Beauty in the Ashes

It wasn’t.

It was an invitation to Cyrus’ party Friday night. I had to laugh at the poor attempt he’d done of calligraphy on the piece of notebook paper. It looked more like chicken scratch with swirls tossed in for good measure.

You are cordially invited to

a party thrown by the out-of-this-world amazing

Cyrus Mellark.

This Friday (tomorrow, in case you didn’t know)

Be there.

Because I said so.

I shook my head, laughing under my breath.

The fact that he’d invited me to one of his parties after I’d requested him to turn down the music at the last one was laughable.

What was even more hysterical was the fact that I was actually considering going just to know what the fuss was about.

Daphne said they got pretty wild, and wild was just what I needed right now. I needed to spend at least one night without thinking about the C word.

I wouldn’t let anything stupid happen at this party. I’d relax and hang out with Daphne—because I was so dragging her ass there, no way was I going by myself—dance a little or a lot, and drink as much as I wanted. It had been a long time since I’d been to a party like this one promised to be. Yeah, I was still young, but my ex-boyfriend was a stick in the mud who never wanted to go out. I wondered if he went out with my former best friend.

Ugh.

Thinking about him was not good. It only served to make me angry.

And the person I should be angry with was Caelan, but I didn’t feel that way. I had bruises on my arms where his fingers had pressed into the skin and there were scrapes along my elbows from the brick. He’d been rough and borderline violent, and yet I wasn’t cowering. In the moment I had felt a brief flicker of fear but it hadn’t lasted long. I knew Caelan could be dangerous if provoked, but I didn’t plan on stopping.

This was only just beginning.

???

I found myself knocking on the door to Frankie and Daphne’s apartment.

This was a fashion emergency and I needed Daphne’s help…like now.

A beaming Frankie opened the door. Based on his smile, I assumed Jen wasn’t around and he didn’t need to pretend to hate my guts.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” He chuckled, sweeping his red hair out of his eyes with long fingers.

“I need your sister’s help,” I stated, trying to peer around him in the hopes of spotting Daphne.

“Why would anyone ever need Daphne’s help?” He scoffed. “I’m sure I can help you with whatever it is.”

I rolled my eyes. Guys could be so dumb sometimes…okay, all the time. “I don’t suppose you own a size four dress that would make me so hot that every male in a five mile radius couldn’t keep his hands off me?” I raised a brow, waiting.

His mouth gaped open and then he turned. “Daphne! Sutton needs your help!” Moving out of the way, he motioned me inside.

I’d never been invited inside Frankie’s apartment before. It was bigger than Caelan’s and mine with two bedrooms that actually had walls, a larger kitchen, and an expansive living space that boasted enough room for a dining table. Clearly I’d gotten the short end of the straw with my apartment, but I did like it.

Daphne stuck her head out of a bedroom. Spotting me, she grinned happily. She was such a carefree person. I wished I were that happy. I preferred to wallow in self-pity and coffee—not ice cream.

“Hey!”

“Hi,” I waved awkwardly. Yes, I was twenty-two years old and still, quite possibly, the most awkward human being on the planet. “I came by, because I need a dress for the party. All I have is the one I wore when we went out before.”