5.

“We thought you’d gone with Austin?” Willow asked.

“Nope. He’s got basketball practice. Apparently, they have a match on Friday,” Raine replied as she approached the girls.

“So, are we still up for the sleepover tonight?” Willow asked. Raine had invited the girls over because she wanted to get to know them better, away from Austin and the rest of his crowd.

“Of course we are. But I need a ride home first.” Raine put on her best pleading expression. “My ride won’t be done with practice anytime soon, and I really don’t want to ride with Nina and Natalie.”

“Sure. We can drop you off. Come on.” Mila gestured toward the parking lot.

They walked over to where Mila’s Jeep was parked.

“I love your ride,” Raine said as she climbed in. “Whoever this is for.”

Mila laughed. “Thanks. It’s mine. Willow drives us on Thursdays and Fridays.”

“Fancy arrangement.”

“Something like that.”

A few minutes later, they reached Raine’s stop.

“This is me,” Raine said as she opened the door. “You guys meet me here tonight, okay? I’ll direct you to my house from the junction.”

“Got it,” Willow said.

The junction was barely a ten-second walk from Raine’s house, so there was little chance of her getting lost.

“Maybe she wants to surprise us,” Mila said as they watched Raine walk away.

“Probably.” Willow shrugged.

Mila pulled up in front of her house, and the two girls climbed out.

“Looks like you’ve got company,” Mila said, noticing the unfamiliar car parked outside.

Willow frowned.

“Aaliyah?” she called as they entered the house.

“In here!” Aaliyah’s voice came from the kitchen. She sounded almost relieved to hear them.

Willow followed the sound.

“Who’s car is—”

She stopped.

“Mom…” she said, forcing a smile.

A man stood beside her mother.

“And who is he?” Willow asked, pointing at him.

“My boyfriend, Cole,” Avery replied casually.

Willow stared at her mother for a moment.

Of course.

Just when she thought things couldn’t get any more awkward.

“I’d be upstairs. Welcome, Ms. Evans,” Mila said politely, trying to slip away.

“No, you won’t.” Willow grabbed her hand.

Mila gave her a helpless look but stayed put.

“Can I go upstairs now?” Aaliyah whined. “My friends are waiting.”

“You girls can stay and get to—”

“No!” Aaliyah and Willow said at the same time.

They exchanged a look before storming upstairs.

Mila smiled awkwardly and followed them.

Avery sighed as she watched them disappear.

“Well, I tried. They’re just a couple of hot-headed, spoiled brats.”

“They’ll come around, Av. Give them time,” Cole said calmly.

Upstairs, Willow dropped onto her bed, clearly annoyed.

“She always does this,” she complained, rubbing the back of her neck. “We’re comfortable with our lives the way they are. If she wants to get married, she should go ahead and do it. Just leave us out of it.”

“Calm down, Willow.” Mila sat beside her. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. Give it some time. If she’s really serious about him, then she should be willing to wait until you’re ready to accept it.”

Willow looked at her friend and smiled faintly.

“Thanks, Mila.”

She pulled her into a hug.

“I know your mom and dad eventually came around. I’m sorry they don’t have much time for you either. I guess we’re in the same boat.”

“I guess we are.” Mila sighed.

Aaliyah suddenly appeared at the door, phone in hand.

“There’s McDonald’s in the fridge for you and Mila. Just microwave it.”

“Thanks. You’re the best,” Willow called after her.

Aaliyah paused.

“And hey,” Willow added, “everything’s going to be alright. It’s us against the world.”

Aaliyah raised an eyebrow.

“Us against the world?”

Willow grinned. “You heard me.”

Aaliyah shook her head and walked away.

“Come on, Mila. Let’s get something to eat.”

Willow pulled her friend off the bed, and they headed downstairs.

By the time they reached the kitchen, Avery and Cole were nowhere to be seen.

“Typical Avery Evans,” Willow muttered.

She opened the refrigerator, took out the food and placed it in the microwave. After setting the timer for five minutes, she leaned against the counter.

Mila grabbed two plates and pulled two cans of raspberry juice from the fridge.

They had barely settled when Willow’s phone rang.

“Hello?”

“We’re at your junction, Raine,” Willow said.

“Just a minute. I’ll be there soon.”

Raine ended the call and hurried outside.

As usual, her parents were away.

She had no idea where they were this time, and judging by how little they communicated with her, they probably didn’t think she needed to know.

She lived alone in a huge mansion, surrounded by maids, butlers and security guards. Her step-sisters attended one of the best schools out of town, leaving Raine with far too much space and far too little company.

When she first met Austin, she had been excited.

Finally, she thought, she would have someone to spend time with. She imagined herself becoming part of his world and getting closer to his friends.

Then she actually met his friends.

That excitement disappeared almost immediately.

They were nothing like her. They did things she wouldn’t even consider doing, and the more time she spent around them, the more she realised she didn’t belong.

Then she met Mila and the others.

They weren’t perfect. None of them were.

But Raine liked them almost instantly.

For the first time in a long while, she felt like she had found people she could actually be herself around.

“Here I am,” she announced as she reached the Jeep.

She tapped on the window, and Mila unlocked the door.

“Hey, you,” Mila said as Raine climbed in.

They headed toward Raine’s house.

As they approached, the massive electric gates opened automatically, allowing Mila to drive into the sprawling compound.

Raine’s house looked like something straight out of a movie.

The exterior was covered in elegant brown and grey stone, with perfectly manicured grounds surrounding the enormous building.

The girls climbed out, and several maids immediately came forward to collect their bags from the trunk.

Inside, the house was even more impressive.

The floors gleamed beneath their feet, and every surface seemed spotless. The entire place was beautiful—almost too beautiful.

“Your house is gorgeous,” Willow said, looking around.

“Thanks.” Raine smiled.

She had prepared a separate room for sleepovers months ago, always telling herself that one day she would actually have people over.

Today was finally that day.

She had instructed the maids to clean the room and prepare everything before the girls arrived.

“Would you girls like something to eat?” Raine asked.

“Yeah,” Mila answered immediately. “Anything you’ve got.”

“Okay. I’ll be right back.”

Raine left the room.

Mila watched her disappear before turning to Willow.

“Why do rich parents always do this?” she asked. “They think giving their kids money and leaving them alone is enough to make them happy.”

Willow nodded.

“Exactly. They give us everything except the one thing we actually want.”

“And what’s that?”

“Their attention. Their love. Their care. Their support.” Willow sighed. “All we want is for them to actually be there for us. Maybe that’s too much to ask.”

“Being a rich kid sucks,” Mila said. “And the funny thing is, average kids would do anything to have our lives.”

“The world is unfair.”

Raine’s voice came from the doorway.

The girls turned to see her walking in with one of the maids, who was carrying a large tray filled with food.

The maid placed it on the table and quietly left.

Raine smiled.

“Bon appétit.”

“Don’t bon appétit us,” Willow said. “You’re eating with us. No excuses.”

She looked at Mila.

“Back me up.”

Mila laughed.

“I love you, Raine, but I’m with Willow on this one. Come on. Sit down.”

Raine rolled her eyes, but the smile on her face gave her away.

“Fine.”

She climbed onto the bed beside them.

As the three girls reached for the food, Raine looked at them quietly.

For once, the huge house didn’t feel so empty.

I love these girls.

She smiled to herself.

Maybe, just maybe, tonight was going to be different.