Paper Dolls [Book Two]

by Emma Chamberlain

  She was ready to walk through fire for me and I couldn’t be more obsessed with her.

  “It can’t be any harder than testifying in court, right? I’m good with that.”

  “Have you ever testified in court?” I asked, my eyebrows raising. It wasn’t a fucking picnic and that was what a fucking dinner with my parents would feel like on a first attempt, there was no way around that.

  “Well, no but I was in a play once where I did.”

  “Oh my God,” I laughed. “Okay, okay, you’re ridiculous. Please go shower. I can’t.” I brought my hands up to my face and turned from her. This would all be a lot easier if I refused to let myself think.

  She smiled, and patted my back. “It’s gonna be okay.”

  She couldn’t possibly know that but she did do what I told her to and moved across the hall to shower.

  I gathered myself together and went back downstairs to shower in the guestroom bath.

  It felt good to be clean. I’d been in the shower so often lately without actually succeeding in a full and detailed cleanse. Avery was pretty distracting.

  It really made me laugh to think about.

  When I got back up to the room she was in there and waiting.

  “Sorry if I took too long,” I said. I’d been told I was a slow cleaner, a dawdler.

  “No worries.” She was running her hand over her wet hair. “You should pick out what I’m going to wear because I have no idea.”

  “What would make you comfortable?” I asked, looking over at her and feeling the nerves come on.

  I took her hand in mine and walked us into the closet. I pulled out undies and handed them over. The sooner we got this done the sooner the dinner would be underway. I wanted this done.

  I know that’s bad but it’s true.

  I just wanted to do it, without thinking, and have it work.

  “It doesn’t really matter. I’m going to be the same amount of uncomfortable in anything. Oh, probably not heels. With my luck I’d fall and face plant into someone’s escargot.

  “Right,” I teased, a darkness creeping over me. “’Cause all people like me eat is escargot.” I hated when she said shit like that. It really hit it home how different she thought my world was.

  “Babe, I was just kidding. Stereotypes can be fun sometimes. Just like sometimes I act dumb because I’m supposed to be.” She affected a high airhead voice. “You know because I’m blonde and like... A jock?”

  “Yeah,” I scoffed. “So fun.” I didn’t have time to laugh right now. “So do you want jeans or a dress? You know The Inn. What would make you comfortable Avery, I can’t guess.”

  “I like it when you get bossy,” she winked at me and sighed. “Give me a dress. I’m not going to dinner with your parents in jeans.”

  “Fine,” I said. But just to prove a point I was going to fucking wear jeans.

  I pulled a nice dress out. It took all my power not to get that cocktail dress from before. I didn’t want Avery to get mad. The atmosphere was already beginning to feel tight. I could feel my lungs taking in less air as I needed more.

  She took the dress from me and walked back out into the bedroom.

  I found some matching flats to keep it simple for her. The dress was light, it wouldn’t fall. She was right, her breasts were larger than mine.

  I pulled my favorite dark wash tight jeans off their hanger and slid them on. A dressy tank would do anyway. The Inn wasn’t really an IMPRESS ME crowd. They took your name and ran with it. If you were someone worth knowing they worshipped you. It was easy.

  My parents would want me in a dress but at this point I couldn’t care less.

  I pulled some slick heels from the rack and threw my leather jacket on to top it all off.

  Necklace, watch, ring, hair tie, bag: all good. I slicked my hair back and secured it up since it was wet. If I really cared I’d go dry it but something told me my parents were starving and far too curious to want to wait impatiently for me.

  I let out a deep breath and stepped out of the closet.

  “Okay, you can’t wear that.” She stepped over to me, pushing me back toward the closet a little. “That’s too hot. All I’m going to be thinking about is taking it off of you. Seriously? A leather jacket? Are you trying to kill me? And those heels?”

  She was half in and half out of the dress and I could tell that if she touched me much more she would be trying to take my clothes off.

