Everett's POV::My dad was behaving strangely about this new job site. He said he actually wanted to return to Los Angeles to develop his career. Where did this come from?We originally lived in Los Angeles but then my mother left, and rumors started flying. Dad didn't want to be around that kind of atmosphere, so he took me away. After that, we'd only gone back once. So, why did he want to be near anything that reminded him of her, now?Since my childhood he'd always done what I asked and filled out my various requests. It was like I told Mila before; my mom left when I was young, and my dad and I grew close because of it. What I hadn't told Mila was that I was only three years old when she left. I have snippets of memories of what my mom looked like then, but I can't be sure they're real.Dad tried to make up for whatever pain I was in by compensating me with material items. I'd known that was his reasoning for a few years and if I was completely honest, I'd used it against him.
Ada's POV::I blocked the guy I went to the party with because he was terrible. Even worse than Mila's fake boyfriend Robert. He wouldn't even give me the time of day. Robert, that is.I guess he was too good for me.Though Mila's my best friend, I secretly admire her. Maybe that's putting it mildly. I envy her also. All the guys like her; it doesn't matter where they come from or what clique they belong in. Mila is appealing to all, and I couldn't blame them.When Everett suddenly kissed me the other night, I was thrown off. Initially, I resisted based on principle and how I hated him but after I couldn't wriggle away I accepted it. Within the few seconds we had made contact, I was turned on by his sparky charisma. Everett was a great kisser and even if he was just using me to get back at Mila, I wasn't complaining.It was dramatic and fiery the way Mila beat him up in my honor and all. After that, she grabbed me, and we raced outside until I climbed into Robert's car. I thought
Mila's POV::When I invited Ada to go on vacation to Los Angeles with me, my parents agreed! I knew Ada wouldn't refuse such a good offer, but when I told her about it, she didn't seem as excited as I expected her to be."Yo, Ada," I said when she picked up the phone. "Wanna go to LA with us?""LA... sure. Why not?""Fuck yeah! We can explore and see the west coast beaches. I bet there are plenty of sexy guys to look at. Isn't this awesome?""Eh," she said, "I guess so.It was curious that she wasn't thrilled. She always loved the opportunity to chase some boys."Ada, this isn't like you.""No, I'm sorry BFF. Just send me the flight info and I'll be there."I had given her a day and time to meet me at the airport. Judging by her indifferent attitude though, I wasn't sure she was going to show up. But like usual she was on time and ready to go.In front of my parents, Ada was very polite. Her outfit was classic and conservative; she's ladylike in front of our elders. It's the
The plane touched down in Los Angeles smooth as butter. It didn't take long to retrieve our luggage and when we met up with the rest of our family, everyone was fine.Everett was at the desk renting a car for us. He was tapping the counter absentmindedly, glancing left and right. I wondered if he was impatient with the clerk or if he had something more on his mind.It wasn't long after that he had us in a black, shiny SUV. He plugged in the address to their old house while I sat in the back. Ada was up front. We sat idling while he synced his phone."It's been a while since I've been here. Actually, I wasn't even driving then so this will be an adventure for us all," he said, laughing then exhaling nervously. It took a while to arrive since he wasn't familiar with the way. We ended up on a few roads that hadn't been updated with the map software but eventually, we found it.I was tired as we rolled up the driveway to the seaside house. It was mansion sized and as soon as we got ou
Ada's POV:::Mila didn't look pleased at all when Everett asked us to go out, but I agreed. We drove a little way to the west and ended up taking a walk around the beaches. I really needed to find an opportunity to talk to Everett alone. We hadn't spoken since that night in the bar.That night we met; we drank a little too much. We began jovial then it turned into sloppy... but it was fun! A guy tried to harass me but instead, Everett grabbed me and said I was his. Soon after that, our eyes locked and I could feel our animalistic chemistry click.Seconds later, he pulled me away and we kissed all the way to the restroom and locked the door. Everett's kiss captivated me so much that even though I knew he was a jerk, I couldn't resist. Under the influence of alcohol, I simply responded to him without inhibition, and I enjoyed it. Perhaps it was how I felt all along for him.All this time, because Mila used to like Everett, I gave up on pursuing him. I'd even shut off my feelings o
Mila's POV::Everett drove Ada and me to a local specialty restaurant for dinner. While we were at dinner, I noticed Everett's mouth was injured, somehow."What happened to your lip?" I asked, knitting my brow. "It looks like it hurts.""Oh, I was just clumsy and bit myself." Everett waved me away in dismissal.Ada laughed at him, which was strange for her. I wasn't sure if she was mocking him or not. It wasn't a goading laugh but definitely not just nervous either."What's up, Ada?" I asked."Maybe it's God punishing Everett for you, Mila."Perhaps she was right. I smiled at her as we laughed under our breath.Everett had just paid with a credit card; I assumed it was with Mr. Williams' money. Just as we left the restaurant and walked onto the strip, Everett was bumped into by a child and his clothes got stained with ice cream."Damn it," he complained. "I better go clean this up. I'll be back later." Everett walked off in a hurry.I turned to my best friend and shrugged.
