“Now M-” I hang up before she says anything else. Heat spreads across my chest, warming my insides. I want to hit something, but there’s nothing safe to hit so I kick the wall. The cashier jumps.
“It’s just a fucking wall.” I turned and stormed out of the mall
The lake house is packed—cars everywhere, voices spilling from the front door, music pulsing through the windows. “Perfect.” I twist the cap off my water bottle and pour in more vodka. Loco tilts his head at me from the passenger seat. “What I’d give to have your life, buddy.” I scratch behind his ears and take a long pull from the bottle.
Inside, the place feels like someone else’s life. Laughter. Peoplein clean clothes. Shiny hair. Perfect teeth. I move through the noise like a ghost, hoping no one sees me.
Of course Abigail sees me.
“There you are!” She rushes over like she hasn’t seen me in years. “Where’ve you been?”
Happy birthday, Abs.” I force a smile. “I was, uh… getting your gift.”
She lights up. “You didn’t have to do that!”
“Yeah, well… turns out I can’t.” I dip my chin. “Card got declined. I’m… in a bit of a transition phase.”
Her smile fades a little. “Are you okay?”
No. I crashed a car, my mom’s cut me off, and I’m one more fake smile away from screaming into the void.
“Looking for a job now. So I’ll get you something eventually.”
She stares. “Wait—what about school? Are you getting married too?” She laughs like it’s all a big joke. Like we’re still in our carefree college days As I watched my friend go through all the best highs in her life, I suffered from all the lows in mine right now. I didn’t want to bring her down to this level, but my heart couldn’t fake another smile.
I let out a long breath. “It’s a long story.”
She motions for me to sit down, so I do. Chattering noises were the only thing we heard until I spoke again.
“I totaled another car,” I say flatly. “Middle of the night. My parents said I either prove I’ve changed or they stop paying for school. No more free ride.”
“Jesus Mel, I’m glad you are alright.”
I shake my head.Not Enough
“Thanks.” A sudden surge of agitation runs through me and I was itching to get more to drink.
“But that seems a little harsh. Can’t they just make you work for your next car or something? We all have fender benders in our lifetime.”
“This was the second car totaled in less than a year, and it was a pretty expensive car.”
Abigail blinks.
“It wasn’t just the crash. They’re tired of how I live. Which is ironic, considering I learned it all from my mom. She married money. I self-medicate. Same survival instinct, different drug.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s not your problem. And because I’m tired of being everyone’s mess.” I try to laugh. “It’s not like she’s shipping me off to the military or anything.”
“Glad to know you were talking about me,” Nick says, rounding the corner from the kitchen. And my mouth nearly dropped. His arms and chest were covered in tattoos. I didn’t see them earlier because he had his soldier uniform on.
“How long have you been eavesdropping, stalker?”
“Long enough to know you shouldn’t be driving .” He says, taking a sip of his beer.
“Oh, bite me.”
Really Mel? You went to the most expensive private schools in California and attended a couple of years of college. That’s the best comeback you can do?
