Free Red Card by Carrie Aarons Page A

dressed in school clothes, ready for class. Dark grey jeans, an olive sweater and tons of thin, gold chains around her neck. With her red hair blown out and perfectly curling at the ends, she looked like she belonged in the Irish version of a Land's End catalog. Emma sported a crop top and skater skirt made out of the same pattern of sweatshirt material with tiny motorcycles all over it. Her blonde hair was wrapped into two ballet buns, and she looked cute yet so fashionable.
    My mouth dropped open when I looked at what was on the counter. Two perfectly wrapped Burberry boxes, complete with beige and red plaid bows. One had a tag on it that read Ms. Watson, the other, Her Fashionable Roommate.
    "What the..." I scurried to the counter, carefully picking up the box that had my name.
    "Pretty sure you're the fashionable roommate." Bridget pointed her spoon at Emma. Emma greedily picked it up, digging into the packaging.
    I did the same in a more composed, calmer manner. Etiquette had been drilled into me from a young age, especially in a social situation. But you know what? Fuck that. This trip and this life I was living was now about me.
    I took Emma's cue, tearing into the paper and ribbons and damn did it feel good. We popped the lids off the boxes at almost the same time, gasping as we looked at what lay within.
    Identical pairs of black suede Burberry heels, much like the ones I'd broken last night.
    "Who sent these?" Emma looked down in awe at her sparkly, shiny new fashion toys. I saw the addiction in her eyes, this stuff was like pure cocaine to her. She got off on the look and smell alone.
    "Oh, I have an idea..." Bridget trailed off, and I could hear the snarky smile in her voice as she slid that morning's paper across the breakfast bar to Heidi.
    "You went out with Killian last night?!" Heidi drawled, rolling her eyes even though I could see the jealousy laced in with the chocolate brown.
    I was too busy studying the shoes and her expression to glance down at the paper. Until her words registered in my ears.
    Casting my view down, there we were. Killian and I, embracing for all the paparazzi to see on the front page of The Sun.
    "Oh no..." My stomach filled with dread as I flipped frantically through the paper to the article about us. More pictures, so many pictures. Of Killian touching my face, staring deeply into my eyes. His arms around my waist. Us leaving the restaurant in his car together. My organs felt like lead, like someone had tied my body to a weight and pitched it overboard into the ocean. I was gaining water quickly, drowning in fear, misery and regret.
    "Looks like you did a mighty fine job last night to earn a present that nice." Heidi quipped, and I heard Bridget snicker.
    Tears filled my eyes at her assumption, that I was just another one of these girls Killian Ramsey used and abused.
    "Here," shoving the shoes in her direction, "You can have them."
    And with that I turned back around, hobbling on my hurt foot to my room and trying to hold back the tears until I was safely under the covers.
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    T he funny thing was , I had always been ready for a life in front of the cameras.
    It had taken me a few years to adjust, perfecting the right things to say, the best expressions to wear in certain scenarios.
    Taylor's people had always told me I needed to work on my wardrobe, and I was getting there.
    And then the world that I had been so diligently preparing for promptly stomped on my heart and dumped me.
    I'd been with Taylor Mason for five years. Our junior year of high school, all the way up until two months ago.
    He'd been my first guy friend, and then my first boyfriend. The first boy to ask me to a school dance, and then the one that took me to prom. The first boy who stuck his hand up my shirt, the one who had taken my virginity. The boy who I watched grow into a man, garnering attention from football analysts and scouts all over the country. The one I followed to college, helping as his football