His Sweet Revenge

Chapter 5.

Iris is getting ready in my room for the engagement party tonight. My grandparents have apparently invited half the town and since it's still raining out, we have been forced to improvise and make it an indoor party. I honestly don't know how everyone is going to fit inside this house. It's big, but my grandparents also know a lot of people.

"I saw you talking to Grayson outside last night from my window. What were you guys talking about?" She asks, rubbing an eyeshadow brush in her crease.

"Stalker much?"

"Curiosity will actually kill me, Layla."

"I was helping him choose his next victim. Cassidy Briggs? I thought she'd make a hot corpse."

Iris snorts, setting her brush down. "Never serious, are you?"

I laugh and slump down onto my bed. My makeup is already done, and my hair is fine as it is, so all I have left to do is to wait for people to start showing up. "Do you know if anyone ever found out why Noah Anderson got arrested?"

"Why?" Iris looks at me suspiciously. "Are you into him?"

"Ew. No. I'm just curious. And I want to know the hot gossip. Curiosity will actually kill me, Iris."

Iris rolls her big eyes, looking at me through the mirror. "Brett heard that he apparently roofied a bunch of girls. But he's out now. His good old daddy worked his lawyer magic."

Nausea rolls through me. "Seriously? That's so fucked up." Bad people get away with bad stuff all the time, that's why the world is so unfair. My Grandpa used to tell me that all the time. I never realized how right he was, I was just too young to understand the truth behind those words.

If Noah Anderson got arrested he probably did something bad enough to deserve it.

"Tell me about it," Iris sighs, turning her attention back to painting her face. My mind is running through a thousand thoughts right now. Grayson won't tell me what he's up to, but I know he's not here in this town for nothing and I'm determined to find out the truth.

He can push me away all he wants, that's not going to stop me.

"Layla," my mom huffs, entering the room. "I called you five times." She looks absolutely gorgeous in her long, white, A-line dress.

"Sorry, my phone's dead, and Iris won't give up the charger. What's up? You look drop-dead gorgeous, by the way."

A small smile slides over her face. "Come downstairs. We have a surprise for you."

One thing about me is that I absolutely love surprises. I leap up with joy and follow behind my mom.

"Did Grandpa finally give in and buy me a Mercedes?" I beam with a little pep in my step.

"No," my mom chuckles. "I think you'll like this even better."

"What could be better than a Mercedes?" I ask, confused. But the confusion washes away the moment I see my brother standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Nate!" I practically scream and then I'm running down the stairs and flying into his arms with so much force he stumbles back.

He manages to keep us upright and holds onto me tightly. It's the best feeling in the world. "My sweet sister, how I've missed you." Nate sets me down and takes me in, I do the same. He's so tan and his hair is buzzed short. Physically he doesn't look that much different but there's so much happiness in his eyes now, lighting him up. "Look at you." A tear runs down his cheek and my eyes fill up at the sight of it. "You're all grown up."

"Yeah," I smile, wiping my tears. He picks me up again and spins me around.

"Christ, Nate, put her down before she flashes us," Brett laughs. Once I'm on the ground again Nate runs towards Brett and they hug like brothers. I can't help but smile from ear to ear at the sight of it. This is exactly what I needed after the week I've had.