Me
Nvm I don’t need your money. Deal’s done. Please stop contacting me.
I finally just blocked her.
“That’s nice, honey, but does anyone really have a reasonnotto believe her?” Vicky’s words knock me back to the present.Shit.I hate that she’s right.
“Exactly. That girl has made the whole school an uncomfortable place for Becky, and that little bitch is doing everything in her power to make it worse and worse each day. Somebody gave her that power.” She gives methatteacherlook over her glasses, and I shrink in on myself.
Me. I did that.“What can I do? I don’t know shit about school politics or any of that.” I look her over and decide she obviously wants what’s best for Becks. “Can you help me?”
“I’ll help.” She says, looking at me carefully over her purple cat eye glasses, “but only because I’m tired of seeing Becky deal with that rotten woman’s bullshit.”
“I’ll take whatever help I can get.”
We exchange numbers before she leaves and I remain sitting here, still looking in the direction Becky was sitting, my back to the wall. But now, I’m planning, not just pining. Ms. Terri always knew how to motivate me to get to work. My grades in her class were the best I’d ever had other than in mechanics class.
I’m ruminating on my next steps when a voice to my right starts to filter in. “I’m just sayin’ that more isn’t the same as better. Take my girl’s family for example. Her brother is a big shot. Makes bank, has a beautiful wife and family. Problem is, he’s in trouble. He got in way over his head.” I look up to see a real big guy with his back to me talking to a little blonde guy. I’m only partially listening.
I consider packing up to leave, but I can’t stand the emptiness of my childhood home. I shake my head before I go that route, and tune back in to the guy near me. “Yeah man, she said her brother had an emotional affair with his assistant, but some people are saying it went further than that.”
“What the fuck is an emotional affair?” says blondy, reading my mind.
The big guy, I realize with a jolt, is Bobby Swater. Bobby’s woman isTrevor’ssister, Bethany.
Holy Fuck.
“Beth says it’s when a guy spends his time and shares emotional shit with a woman who is not his woman. You get what I mean?” The guy and I both nod. He continues, “There’s no fuckin’. Maybe kissin’, maybe thinking about fuckin’, but none of the real physical shit happening. Though, if you’re thinking about it, it counts too.”
Oh shit.Trevor has his own shit going on.It went further than that?I’m focusing on that final puzzle piece so neatly fitting into place that I nearly miss the next part.
“Oh, hey Trev!” Bobby calls, a little mockery in his voice, “We were just talking about you.” I look in time to see Trevor clench his fist, but only grunts in response before he looks up, sees me, and heads to the seat Vicky recently vacated.
“Trev,” I start. “Is it true?”
He looks at me, and his eyes get real hard. “Carter. You have no fucking right to say a Goddamn word to me about this. You’re just as dumb or even dumber than I am, so don’t say shit to me until you can figure out your own problems.”Wow, so he’s mad mad.
“Sure, brother.” I say calmly, which seems to just piss him off further. His jaw gets real tight and he stares straight ahead.
“You should know, people are talking about Taylor and Becky. Taylor is really playing the part of innocent and making Becky out to be some kind of witch hunter. I heard people talking about it at the bank. Important people.”
“Are you fucking with me?”
“No, it’s…not good. With Ronnie out of the school right now, she’s missing an important ally.”
Fucking hell. I wipe my face with a shaking hand. How did everything get so fucking twisted? I bounce my head off the countertop but realize I have information he might want.
“So, uh…I saw Paige leave earlier looking really upset, you might?—”
He stands up so fast his stool falls backward. “Fucking hell, not you too. Listen, Carter, and everybody that can fucking hear me right now. I’ll say this slowly for the mostdenseof you in the room.” He gives a sharp look toward Bobby. “I. Didn’t. Do. Shit! Everyone can keep my wife’s and my names out of their stupid fucking mouths. I didn’t do shit, and shedefinitelydidn’t do anything to deserve the shit that’s being thrown her way.” With a final death glare shared around the bar, he turns and stomps right back out the door.
Unfortunately, that means that a lot of the attention that was on him whips right back to me. Up until this point, I had managed to stay below the radar, but now I am front and center.
Super great.
Before any well meaning people can swing by to talk to me, or more likely try to get some information from me,shewalks in. The main ingredient to the shit cake I baked for myself. If any eyes weren’t on me before, they sure are now. I turn away as quickly as I can andspill out a few choice words.Leave immediately, or pray she didn’t see me?
A husky voice way too close to me makes Option B obsolete. “Hey, baby, I’ve missed your face.” A hand on my arm makes me flinch away.I hate when she touches me.
