Friends Who Lie

by Paul J. Teague

  Gina watched Wes smirking and something in her snapped.

  ‘And you can wipe that bloody smirk off your face!’ she yelled up the hallway. ‘If it wasn’t me or Harriet it had to be one of the other women in this group. You’re a fucking predator Wes, I know your sort!’

  Wes was having none of it. He’d simply taken his chance when one arose. Becky was a good-looking woman. There were several attractive women in that group, and he was a single man. What if she had been distraught at the time and seeking revenge on Matt?

  It couldn’t have been timed better. The door to the lift opened and there were Kasey, Naomi and Rhett. They’d stumbled across each other in the Old Town and had a great night out together. And now they’d walked into the first ten minutes of Saving Private Ryan. It was a war zone.

  Naomi, who was completely worse for wear now, immediately picked up where she’d left off with Caitlen. The only members of the group who weren’t shouting, crying or unconscious were Kasey and Rhett. Rhett was sick by the lift, it pooled out across the corridor.

  ‘I shouldn’t have drunk that last beer,’ he said, slumping down on the floor.

  ‘Enough!’ Kasey shouted.

  ‘It was sufficiently abrupt to stop everyone dead. Caitlen, Naomi and Porter sensed the change of atmosphere in the corridor and ceased their shouting a few seconds later.

  ‘That’s enough everybody. We’re supposed to be friends, we look like a bunch of a hooligans at a punch up. We’ve all had too much to drink and emotions are running too high. We need to cool off.’

  He noticed Matt, out cold on the floor.

  ‘Somebody needs to take care of Matt too, he might be hurt.’

  ‘You’re all a bunch of fucking nutters!’ Harriet’s companion said. ‘You don’t even put out, if I don’t get laid on this holiday I’m going to be really pissed!’

  He stormed off along the hallway, almost slipped on Rhett’s vomit and tried to regain his dignity.

  ‘Fuck you!’ he shouted, and ran off down the stairs, realising that waiting for the lift to come up to their floor would have further ruined any dramatic exit.

  ‘Well, good riddance to him!’ Kasey said, looking disapprovingly at Harriet. She was sobbing now and trying to rouse Matt.

  ‘He seemed okay in the bar,’ Harriet sobbed, ‘Nothing was going to happen. I just needed to get away from all this for the night ...’

  Caitlen and Naomi were now standing at the door of their apartment. Terry had taken refuge in the bathroom with Emmy. Kasey was in charge now and in spite of the hostility running up and down that hallway, they all realised that it was probably for the best.

  ‘Here’s what’s going to happen,’ Kasey began.

  ‘Caitlen, you’re sleeping with Gina tonight. Wes, you stay in my apartment. Get your clothes for heaven’s sake!’

  Wes took the instruction. He’d see where he stood with Becky in the morning.

  ‘Emmy’s in with Harriet when she unlocks herself from the bathroom. Terry, Rhett and Naomi, you’re in this apartment, that’s if you can stomach a night with Terry?’

  ‘I knew about Terry and Emmy—’ she said, then stopped herself short, realising that she’d be incriminating herself if she went any further. It had been an unspoken understanding that none of them would ever discuss that awkward encounter in the burger bar. Perhaps now her money problems with Rhett might come out.

  ‘You knew?’ Caitlen seethed, ‘And you didn’t tell me. And you dared to say this was all my fault ...’

  Kasey walked towards her and gently took her arm.

  ‘Enough Caitlen. We’re tired and drunk, this will wait until tomorrow. Go with Gina.’

  Caitlen walked over to Gina who placed her arm around her shoulder. Gina closed the door behind them, sensing that was probably the best thing to do for everybody’s sake.

  ‘Becky, you’re on your own. Unless you want some company tonight. Maybe Naomi would stay with you tonight?’

  Naomi looked at Rhett, crashed out and sitting in a pool of his own sick.

  ‘I think that looks like a good bet,’ she said, walking up the corridor. She stepped over Rhett, and walked with Becky back to her room. Wes was still looking down the hallway from Kasey’s doorway. Seeing that Becky was now out of play, he pulled the door shut.

  ‘What about me?’ Porter asked, ‘I don’t want to see that slut of a wife of mine ever again!’