  “Whoa,” I said, trying to handle her but finding it hard. “Down girl,” I smiled awkwardly. Who knew that my dressing a little down was Avery’s thing?

  She lifted her hands from me and backed away a little. “Okay, I should probably just get dressed.” She smiled a little too brightly and started to pull the dress up, turning around so I could zip her up.

  “Oh,” I said, taking the two steps back to her. I let myself gently close her dress, hooking the top just for good measure. I pushed her hair out of the way and kissed her neck. “I like being taller than you,” I whispered. My heels gave me a new advantage.

  “That’s part of the problem.” She shivered from the kiss and just stood there for a moment. “So do I.”

  “Mmmm,” I hummed, letting my hands fall onto her sides as I pulled her in and hugged her from behind, breathing her in.

  We could play dress-up forever and I’d never mind.

  I let my hand float up into her hair as I turned my lips in and kissed her temple. “Lil thing,” I teased, tugging lightly.

  “Ugh, evil,” she groaned.

  I led her to turn in my arms and felt as her hands went under my jacket at my sides. I let my eyes travel her surface.

  “Need anything else?” I asked. My lips twitched as I tried to hide my pleasure at seeing her. Being taller had a lot of advantages I was quite unaware of until right now.

  “Shoes,” she muttered against me. “And a spine of steel.”

  “Hmmm,” I said. Right now I really didn’t want to let her go.

  Despite myself, I used my hands to push her arms down and move back toward the closet.

  “Come on,” I said, leading her in. All my sandals and flats were on the lower shelves. I pointed.

  “Ahh,” she said. She just stuck a foot out and took some off the shelf one at a time, slipping her foot into one and stepping over to put the other on. “Done.”

  “Excellent choice,” I appraised.

  She’d made a mess but I didn’t care. Messes in my room were a lot more customary. Not really Avery messes, but still.

  I turned to the drawers and opened them to find a necklace of mine I really liked. It was silver and light.

  “Turn,” I said. She’d been watching me.

  When she turned I put it on. My hands shaking at the clasp behind her neck.

  I let my hands rest on her shoulders for a second once I’d finished.

  “Thanks for doing this,” I said. It took a saint to want to weather this storm.

  I felt Avery’s hand come up to hold mine onto her skin.

  “You’re welcome but you don’t have to thank me. I’d do just about anything for you and it’s kind of necessary.”

  “I don’t want to do things because they’re necessary,” I grumbled.

  “Well, no one does but we’re going to do it anyway because we want to at least try to make this easier.”

  “True,” I said, resting my lips on her skin. We had to go now. It was time. “I just hope you don’t hate me after this.”

  “Olivia?” My mom’s voice called from the hall. “Your father and I are ready. You can ride with us.”

  That wasn’t an option.

  “Coming,” I said, holding my bitterness inside.

  “I couldn’t hate you,” Avery said, shaking my arm.

  “Kiss me,” I asked. I needed strength.

  She turned in my arms and pressed me back up against the drawers in the closet, reaching up on her toes and pushing her body against mine. She put her hands on my face and directed it to
wards hers, looking me in the eye till the very last second before her eyes rolled and she kissed me, deep and hard.

  My chest lit up with fire. She fucking demolished me.

  “Come on,” I said, dazed, once she’d succeeded in breaking me apart like a block of legos being dropped from a fifty story high-rise with the force of gravity making the shatter all too definite.

  She couldn’t know the things she did.

  I pretended that I was strong, leading her out with her soft hand in mine.

  We’d go to the garage and we’d do this thing.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Avery

  From the second we got in the back of the Range Rover I knew I was out of my league. Her parents were talking amongst themselves in the front for a while but I knew that eventually I would be the subject of their scrutiny.

  By now, a natural reaction to seek comfort from Olivia had become standard but right now I couldn’t. We sat on opposite sides of the car, buckled into our seats. I looked over at her. She was staring out the window. I felt awash in the sea.

  “Yes, but Carter didn’t even know what he was talking about,” Olivia’s mother laughed. “That whole trip was some pissing contest between Benny and him.”

