Luna, Shanti, Joey, Gemma and I were morosely silent, because we were neck deep in it.
Or the others were.
Not me.
No way.
No how.
Never again.
“I think Gabe’s a good one,” Harlow said hesitantly.
“He might be,” I replied. “But you know what? Kevin was too, in the beginning. He had a steady job. It was upwardly mobile. And he bought me flowers just because. He would whistle appreciatively when I made an extra effort, telling me he noticed. We talked future. We talked kids. We were in line with everything we wanted. Then he got his hooks in me, ‘lost’ his job, and it went downhill from there. I was so sure the man I first knew was the man he was, that man being the man I loved, I kept telling myself he’d find his way back. Not-so-spoiler alert, he didn’t. Sayonara four years of my life I’ll never get back.”
“That ass really did put you through the wringer,” Luna validated.
“He’s changed you.” Harlow was still going carefully. “You used to be a lot like me. And now you’re…” she trailed off.
“Cynical? Bitter? Twisted? Distrustful?” I paused and finished, “Protective and smart?”
Harlow jumped on, “Protective.” She reached out and squeezed my wrist. “I just hate the idea of you giving up.”
I had been like her. Sunny. Positive. Cheerful. A bounce in my step all day every day.
Life was good. I loved baking and decorating. What I did for a living was considered a treat by the people who bought it. I had a great friend posse. My mom finally found a man who was worth her time, and we’d made a pretty rad family.
And sure, Kev was a relationship I wished I hadn’t had, not to mention, wished I hadn’t let last so long. But I was far from the first girl who let some man hoodwink me.
Then I saw all those women Trevor had blackmailed, and I knew either Kevin was in on that, or he wanted to take it over after his best friend died, and that man had been inside me. Looking in my eyes, telling me he loved me, while he was fucking me every way he could.
And I let him.
Sooooooo…
Nope.
Not me.
Never again.
Not ever again.
But Harlow looked so crestfallen, I lied, “It’s fresh. Maybe I’ll get over it.”
Not gonna happen.
Indeed, Logic affirmed.
You two suck, Dreamer groused.
But Harlow smiled.
And that was all I had in me.
Raye must have sensed it, because she said, “Right, we all have our assignments and we all have bills to pay, so let’s break.”
We huddled and put our hands in the center, said, “One, two, three, Angels Unite.”