  ‘You’ve got your own room. Emmy’s in with Harriet. How’s your leg?’

  ‘Sore,’ Porter replied. ‘Really quite sore.’

  ‘Go to bed, rest it. I’m sending Matt over to your room when he’s sorted out. Porter was exhausted and grateful for the direction that he was getting. Like a chastened child, he made his way back to his apartment.

  ‘What about Matt?’ Harriet asked.

  ‘Well, for the second time this evening, I’m taking one of you to the hospital. He needs checking over, he’s still out cold. That must have been quite a thump. What were you thinking Harriet? Really, we all know that Matt’s still in love with you. How did you think it would end?’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I just wanted to take my mind off him. It’s been torture seeing him with Becky. I wasn’t going to sleep with that guy. He just made me laugh. I needed it.’

  ‘Go to bed,’ Kasey said. There was kindness it his voice, it made Harriet feel better than she should.

  ‘You promise you’ll take care of him?’ Harriet asked.

  Kasey nodded. Harriet walked into her apartment.

  ‘I’ll leave the door ajar, tell Emmy to make herself comfortable whenever she comes out of the bathroom.’

  Kasey felt like a sheepdog. He’d successfully herded a flock of errant sheep and separated all of the hostile parties.

  He walked into Caitlen’s apartment and banged on the bathroom door. He could hear the frightened whispers of Terry and Emmy. They knew that the game was up and it was time to face the music.

  Kasey heard the sound of the lock being slid and the door opened, tentatively. Terry peered outside as if scared of being lynched.

  ‘Did you have to do this on holiday?’ Kasey asked. ‘She bought this as a treat for all of us and this is how you thank her. You and me need to have a serious conversation Terry, everything stops here. Everything, you understand?’

  ‘What’s he talking about?’ Emmy asked, sensing something between the two men.

  ‘It’s nothing Ems,’ Terry said, ‘Just something me and Kasey need to sort out.’

  ‘It’ll wait until tomorrow,’ Kasey said. ‘We’ll wait until we’ve all slept it off. Terry, sort out Rhett and make sure he gets to bed safely.’

  ‘But ...’ Terry began.

  ‘I don’t think now is the time to be causing problems, do you Terry?’

  He stopped talking and stepped out into the corridor.

  ‘Jesus, I’m not clearing up that mess ...’

  ‘Terry!’ Kasey snapped.

  ‘Okay, okay,’ he said, resentfully making his way towards Rhett.

  ‘Emmy, you’re in with Harriet. Stay away from Terry and Caitlen for a while. I need to figure out how to sort this out and get everybody talking again. Just steer clear for a while, okay? Stay with Harriet.’

  He escorted Emmy to Harriet’s door and helped her over Matt’s crumpled body.

  Terry was manoeuvring Rhett along the hallway, a look of disgust on his face.

  ‘Make sure that sick gets mopped up before you crash out. And wait in your room until I decide what to do with everybody.’

  Terry muttered under his breath.

  ‘You got that Terry?’

  ‘I got it,’ Terry said, ‘Don’t worry, I feel like I could sleep forever right now.’

  Matt was stirring on the floor. He opened his eyes and looked up at Kasey, struggling to find his focus.

  ‘My head feels like shit. What’s been going on?’ he asked.

  ‘Oh, nothing much,’ Kasey said, his voice dripping in sarcasm. �
�It’s only a bunch of friends who want to kill each other, that’s all.’

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Benidorm: June

  It was five o’clock when Kasey finally arrived back at the apartment block with a stitched and bandaged Matt. Matt was sober now and capable of seeing for himself what a mess they’d made.

  He’d tried to discuss it with Kasey in the taxi on the way back from the hospital. But Kasey had had more time to think things over while waiting in A&E. He had a plan to set everything right. It was unlikely that things would ever be the same again, but they had to move forward, they had a full week to get through before they could catch their flight home.

  Kasey was pleased to see that Terry had cleared up Rhett’s mess. The hallway smelled of disinfectant. For a spiteful moment Kasey considered that Terry ought to be quite good at that – clearing up the evidence.

