“Holy shit,” I whisper, looking up from my phone in a daze. No wonder Iris needed so much sleep last night. Mere hours before she crashed into that bathroom, she got provoked into flying into a homicidal rage, mere hours after getting her poor heart shattered into a million tiny pieces.
Chapter 10
Roman
Damn.
I’m still in a daze after watching that crazy video, despite sitting here staring at the ocean for a solid fifteen minutes. I know I’ve only known Iris for mere hours, but from what I’ve seen of her, I never would have guessed she was capable of that kind of fury. If that groomsman hadn’t intercepted her, Iris very well might have murdered that piece-of-shit groom. It was quite a sight to see her engulfed in proverbial flames like that—equal parts heartbreaking and impressive.
I’ve witnessed this exact same kind of duality before. Countless times. So, I really shouldn’t be surprised. Oftentimes, the most mild-mannered, quiet guys offthe field are the craziest sons of bitches on it. I’m guessing that wedding was Iris’s game day—her Super Bowl—and when the game was on the line, she left it all out on the field. I can respect that. Frankly, I wish a couple slackers on the Crusaders played as hard as Iris did in that video. If they did, I’d have a Super Bowl ring on my finger now.
My phone rings with a call from Cameron.
“Hey,” I answer with a sigh.
“Have you seen my text about the preschool teacher?”
“Yeah, I just finished watching the video a few minutes ago.”
“Why didn’t you call me, right away? Are you with her now?”
“No, I’m sitting alone on the beach after a run. I needed a minute to process.”
Cameron exhales with relief. “Stay away from her, Roman. You don’t need her viral shitstorm splashing on you right now. Not when I’m trying to negotiate your contract.”
I look out at the ocean and puff out my cheeks. “Is there really a shitstorm to splash on me, though? Iris didn’t do anything wrong. Her groom did. In fact, I was pretty impressed with Iris in that video.”
“Roman, she was unhinged. The entire internet is having a field day with her. That video iseverywhere. It’s all anyone is talking about.”
“They’re coming afterIris, and not the groom?”
“The groom, too. But everyone universally agrees he’s a scumbag, so he’s not as much fun. The lightning rod here is definitely Iris.What she said and did in a bridal gown. In a church. That thing she said at the end especially, about getting railed and scrambled—it’s taking off like wildfire.” He chuckles. “Oh, and the way she had to be dragged off, kicking and screaming, too. The memes are endless and savage, man. So are the comments under the video. Did you look at them?”
“No.”
“Scroll through them. I’ll wait.”
I do as I’m told, and I’m instantly slammed with endless cruelties that make me want to commit murder, the same way Iris wanted to do in the video. Slut. Whore. Shameless. Disgraceful. Unladylike. Trashy. Unhinged. She should kill herself out of shame. She should join her mother in hell.
Jesus Christ. People are scary. Not to mention heartless. There are some comments praising Iris for her tenacity and courage. Also, for outing the groom’s bad behavior to protect future women from him. But the positive comments are few and far between among the horrible ones.
“What a fucked-up world,” I mutter. “The groom fucks anything that moves, and the world’s takeaway is that Irisis a horny, shameless slut?”
“Did Iris tell you about any of this?”
“Not a thing. She said she was supposed to come to Hawaii witha friend, but the friend backed out at the last minute.” I shake my head. “Poor thing. I hope she never finds out about that damned video.”
“She will. It’severywhere.Which is why you need to stay the fuck away from her. She’s a pariah, Roman. I don’t want you getting sucked into the eye of her shit tornado.”
“But don’t you think if she finds out about that video, she’s gonna need some comfort and support? She’s here all alone and—”
“Roman, think with your head and not your dick. I know she’s super cute and perky and you’re over there with nothing to do. But you can fuck any other woman on that island this week. Please, don’t choose to fuck the one who puts you at risk of getting yourself swept into her viral mania.”
“Who cares?”
“The Thunderbolts might. The same kinds of people calling Iris a slut and whore and everything else buy a shit ton of football tickets and jerseys.”
“Come on, Cameron. Have a heart. Who better than me to help a newbie deal with internet bullies when I’ve been dealing with haters on the internet, nonstop, for over a decade?”
