She heard the hurt in his voice and it almost instantly sobered her. Reaching out, she took one of his hands in hers. “You know what this means, don’t you?”
“Yeah, that I’m one step away from needing to curl up with one of my grandmother’s afghans with a pint of chocolate chip ice cream while watching some sappy chick flick like The Notebook.” He hung his head and shook it.
Oh, for the love of it…
“Oh my God! Will you stop!”
“Why? We both know it’s true.”
“Actually, we don’t. And while you paint a very vivid picture, I was going to say that we need to go to Bluffton. I need to do this and let the chips fall where they may.”
He instantly straightened, his dark eyes going wide. “Really?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Chelsea, if you don’t want to…no one’s going to know but me.” He put her hand on his chest and held it there. “No one will ever know. I promise.”
“That means a lot to me,” she replied softly. “But…this is something I have to do. I’ve been in the background long enough.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
And with a weary sigh, she knew they weren’t driving away just yet.
For some reason, Drew had to know the answer.
Had to know why someone like Chelsea was friends with someone who clearly didn’t value their friendship. But the longer they sat there in silence, the more he wondered if it was something she really wanted to share.
“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me,” he said when he couldn’t take the silence any longer. “I didn’t mean to push.”
“You’re not,” she said sadly. “But…you’re probably going to think much differently about me by the time I’m done.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
The look she gave him was both sad and challenging. “Remember you said that.”
All he could do was nod.
“Bianca has always been the outgoing one, while I was always more reserved and quieter. I’m not shy–not really. I enjoy meeting new people and being sociable, but I tend to be more of a people-watcher.”
There wasn’t anything for him to say, so he waited for her to continue.
“As I’ve said, Bianca and I have been friends since the third grade, but we didn’t meet Kendall and Shauna until middle school. The three of them became cheerleaders while I joined the drama club. I was kind of relieved that they still wanted to be friends with me; after all, they were part of the popular crowd and I wasn’t. It intimidated me to be invited to the parties they went to, but Bianca always insisted I go.”
Drew had his own theories on why, but he kept them to himself.
“By high school, we started to drift apart–I began to pull away because we didn’t have anything in common, but in typical Bianca fashion, she would cry and tell me how I was her best friend, and I’d feel bad and cave. She’d come to all my plays and everyone would make a big fuss over her when she’d show up at the cast parties.”
“Probably because she enjoyed the attention.”
So much for keeping my theories to myself…
She laughed softly. “Yeah, I figured it out eventually.” With a shrug, she continued. “We both went to SUNY Cortland with the intent of becoming physical therapists.”
“But…she works in a salon now doing hair. How did she go from PT to cosmetology?”
“I don’t think she ever had an interest in becoming a therapist. She thought she could ride my coattails and I’d get her through college, but it didn’t work out that way. She barely managed to graduate, and while I went on to get my certification, she opted to go home and go to cosmetology school. That’s really what she was born to do. We both know how obsessed she is with her looks so…”
“That totally makes more sense.”
“When I moved back home after I finished my education, I kind of thought we would run into each other occasionally, but…man, she just showed up and acted like she’d been waiting for me to come back. It was weird.”
“Where were Kendall and Shauna?”
“They had gone to school locally, so they were always around.”
“Ah.”
“It was like I had moved on but they didn’t. But I went out with them because…I don’t know…it was something to do. They’re all just so…aggressive when we go to clubs or whatever. So I became the designated driver, the practical one. When we go out, it’s just easier for me to fade into the background and not stand out too much because whenever there’s any attention on me, things just go wrong.”
“How?”
“Before Jimmy came along and Bianca was single, any guy who hit on me, Bianca would come and flirt with. I lost count of how many guys walked over to talk to me and ended up taking her home.”
“Seriously?”
She nodded. “Yup.”
“Man, if I didn’t already dislike her, that story just sealed the deal.”
“Are you crazy? I’m the loser who couldn’t keep a guy’s interest!”
Was she for real? “No, that’s not even a little bit true, Chelsea. She is the loser who only feels good about herself by making others feel bad about themselves. She’s a narcissistic sociopath and you don’t need her! I guarantee it, if you went out with a different group of friends, you’d meet a guy and no one would swoop in and leave with him!”
Wait…why am I encouraging this? I’m the only one who can swoop her! No other guy’s allowed to swoop!
“Somehow, I greatly doubt that. And besides, it’s so much harder to make new friends at our age. This is just…it’s comfortable.”
“It’s dysfunctional,” he corrected. “You’re essentially in an abusive relationship.”
“It’s not that bad.”
“Okay, she’s not physically hurting you, but psychologically? Um…yeah. Big time.”
“You don’t understand…”
“That’s the thing, Chels, I do. I do understand. So many things are making sense now that I’m getting to know you! I get the whole staying in the background and not wanting to be in the spotlight stuff. I do. But can you honestly say that’s where you’re happy? When you were away at school and Bianca was gone, did you stay in the background? Because I have to tell you, someone who is in the drama club and acts on stage and…and does amazing book narrations doesn’t sound like somebody who deserves to be treated like they don’t matter.”
