“You guys are so bad at reading lips,” Kami sighs.
I choke on a laugh. “I don’t think we’re bad at reading them, you’re just bad at?—”
Once I see her stare, the following words I was going to speak get caught in my throat. Grabbing a bowl of popcorn, I offer it to Kamila as a peace offering. She angrily takes it and demands a bottle of water.
“Beer or vodka? Or soda, if you want to be boring,” Em asks one final time.
“Jell-O shots!” Jake announces at the same time that I request a soda.
I look at him, confused. “She said vodka, you idiot, not Jell-O shots.”
“Yeah, we don’t have those,” Kami reaffirms.
He winks at me. “Check the bottom of your fridge, where you keep your leftovers.”
Em opens the door skeptically and, after a couple of seconds, emerges with a platter holding twelve Jell-O shots.
“When the hell did you put those in there?” Kami sits up and shoots her hand out as Em carefully carries the platter over. Kami, of course, picks a red one, while Em picks a blue, Jake a green, and I relent and choose purple. We all take the shot.
Smooth, not too strong.
“Jake, seriously,” I say, wiping my mouth. “When did you put those in there?”
“Last night.” He chuckles as Kami and Em both go off on him, and I’m caught in the crossfire, covering my ears because fucking ow.
“Cam and I were having sex!” Kami yells.
“How did you get in?” Em asks, and then turns to Kami, faking a gagging sound.
Meanwhile, I lie back and watch Jake in amusement, knowing this isn’t the first or last time he pulls off something like this.
Chapter Eight
STEVIE
Opening the door to my apartment, I find the living room empty, as it has been for the past week and a half. I enter quietly since it’s eleven p.m. on a Wednesday, and Levi is most definitely home, if his present daily jacket is any indication.
This past week has been absolutely insane when it comes to classes, assignments, and trying to figure out where to start with my list. Making my way to the bathroom to get ready for bed, I close the door, ensuring privacy. I’ve barely spoken or seen Levi recently, but it’s not out of avoidance. I simply haven’t had time.
All right, maybe I’m avoiding him a little. The idea of facing him after last weekend is not a pleasant thought. I do not want to discuss the details with him yet, especially after the last few days. It wasn’t very pleasant finding out that all my friends were only ever Andrew’s. Which was another thing I confirmed this week because…well, I spied…a lot.
I’ve never done it and am not quite proud of it. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. When I tried to stand idly by until someone from the group “passed by me” so we could have a little conversation, I casually brought the subject of King’sWolf up, and they immediately got defensive. Needless to say, I ran because what was I supposed to say once they started stammering loud enough for the entire hall to hear?
After that, I suspected that what Tiffany said was true, but she also lied to me for months, and I needed further confirmation. So, I did what any other girl who’s been driven to the brink of insanity would do: I found Tiffany’s best friend, followed her to the library, and hid under a desk near where most of his friends were sitting. After doing what I consider to be the most unlikely thing for me to do, I got all the information I needed.
Yes, they kept King’s Wolf and other bars they went to from me because Andrew and Tiffany asked them to. Yes, Andrew has been going since the end of the spring semester last year. Yes, they all knew about Andrew and Tiffany and still laugh behind my back about it. But the absolute worst part? I found out they started sleeping together a month after I was diagnosed. It just happened to be around the same time my libido disappeared due to the tests and medications. Andrew always said he never blamed me for our sex life diminishing and that he’d stick by me no matter what. I know he did it due to something I couldn’t control, and none of it was my fault, but hell if that doesn’t feel like a bullet to the chest.
Tears spring to my eyes, and when I look in the mirror, I see a face I barely recognize. I was getting better. Even when I was spending time with Levi and his friends, I felt like my old self—a bit more confident, even, but of course, Andrew had to ruin it.
Spying on them and this obsession I’ve had with his friend group this week has taken so much of my time, and now that I know the truth, I have to stop. I’ve always minded my own business, but Andrew changed something in me. I think he changed something in me a while ago.
My lowest point was when I hid under that desk to hear them confirm what I already knew. And when I heard that it started while I was in and out of doctors’ offices, I knew I needed to do something more than ignore the problem. Of course, I thought I’d already come to that conclusion last weekend when I made the list. Still, it seemed as if I needed to get all of this out of my system to take the first step in my fresh-start plan.
The question is,wheredo I start?
Luckily, I’ve been getting enough sleep and have been forcing myself to eat. If I don’t, my seizures might make a little appearance, and I won’t let what happened with Andrew affect my health that way again.
I pick my toothbrush up, and the moment it lands on my teeth, I can hear Levi playing guitar through the wall. Oh, he’s awake. I shouldn’t be too surprised—it isn’t late, and he’s a part-time guitar teacher and a music major.
