TWO

CELESTE

I think someone's been following me. Obviously, I can't prove it, but little things seem off. The necklace I left on my nightstand is now on the floor. The clothes in my closet aren't in the right order. The driver's seat in my car is slightly further back than I usually have it. The coffee mug on my desk at work is slightly to the left of where it was when I last put it down. Either someone is stalking me and messing with my things, or I'm going crazy. And the latter is entirely possible at this point.

I stare at the giant mess that is my desk and sigh. Maybe I didn't leave the coffee mug where I thought I did; my life is such a damn mess right now that it's really anyone's guess. The extreme chaos in front of me is like a giant metaphor for my life currently.

My desk is a mess and so am I. I really need to grade all these papers, finish lesson plans for Monday, make copies, and clean my desk before I leave for the weekend. I'll make a to-do list. People do that to help them get organized right?

"Hey girl," Catie says from behind me. Her sudden appearance in my classroom startles me, making me jump.

I spin to face my friend and am immediately disappointed to see she brought someone with her. My face falls when I see the uptight ginger next to Catie. I don't even try to hide it.

"Hey, Catie. Ali," I say with a curt nod. "What's up?"

"Hi, Celeste. We were just wondering if you were willing to stay late after school today to help us set up the haunted house for the students?" Ali's voice is annoyingly sweet, same as her. She's one of those goody two shoes type of girls that always gets whatever she wants all while she effortlessly floats through life. Prince fucking Charming would absolutely climb a fucking tower and slay a dragon to win her sweet and innocent heart.

Girls like me don't have a knight in shining armor coming to save us. We don't float through life waiting for Prince Charming to sweep us off to happily ever after. No, girls like me are called cold and bitchy, but really, cautious would be a better description. Girls like me learned to stay alert, stay cautious, stay distant long ago. After all, no one can hurt you if you don't let them in. Usually I'm more aware of every detail of what's happening in my life, but lately everything just feels off.

"Oh, is that tonight?" I ask while spinning around to face my desk, busying myself with tidying piles of paper.

"Yes, it's the weekend before Halloween so our leadership kids are putting on the haunted house. We agreed to split some of the proceeds with your business kids since they did some of the marketing, remember?" Ali's tone shifts to slightly annoyed as she reminds me of the plan. Good, I want to annoy Little Miss Priss.

I remember, and I know the plan, but there's absolutely not a fucking chance in hell that I want to stay late on a Friday to set up some stupid haunted house run by Ali, who's idea of scary is probably along the lines of fucking Casper the Friendly Ghost. I love teaching business and I like the kids, but I also enjoy my Friday nights out, and Halloween just happens to be my favorite holiday. I have no intention of spending tonight with Ali and a bunch of kids. Tonight is for getting drunk and slutty.

"Shoot," I say with as much fake regret as I can muster, "I totally forgot and made plans with my family after school today! I'm so sorry ladies!"

"Oh girl, don't worry about it!" Catie's response is sincere which is what I like about her. She's never fake. She just is what she is. I can respect that.

"You promised you'd help." Ali sounds irritated. Good. She irritates me frequently. Payback's a bitch.

"Sorry." I shrug nonchalantly, letting her know just how little I actually care.

Before she can rebut, the bell rings and students start filing in. Catie and Ali are forced to turn out of my doorway and leave before the beginning of first period. I take a deep breath and release it slowly, trying to prepare myself to start this day.

The fall wind whips my dark hair around my face as I get out of my car. It's fucking freezing today but at least it's not raining, a rarity for the Pacific Northwest. Pushing the button on the fob to lock the door, I pick up my pace and hurry towards the door of the coffee shop. My best friend, Olivia, and I grab coffee at the same shop every Friday afternoon to make sure we stay caught up, even when things are crazy busy. Today we're scheming our plans for our costumes for tonight. Halloween is next Wednesday, so every place downtown is doing something big for the holiday this weekend. It's going to be a long night of mayhem, so I could absolutely use the caffeine.

Pulling open the glass door of the small coffee shop, I'm immediately blasted by the warm air from inside. Spiderwebs and orange pumpkins are strung around the shop to make it look festive. I've loved Halloween since I was a kid. A holiday all about being away from family and pretending you're someone else is exactly my kind of fun.

