Free The Diary of Lexi Ashford (Lexi Ashford: Part One) by Jessica Sorensen

come on. I promise you that, by the end of the car ride, you’ll be wearing that tiara proudly.”
    Yeah, there’s a better chance of the sky raining tiny cupids onto my head then that ever happening. But I force a smile, knowing there’s no use going on this road trip being a Debbie downer, even if I’m being forced to wear a plastic princess crown that, for some reason, smells like cotton candy.
     

Chapter 10
     
    Man, I never thought the drive to Vegas could be so long.
    For the first couple of hours, Carrie Lynn and her friends are super energized and giggly. Then, about an hour away from the city, they hit this phase where their energy level goes way down. When they begin reminiscing about their weddings, I discover all four of them are married, and three of them have kids. Emersyn and Evan are the only ones not towing around a ball and chain, but Emersyn is four years younger than me, so she doesn’t count.
    Then they start drilling me with questions, asking if I’m married, and when I say I’m not, they gape at me like I sprouted a unicorn horn out of my forehead. Can you say awkward?
    I feel like a loser for being so far behind in life, and it makes me want to change even more. I silently vow to myself that, from tomorrow on, I’m going to be Miss Responsible, Pay Her Bills Before They’re Due, Check Her Bank Account Frequently, Figure Out Who the Hell I Want to Be. Start moving forward. Get a real job and work super hard. Save some money. Establish a career. Buy my own furniture. Get out of Fairville. Live in a better part of the city. Hell, maybe if I’m lucky, in a year or two, I’ll be throwing my own bachelorette party and making everyone do arts and crafts.
    The second we pull into the city, their energy soars through the roof again.
    “Look at that man wearing a diaper.” Carrie Lynn points out the window, her eyes wide as she gapes in sheer awe at the vibrant, lively, sinfully strange city.
    I giggle at the sight of the man handing out flyers while rocking a silver painted diaper and diamond feather wings. Hey, look at that. The sky must have heard me when I said there was a better chance of it raining tiny cupids onto my head than me ever proudly wearing a tiara.
    Okay, so technically the sky probably didn’t rain him down, but still, it’s cloudy, and he had to come from somewhere. Maybe that’s why I’m perfectly okay with the tiara on my head. Either that or the fact that Emersyn and I kept sneaking tequila shots during the drive. And by shots, I mean I’ve been chugging my sorrows away from a big, old cup.
    Poor Evan had to endure the ride sober. He did it so quietly, just nodding his head along whenever someone yammered his ear off.
    Watching him, I begin to wonder how I didn’t see it, how I didn’t recognize him as Silver, the sweet Emo kid who helped me pass chemistry.
    About twenty minutes after pulling into the city, we park in the hotel parking garage. Carrie Lynn and her friends immediately head inside without bothering to help with the luggage, saying they’re going to get checked in/play the tables/find a sexy piece of man candy with a tight ass—it was really hard to sort through all the stuff they were shouting as they stumbled toward the doors.
    Emersyn stays behind with us, seizing the opportunity to light up a cigarette and have “sexy, skanky phone time with her boy toy back home!” Thankfully, she wanders away from the car while making the call, because I’m pretty sure I caught, “tweak your nipples” and “tongue fuck your belly button” before she got out of ear range.
    “I figured it out,” I announce to Evan as I help him collect everyone’s bags from the back of the SUV.
    He arches a brow in disbelief as he starts to stack the suitcases onto the ground. “Is that so?”
    I circle a finger in the air and almost topple over as the world spins with the movement. “You think I’m gonna try to lie to you again, but I’m not.” I brace my hand against