by Sorenna Wise
“Please don’t tell me I’m going to have to fight her,” I said. “I was kidding about that before.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “That would be pretty hot.” I punched him in the arm.
I sat on the bench by the edge of the sand, scrunching my toes in it and watching him scroll through his pictures. He stopped and gazed at the screen for a long moment. “Here.”
I took the phone from him. Immediately, I knew I was right about her. She had the same impeccable golden-red hair, and the same stony eyes. Her smile was tight, but genuine. “That’s her,” I said. “Does she ever not look like she’s fighting off a stress-induced migraine?”
Jake smirked. “Rarely.” He covered the phone’s face when I handed it back, exiting the picture without looking.
“I wonder what they’re doing together,” I mused, scooting closer to him. He put his arm around me.
“You could ask her. She’s right over there.”
“Ugh, no thanks. How did you ever look her in the eye?”
“You’d be surprised by the things you can get used to,” he said simply. I knew what he meant. How many times had I said those exact same words to people who asked me how I put up with Blaise? Cautiously, I peered around him toward the patio. I couldn’t see her, but somehow I knew she hadn’t moved.
“Has she really been following you ever since you ended it?” I asked. “I mean, that must have been a while ago, now.
“Nine or ten months, give or take.” He said it with an air that made me think he expected such behavior from this girl.
I snorted in disgust and wonder. “What else does she do with her life? Like, does she work? It must be hard to keep calling off so she can find you.”
Jake shook his head. “Her family’s rich. I don’t think she’s ever held a real job. Hell, I’d be surprised if she could make it a week without either quitting or being fired. She’s way too spoiled for real life.” He got up from the bench and stretched, holding out his hand for me to take. “Come on, let’s go somewhere else. I don’t like talking about her when I know she’s nearby.”
I didn’t see her again that day, but I swear I could feel her eyes on me, even after we’d left. It made me wonder why Jake hadn’t ever called the police, or Alyson’s parents, or someone. But he knew her better than I did, and as he gradually began to talk about her more, he painted me a picture of a girl with whom reasoning was all but futile.
“She wanted to get married,” he said. “Like, she was dropping hints about a ring as soon as our first anniversary was past. And I mean, I was, what? Twenty-two, twenty three? I wasn’t ready to tie the knot anytime soon.”
“And she didn’t just move on to find someone who was?” I asked.
“Well, you know how it is when you’re in love.” He spoke without any trace of bitterness, which I found remarkable after all the acrimony between Blaise and me. “Maybe it’s not perfect, but that doesn’t mean you want to give it up. Plus, I think she had this fear that she’d never find anything better.”
“I can’t say I blame her for that,” I admitted. He laughed and kissed the back of my hand. “But she had to know you weren’t going to give her what she wanted, right?”
“She thought I’d come around eventually. And to be fair, there was a lot of incentive there for me. I told you already that her parents are loaded, and they really loved me. I’m sure I would have been set for life.” I couldn’t stop myself from listening closely for an undertone of regret in his voice, but there was none. “I like to think Mr. and Mrs. Bridges understood why I left,” he added. “That might be too much wishful thinking, though.”
“Do you think they knew how awful she was?” I paused. “Or that she’s stalking you?”
Jake inhaled slowly, turning my questions over. “The Bridges are the people we’re referring to when we mention the ‘idle rich,’” he said thoughtfully. “They took all that wealth and privilege, and they built themselves this idyllic little oasis of a life. Alyson was part of that—she still is. If they were to discover she was doing anything wrong, I doubt it would even register in their minds. She’s their perfect princess, or whatever.” He made a movement with his shoulders that wasn’t quite a shrug. “I suppose she looks pretty perfect, if you don’t know her.”
“She doesn’t look nice,” I remarked, remembering the cold flash of her eyes.
“That’s because she isn’t.” said Jake. “Aly is probably the most unforgiving person I’ve ever met. She’s an ice queen. Every argument with her was a grudge match.”
“And you stuck around for three years?” Maybe the blatant incredulity in my voice was rude, but I was unable to mask it. He didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’d fall prey to that kind of crippling naiveté.
“I gave her the benefit of the doubt,” he said. “I hoped she would change. Had she been horrible all the time, it might have been different, but she wasn’t, and those little genuine moments were enough to convince me to stay. Don’t get me wrong,” he added quickly, “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t an abusive relationship. I should have gotten out much sooner.” He glanced at me. “You know how it is, though. You meet someone, you like them, and then by the time you figure out all the stuff that’s wrong with them, you’re too used to each other to let go.”
It was a painfully succinct description of exactly what had happened between Blaise and I as well. “Maybe we’re a better match than we think, Jake,” I said.
He grinned. “Who said we weren’t? We’ve done pretty well so far.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder. He was right, but I felt uneasy, like everything was too good to be true. Jake’s stories of Alyson had been harmless while he was telling them to me, even funny at times. Now that I’d seen her myself, it was different. It was like Jake and I weren’t the only ones in that relationship anymore.
And I was about to learn that if three is company, four might as well be a damned mob.
