Between Friends (Between the Raindrops #3)

by Susan Schussler

  We spend a good portion of the night talking about ways to get revenge on Meg’s ex. I want to film a sex tape on the stalked phone because he’ll watch it, giving us the ultimate revenge. I plan out the filming in my head as Jon quickly shoots down my idea. His point being Chase would post it online. And he’s right, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to make one.

  We all joke around as we explore our revenge angle. Sarah wants to use a baseball bat to break his knees. She sounds as if she wants to do it personally. I guess this past year dealing with the paparazzi has jaded her a bit toward violence.

  “I still think the sex tape is the best option. It wouldn’t have to be that graphic. We could angle the camera tastefully so nothing vital is showing,” I say. “He’s going to know what we’re doing even if it’s a black screen. As long as he can hear the moaning, he’ll know.”

  “I’m not doing a sex tape with you, Liam,” says Meg. Her eyes meet mine and I sense a sadness in her.

  “You want revenge on him, right?” I ask, reaching out and covering her hand with mine. She closes her eyes and nods. We settle on a text from Meg to Sarah on the stalked phone to start the revenge on Chase. Meg asks me to write it. I would have rather seen it in her words, but I know the points to hit home that will trigger a man’s rage.

  “You’re not going to punch me for hooking up with Meg, are you?” I ask Jon before I start reading the text I wrote. He shakes his head and I continue. “I met up with Liam last night. I don’t care he never called. When I saw him, I had to have him. He’s like a drug my body can’t live without. We went back to his house and barely made it inside, before he was inside me. He took me hard against the door, not even taking time to undress. It was the best sex of my life and when I collapsed into his arms, exhausted, he carried me to his bed, ripped off my clothes and started all over again. He was inside me more than not the rest of the night. I’m so sore this morning I can barely walk.” I finish reading the text and look up. Meg looks intrigued, but still unhappy.

  “Okay. Anyone with half a brain could tell a man wrote this text,” says Sarah, reaching for the phone. “This part where you say ‘he was inside me,’ a girl would never say that. She might say he took me against the door, she might think about a guy being inside her, but she would never talk about logistics of the act in a text—at least Megan wouldn’t.”

  “She’s a writer.” Jon reminds me. “She knows this crap.”

  We hone the text to make it sound more like Meg, and Sarah adds a few details which make me blush. I hope it eviscerates Chase. I feel a sense of great satisfaction when Meg hits the send button and I hear it ping on Sarah’s phone. The two send a couple more texts back and forth to make the revenge text more convincing. We joke around about Chase’s reaction as we eat dinner but Meg seems more distant by the minute. By the time we leave, I am convinced something Meg read in my texts upset her. I walk her to her car because I still don’t have a way to contact her.

  “So when do you think you’ll get your new phone?” I ask, leaning against her car.

  “Classes don’t start until Wednesday so I should be able to get one by Tuesday.”

  I expect the light bulb to turn on and remind her she doesn’t have my number. I figure if she doesn’t know how to block a number she doesn’t know how to access the auto reject list on her phone. “So you’ll call me with your new number?”

  “Yeah. I’ll call you.”

  “Do you need my real number?”

  Her eyebrows furrow and she looks up at me for the first time since we came outside. Her eyes examine me as if she’s analyzing every imperfection of my soul. Then, she opens her purse and pulls out a pen and a business card. “Just write it on the back of this. I’ll add it to the new phone.”

  I flip the card over. Neo Lund. Bastard. I turn to the back and scratch out my number, handing it to her without a word. We stand there for a long minute before she speaks.

  “Well. I have to go, Nordstrom. I still have unpacking to do.”

  I know it’s an excuse and I walk away without even kissing her. I start my bike and pull on my helmet. I don’t know what’s going on with her. Even though she knows I didn’t abandon her, it doesn’t seem as if she wants us to be together.