"Oh, no. I don't have any boyfriend to fight with," I said with a smile. Then I heard Ada's text notification. Pulling out my phone, I checked to see what she wanted.Ada: Order something off the hidden menu.Me: Oh?Ada: Trust me. You'll be impressed.Me: Sounds interesting. I'll do that right now."Bartender, I'd like to order from the hidden menu," I said. The bartender, who had been wiping a martini glass clean, slowed down his pace and stared at me. "Do you think I can do that?" I asked."S-Sure," the bartender answered as he gawked at me cockeyed. Not only was he bewildered but all eyes in the bar were on me now. Peering over my shoulder people were standing and were walking toward me."What's going on?" I asked, whipping my head back and forth."Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Carlos asked, lifting one eyebrow."Yeah, what's the big deal?" I asked shrugging. Everyone was hyper focused on me. The bartender didn't bring me any drinks but instead opened a doorwa
"You can't take pictures," the bartender said, out of nowhere. "You should have read the rules better. Now, take your partner and leave.""Oh," I gasped, holding my chest, my cheeks burning red. "We aren't together." I pointed back and forth to us, but the bartender didn't care.“Whatever you want to call him makes no difference to me. I just need you gone.”Hurriedly, I left bowing my head feeling like a fool. Carlos followed me outside. I turned to him as he stood closer to me. For some reason, I wasn’t bothered by our proximity."I'm sorry to have pulled you into that," I said to him. “I feel like a real idiot.”"It's fine that you didn’t completely understand but allow me to explain,” he began, “This is a place where people can release their dark sides without being judged. Many people from all walks of life enjoy this kind of escape. Businessmen like lawyers, doctors, and higher ups in the justice system value the release this fantasy world provides. You never know what peop
Mila's POV:: My relationship with Everett and Ada remained awkward for the next few days until the beach party. We barely spoke and whenever we saw one another at breakfast and in the morning, each of us tried to avoid one another. I wasn't the most graceful when people knew I felt weird. Finally, the day of the beach party arrived. Ada wasn't kidding when she said she had been looking forward to it for the entire trip. She had an entire outfit dedicated to it. Ada, as always, dressed very seductively, in a skimpy bikini barely covering her lean body. Draped over her shoulders was a barely there beach dress, which could be easily removed for swimming or otherwise. As she sauntered to the beach, heads began to turn. Plenty of men approached her and she was able to carry on a charming conversation with nearly all of them but then she picked one to have a deeper talk with. He was older than Everett and more distinguished, probably closer to graduating college or maybe he already had
"What are you doing, Everett?” “I’m bringing you back.” “I mean, what do you want? For real. Don't play with me," she said. I could tell she was exhausted; her shoulders were slumped, and her hair was knotted from all the activity. Though her voice was serious, her eyes were glittering with passion as they reflected the nearby streetlights. The sound of whooshing cars lifted her hair as I shrugged. "I don't know, Ada but I can't leave you on the sidewalk in the middle of LA." I walked over to her suitcase and picked it up, carrying it over my head until I was able to get it into the trunk of the SUV. "Don't take that without my permission!" she ordered me, but I didn't listen, and she chased. When I turned around, I knew she wouldn't leave unless I made her, so I picked her up and carried her to the passenger seat. She half-heartedly punched me once on the back, but I didn't react, so she went limp, gave in and climbed on the seat willingly. Ada remained silent and didn't speak
I felt frustrated like I'd made the wrong choice. Everything has been chaotic since I invited her. Then it dawned on me that when people who are close, hide dark secrets, it causes harm to each other. She was right in what she'd shouted to Mr. Williams. That was correct. "You might not believe me, but I think it was for the best that things came to a head. At least you've aired your feelings and you're going to find out what your friendship truly means to each other. I'd wager that you'll realize you care on a level you never realized, and it took this argument to make you understand what you feel about one another." His insightful words helped me feel better, but I began to wonder about something. Glancing at Mr. Williams I thought about our relationship, wondering if Everett was destined to hurt in the future. What if he ever found out? Did Mr. Williams plan to tell his son? I wondered with a heavy heart if I would cause more heartbreak. Everett's pov The moment I heard Ada cr
Huffing, I turned away, but Mr. Williams knew I wouldn't be able to resist my favorite pizza. He took out two plates and piled several pieces on each. There was no way I could refuse once he put it under my nose. That aroma was making me nearly drool. Taking our pizza, we came over to the sofa to eat. The light in the room was low and the ocean wind was making the eaves creak. It felt peaceful being inside. I glanced at him as I picked up my first piece. I sunk my teeth into it and my mouth burst with the mixture of flavors. The crust snapped as I bit down, the edge golden brown, even a bit dusty from the cornmeal, which I liked. The wonderful sourness of the goat cheese and kalamata touched my tastebuds, conjoined with the sharp cheddar and salty pepperoni. The heat from the jalapenos brought it all together and I delighted in it, moaning in pleasure. Mr. Williams chuckled and took a bite. "You make it look so good," he said, chewing. "I had to try it." My mouth was still full as