I have never been followed before. As bad as I’ve made my love life out to be, a stalker is the one thing I’ve never had to deal with. Let me tell you, it makes you paranoid as hell. Two weeks after that first sighting at the beach, I swore I was seeing her everywhere. Jake, on the other hand, seemed almost criminally nonchalant. On the occasions that we did see her, he’d laugh, point her out, and then act as though nothing had happened. But the fact that he was so used to it only disturbed me more. For a while, I tried really hard to emulate his attitude, but I couldn’t keep it up for very long. When he started spending the night at my house, I began to fear that it wouldn’t be long before Alyson turned up there too.
And as stupid as it sounds, I was still trying to find out what she and Blaise had to do with each other. Well, okay, I wasn’t, like, asking around. I’m not a masochist. But I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t kept me awake a night or two. The coincidence was just a little too strange. Needless to say, I was alone in my speculation. Much as he was untouched by Alyson’s profound creepiness, Jake wasn’t bothered by Blaise either. In fact, I think he found it funny that I was. “What does it matter, Ari?” he asked, the corner of his mouth tilting ever so slightly upwards. “If he really treated you like shit, then he deserves someone like her. Trust me.”
“But what are the odds that your ex and my ex would meet each other and hook up?” I was persistent because I wanted to justify what seemed like irrational apprehension.
“Well, what are the odds that they’re planning something?” he countered. “He doesn’t sound like he’s smart enough to orchestrate a revenge plot.”
“No,” I admitted, “but she does.”
Jake stopped to consider this. “Do you think he’d consent to being used as a pawn? I can guarantee you she wouldn’t be very subtle about it.”
Now that, I didn’t know for sure. Though I can’t say that Blaise has ever been particularly intellectual, he is headstrong, and completely convinced of his own beliefs. There were times when his stubbornness was enough to
make me want to scream. Would he be able to collaborate with someone as apparently controlling as Alyson, or would they just end up butting heads? It was easy to imagine that Blaise wouldn’t readily submit to hours of tailing Jake. I shrugged. “Maybe.” I frowned. “I haven’t seen him with her, though.”
“So they probably aren’t banging,” Jake concluded. He put his arm around me. “Don’t think about it so much. Alyson might be crazy, but she’s not immune to boredom. Sooner or later, she’ll move on to something that actually rewards her efforts. And until then, as long as she keeps her distance, I don’t care. In all likelihood, nothing’s going to come of any of this anyway. She wouldn’t last five minutes in jail, and she knows it.”
“Rich people don’t go to jail,” I said morosely.
“If there’s proof, they do.” He turned my face toward him and kissed me sweetly on the mouth. “Come on. You’ll be happier if you let yourself forget about it, okay?”
He was right, of course. At least, I thought he was.
CHAPTER 6
The phone beeped, interrupting the conversation I was having with Christine. At first I frowned at the screen—then my eyes almost fell out of my head. “Hey, sorry, can I call you back?” I said. “There’s another call coming in.”
“Since when do you ditch me for other calls?” she said. “This better be good.”
“It’s Blaise.” I lowered my voice without even realizing it.
She was silent for a second. “Fine. But only if you swear to tell me everything he says.” The line beeped again.
“Well, yeah. Obviously. I have to go now or else I’ll have to call him back.” Answering was one thing, but returning a call to the ex who’d dumped me? Unthinkable. Fortunately, Christine was well-schooled in the etiquette of post-breakup interactions.
“God forbid,” she said, without a trace of irony. “Good luck.”
Thanking her, I hung up and switched over. “Hello?” As if I didn’t know exactly who it was.
“Hey, it’s me.” The easy informality of his tone was both insulting and disgustingly familiar. It was like the fact that we’d seen each other in public months ago completely erased all the negativity of our relationship.
“Oh, hey,” I said. I felt compelled to match his attitude, so I leaned back on the sofa and stretched, even though I knew he couldn’t see me.
“Listen,” said Blaise, “what are you doing this weekend?”
Immediately my façade of relaxation crumbled into dust. I snapped upright, heart pounding. “What?”
He laughed in my ear. “Jesus, Ari, don’t make like it’s the end of the world. I was thinking we could double date.”
There was a brief interlude while my brain attempted to decipher what he’d just said. A double date? Does he mean with…? Cautiously, I spoke. “Who’s ‘we?’”
It was his turn to sound confused. “Aren’t you still seeing that guy from before?” That’s when I knew for sure that it was a setup. It had to be. He had exactly zero other reasons to want to see Jake and I together, especially if he had been jealous at the diner. I could feel Alyson’s influence behind every word.
“What guy?” I played dumb, wanting to bait it out of him. He swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.
“The guy at the diner.” He paused. “I don’t remember his name.”
Liar, I thought triumphantly. “Oh, Jake!”
“Yeah, I guess that’s it. Did you guys break up?”
Maybe it was just me, but there seemed to be a faint note of hope in his voice, and I scowled. “No, we’re still together. Who’s your girlfriend?”
“Oh, she’s not really my girlfriend. You know how it is. You met her once.”
“At the Pearl?” I smiled. Unknowingly, Blaise had just confirmed all of my suspicions beyond a shadow of a doubt. “I didn’t think you went for girls like her.”
