Shot In The Dark [Book 1]

0.4 - Liar Among Us

"Get out of bed, Margo." Noelle, my stylist rushes around my room. The sound of her heels clicking against the floor causes me to groan, rubbing my eyes.

"How did you get in here?" I mumble from under the blanket, trying my best to block out the sunlight.

"I hopped the fence," She shoots sarcasm my way as she pushes through my outfits in my closet. "Use your brain, Margo; Abe let me in. Now get up before I call Jeff. You know how he gets when he knows you're behind schedule."

"I don't doubt that you hopped the fence. Plus, it's electric so you probably cut the wiring with your teeth." I roll my eyes, climbing out of bed and grabbing my phone.

I notice that I'm approximately eleven minutes behind schedule and realize that's going to make Jeff pop a blood vessel. I set my phone down as Noelle walks up to me, shoving an outfit into my face.

"Get dressed, we will do your hair and makeup downstairs." She walks towards the door and I collapse onto my bed before she turns back around. "Chop chop Margo, it's a new day!"

I push the clothes off of my lap and walk over to the bathroom, turning on the water.

After taking a long shower, attending to the necessary hygiene, I get dressed in the outfit Noelle threw at me. It consists of a band t-shirt and black skinny jeans.

The last few days have been filled with meetings and planning as we prepare for the holidays. After the party, Calum and I exchanged numbers and I've been waiting for him to text me.

I make my way downstairs to hear Noelle talking to who I assume is Abe.

"She needs friends, you're just holding her back."

Never mind, she's definitely talking to Jeff.

I enter the room, gaining their attention and Noelle puts on a fake smile. I don't bother speaking since the knot in my stomach prohibits any chances of that happening.

"We're going to do a natural look today, since you're not doing anything that requires a glam look." Noelle explains and I silently nod, sliding into the seat in front of where she's standing.

"Hurry up, I'm already not having a good day." Jeff scoffs, standing up from his spot on the couch.

"You're never having a good day." I roll my eyes as he leaves the living room.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and notice a message from an unknown number. Before I bother opening it, I hand the phone to Abe in case it's something I don't want to see.

"What is that?" My question causes him to open the message, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Calum." He hands the phone back to me and I read the message out loud, smiling as I do so.

"I just wanted to apologize for not messaging you sooner. My other phone broke and it took a while for us to find the time to get me a new one. I hope we can hang out again, Calum."

I look over to Abe who has a smug expression as Noelle smirks before speaking.

"So, you have a boyfriend?" She teases me, brushing makeup onto my chin and I roll my eyes.

"No, he's just a friend. We hung out the other night and ended up exchanging numbers." I try to explain, only causing her to sigh.

"I miss being your age. So full of life and getting excited about the little things, like a cute boy messaging me."

She pulls away from my face, reaching into her bag for a new product.

"I don't really experience this feeling very often. Jeff has cut me off from the real world so my life is filled with business." I shrug, looking down at my lap. "What do I even say in response to his message?"