Other Side of Beautiful (A Beautifully Disturbed #1) by Sarah Zolton Arthur Read Free Book Online

of me while invigorating others. I feel the gentle pressure through my jacket and close my eyes, leaning back into his comfort. Not everyone is lucky enough to call Benton Hayes a friend. Yet that’s exactly what he is doing here, being a friend.
    “Oh, god! Elly, are you all right?” I recognize Sabrina’s voice straight away and recognize her shoes as she drops down to the curb next to me.
    “She’s had a rough start. And it’s Elle now.”
    “Since when?” Errol asks, coming around to stand at the front of us, the tips of our shoes touching. “Did we vote?”
    Sabrina punches his leg and I feel her hand replace Benton’s with those same calming circles. “It’s a name, not an amendment.”
    “I think it’s cute.” Collin, who I knew had to be lurking around somewhere, finally makes his presence known kneeling down in front of me next to Errol. “Really, Elly—Elle, what happened?”
    Benton answers for me. “Really bad first day, and Cricket called.”
    I hear several gasps followed by a collective, “ Oh …”
    These friends of mine are both a blessing and a curse, full of understanding and compassion for a fellow friend. They are good and loyal. But they don’t know any more about mine and Cricket’s relationship than I let on, and I haven’t let on much, which makes the understanding and compassion come across as pity.
    “I think I’ll just go home and try again tomorrow. Maybe I’ll get a little more done in my WIP.”
    “Might not be a good day for that, all your characters will end up dying in fiery explosions or being hacked apart in a jealous rage.” Benton teases me, though he is perfectly right.
    I stand up to leave, taking my mocha with me. Benton and Sabrina both tug on my coat to get me to pause, and I look over my shoulder. “You sure you’re okay?” Benton asks first.
    “Because I’d be happy to come with you,” Sabrina finishes for him. No, my pity party is a party for one, but I thank them all just the same and make my way back to my car.
    Two days pass before I see my writer friends again. In that time, Kelly dragged me to a super coed techno club where every Kelsey and Britney yell over the thumping bass in that quintessential college girl upward inflection where each sentence sounds like they’re asking a question?
    “Do you really know Benton Hayes?” the Kelsey legitimately asked.
    “Because he’s so hot?” Britney did not let me down.
    “Yes, I do?” I teased them both, although neither of the rocket surgeons picked up on it. “And yes, he is? We’re good friends?”
    “Do you think you could hook us up?”
    “Sorry, he works for a different service now,” I had told her and walked away laughing to myself. Yes, my bitch-o-meter was kind of registering high that day. Most coed Kelsey’s are perfectly nice, but clearly she’d caught me in a bad week. Even though I started finding my rhythm in class, I couldn’t shake Cricket’s last phone call. Her hateful words were eating away at my self-confidence, turning my normally pleasant personality into this septic one I hardly recognized anymore.
    More than once, Kelly, even in her inebriated state told me, “you need to get laid.” Isn’t that the truth? It might not cure me from my funk, but it sure would help.
    Wednesday night couldn’t come fast enough for me, as I longed to spend time with my friends, like-minded and with purpose. And with Benton, I shouldn’t want to see him. Actually, I should be totally embarrassed to see him. But with the way he took care of me when I had my little episode, as much as I hate to admit it to myself, being around him makes me happy. Happy in a way that the others, as much as I love them, just don’t.

 
    Chapter 7
     

Elle
     
    Group—voluntary, yet encouraged by the writing department. Scriveners is our name. It gives us a safe place to present our work for critique. Benton and I have tonight’s critique. Next Wednesday, Collin and Errol, two other guys Tim