignore your talents. Just because your parents can't see your capabilities, doesn't mean you're not worth it. It just means they're blind to beauty."
Riley looks down to her feet, she shakily tucks strands of hair behind her ear.
I sat straighter in my seat, concern seeping in. "Is there something wrong, Riley?"
"You don't mind if I cry, do you?" She looked up with unshed tears in her eyes.
I gave her a comforting smile, standing up from my chair, walking towards her, and kneeling to her height. "Cry a river if you want."
"I'm being bullied."
A wave of shock hit me like a tsunami.
"What?" My mouth stuttered. "Does anyone else know?"
Riley shook her head embarrassed.
I sighed as I grabbed both of her hands and molded them into mine.
"Riley," I waited for her hazel eyes to meet mine. "You are worth so much and you don't deserve the hurt other people press on you. If you ever need anyone to talk to or if you ever need help, give me a call and I can pick you up or Caslon can drop you off. This is a safe haven for people like you and I. And if it's past hours, I can always make time to talk to you at my apartment. I'm here for your every step, okay?"
I wipe some of her fallen tears before she crushes me into a tight hug.
"Thank you so much, Cleo." She cries.
I wrap my arms around her like a shield.
"Us villains need to stick together in our most vulnerable times."