  “I know,” Olivia’s father smiled but not in the way a normal person smiles when they're happy. It unsettled me.

  “They think they can just woo you on persuasion alone. Like two con-men in a deep sea. Like you’ve no mind of your own, no sophisticated thought. It was embarrassing Henri, really it was.” Her mother laughed openly. It was more a laugh of frustration than actual pleasure.

  Olivia shifted in her seat and brought the fingers on one of her hands up to her mouth to trace her lips thoughtfully with her knuckles. I heard her lightly sigh. She was somewhere else, possibly hiding. This was her world and I was seeing it now, unfiltered. It was going to be easy to stay quiet unless I was asked a question. I had no idea what I could even think of to say.

  After a little while, Olivia started to pull things out of her little bag and apply them onto her face: moisturizer, foundation, lipstick, mascara, some contour and blush.

  Her parents talked all the way to The Inn. All about business or their social engagements. I’d thought they had forgotten that we were even back here until Olivia’s mother turned around to look at us.

  “Have you been to The Inn, Avery?” She was smiling and I guessed it was a nice smile but I couldn’t help but find something calculating in it.

  “Olivia took me once. It was really nice.” I stopped there. Elaboration was unnecessary.

  Olivia’s parents exchanged an odd look. They didn’t exactly seem pleased but they didn’t exactly seem bothered either.

  “Virgil is excellent,” her mother said. “He’s the owner. He likes to golf and tell inappropriate jokes about Australia.”

  “What?” I laughed.

  Olivia looked over at me and gave me a desperate sort of look.

  “I mean, interesting,” I corrected myself. “I didn’t know that.”

  I shrugged a shoulder when her mom finally turned back around and wasn’t looking at me anymore.

  “He’s fine,” her mother joked. “But liquor does change his demeanor so watch out. The Inn specializes in foreign wine. Virgil’s favorites I like to call them. Sometimes going in there can feel like a trap. He likes to sit you down and line up the bottles. I once spent several hours in a suite with him there and all he could do was laugh and laugh. I just needed him to sign one little thing. He made absolutely no sense. If he hadn’t been so sloshed the whole experience might’ve been refreshing but I actually had somewhere to be that day and he pretty much destroyed my chances at remaining both sober and responsible. I even had to call Henri to come get me. It was a real mess.”

  “I know I can’t drink like that,” Olivia’s father joked judgingly.

  They were laughing a lot but sort of dry. It was really weird. I didn’t know whether to laugh along with them or just nod and smile. Either way I felt a little disingenuous.

  “Well, Olivia?” Her mother’s tone completely changed. “You have us here now. We’re all ears.” I could feel the eyes in the mirrors looking back at her.

  “Now’s not exactly the best time,” she pushed. She looked over to her mom’s eyes knowing they were in the mirror even before they were seen. Then she looked to me with a bit of guilt and apology in her gaze. After that she was back to the outside of the car. Back to staring straight out at the dark as if searching it for something I couldn’t know about.

  I wanted to reach over and touch her hand, let her know that it was okay but I didn’t. I just looked at it from where I sat powerless.

  “You’re the one who made a fuss,” her mother said.

  “If you wanted to talk you shouldn’t have invited Avery,” she said, scaring me. “No offense,” she said, looking over to me. “I just don’t want you to have to be involved in my family drama when it’s completely unnecessary.”

  I opened my mouth and shut it again, trying not to make anything worse. I had no idea what to say anyway. This had to be about Olivia telling them about us.

  “Fair enough,” her mother said quietly but it sounded a bit cold.

  As quickly as they’d focused on us they stopped.

  The car continued to drive and I felt the distance to The Inn closing in. I started to wonder what was really going to happen when they found out. They would hate me. I’d probably be the one that corrupted Olivia in their eyes.

