All of Me

twenty nine • a long night

I throw a book at her. Just a flimsy paperback. I instantly feel bad Not for hitting her, but for throwing a book. Mom would be furious. So would Gray.

"What?" she shrieks. "I told you everything about my first time with Gray!"

She did. More detail that I needed, to be honest. I tut at her. "Because you're obsessed with sex. I didn't ask for a play by play of exactly how and when and where you lost your virginity."

She giggles, her mood turning up, and she races to the door we were supposed to have already locked when Gray comes through. He looks a little better, a little more color in his cheeks, and he's smiling when he pulls away after kissing Navya.

They're adorable together. Thanks to oversharing on both their parts, I have a very clear image of just how well they fit together, and I curse both of them for putting the picture in my head. I shake it out and put the broom back behind the counter, punching out when I see that it's ten fifteen.

"Ready?"

"So ready," he says, pulling away from Navya. "That paper really kicked my ass."

"How was it? Did you get it done?"

He nods, scratching the back of his neck. "Literally just submitted it," he says. He must be able to read my mind as I wonder why it took him so much longer than usual because he adds, "I would've been done hours ago if my mom hadn't kept texting."

Navya's face falls. "Did you talk to her babe?" she asks, somehow making the nickname sound sweet.

"I told her to leave me alone. Then she called, left a couple messages. I told her to delete my number from her phone like she deleted me from her life."

"Damn," Navya murmurs. "Are you ok? How'd she take it?"

Gray shrugs. "She cried. Said she's sorry and she wants to see me and she wants me to be a part of her life. Apparently, I need a mom and she wants another chance."

"Screw that!" Navya cries, vocalizing my thoughts. "I hope you told her to piss off."

He sort of nods and pulls her against him, pressing his lips to her temple. I've seen Tad do the same with my mom. Like father, like son. Thank God he's nothing like his mom.

"I told her I don't need her," he says. "I may have told her that my new mom's a million times better. She needn't know that Dad and Jen aren't married yet." He gives me a warm smile. "I'm fine, I promise. I'm just ready to drink my sorrows away."

Navya swats him but she's smiling when she pulls him in for a kiss. "Don't have too much fun without me."

"You'll be there before you know it," he says. "Or come with us. Tell your parents you're pulling an all-nighter at the library."

"I wish. Dad would come over to check on me, probably," she says with a snort. "I'll be there for midnight so save some of your sorrows for me."

He kisses her, murmurs something in her ear, and looks up at me. "Shall we?"

• • •

I feel good when we walk into the frat house, having changed into a dress that shows off my boobs and accentuates my curves rather than clinging to my lumps. It's a new one that Mom gave me yesterday, something when she went thrifting on her lunch break.

It's perfect. The navy blue fabric is flecked with black shimmer, the faintest hint of glitter, and the skirt flares past my hips, making my waist look smaller. Under it, I'm wearing my nicest underwear, the only matching set I own. The silky purple bra gives me a ridiculous cleavage without strangling me with my own breasts, and my tights suck me in all the way to my ribs.