I make my way up to the counter and order my usual flat white. I'm tempted to get something festive and pumpkin-spiced but I'm a creature of habit. Anything outside of the normal routine causes a slight spike in my anxiety. And even the slightest spike in my anxiety can send me spiraling. The hipster behind the counter takes my order with a cool disinterest that's typical of the people in this town. Having grown up in the Midwest, I was originally shocked by the "Seattle Freeze" that plagues the people here, but it turns out I fit in well with the cold aloofness. If you leave people alone, they leave you alone, and that vibe works for me. Moving down to the end of the raw edge wood counter to wait for my drink, I scan the crowded tables, looking for Olivia.

I spot her signature hot pink curls at a table in the center of the shop. She appears to be engrossed with her phone. However, I don't really register what she's doing, as my eyes catch on the man sitting at the table across from her. He's huge—definitely taller than six feet with shoulders as wide as I am tall. His well defined arms are covered in an intricate canvas of swirling black ink that trails all the way from his hands and up into the cover of his fitted black tee shirt. His thick black hair is messily thrown across his face, covering his eyes as he stares down at the screen in front of him. He's fucking gorgeous. Seriously, he must be the hottest man I've ever seen. I quickly scan his hands for a ring, but there's none. Fantastic.

My therapist once told me that I use sex as a coping mechanism. I believe they said something like, I look for the male validation I never received as a child through sexual promiscuity. I'm fairly certain I'm just a woman who enjoys sex without strings attached.

My eyes trace a path from the man's hand, up his toned arms, and across his massive shoulders to his face. My eyes lock on his.

Shit.

He's staring straight back at me with an eyebrow cocked, clearly noticing that I was checking him out. His eyes are the deepest blue, like the sea during a storm. And they're locked on me. Oh. My. God. I literally just devoured this man with my eyes and he absolutely noticed. I can feel my cheeks heat with embarrassment.

"Celeste," the barista behind me calls out to signal that my drink is ready.

Happy to be saved from my embarrassment, I turn and grab my drink, flashing the barista a stiff smile. Moving through the crowded rows of chairs and small tables filled with patrons, I keep my eyes fixed on the ground, willing myself not to look at the handsome stranger again. He's probably gone back to his work anyway. I finally slide into the seat across from Olivia. I swear I can feel his eyes appraising me from behind but I won't let myself look, instead focusing all my energy on my friend across from me. I might have started out looking like a desperate slut, but generally I try to play hard to get. Most men like the chase.

"Hey, Liv." I try to sound smooth and sultry just in case he happens to be listening, causing my friend to give me a look from across the table.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Olivia is straight to the point always, no time for bullshit. It's why I love her. "We headed to my place to get ready and then downtown?"

We always go out for Halloween. It's my favorite holiday and she's my favorite human so I'm always down to go out with her and get crazy. Liv is a wildcard. She's been my best friend since college. Her loud, outgoing attitude is a perfect complement to my more reserved nature. She's my other half. Whenever I even think about her, it's like my heart swells slightly. Honestly, sometimes I think she's the only person that really even cares about me. If I were to go missing, like those young women you see on TV, I'm not sure there'd be anyone other than Liv who'd even bother to report it to the cops. Usually the two of us do some type of themed costume for Halloween, although we do prioritize sexiness over creativity.

"Well, the Jager is doing that themed Heaven and Hell silent rave. Is that what we want to do?" I ask her as I sip my drink, the warm liquid spreading through me.

Each bar downtown is doing its own themed party tonight and we've been going back and forth for weeks trying to decide which one we want to go to first. Liv desperately wanted to go to a haunted corn maze this year but I've been trying to convince her to go barhopping instead. The thought of being chased through a maze I can't escape causes my chest to tighten uncomfortably. I have a need to be in control. I'm sure my therapist has thoughts about that too.

"Girl I'm so down!" Liv says before taking another sip of her sugary blended coffee drink. "We can totally throw together some super slutty angel outfits! That white corset top you have will be absolutely perfect!"

She's right. That top makes my tits looks fucking fabulous. I'll have to figure out how to pull off the angel look with headphones for the silent rave but I think it will all come together.

I raise my mug to hers in mock cheers. "It's gonna be a fucking good night. I can feel it!"