“Perhaps. I still can’t stand that rich, pompous asshole though.”
“The feeling, I’m sure you know, is mutual.”
Jay snorts.
“I know Seattle is going to be rough for you and Elizabeth. Is there anything I can do to help? Putting all our bullshit aside, we’ve been friends for a very long time, and I hope you know that I still have your back if you need me.”
Jay leans his head back against the sofa and mutters, “Always the better man.” He sits back up and looks at me. “Thanks, Ry. I appreciate it.”
Chapter 26
“What can I get you, gorgeous?” the bartender asks me.
I’m at the bar at Belly’s waiting for Meredith and Sara to arrive for our Friday girl’s night out. Since I’m driving, I’m not going to drink any alcohol tonight. Hence the soda I’m about to order.
“Whatever diet cola you have. I’m not picky.”
The bartender winks at me with a “coming right up” and walks to the other end of the bar. I am a bit disappointed Belly’s isn’t doing karaoke tonight, but they are having a quiz bowl which should be fun. My inner nerd wants to come out and play.
I turn around on the barstool and people-watch while I wait. The place is already packed with college students from campus. There are a couple of groups gathered around the pool tables adjacent to the small stage located at back, and Top 40 music is playing. Where people would be dancing there are now tables to accommodate the crowd that’s here for trivia night.
“Here you go, love,” the bartender says. I turn around to take my drink and he slides a napkin towards me that has his name and phone number written on it. “Anything else I can get for you?”
The guy is good-looking with dark blond hair and chocolate brown eyes. I look at the napkin and see his name is Bryce.
“Actually, there is,” I say. “Is there any way you could summon my fiancé for me? He’s at the bar down the street with some friends.” I give him a wink of my own and he bursts out laughing.
“You’re adorable. Message received.” Bryce leans over the bar and says in a low voice, “Although, you’re not wearing a ring and you’re here alone.”
Dammit. I didn’t want Meredith to see it yet, so it’s on my necklace with my locket which are tucked under my long-sleeved shirt. I’m about to whip my necklace out when I hear Sara’s voice call out, “Hey Bryce!” A second later, I’m being tackle-hugged by a pixy who turns out to be Meredith.
“Girl’s night!” she shrieks. “I’ve been so looking forward to this all week. Just us pussies! Wait, that sounds wrong.”
Sara leans over the bar and hugs the overtly flirtatious bartender. “I see you’ve met Elizabeth. And this is my loud roommate Meredith. Meredith, this is my brother, Bryce.”
“What’s up Sara’s brother,” Meredith greets him.
“Trivia night looks to be popular,” Sara comments. She leans over the bar when Bryce taps her on the shoulder. It’s too noisy to hear what he tells her, but her raucous laughter comes out loud and clear.
“Bryce, I’m not going to give you her number. Dude, she’s with Ryder Cutton.”
“No shit?” he says, looking at me again to see if Sara is telling him the truth. I give him an affirmative nod while sipping my soda. “I’ve seen him race. That guy is badass.”
“Yes, he most certainly is,” I agree.
“Ryder is uber-protective of her. He would totally hand you your ass for flirting with her,” Meredith happily informs him.
Bryce looks at me again. “Damn, girl. Got it. Don’t mess with the hot blond chick.”
“Bryce, for fuck’s sake. Stop hitting on my friends. Come on.” Sara turns to us and pulls us to the back of the room where the pool tables are. “My brother is such a manwhore.” Sara sidles up to a pool table and throws a dollar bill down to claim the next game.
Selecting a pool stick off the wall rack, Meredith pokes me in the butt with it. “Where are your boys tonight?”
“At the bar down the street.”
“Hey, Sara, did I ever tell you about Elizabeth’s unicorn pussy?” Meredith bursts out loudly.
For the second time tonight, I about spew my drink all over the place. “Jesus, Mer, dial it down a notch,” I splutter as several male heads turn our way at her outburst. Meredith just bends over laughing. This girl is out of her mind.