  That’s what I was focused on when we pulled into the parking lot. It was pretty full but her dad just pulled up in front of the valet stand and we all got out. I stood by Olivia, trying to sink into the background. Maybe if I was invisible enough they wouldn’t even notice me all night.

  We were taken directly to a table when we got inside even though there was a forty-five minute wait according to what I overheard someone in the foyer saying. The table we were sat at was by the window and overlooked the courtyard and the golf course.

  They gave us menus and a wine list. I opened mine and checked all the dishes, looking for something simple and clean. I didn’t want to look like the idiot who got food all over herself. There was a nine ounce steak with vegetables. I closed the menu again and looked over at Olivia. She looked perturbed.

  “What are you getting,” she asked, leaning in just a bit.

  Her parents were consulting each other, ignoring us. Her mother laughed about something. They had seen someone and she was whispering secrets to Olivia’s father who was trying his best to keep his eyes on his menu and not look over at whoever it was they had seen.

  “Steak and mixed vegetables.”

  “Sounds good,” Olivia said, taking in air.

  “Relax,” I told her. It was advice for both of us though.

  “Shhh…” She said, stilling me.

  Two seconds later she apologetically put her hand on my knee.

  “Well,” I heard Olivia’s mother clear her throat. “Olivia,” she said. I felt Olivia’s fingers twitch on my knee. “How was the ski trip? Other than expressing your upset with me, you haven’t told me a single thing.”

  “It’s not like I’ve had a lot of time,” she said shortly. “I didn’t ski,” she said, holding her menu with her other hand and pretending to still be perusing it. “I read a lot. Spent a lot of time in the room. Ordered wine.” She closed the menu and set it down. I watched how Olivia’s mom watched her and how Olivia avoided seeing her at all costs.

  “And what about you Avery? You go to Huntington. Did you ski?”

  “I did a little snowboarding and took advantage of the pool. They have a great pool. Most of my friends are on the swim team or track so we all did a day on the mountain together.”

  I stopped there. I could tell her that I spent a lot of time with Olivia but I didn’t want to open up a line of questions that could lead us somewhere bad. “It was nice to get away.”

  “Snowboarding. Interesting,” her mothe
r said. “How’d you end up with this one with that busy life of yours?” I raised my hand to brush my hair from my face. “Oh my,” I heard a gasp and felt as Olivia’s mother reached over the table suddenly and took my hand in hers and stared down at the ring. “Is this what I think it is?” She asked, her eyes glazed with excitement.

  “Oh, um…” I shot a glance over to Olivia for help.

  “Olivia, look,” her mom urged.

  “Yeah, I’ve seen it,” Olivia said, seemingly unamused.

  “Olivia, this is a Madyha Farooqui. It’s an engagement ring. Your friend is engaged. This is magnificent.”

  “Mom,” she said. “You’re freaking her out.”

  I shook my head, desperately wishing I had my hand back.

  “Oh,” she said. “Avery, forgive me,” her mother said, looking up at me and into my eyes for possibly the first time all night.

  “Oh, no problem.” I pulled my hand back across the table and slipped it under. I’d forgotten about the ring and what they might think.

  “I would say, you’re kind of young for that but then I’d be a hypocrite,” her mother smiled, looking over at her husband. “He must really love you,” she said.

  “Well, when you know, you know.”

  I smiled and tried to avoid any details.

  “Olivia, have you met this man?”

  “I’ve met no such person, no,” she said coldly. “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said standing. “I need to use the ladies room.”

  My eyes bulged. She was going to leave me here with them. Shit. I couldn’t even think. I just stood up, jolting the table a little. “Me too.”

  I slipped away, jetting it toward the back of the restaurant. Olivia followed me and as soon as we hit the door I turned and twisted the lock. “That was fucking close. What the hell are we going to do if she brings it up again!?”

  I sagged against the locked door and sighed.

  “Avery, calm down please, you’re making me nervous.”

  “I’m making you nervous?!”

  “I told you,” she said, agitated, her eyes closing in frustration. “I told you they would pick. I told you. You didn’t have to come.”