Page 24 of Shamed
I turn back, seeing that no one is looking in my direction at all. Just a figment of my mentally unstable mind.
Shaking my thoughts away, I do as she says, only taking a small portion since I’m not sure how much I’ll even be able to eat.
The back of my neck prickles and the moment I turn around, whatever hopes I had of being able to swallow any food vanishes when I come face-to-face with Dylan, who appears to have just arrived.
Besides the few random encounters at Dad’s office over the past couple of years, we haven’t been in a social setting together since that one Halloween.
A familiar smug smirk sits on his arrogant face, his dull blue eyes making a bored sweep over me. There’s always something in his expression that gives off the impression that he knows something no one else does. At least, to me it does.
“So, youdostill have a social life.”
Why, oh why, do I have to see him today of all days?
“What’s it to you?” I try scooting around him, but he steps in my path, his smile widening.
I fling my panicked gaze to Jersey and Marni, but they forgot about my existence the moment we arrived. Not that it would matter anyway, because Dylan is still their friend, and they would have no reason to think I’m distressed while talking to him.
The thing is, I don’t even know why I feel this way in his presence.
“It’s nothing to me, really, but I’ve spent a lot of time with the girls, and you’re never there.” He turns to look at them as well. “Do they even know what dayit is?”
I blink up at him, but he doesn’t bother returning my gaze.
He wouldn’t know, would he? None of my friends and family seem to ever remember the date. It’s been two years exactly sincethat night.
“The day Jennifer Lapmor dropped out of college,” he says.Oh. “How the mighty have fallen. Just think, now that you’ll be working for your dad, we’ll be working in closer proximity.” His lips quirk up again as he turns my way. “It’s possible you could even be my assistant.”
I know for a fact that I’m not working with or near him, but with the way my skin bristles at just the thought of it, you’dthink my body never got the memo.
“Oh, you haven’t told them yet, have you?” He takes the expression on my face as meaning I’m worried about telling the girls rather than the possibility of working with him that’s making me feel sick.
I push past him rather than answer him and find a seat between two male strangers, even though it makes me feel uneasy. No way in hell I’d let Dylan sit next to me.
And why does it seem like he’s happy to watch my life fall apart around me?
The girls still haven’t looked in my direction, nor did they introduce me to any of the other people here. I resign myself to the fact that we are not anything like the friends we used to be and that this won’t be any type of catch-up like I’d imagined.
Why did I think it was a good idea to come in the first place?
Despite my inner turmoil, I force myself to talk to the people sitting next to me, even accepting a red solo cup with shaking, numb fingers. I have no idea what was in it because I didn’t drink it, but I held on to it, trying hard to seem like my old normal self.
I’m not sure if it worked.
When Jersey drops me back at my car that evening, all I feel is depleted, empty, and alone.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jennifer
“Look who’s found herself alone in the dark.”
“There’s no one else around.”
“No one can hear you scream.”
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”
“You shouldn’t have rejected me, you fuckingtease.”