Wiping tears from her eyes, she sings, “Or maybe it’s the milkshakes that have all the boys running to the yard.” Suddenly, the group of guys at the pool table we’re waiting next to join her in chorus, singing the song in the style of Maverick wailing, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” from Top Gun. Both Sara and I whip out our phones to video the performance, which includes a lot of chest and ass shaking from Meredith. At the end, the room erupts in applause and whistles, and Meredith high-fives all of the guys who played back up to her diva performance. One of them, leanly built with dark auburn hair and blue eyes, whispers something in Mer’s ear that has her blushing crimson. She bites her bottom lip up at him and nods yes.
“Keep this warm for me. I’ll be back in a minute.” She thrusts her pool stick in my hands and walks off with the guy.
“You bitch! It’s girl’s night! No boys allowed! Hoes over bros!” Sara shouts after her.
“I’ll be back in five minutes!” Meredith shouts back and grabs the guy’s ass as they make their way down the hall that leads to the restrooms. I cringe at the thought of getting it on in such an unsanitary place, especially with some random guy. There isn’t much I would say no to Ryder about, but restroom sex at a bar would be on my hell-no list. Just, yuck.
“I swear, sometimes I worry about that girl,” Sara tells me. “And I’m truly sorry about my brother’s behavior. In high school, I had to stop bringing my friends home because he would always hit on them.”
I wave off her concern, not wanting her to worry about it. “Honestly, it’s fine. So, what are your plans for the holidays? Going back home?”
The guys finish their game and give us the table. Sara chooses a stick and I use the one Meredith handed me. Racking up the balls, Sara says, “That’s the plan. Bryce and I are driving together. Might as well, ya know.”
I help Sara get the rest of the balls from the corner pockets so she can arrange them in the plastic triangle. “Where’s home?”
“Myrtle Beach.”
“I love Myrtle Beach. I used to call it the Las Vegas of the South.”
Sara thinks about it then chuckles. “You’re right! What about you? You heading home too?”
Once she’s done racking the balls, I chalk my stick, aim, and shoot. Two stripes and one solid go in. “Stripes,” I state and move over to the side and eyeball the cue ball to determine the best angle to get the side pocket. “The guys and I are heading to Seattle and then coming back to spend Christmas together. After, Ryder is taking me to Wintergreen for New Year’s.” I nail my shot and set up for the next one.
“Never been to Wintergreen.”
“It’s in Virginia.”
“Let me know how you like it. I’ve been wanting to try my hand at skiing. So, you’re from Seattle?”
Once my shot falls in the corner pocket, I hold my pool stick at my side and lean on it. “How much has Meredith told you about me?”
“Other than the two of you being friends, she hasn’t told me much of anything. Why?” I motion for Sara to take the next shot, even though it’s still my turn.
“I know we really don’t know each other well, but my life comes with a shit ton of baggage. Stuff I’m not really comfortable talking about. I don’t mean to sound like a cagey bitch, but it’s hard for me to talk about personal stuff. You’re a really nice person, Sara, and I’m glad we are becoming friends. Just know that if I clam up or don’t answer a question, it’s not because of anything you said.”
“Alright, fair enough,” she answers and slides the stick between her fingers before hitting the white ball. “I like you too and I think we could become
very good friends, so whenever you’re ready to let me know more, I’ll be there with open ears.”
“I appreciate that. I really do,” I tell her honestly.
“Appreciate what?” Meredith asks, rejoining us. Her hair is a mess, and her lips are swollen and red.
“Have a good time?” I ask her. “I hope you remembered to use protection.”
“We did.” Mer smiles broadly, a sparkle in her eyes. “Since Trevor won’t let me jump on his train anymore, I had to jump on the next caboose that arrived at the station. My girlie parts were dying for some attention.” Meredith and her bizarre references.
“TMI!” Sara wails at her.
“Oh, please. You’ve done much worse, roomie.”
That piques my curiosity. “Really?” Sara’s cheeks turn a nice shade of bright red.
“Thank God,” Sara says when they announce the trivia competition is about to begin.
The guy Meredith just hooked up with and a few of his friends approach us. “I didn’t get your name,” he says to Meredith.