Mr. Williams held the pillow to his chest then entered, glancing down at me. He handed it to me. "Ada packed up and left," he said. I snatched the pillow back and hugged it briefly. My heart felt jabbed from the news, but my stubbornness took over. "I don't care," I remarked but my actions betrayed me. I still went to the window to see if it was true. Just as I did, I spied her; she was indeed leaving, heaving her suitcase into the black SUV. Inside I was screaming, hating that this was happening. How did our friendship become severed over a stupid guy? I was about to run after her, begging her not to go when I saw Everett. He dashed out after Ada, pulling on her arm. Recoiling, I almost turned away, but I couldn't look away. What a fool she was. "I hate them!" I complained to Mr. Williams. I was about to bang on the window when he came over. "Stop attacking Ada or you will regret it deeply. What you feel now is powerful but later it will be much worse, and you can't go back and
"Yes, I have something to tell you," she said. Slowly, she opened the door and waved me in. My breathing was shallow as I made my way closer. Sitting perched beside her on the bed, I braced myself. Was she going to tell me the entire thing? Her face fell as she said, "Before we went on this vacation, me and Everett ran into each other at a bar and had a drunken fling. I don't know how to explain it to you." Immediately, I should have been relieved. She must have been referring to when we all went out and I brought Robert to cover as my boyfriend. Could it really be just that? No, I couldn't trust myself to see reality clearly. I had to make a gesture to see what she'd say. "You mean the night he tried to make me jealous, and I kicked him? I'm going to confront him. That isn't anything he can hold over your head," I said rising from the bed. She reached out and stopped me, holding firmly to my bare arm. I looked at her trying to wring free, but she wouldn't let go. "Don't do it," s
Mila's POV:: Through the wind, I heard the voices of my closest friends as they talked. I stepped closer but soon I realized they were having an argument. Was it about me? As I came around the corner through the sand, I walked up to the driveway. That's when I heard it. They were talking about a one-night stand. My heart felt like daggers were jabbed into it as my mouth dropped open. Staring at the two of them, I watched as Everett spun around. I managed to slip out of sight before they caught me. Why didn't Ada tell me about it? My mind was reeling as I scuffed the sand walking along the wall, holding it for balance. I felt dizzy as I was in such shock. It shouldn't be like this between us. We shared everything and told one another all our secrets. She was the one person I knew wouldn't lie to me. I walked around to the kitchen feeling unsettled, like I was out of my body. As Mr. Williams brought the plate with the skewers in, accidentally brushed against one searing my hand. "
Everett POV::Ada's bullying story flung me into memories of childhood, when I'd moved from Los Angeles. I didn't have friends for a long time; only Mila was there to play with me. Our relationship was always good, but then I met some cool guys who changed me into who I am now. I'd been bullied, like Ada and now that I knew that, it made me feel closer to her. My deepest worry is that people will see me as that skinny, weak kid again. That's why I've done all I have to make sure that part of me stays hidden. But Ada just told me a similar story and she was one of the most popular girls around. I didn’t feel so alone and weird anymore. Everyone looked up to her and once I was around less, Mila became Ada's best friend. The two of them together were unstoppable but I managed to persist in their lives. At least, that's probably how they saw it. I held Ada in my arms, her scent and body warmth made me unable to resist. She was a very experienced girl and her passion the night we had s
Everett's POV:: Though I told her otherwise, I was afraid that Ada did cause Mila to have an allergic reaction. If so, it would be my fault that it hurt Mila. I've seen fake relationships between women before, where they drugged each other to sleep with a celebrity at school. One gave a roofie to another because she wanted to fuck the star quarterback. However, Ada doesn't seem like that kind of girl. Maybe I was letting all my suspicion get to my head. That wasn't out of the ordinary for my mind to go haywire from time to time, especially around girls. Glancing at the road, I eyed Ada as she sat in the passenger seat. I wanted to break the ice after our argument but I didn't know how. At least she let me take her to the museum. She was just altering the way she wanted to pursue me, that's all. Girls did that all the time. They couldn't keep up with the way I was. Sometimes I did it on purpose; I'd use a hot and cold method, but honestly, it comes naturally. They'd make me want t