  He quietly escorted Matt to Porter’s apartment and gave a quiet tap at the door. Porter opened up straight away, like he’d been waiting for them. Matt curled up on the couch and crashed out immediately.

  It wasn’t until eight o’clock that morning that Caitlen was woken up by her phone beeping. It was a text from Kasey.

  ‘Poor Kasey must have been up all night clearing up our mess.’

  Gina was next to her, they’d just gone to sleep side-by-side in her double bed. Neither of them could be bothered to make up the bed in the spare room.

  ‘What does he say,’ Gina asked, rubbing her eyes. ‘What time is it? I don’t usually sleep in this late.’

  ‘Just past seven, according to my phone, so eight o’clock Benidorm time.’ Caitlen replied. ‘Kasey wants us to disappear for the day. He says he’s sending us all off at staggered times. He wants us all to keep separated and think through what happened. He’s booking a table at a restaurant tonight. He wants us to thrash it all out there.’

  ‘Seems like a good idea. I’m not sure how you all move ahead after that shitstorm. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bust-up like that before. And you’re all friends you say?’

  Caitlen chuckled.

  ‘We’re supposed to be. I thought this holiday would be a lovely treat for everybody. I’m beginning to think it was all my fault, like Naomi said. If I’d kept quiet about the money, none of this would have happened.’

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ Gina said, touching her arm. ‘Your friends decide how they react to your money, not you. You can’t control that. You’ve done a decent thing here Caitlen, they should be grateful that you paid for this trip.’

  ‘But that’s just it, isn’t it? Nobody wants to feel like they’re accepting charity. Really all that everybody wants is to get their hands on the money for themselves. It just creates jealousy. I should have kept my mouth shut.’

  ‘I was right about Wes though, wasn’t I? He was straight in there with Becky. Talk about an opportunist.’

  ‘Well, if it takes the heat off for Matt and Harriet, it’s probably not a bad thing. At least it gives Matt some moral high ground. What a mess, Gina. I don’t know how we’re all going to move on from this.’

  ‘Well, let’s get started by having a shower and getting ourselves lost for the day. I’ll show you some of the sights. What do you think?’

  ‘Yes, let’s do that. I can’t think of a better plan than Kasey and I have no appetite to see Terry or Naomi at the moment. Besides, they were all pretty pissed. There’s no point talking with hangovers. I think Kasey came up with the best plan. He says in his text we have to be out by 8.45 at the latest. He’s sending Wes off next, he doesn’t want any of us to see each other. Best thing, I reckon.’

  Caitlen and Gina took turns in the shower, they left the apartment door ajar so that they could hear if there was any movement along the corridor. Everything was quiet, they slipped out at half-past eight and Caitlen texted Kasey to let him know that the coast was clear.

  ‘You alright in my T-shirt, I think we’re pretty well the same size?’

  ‘I think you’re being kind, Gina, I’m sure I’m two sizes up from you and this is one that you use as a nightshirt. But thank you, yes, this is great. Better than the one I had on last night.’

  After such a terrible night, Caitlen was surprised to feel so enthusiastic about the day. There would be the reckoning at the evening meal, but that was twelve hours away. The sun was burning fiercely already, the blue sea was sparkling and the long sands looked like a path of gold. The sky was an invigorating blue and she had her new friend with her, there was no baggage to worry about for the time being.

  ‘You are going up to the cross before you leave, aren’t you?’ Gina asked.

  ‘I think we might be burying a few bodies up there before the week is done!’ Caitlen laughed. ‘How about Terry for starters?’

  ‘Shall we have breakfast here?’ Gina asked, ‘It’s a great view of Peacock Island.’

  They pulled up wicker chairs at one of the free tables and ordered a couple of fresh orange juices and a couple of fry-ups.

  ‘You know, I know what Terry did must hurt. But it’s for the best in the long run. It gives you the upper hand now, you can move on.’

  ‘Yes, but with Emmy? I thought she was a friend. I thought all of them were my friends. I suppose it makes sense though. They’re always running into each other on crime scenes. They always got on well. I just can’t believe it was happening under my nose. Still, what is it they say about people in glass houses?’

  ‘You haven’t, have you?’ Gina asked, intrigued.