“Meredith,” she tells him.
“Well, Meredith, I’m Nick. This is Sam, Wes, and Charlie. Do you and your friends want to be on our team?”
Meredith looks at me and Sara and we both shrug.
“That sounds like a plan as long as you’re buying. I like anything on tap.”
“Deal.”
Even though they just had a nameless quickie in the back restroom, Nick places his hand respectfully at Meredith’s back and escorts her over to a table where he pulls a chair out for her to sit. Sara and I sit next to Mer, and the other guys pile in around us while Nick goes to the bar to order drinks.
“You girls ever done this before?” Wes asks us.
“Nope,” Sara replies.
Nick comes back with drinks, a pad of paper, and some pencils. While drinks are being passed around the table, Wes explains the rules. I slide the beer I was just handed over to Meredith knowing she’ll drink it since I’m a teetotaler tonight.
Bryce gets up at the microphone and clears his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Alright folks! Strap on your beer-soaked brains and let’s do this thing. Winning team gets a one-hundred-dollar gift card and drinks on the house for the rest of the night.” A cheer goes up from every table. “Question number one: Who was the very first NFL quarterback to reach forty-thousand yards passing?”
“Aww, come on!” Meredith shouts. “The very first question has to be about flippin’ football?”
We let the boys take this one. The next table over holds up their sheet of paper before anyone else. Bryce comes over and reads it. “Give this team a point. They correctly answered Johnny Unitas!” The guys at the winning table all stand up, clink their drinks together, chug them down, and shout, “Whoo-yah! Beta House!”
Bryce waits for the noise to settle down. “Next question. What does haphephobia mean?”
Meredith groans again and bangs her head on the table. “I’ve got this one,” I tell her. I’m the first to hold my paper up and Bryce comes over, reading it.
“Gorgeous and smart,” he says to me, which earns him a smack on his arm from Sara. “Point to this table, folks. She got the correct answer. Haphephobia is the fear of being touched.”
Sara snorts.
Charlie fist pumps and yells over at the Beta House table, “Take that, Beta bitches! Gamma house rules!”
“We’re not part of Gamma house,” Sara replies.
Charlie winks at her. “Honorary members, babe.”
Sara snorts for second time.
Over the next thirty minutes, questions and answers fly around the room. I don’t care if we’re winning; I just enjoy the silliness of the competition and the playful banter that gets thrown. Our table gets five more questions right, but we lose by one point to a table filled with Iota sorority girls. Meredith and Nick started making out ten minutes ago and were oblivious to the last part of the game. Charlie has been flirting with Sara, and I have been texting Ryder under the table.
MyBoyfriend: The video was funny as hell.
I had forwarded him the video of Meredith’s earlier performance.
Me: This was actually fun. Not so much of a girl’s night but I’m glad I came. We need to get the guys together and to do a trivia night here sometime.
MyBoyfriend: Sounds like a plan. Miss you.
Me: Miss you too. Mer hooked up with a guy in the back bathroom
MyBoyfriend: Just hanging at the bar and throwing some darts. Would rather be deep inside you kissing every inch of your soft skin.
My stomach muscles seize when I read his words and of course my mind drifts back to him and me in the kitchen this morning. Eggs and bacon were not the only things Ryder ate for breakfast.
Me: Swoon. Yes, please.
MyBoyfriend: Ready for me to come get you?
Me: So ready.
MyBoyfriend: Let me tell the guys. Be right there.
Me:
I get Meredith and Sara’s attention. “Hey, guys. I’m out. Ryder is meeting me outside.”
“This was fun. We should do it again,” Sara says, hugging me.
“Are we still on for study group with Trevor on Sunday?” Mer tries to ask me with her lips still glued to Nick’s. Next week is finals week and she and I planned to meet with Trevor one last time to cram. Julien and I are studying together for our chem exam on Monday. Then it’s off to Seattle at the end of the week. I’m both excited and nervous about that. Maybe a little nauseous too. Seeing my daughter’s gravesite for the first time. Seeing Daniel and Drew. Being back in the place where I woke up for the first time with no memory of anything from my life.
