La Vie en Rose {Life in Pink} Read Online Free PDF Page A

amount of money people waste on imitation is mindboggling. When did it become logical to spend a hundred dollars on a knockoff purse?”
    She chuckled. “Yeah, you don’t need a purse after that, because you don’t have any money left.”
    “And they’re spending that on the knockoffs. Quality’s a thing of the past. Everyone’s willing to settle for an impression of good, instead of waiting for what’s actually good. People get so caught up with what’s trending they all start looking identical. Everyone’s chasing the same fake bullshit.”
    “Hair dyed to look like someone else’s natural color.”
    “Exactly. New furniture that looks old.” It drove him nuts how people defeated the purpose of individuality, living like one big oxymoron.
    She grinned. “Sunscreen for tanning beds.”
    He laughed. “Medals for all the losers.”
    “Ripping out half your eyelashes by gluing on fake ones.”
    “Women do that?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Why?”
    “I don’t know. What were we talking about?”
    He laughed again, the beer catching up with him. “I have no idea.”
    Turning her head on the table, she grinned at him. “You’re a nice guy, Riley. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight.”
    As much as he dreaded being exposed to her heightened emotions, he was actually enjoying himself. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
    “I don’t want to be the loser that gets a medal. What happened to me was real. My fiancé dumped me. That’s a big deal, but I don’t want to sit around and cry about it either.”
    “Good for you.” This was an attitude he could get onboard with. He was all about encouraging the Anti-Cry Act. “Fuck Becket.”
    “Fuck him,” she repeated, raising the rum bottle high. The liquid sloshed, announcing how much she’d drunk. “I’m not ashamed. I was a good girlfriend. Yeah, my fiancé dumped me. So what? He’s gonna wish he had me back some day. And you know what, Riley?”
    “What?”
    She rolled to her knees, nearly fell, stood, wobbled, and steadied herself like she was riding a surfboard. “He can’t have me, because I don’t want him.”
    Her shoulders jerked as her neck did a strange pelican thing and she burped. Uh-oh. “You okay, Em?”
    “I’m...” She did the hairball heave again and held up a dainty finger like she was at a British tea party. Her brows pinched as her mouth pursed.
    “Emma?”
    “I just... wanna say...” Hiccup. “You and I are officially frien-zuh—” The last word was cut short as she recovered her cup and vomited into it, quick and as feminine as puke could get. She pouted. “Ew.”
    He drew back. “Yeah. Ew.” Girls throwing up equaled totally disgusting. “You okay, tiger?”
    “I am a tiger! Rawrr —” Her roar was interrupted by another dry heave.
    “Uh...maybe sit down for a minute. You want some water? Maybe a cracker?”
    Lowering herself to the table again, she looked at him with glassy eyes and placed her cup aside. He tried to forget what was in it.
    “I’m done caring now. I’m done worrying if I’m good enough to visit the Grayson’s country club or if my knockoff shoes are passable—because yes! I’m one of those losers that spent money on a knockoff.” She slumped to the left and pouted. “And the stupid strap broke.”
    She held up a stern finger, her expression turning harsh. “Don’t you judge me, Riley Lockhart. That was the old me. I’m done. From now on, I’m gonna do what I want, when I want, because I’m a good person and anyone who doesn’t see that doesn’t deserve to have me in their life. You get what I’m sayin’, Ri?”
    “I’m smellin’ what you’re steppin’ in. Go on.”
    “I’m done,” she said, stabbing a finger in the air. “I’m going to forget Becket Grayson. Erase him from my life and move on. If it was meant to be, it would be, but it’s not gonna be so I’m meant to be somewhere else or something. You know?”
    “Absolutely. Why don’t you lay down on the couch for a