Faking Perfection

3|Street-smart

𝟛|𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕖𝕥-𝕤𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕥

I told Mason to park down the street to ensure he wouldn't be seen when he came to pick Everett and me up. Not that my Mom would see us leave since she wasn't home yet, but in case she came back early I didn't want to take any chances.

It was easy enough to sneak out. I knew exactly where the security cameras were in our house, so it wasn't difficult to get around them, and I convinced Connor, our ten-year-old brother, to spend the night at one of his friend's houses. All it took was a twenty-dollar bill for him to give in.

"Is there a pillow under your comforter to make it believable?" I ask Everett. He changed into his favorite red Balenciaga hoodie that he got for his birthday last year with a pair of ripped skinny jeans, a beanie, and a pair of converse. A sparkling silver chain hangs around his neck, glistening from the chandelier lights in the foyer.

"I'm not an idiot, Izzy, but do you really think Mom is even going to check?"

No. She never does. At least I don't think so. Most of the time she's exhausted from her shifts at the hospital. When I do see her come home, she normally grabs something quick to eat from the kitchen and is asleep thirty minutes later.

"We have to cover all of our bases," I tell him. "Now stick to the fence and do not step on the driveway. The cameras can see us there."

He nods and follows me out into the front yard, stealthily walking along the fence behind me. Truthfully, I'm surprised he even wants to go to a party. Maybe he wants to be different since he's officially in high school now, or maybe...

"Is Emery coming tonight?" I ask. AKA: his best friend's girlfriend and also the girl Everett has a crush on. He gets pissed whenever I bring her up, but I see it whenever they're together. I'm the big sister, so I drive his friends to the movies a lot or to the mall whenever they want to go, and their bickering makes it clear as day. She's into him too, but I think neither of them makes a move on the other because of Liam. It'd be too complicated, and they both don't want to lose him as their friend.

Everett shrugs, but his shoulders tense as we continue to walk down the street. "I don't know. Liam is going, so I assume she is, too."

Hmm.

"Well, you look nice," I tell him. "I think she'll like your outfit."

"Would you shut up?" He sneers, but I can see the corners of his lips lift upward. "I didn't dress up for her."

"Then who did you dress up for? I've never seen you wear anything like that."

His eyes brighten. "For Willow."

I lunge for him as he erupts into laughter and bolts down the street. I'm wearing high-heeled boots, so he's way ahead of me by the time he reaches Mason's black Mercedes, the engine purring smoothly. Everett slides into the backseat before I get the chance to smack him on the back of the head.

"I'm going to kill you," I tell him when I open up the door. "Seriously, don't go anywhere near her tonight, you hear me? I'll—" The driver's car door shuts to interrupt me. Mason walks around to my side and places a hand on the door that I just opened. "What are you doing?" I ask him.

He scratches the back of his head. "Um, making sure you get in the car okay?"

Oh, hell no. This isn't a date. If this is what he thinks this is...

"It's the polite thing to do," he says as if reading my mind. His eyes are locked on mine, and I mentally give him props for not checking out my outfit. I'm wearing a black Chanel mini dress that hugs every single curve I have, my tits spilling out of the top, but he doesn't look. Not once.