“That’s the plan,” I answer Meredith. I kiss the top of her head as I pass by on my way out. “Nick, it was nice to meet you. Please take care of my girl here. I don’t want to have to get my very scary boyfriend to come to Gamma house to hunt you down.”
Nick has the presence of mind to take my threat seriously. “I promise she will get home safe and sound tonight.”
I tell the other guys bye, and I wave bye to Bryce as I pass the bar. He pretends to capture my wave in his hands and place it on his heart. I give him my best eye roll and walk outside to the frigid, winter air. It’s much colder tonight than it has been recently. I should have worn a thicker jacket and some gloves. I take a moment to enjoy the holiday lights strung across the street and around the base of the trees that dot the wide sidewalk paralleling the road. I stop for a second to text Ryder that I’m waiting at the corner. My phone pings back with his reply.
MyBoyfriend: Almost there. I can see you from where I am down the street.
I look up and see Ryder, Jayson, Julien, and Elijah a couple of blocks away. My only thought is to get my man, go home, and spend the rest of the night in his arms.
Something hard hits my back and I’m propelled forward into the intersection. “Told you I was coming for you, bitch.”
The next things I remember are car lights filling my vision, and my name being shouted in the distance.
Chapter 27
I’ve lived a life full of fear, regret, and anger. My whole childhood was nothing but abuse and neglect from the three people who should have loved me the most. My teenage years were lost mostly to oblivion as I used drugs, sex, and alcohol to numb my pain. The only good in my life was my friendship with Ryder. Whenever the two of us were together, Ry would go on and on about his best friend, Elizabeth. How wonderful she was, how beautiful, how special. How he was in love with her but didn’t know what to do because Jayson and Julien were in love with her too. I would razz Ryder about that. I mean, come the fuck on. How could one girl make three guys fall to their knees? Have them panting over her, scrambling for her affection like rabid dogs over a scrap of meat?
And then I saw Elizabeth for the first time. She came to the Fields one day with Ryder and his dad. I mean, sure, I had seen some pictures of her and Ry, or her and t
he guys, tacked up on the wall in Ry’s room. But seeing her in person, seeing her smile. That long, pale blond hair, and those fathomless green eyes—it was as if the sun came out for the very first time, I was so blinded by her. I devolved into a beast that day; one that hid in her shadows, stalking my innocent prey, never directly approaching her but secretly coveting her. Wanting to be closer to her light. Needing to feed off her innocence. Longing to be wanted by her. To be noticed.
Throughout high school, Elizabeth was my obsession. But I could never have her. She belonged to Jay, Ry, and Julien. Jay claimed her first and broke Ry’s heart. I hated to see Elizabeth with that egotistical jackass. I hated watching as my friend pined away for her on the sidelines. Ry’s love for Elizabeth never faltered. All the while, I loathed that I wasn’t the one touching her, kissing her. I filled my loneliness and my bed with nameless girls. Girls that I would fuck while imagining it was Elizabeth I was pounding into. Screwed up, I know. But that’s what happens when you’re desperate and alone and live under the same roof as Phillip Montgomery. High school was four years of nothing but fucked-up misery drowned out with whatever I could drink, smoke, or stick my dick into.
Elizabeth was also the one thing I wanted but the one thing my money and power could never buy. After all, why would someone like her want to be with a monster like me? I was messed up. Damaged. Broken. I recently told Ry that Elizbeth knew all of my secrets. That’s not entirely true. She doesn’t know my worst one. The one that will show her I am truly the monster from her nightmares.
When Elizabeth came to me that morning after her memories returned—after she slept with Jay and ran away from Ry—the beast inside of me roared with triumph. She needed me to help piece her back together. I got to have her to myself for three weeks. I got to live in her fractured light. I fucking fell in love with her despite knowing full well that she loved Ryder. And what damns me the most is that I know she is my ruin. I will never love anyone else the way I love her. I also know my borrowed time with her has to come to an end. Soon, I will lose my sunshine. Soon, she will hate me.
Broken Butterfly: Fallen Brook Series: Book 3 Page 27