“It’s not like that,” she said, but they both knew it was a weak defense.
This was getting them nowhere, and as much as he wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation with Jimmy and Bianca, now he really wanted it. Not for him, but for her. She needed to go stand up for herself, and she needed someone to be on her side to support her and cheer her on.
Drew Russo, male cheerleader!
Um…yeah. No. That was so not the title he wanted, but the sentiment was the same.
“So here’s the thing, Chels,” he began carefully, “we will do whatever it is you want. Go home, go to the beach, hell, we can drive across the damn country if that’s what you want. But I think we need to go to Bluffton and talk to Bianca and Jimmy and get this whole thing settled. You need to do this.”
Her shoulders sagged and her expression turned sad. “I think you’re right.”
“I’m going to be right there with you, okay? You don’t have to go talk to her alone. I won’t leave your side.” He squeezed her hand. “You got this.”
She let out a long breath and then another. “Yeah. It’s time.”
“Good girl.” Kissing her hand, he turned and straightened in his seat, pulled out of the parking lot and got them back on the interstate. They only had maybe another twenty minutes of driving and he wanted to do whatever he could to distract her. “So uh…the book you were reading–the one you read out loud to me the other day–have you read any more of it?”
“I finished it earlier. How come?”
“I’m just curious how it a
ll went,” he said with a grin. “I mean, obviously they both end up in a rental car together, but where did they go? How soon until they slept together? Did they end up seeing each other again once they got to their separate homes?”
Chelsea laughed softly even as she shook her head. “You know, you could just read the book yourself.”
“Seriously? Do I look like the type of guy who sits around reading romances?” He snorted dramatically. “I was simply curious about how it all went down.”
“Of course they end up together. It’s a romance. The happy ending is guaranteed.”
“But they didn’t just drive and fall in love and get married. That would be the world’s most boring story. Something exciting had to happen along the way.”
“Well…there might have been some sexy time while on the High Roller in Vegas.”
“Nice.”
“Ever been to Vegas?”
He nodded. “Twice. Would love to go back.” Then he was the one shaking his head. “I had thought we would do that for Jimmy’s bachelor party but…I guess not.”
“Yeah, we had always talked about a girls’ weekend either out in the Hamptons at one of those spa resorts or going into the city and hitting up all the places where Sex and the City was filmed. Bianca’s a huge fan.”
“Sounds about right.”
“That’s always been her thing–wanting to get as close to someone famous or going to famous movie locations. She’s gone to the Today Show more times than I can count so she can get on camera. It’s exhausting.”
“She’s exhausting.”
“Same thing.”
“What about you? If you could go to a famous movie location or someplace famous, where would you go?”
“It’s always been my dream to go to England. London, actually. I want to see Buckingham Palace in person.” She looked at him and smiled. “I truly believe if given the opportunity, Duchess Kate and I would be great friends.”
“Friends with royalty, huh? I never would have pegged you for being into that.”
“Then I want to have my picture taken while walking the crosswalk at Abbey Road.”
“Beatles fan?”
“Oh yeah. But their early stuff–you know, anything before Sgt. Pepper’s.”
“That was definitely their best time.”
She smiled. “Most people argue with me on that.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Something about how diversified they were and enlightened in their later years.” She shrugged. “Their earlier stuff just speaks to me. Makes me smile.”
“I get it.” He paused. “You know, that’s something we haven’t talked much about on this trip.”
“The Beatles?”
“No, music. We briefly talked about it, but not anything in depth. Like…who’s your favorite band of all time?”
“Drew?”
“Hmm?”
“I know what you’re trying to do.”
“Is it that obvious?”
Nodding, she said, “Yup.”
“Damn.”
“But you know what?”
“What?”
“It’s working.” And her smile was one of sweet relief and gratitude, and it made Drew feel like he had slain a small dragon.
But the bigger one was only minutes away.
12
“Well, well, well…I knew you’d pull something like this,” Bianca said as she stood in the doorway to her suite, hair up in hot rollers, and wearing a white satin robe with “bride” embroidered on it. Then she glared at Drew. “And you’re useless. I told Jimmy not to trust you.”
Chelsea was ready to turn and run, but Drew placed his hand on the small of her back and it gave her strength.
Or it was shoving her forward–right now she couldn’t be sure which.
“We can either talk about this out here for all the other guests to hear, or you can invite us in,” Chelsea said, thankful her voice wasn’t shaking. “Your choice.”
“Oh, please, we both know you’re not going to make a scene,” Bianca commented, sounding bored. “Look, I get it. You don’t agree with this wedding. Fine. Message received. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m scheduled to get my makeup done in fifteen minutes.”
“Um…”
“Where’s Jimmy?” Drew asked, his tone harsh.