  Chapter 33

  Megan

  DAMN SMILEY face. It’s still burned on my retina. Someone should outlaw emoji’s. The picture with Liam’s hand covering some girl’s hand as she leans into him mocks me even more. I couldn’t help but see it. When the text attached to it flashed at the top of his phone tonight, I had to click on it. A brunette. He said he hasn’t been with anyone else since he met me. He’s such a liar.

  Kat: The paps caught us Thursday night. Guess our secret’s out.

  The texts above it in the thread tell me all I need to know.

  Kat: Six more times today? That’s probably a world’s record. I think you left a permanent handprint on my left breast.

  Liam: Stop complaining. You loved it.

  I don’t want to start back with him if he is lying to me. I’ve been through that before. I know what I am about to do is wrong, but it’s not any worse than him lying. I hate I’ve resorted to the tabloids to get information. I told myself I never would. I don’t need another liar in my life, though. I type his name into the search engine and up pops the picture from the text.

  Costars Liam Nordstrom and Katya Avery caught together after dark.

  The two were spotted leaving West Break Studios together on Thursday night for dinner and some off-screen action. Sources tell us we can expect to see some hot and steamy scenes between the actors in season four of Impassioned.

  So she’s his costar and a brunette. He told me he wouldn’t date brunettes and after his experience with the makeup artist, he wasn’t going to date people from work, either. I flip through the pictures of them together: in the car, walking into a restaurant, in front of an apartment building, going inside hand in hand. What a liar.

  Even if he didn’t abandon me like my mother, I can’t let him back into my life.

  ***

  The morning after my awakening, I rise early determined to cut all ties with my past. I should say, all testosterone-filled ties. I hit the phone store first thing. I not only get a new phone and number but a new carrier as well. I don’t want there to be any chance Chase could tap into my new phone. If I could easily change my name, I’d consider it.

  I could trade in the phone Chase gave me and get the latest release, but I opt for a cheaper phone instead. I’m not done with Chase’s, because I haven’t figured out the best revenge yet, and I’m going to transfer my contacts manually, just in case the phone has a virus that would infect my new phone with a stalking app. I’m not sure what he is capable of doing, and I won’t let him manipulate me anymore.

  On my way back to the apartment, I stop at the local coffee shop for my caffeine fix. With latte in hand, I lay both phones out on the table and start entering my contacts into the new phone. I even got a new email account. I don’t want any cross-contamination between the accounts in case Chase has access to the old one.

  I’ve made it to the R’s when a text pops up on my old phone.

  Arianna: I thought you said you didn’t have a boyfriend.

  Me: I don’t.

  Arianna: The guy sitting on the couch claims he’s your boyfriend. Anyway you could come get him out of our apartment?

  Me: Fine. I’ll be right there.

  I thought Nordstrom had to work today. He couldn’t wait for me to call him? I’d entered his number into my phone, but that doesn’t mean I was going to call him after seeing the text last night from Kat. Six more times? By the time I get back to the apartment, I have an outline in my head of what I’m going to tell Nordstrom. If he thinks I’m going to believe a word he says from now on, he’s crazy.

  When I open the door, I’ve already pulled up the tabloid article on my new phone to have it ready, but when I see him on the couch, I quickly stuff the phone into m
y bag.

  “Why are you here, Chase?”

  “So you do know him?” asks Arianna as she rolls her eyes and walks into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

  “It’s good to see you too, babe. He stands and starts walking toward me, stopping a foot in front of me. A cocky smile fills his face as if he just made the biggest grand gesture ever. “I thought you would be happier to see me.”

  “I’m not. What do you want?”

  “Well, I’m here.” He sits back on the couch. “I got to thinking I could move out here. If you feel so strongly about finishing school, then I can meet you halfway. Most of my work is on the computer. I can live anywhere.”

  “I don’t want you here.” I sit in the chair putting as much room as I can between my body and his. Not because I’m attracted to him, but because I have a strong urge to bludgeon him to death on the white couch. “If that’s what you took away from our last conversation, then you don’t know me at all. I don’t trust you, Chase.”

