Raw Deal (Beauty for Ashes: Book One) Read Free Page A

for his collection. So I didn’t need to wash it off and redo it.
    I was still wearing the deep red silk dress that my dresser had thrust at me for my last change. It had more personality than the gray dress that I’d packed for the party. Yes, it was probably a little too much for school, but had I not lived in England for the past four years? Was it not expected of me to show up at the party and make a bit of a fashion statement?
    I stuffed the gray dress back into my purse. I was going in red silk. Kingston High, watch out!
    I packed up and went to say bye to Vinnie. He said he’d let me keep his dress if I would do some more shows for him. I gave him my agency’s details so that he could contact them.
     
    ***
    I got to school just before nine and made my way to the gym. It was heaving. Luckily Monica was looking out for me. “Lexi,” she yelled over the music, eyeing my dress. “I thought you weren’t coming any more. It’s nine o’ clock! The party finishes in about half an hour.”
    “Really? Why?”
    “Because we’ve got school tomorrow. If it was a Friday, they’d let us stay till two in the morning. Whoever planned this party for a Thursday was crazy. Any party that’s out before midnight ain’t a party.”
    “But you can’t have the after party the day after the game.”
    “Says who?”
    “Whatever. You look great anyway.”
    Monica whipped her hair. “I do, don’t I?”
    Liam came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Hey, you keep getting away from me.”
    “Yeah, can’t you take a hint?” Monica joked.
    “Do you want to dance?” he asked her.
    Monica looked at me, and I smiled. “Go and dance. It’s cool.”
    “I’ll be back in a minute,” Monica promised.
    Coming to this party had been a bad idea. I already felt lost, and my feet were still killing me from being crammed into Vinnie’s shoes.
    I walked over to the drinks stand and stood behind the curly-haired texter I’d seen with Jace yesterday. He asked for a ‘Slam Dunk.’ He was given a glass of something dirty brown.
    I smiled at the girl serving the drinks. “Do you have Coke?”
    “One Dirty Dribble coming up,” she yelled.
    “Hey, Lexi,” the guy said.
    “Hey.” The first thing I noticed was how tall he was. I grinned at him, as I was handed my drink. “I hope this is just Coke.”
    He steered me toward some chairs that had been set out on the left side of the hall. I was grateful. I needed to sit.
    “Yeah, what else could it be?”
    I made a face. “With a name like ‘Dirty Dribble,’ I don’t know. Coke laced with marijuana?” I was always suspicious about drinks. I’d been offered so many dodgy cocktails at fashion industry meet and greets, and I’d been sick for two days the first time I’d accepted one at a London event. But this was school. It had to be harmless.
    “Girl, what kind of parties do you go to?”
    I laughed and sat down, taking a tentative sip. “Tastes like normal Coke. What are you drinking?”
    “A Slam Dunk.”
    “Please translate.”
    “Lemonade, lime juice, and ginger.”
    I made a face.
    “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” he said, offering his glass.
    I took a sip, then handed it back. “It’s vile.”
    He grinned. “You left me some lipstick.”
    “Oh, sorry.”
    “It’s cool, Lexi. You can leave some on my lips later if you want.”
    “How do you know my name?”
    “Well, you’re Monica’s buddy that’s back from England, right?”
    “Right.”
    “Plus, you’re hot. Everyone knows your name.”
    I raised an eyebrow. It’s a fact that raising an eyebrow in an uncomfortable situation makes you look more confident than you feel. “Well, what’s your name?”
    “Lewis.”
    “Lewis what?”
    “Carter.”
    “Oh.” He had two surnames.
    Lewis looked around the hall. He had lovely, intense dark eyes. He seemed to be more of a mellow kind of guy than a loud, annoying Hayden type. I searched for something to say. “When did you start