An Instant Attraction

Chapter 32

After sleeping in, Kat and I spend most of the morning lazing around the apartment watching movies on Netflix. I still can't believe she's actually here in Boston. I managed to call Mom and Dad to thank them profusely. I think they were pretty happy with my reaction. It's mid-morning and we're both focused on an episode of Vampire Diaries that we've been sucked into binge watching, when my phone buzzes.

"Is that the boy?" Kat asks.

I glance down at the screen and see Dex's name, "yup." I read, *Want to meet for lunch?

I can't help but give a forced, hard laugh when I read his message. My initial hurt and sadness from yesterday have morphed into anger and annoyance at the way he acted. Plus, he never even called me last night to apologize or even check on me to see how the rest of my birthday went.

I reply, *I can't. I skipped class today, not on campus.

His response is immediate, *Why? You okay?

His reply fuels my anger. Is he joking? I decide to keep it simple, *I'm fine. My sister is here from CA.

I know he didn't mean to hurt me or hurt my feelings yesterday, but the way he acted was not okay. I want him to understand how I'm feeling and apologize. Another incoming message causes my phone to buzz, *Okay. Have fun. I'll call or text later.

"Did he say sorry yet?" Kat asks.

I let out a heavy sigh, "No and now he's acting like nothing happened. This is so frustrating!"

The rest of the afternoon continues uneventfully as we get sucked back into our show. It's only when Kristin gets home that I realize we've spent the whole day doing nothing and now we need to get changed for a night out. The three of us head down the hallway towards the bedrooms to change. I kept my sweats on all day, so I slide out of them. I quickly replace them with my skinny jeans and a cute, vintage-looking Disneyland t-shirt, then I slide into my Converse. We're applying our make-up when there's a knock on the door.

"That must be Courtney," Kristin squeals with delight as she disappears down the hallway to answer it. I look at Kat who gives me a slightly concerned look, scrunching her eyebrows together.

"What?" I ask.

"Are you sure you want to go out tonight? You're not just doing this to make the rest of us happy, are you?" she questions.

I don't even have to think, I just answer, "I'm sure. I'll only turn twenty-one once and you're here to celebrate with me. I am going out to have a good time, I'll deal with Dex later." I give her a smile because I know she's worrying about me, but I've decided that no matter how upset or annoyed I might be, I am not going to let it ruin my time with my sister.

We join them in the living room and I introduce Kat and Courtney. They seem to hit it off right away, they have similar spunky personalities. We end up taking Courtney's car when we get outside. Kristin sits up front in the passenger seat while Kat and I climb in the back together. As we drive, I realize they never told me where we're going. "So, what are the plans for tonight?" I ask somewhat nervous about the answer I might receive.

"Tattoos, dinner and drinking!" Kristin shouts excitedly as she reaches for the stereo knob, turning up the volume just in time for Kesha's "Raising Hell" to start playing, which causes us all to laugh. "The best part is Luke and Tyler are going to pick us up later, so we don't have to worry about driving," she adds.

Courtney parks down the street from the tattoo parlor and I actually let a real smile take over my face when we walk through the door, excited for my new artwork. A young girl with tattoo sleeves and a couple facial piercings greets us with a smile, asking if we have an appointment.