If You, Then Me by Yvonne Woon

Author:Yvonne Woon
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Published: 2021-04-23T00:00:00+00:00

Seventeen

When I made it back to my room, I flung the door shut and collapsed in my bed, grinning like an idiot. I should have gone to bed, but instead opened my laptop and read all of ObjectPermanence’s messages as if they were from Mast. It felt so natural. I could almost hear his voice reading the messages to me. I closed the window and curled up in bed, imagining the glow of the computer illuminating Mast’s face in the dark as he reached through the screen and touched my hand.

“You’re looking awfully buoyant today.”

Mitzy was sitting next to me in a white leather armchair while a woman crouched over her toes. We were in a luxury spa called Epiphany, where Mitzy had a standing reservation for a massage twice a week. It was her third appointment this week, this time for a mani-pedi, which she insisted I join.

“The last few weeks have just been really good,” I said. I’d mentioned Mast to her once, but she didn’t seem interested. Men were of little importance to her—they were accessories that she could swap when they suited her outfit—and boys were of no importance at all.

“Don’t tell me it’s about a joystick,” Mitzy said.

“Partially a joystick,” I admitted. “But also just everything. It feels like my life is finally coming together.”

The aesthetician who was massaging my feet glanced up at me and gave me a serene smile. It was my first pedicure and though I’d initially thought it would be weird to have someone slough the skin off my feet, I was actually enjoying myself.

It felt nice to walk into the salon and have the receptionist offer me tea and a steamed washcloth to “refresh” myself with. I liked how sweet the room smelled, like vanilla-scented flowers. I liked the vaguely Celtic music playing in the background and how it immediately calmed me, making me feel like everything was going to be taken care of. I liked the wall of nail polish and how it glimmered in the light. I liked how everyone smiled at me and asked if I needed anything, like I was important, like I was an honored guest. I could get used to being treated that way.

Mitzy nudged me, interrupting my thoughts. “Do you prefer pearl or ivory?”

She held up her phone, which had two different color squares on it that looked virtually the same.

“The one on the right, I guess?”

“Pearl. Me too.”

“Give me your Vault.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

“See what?”

“Just trust me.”

My instincts told me not to share my Vault account with anyone, but Mitzy was looking at me so impatiently, like my Vault was actually hers that she had kindly lent to me, that I couldn’t bring myself to say no. Besides, she’d already put so much time and effort into supporting me. Why should I assume the worst now? She was rich; she didn’t need my money. I handed it to her reluctantly and watched as she typed the account number into her phone.

I was seeing Mitzy pretty frequently then.

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