Bianca’s eyes went wide before narrowing. “He’s not allowed to see me before the ceremony. Everyone knows it’s bad luck,” she huffed.
Part of Chelsea wanted to scream and demand to know why her friend was such a bitch, but the other part wanted to just wish her luck–sarcastically–and walk away. It was just a matter of which part was going to win out.
“Sorry you drove all this way and wasted your time,” Bianca said as she took a step back into her suite. “But then again, it’s not like you have much of a life anyway.”
And screaming it is!
“What is wrong with you?” Chelsea cried out. “What have I ever done to you to make you treat me like this? I was genuinely concerned for you! I actually cared about your happiness! And this is how you talk to me? How you treat me?” She growled with frustration. “Seriously, if you think so damn little of me, why are we even friends?”
Crossing her arms over her chest and looking defiant, Bianca simply said, “I felt sorry for you.”
Wow. On some level, she wasn’t surprised, but deep down she thought her friend would at least be tactful enough to sugarcoat it.
“You were always needy, Chels. Then the older you got, you became boring. We all know it. Hell, Drew says it more than any of us!”
“Oh no,” Drew interrupted, coming to stand beside her as he glared at Bianca. “You are not going to deflect this onto me. I knew nothing about Chelsea except all the shit you were constantly telling me!”
“You still said it…”
“Yeah. I did. And you know what? I was wrong. All weekend, Chelsea and I have been talking and she’s not boring! She’s freaking brilliant–far smarter and more exciting than you’ll ever be!”
“How dare…”
“Oh, shut it,” Drew snapped. “Every word out of your damn mouth makes my head hurt. And you know what else? I feel sorry for Jimmy. I used to think he was lucky–that he found a great girl and was getting everything he wanted. Now I pity him. You’re just a shallow, manipulative bitch. And on top of that…”
“Um, Drew?” Chelsea whispered.
“What?”
“Kind of stealing my thunder here.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry.” He took a step back and motioned for her to go on.
“Now, where was I…?”
Bianca yawned.
A dozen different insults were on the tip of her tongue and she was bristling with anger and pent-up nervous energy, but instead of unleashing all her anger, Chelsea opted for a different approach.
“You know what?” she said sweetly. “Go get your makeup done. I’m sure it’s costing you a fortune to be here and having your hair and makeup professionally done can’t be cheap either. I guess Jimmy’s business is doing better than I thought.” She shrugged. “So…we’ll let you get to it. Congratulations.”
Before she turned away, Chelsea saw the stunned look on Bianca’s face and did her best not to appear too smug. Drew looked at her like she had lost her mind, but she simply held her head high and walked away.
They were down the hall and waiting for the elevator before he spoke.
“What the hell was that all about?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, pushing the down button.
“You just…you clammed up! Wished her well, for crying out loud! What happened to your…your thunder? Telling her off? Putting her in her place?”
Then she did look at him, in all her smug glory. “Yelling and insulting her were getting us nowhere. If anything, she was sort of enjoying it. But once I was the one being indifferent, she shut up.” Her smile grew. “It will make her crazy. I got into her head.”
The e
levator doors opened and they both stepped inside. Once they were closed, Drew looked at her with a lopsided grin. “Wow. You’re a bit of an evil genius.”
She shrugged. “I do what I can.”
The doors opened in the lobby and they stepped out. “I have to admit, it was all very anti-climactic. I was hoping for a more of a scene. Or at least for someone to get slapped.”
“You were probably hoping for us to strip down to our underwear and conveniently fall into a pit of Jell-O.”
His bark of laughter echoed through the lobby as he put his arm around her. “Sweetheart, you know me so well!” They were walking by the check-in desk when Drew stopped.
“What’s the matter?”
“We drove all this way,” he began. “And we got done much faster than I imagined.”
“O-kay…”
“Why don’t we stay here tonight?”
“Oh, Drew…I don’t know. I think it would be weird. Don’t you think it would be a little awkward? What would we do if we ran into the two of them?”
Pulling her closer, he said, “Would it be awkward or would it make Bianca crazy to see you enjoying yourself without her acting as puppeteer?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call her a puppeteer.”
“Please, she’s the puppet master!” He made a motion like he was controlling a marionette.
“Drew?”
They both turned at the sound of his name being called and Chelsea inwardly groaned when they turned and saw Jimmy walking toward them. When she went to put some distance between the two of them, Drew held her close. Honestly, both men looked more than a little annoyed and she had no idea what was going to happen.
Or if she wanted to be this close to the action.
Somehow, she didn’t think they were going to strip down to their underwear and wrestle either.
“I didn’t think you’d have the nerve to show up,” Jimmy said.
Here we go…
Drew shrugged casually. “We were almost here anyway, so we figured we’d see it through.”
Jimmy glared at her before returning his attention to Drew. “What the hell are you doing, man? Why are you here? I thought we were cool. I thought you were my friend.”
Wrong Turn: Road Tripping Series Page 14