  “I know you better than anyone. Just give me a chance to prove myself to you. I came all the way here.”

  He obviously thinks he deserves more appreciation than I’m showing. He doesn’t know me. “Nordstrom knows me better than you.” It’s true, even if Nordstrom is a liar. I know why I say it. I want to hurt Chase for all the manure he’s dumped on me. I want to add to the knife wound inflicted by the text Liam sent from my phone to Sarah last night.

  “He’s cheating on you. He’s shagging his costar. It’s all over the tabloids.”

  “The tabloids are just PR. I’ve met her. They’re not together. It’s just for the show,” I lie.

  He stands and starts pacing back and forth, running his fingers through his hair as if he’s making the toughest decision of his life. I hope he doesn’t propose. I will definitely bludgeon him. My eyes sweep the room for a good object for his demise. The large stone bowl by the front door where we put our keys is my best bet. It wouldn’t break if struck against his skull, and if I use both hands to swing it, it wouldn’t be that heavy. He huffs out a breath on his third pass in front of me.

  “I’m not the person I was when we dated. A ton has happened since high school. It changed me.”

  “I know what happened to your mother, Meg.”

  “What? Did you read it in the tabloids?” I ask because everyone thinks they know what happened to her. Only Liam and I know the truth about the pill bag in my purse.

  He sits on the ottoman in front of me and looks me in the eyes before speaking. “She committed suicide.”

  “That seems to be the consensus.”

  “She had my drugs in her,” he says with a very somber face as he tracks my reaction.

  “The drugs you left in my purse?” I ask, hoping to finally get clarification on the theory that’s plagued me for more than four years. He remembers the drugs.

  “You have to understand, Meg. I went to the marina looking for you. It’s your fault I was there. You cut me off. I didn’t know how else to get a hold of you.”

  My head explodes with possible scenarios. “I don’t understand. You were at the marina the night my mom died?”

  “We were just talking when she asked me for something to get her through to the weekend. I don’t remember what I gave her, but it was enough to get her to the weekend. I felt as if we were finally connecting. I always felt as if your family was judging me and here your mom was asking me for a pick-me-up.”

  I stare at him, shaking my head. It can’t be. He couldn’t have just handed pills to her. I don’t even know what to say. His eyes lift to mine.

  “I thought you would be happy to finally know the truth. I thought she was going to space them out over the week, so it blew me away when she downed them all at once right in front of me.”

  “You just let her?”

  “I couldn’t get a hold of you. I didn’t have your new number.”

  “Why didn’t you call my dad?”

  “I wasn’t going to let your dad judge me for giving her pills.”

  “So you just left and let her die.”

  “She was fine when I left. I don’t know why you’re so mad at me. There is nothing I can do to change it. You’re always telling me you don’t trust me and now that I’m telling you the truth, you get mad. What is it you want? I’m here. I’m telling you the truth. And we’re supposed to move forward.”

  “Forward into what, Chase?”

  “Forward in our relationship. You don’t need the actor because I’m here.”

  “You are such an ass. You think just because you tell me one truth in the last seven years, I trust you.”

  “You blocked Nordstrom from my phone. You changed his number in the phone so I couldn’t text him. Who was getting my texts?”

  He looks to the door and then back at me with a coy smile. Now he knows I know. I can see the cogs turning in his head. He’s smart and he’ll come up with a lie quickly. I’m not going to give him a chance to work through all the possible scenarios.

  “It was a cock-blocking thing, right? He was making an impression on me and you didn’t like it. I get it. But what I don’t understand is how you can be so heartless. You are the most soulless person I have ever met. You don’t care about anyone but Chase Maxwell. You may act as if you care, but it’s just an act. You don’t care about me. The only reason you want me is because you can’t have me. You need to leave.”

  “Just give me a chance to explain. You don’t understand,” he pleads, but I’m not giving him another chance.