He chuckled. “What does that mean?” But I knew he understood me perfectly.
“Where did you even find her?” In a wry sort of way, I appreciated the absurdity of asking my ex the same questions I’d asked my boyfriend, about the same girl.
“Surfing,” he said simply. “She was out on the beach.”
I wondered if she’d been stalking Jake and me at the time, and if he was aware of that. Was that the thing they’d bonded over? I resisted the urge to pry too hard; I didn’t want Alyson to find out that I was on to her. “She doesn’t look like she’d be caught dead outside,” I commented. Some horrible, petty part of me enjoyed playing the role of the bitter, scorned lover. I wasn’t ready to let him off the hook just yet.
“Whatever,” Blaise said lightly, deftly sidestepping my passive aggression. “You never answered me. What are you guys doing this weekend?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I think I’m available on Saturday, but I have to check with Jake.” It occurred to me that I might actually have to call Blaise back after all, and I cursed internally. “I’ll get back to you.”
“Awesome,” he said. Then he added, “Thanks for doing this. She really wants to meet you.”
I wasn’t surprised, but I pretended to be. “Me? Why?”
“Because I told her how great you are,” he answered. “Why else?”
She wants Jake back, that’s why. I shrugged. “I don’t know. How many girls ask to meet the girlfriend before them?” I examined my nails, thinking of a way to get off the phone. The conversation had already gone on much longer than I expected. Christine was going to have a field day with this.
“She’s kind of idiosyncratic,” he explained.
She totally taught you that word. “Okay, well, I’ll call Jake tonight and see what he says.”
“Sounds good. Talk to you later.” I frowned. Not by choice.
After making sure I ended the call first, I redialed my sister. She picked up on the first ring. “So?”
“You will not believe what just happened,” I said.
“You’re shitting me,” she said, ten minutes later. I’d started out only telling her about the conversation with Blaise, but when I realized how much context was required to make her understand the situation’s full impact, I finally came clean about the whole fiasco. Predictably, she was dumbfounded. “You have got to be shitting me.”
“Nope,” I said. “I wish. I didn’t tell you before because I thought I was just being paranoid.” Not entirely true, but it made me look less crazy.
“God. What are the chances?” She hesitated, presumably to let it all sink in a little more. “Have you told Audrey?”
“Are you kidding?” I laughed dryly. “She’d freak out.”
“You know you have to tell her now though, right?”
She had a point. Audrey would never forgive me if she found out I’d kept something this big from her. Also, I needed her opinion on this double date business. “I will,” I said. “Once I convince myself that this is a real thing.”
“I can’t believe you’re actually going,” said Christine.
“Really?”
She laughed melodiously. “No, I totally can. And I’m kind of glad because my life is really boring right now and I need the gossip.”
“Oh God, do you tell your friends about my terrible love life?”
“Only if it’s really bad, which it hasn’t been for months! Until now, I guess.” I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t really be mad. It was a phenomenal story—as long as you weren’t at the center of it. Unfortunately for Jake and me, we were. And at this point, there was no getting out.
I was nervous when Jake got in touch with me that evening after he got home from camp. I found out early that he was one of those rare people who prefers telephone calls over texting, and normally, that would’ve been great. But now I had to try and figure out how to break the news that we were going on a double date with Blaise and Alyson. The more I mulled it over, the worse the idea seemed. By the time my phone rang, I was two seconds from backing out entirely.
“Hey, gorgeous.” As always, the s
ound of his voice made me smile. I curled up on my bed, cradling the phone between my cheek and shoulder.
“Hi,” I said. “How was work?”
Jake told me a story about how one of the girls had mistaken a floating toy for a shark fin and nearly cause wholesale panic at the beach. It was funny, and I laughed, but I think he could tell something else was on my mind, because he immediately asked what was up. “Sounds like something’s bothering you.”
Sometimes he is so perceptive, it’s annoying. “I have to tell you something.” I said.
“Should I be there for this? Do you want me to come over?”
“What? No, no. I’m not pregnant or anything, I promise.”
“Okay.” His voice was enormously relieved, and I felt kind of bad for scaring him.
“But,” I added, “I may have agreed to go on a double date with Blaise and Alyson.” I hoped this would sound better compared to pregnancy, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Wait, what?” The perplexed frown on his face was audible. “Whose idea was that?”
“His. He called me.” I paused. “You don’t think I’d suggest something that insane, do you?”
“Well, no.” Wisely, he did not mention my previous infatuation with finding out what Blaise and Alyson were up to. “So I guess this means they’re really dating, huh.”
“He says it’s a casual thing.”
Jake scoffed. “You can’t have a casual thing with Alyson. It’s all or nothing. They’re dating, or at least she thinks they are.”
“Or she says they are and he hates it. He sounded kind of uncomfortable when he was talking about her.”
“That’s pretty much par for the course,” said Jake. “When are we doing this?”
His easygoing acquiescence to my plan took me aback. “You’re not objecting?” I asked.
“I could, if you want me to. But honestly, it’s not going to hurt me, so who cares? It probably won’t be fun, but it could be interesting.” He paused. “Besides, it seems like you need it.”