  ‘I haven’t been totally honest with you. In fact, I haven’t been totally honest with anybody. I’m as bad as all the rest of them.’

  The orange juices arrived and Caitlen took a long sip.

  ‘There’s nothing like freshly squeezed orange juice to wash all the morning crap out of your mouth.’

  ‘Carry on’ Gina said, ‘You can’t leave me hanging like that.’

  ‘I cheated on Terry a couple of weeks ago. Only once. Well, twice in one sitting actually. But you know what I mean, it counts as once.’

  ‘You’re kidding?’ Who with?’

  ‘You know the guy I bought the bitcoin with? Luke. I met up with him to see if he still had his $100 purchase. He had. We used to be an item. What do they say on Facebook? It’s complicated? Well, turns out it’s not complicated for me and Luke. We’re almost bitcoin millionaires between us and we’ve still got a good thing going on. As soon as I sort out the Terry situation, we’re going to give it another try.’

  ‘Hellfire, Caitlen, you’re all as bad as each other. I used to watch EastEnders when I lived in the UK, you lot make it seem like a cosy drama by comparison. I can’t believe you!’

  The fry-ups arrived. Caitlen dipped her bacon into her egg and put the first forkful into her mouth.

  ‘There’s nothing quite like a fry-up, even when you’re abroad. You can’t beat it. I don’t feel happy about what I did with Luke. But it felt right and we both want to try things again. I half did the decent thing. I told him it mustn’t happen again until I’ve sorted things out with Terry. We did have sex one more time after that, but as I say, it doesn’t really count as it was on the same day.’

  ‘Wow, and I came to Benidorm for a quiet life,’ Gina smiled. ‘I’m not judging by the way. Sometimes life events occur in the wrong order, even though they’re right for you at the time. I get it. As you said, let she who is without sin and all that. Are you alright there? You look like you’re having bra trouble?’

  Caitlen was feeling around under her T-shirt, she was so frantic a group of young guys sitting across from them had noticed and were watching to see if the T-shirt was going to come up any higher.

  It did. Caitlen pulled it right up, revealing to anybody watching her cleavage and bright blue bra. She moved her hand around her breasts, her face white now.

  ‘I’ve lost it. I’ve lost the bloody bitcoin thing!’

  ‘You’re messing around aren’t you? It was taped inside the cup wasn’t it? Here let
me check.’

  Gina leaned over and put her hand up Caitlen’s T-shirt feeling all around the cup. There were cheers from the table of lads.

  ‘I’ve paid to see worse sex shows than this!’ one of them jeered.

  After a few minutes of frantic searching, Gina stopped and looked at Caitlen.

  ‘Damn, Caitlen. It’s not there. That thing has almost half a million dollars on it. Think, Caitlen, where could it be?’

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Becky and Wes: June

  ‘Look at them, they’ve parked me with you and now they’re quite happy to piss off into the night and leave me. Some friends they are!’

  Becky sipped her coffee and wiped the tears from her eyes.

  ‘I bet I look a mess don’t I? Has my mascara run?’

  ‘You look just great,’ Wes said, taking a packet of tissues from his pocket and handing one to Becky.

  ‘Here, take this. Just wipe under your right eye, then you’re fine’

  She started to dab in the wrong place.

  ‘Here, let me,’ Wes said, gently taking the tissue and wiping away the blotch of mascara.

  ‘There, good as new!’ he smiled. ‘That was some show your boyfriend put on up there!’ he said, deciding to tackle the Matt-sized elephant in the room. They were sitting outside the cafe-bar, watching their friends heading back into the nightlife after one of the biggest bust-ups Wes could ever recall seeing.

  ‘I don’t want to interfere, but he was well out of order doing that in front of all those people. What an embarrassment for you.’

  ‘He’s my fiancé,’ Becky sniffed. She blew her nose on the tissue and repositioned herself in her chair. ‘I’m furious with him. What a humiliation. I feel worn out by everything, I just feel like I want to crawl under a rock and sleep forever.’

  ‘It takes it out of you, a row like that.’

  ‘I thought they were my friends. When we were up there on stage, doing the Spice Girls thing. Did you see us? It was great fun. Then – all of a sudden – Matt does that.’