Sweet Oblivion (Sweet Series #1)

  A week came and went and not once did I see…whatever his name was. Every day I walked into Literature I expected him to be at my desk, ready to argue or beg and plead if I had to, over my seat. My fear of him was slowly, very slowly, dissipating, but it was for some reason being replaced by disappointment with each passing day I didn’t encounter him. Which was actually more terrifying for me. I couldn’t understand my fascination with this mysterious boy, and it really started to irritate me.

  How could I uphold the promise I made to myself when I was six if all I could think about was this dumb guy that looked to be the very definition of danger?

  Thankfully, Zaylie and I took a much needed girl's day over the last weekend, and that actually kept my mind off things. I spent the day at her house and experienced what it was like for the first time to have a friend that was a girl. We talked for hours and hours about so many different books. She showed me all of her favorites and gave perfect descriptions that would make any person want to read them all.

  Then we had dinner with her parents and Desmond, which was very rare for me to actually sit down to a nice dinner. I’ve only had dinner with Rydan’s family a few times, which was nice but didn’t happen often. Zaylie and Desmond’s parents were hilarious, making me realize full well where Desmond gets his goofy sense of humor, and the homemade food was a luxury for me.

  Later, Zaylie taught me how to braid my hair and color my nails. She also showed me the best tips for putting on makeup, which was something I desperately needed since I had no clue. I didn’t even own makeup, since I didn’t exactly have the money to spend on stuff like that, not including the fact I had no mother to teach me how to use it. Zaylie let me pick out a few items that I could keep for myself, and I promised her I would use them.

  By the end of the day, I felt completely done-up and pretty. I of course made sure to take as many pictures as I could with my new little camera. It made me think of Rydan and how thankful I was, since I wouldn’t have been able to capture those moments if it wasn’t for him.

  I decided then that I was going to somehow give him a gift in return. Something I could create myself. Painting was my specialty - it was what I was always drawn to do - so I was leaning more toward that. I just didn’t know what the painting should be yet.

  Desmond walked in one time, wondering what all the laughing and giggling was about. Once he saw the hairbrushes, twenty different bottles of nail color sprawled across the bed, and piles of makeup, he quickly did a complete 180 and went back the other way. It only caused more laughing from us girls.

  The best part was, not once did I think of the dark, handsome, kinda scary stranger. For just that one day, I no longer felt seventeen. Instead, it was like we were thirteen again and just experiencing what it was like to be a teenager. It was one of the best days I ever had.

  Zaylie and her mom both insisted her and I had a slumber party, so I ended up spending the night—another first for me—and woke up feeling completely refreshed and new. It was like I could finally understand what it felt like to wake up without a grouchy old man yelling at me all the time. I didn’t have to worry if he was about to storm in and scream at me for doing something wrong or to hurry up and clean up a mess he just made or finish the laundry.

  It was an amazing feeling, and I wished I never had to go back.

  But alas, when I did go back home later that night, I spent the evening catching up on as much reading as I could. Zaylie insisted I borrow several more series that she claimed I just had to give a try and was expecting a full report on what I thought of them after I was finished.

  One thing was for certain.

  I loved my new friends.

  Chapter Eleven