  “It doesn’t matter what you say. Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. I’m done listening.”

  “If you shut me out again, you’ll end up all alone and full of regret, just like your mom.”

  He uses the words I am most afraid of—full of regret—and then compares me to Mom. I squish my eyes together, trying to stay composed.

  “I would rather die alone than be with you. Get out.” I open the door. How dare he mention my mom? He grasps the back of my head and smashes his lips on mine. I feel nothing. Nothing, but rage. I smack my fist as hard as I can into the back of his ribcage and he pulls back.

  “I should have leaked all his lame-ass texts he sent you when I gave his brother’s story to the tabloids. Even after all these years, you believe every word out of my mouth. You are so gullible. You know what?” He looks me straight in the eye. “I’m the one who connected Alli with the press. She didn’t want to do it at first, but I convinced her it was the only way to get the money she needed to break the financial umbilical cord with her parents. It wasn’t hard to persuade her. I used the same tactics I used to use on you. Remember the condom wrapper you found on my couch? Guess who I took right there where you sat? And it wasn’t our first time, either. We used to go at it all the time in high school. You almost caught us a couple of times, but you were too naïve to suspect your best friend.” He seems to catch himself as if there’s a drop of remorse in him and he looks away shaking his head. His hands clinch in fists at his side as if he’s fighting some sort of inner turmoil.

  “Get out,” I scream. I can’t believe he just admitted it.

  “Regret, Meg, that’s all your future holds without me,” he whispers as he walks past me, his voice so cold my body shivers.

  I slam the door the second he’s out and the large stone bowl clatters across the table with the force of the thud. I collapse against the back of the door and explode into tears. I’m numb.

  Wow.

  I focus on the most important parts of his confession. I can’t believe he gave Mom pills. As I am wiping my eyes, trying to come to grips with the fact Chase could have saved my mother and didn’t, Arianna comes out of the bedroom. The thing I hate most about living in a one-bedroom apartment with a roommate is there is no such thing as privacy.

  “I’ve got to get to work. I get off at eleven if you want to talk,” says Arianna, approaching the door.

  I stay on the floor and slide over to get out of her wa
y. “Thanks,” I say. “Sorry about the yelling.”

  She gives me a sympathetic smile and walks out the door. I reach up and deadbolt it, afraid Chase may come back. Then, I pull my purse off the table above me, take out my new phone, and type out a text.

  Chapter 34

  Liam

  I’M STOPPED ON my motorcycle outside Kat’s apartment building when I feel my phone vibrate in my jacket pocket.

  “Thanks for the ride, Liam,” Kat says into my ear as she climbs off my bike. She removes my spare helmet and hands it to me. “Remember, I have a six-fifteen call time tomorrow, so I’m catching a ride with Vera. Enjoy your morning off.”

  “I will. See you around noon.” I don’t have to be to the studio until later and I am looking forward to sleeping in for once. I pull my phone out of my pocket and pull up the text.

  Meg: Chase is here. I just had a big blow up with him. Can you come pick me up at my apartment? I don’t want to be alone.

  Me: Be there in 15.

  Meg: He’s outside the door, harassing my roommate. She has to get to work. I’d better go talk to him.

  Me: Be there in 10.

  I bungie my extra helmet to the seat behind me and restart my bike. Kat is already to the door. Her building isn’t far from Meg’s if I take back streets. I wave to Kat and speed off. I can’t believe that douchebag flew out here. The text I sent to Sarah last night from the stalked phone must have hit its mark. I just wish I had been there when he showed up.

  When I arrive at Meg’s, she’s standing just inside the building’s door, arguing with a preppy-looking blond guy. I turn off my bike and pull it back on its stand before climbing off. By the time I get my helmet off, her body slams into mine. My arms wrap around her and her body softens in my grasp. I tilt her head up to look into her eyes, my brow questioning. Then she buries her head in my chest without a word.