But let’s not put all the blame on the missus. Reed’s no saint either.
Looks like the former Cypress Pointe Emperors’ star has a bad habit of his own. Gambling can land you in a whole lot of debt, and a whole lot of trouble.
And upon doing some digging, it appears Reed has a great deal of both.
Oof… looks like these two have a lot to talk about tonight, so I should leave them to it.
But before I go, a few words for my former partner in crime, the woman to whom I owe a huge THANK YOU for resurrecting me…
Oh, April. I played nice as long as I possibly could. Even gave you a few extra hours to make good on your promise. But at the end of the day, our alliance was never meant to last. Good luck out there, girl.
I hear it’s going to be especially cold tonight.
Later, peeps :)
—P
Chapter Twenty-Four
Blue
There’s no electricity in this part of the building, so I drag an extension cord down the hall using only my phone’s flashlight to illuminate my path.
I don’t make a habit of coming here alone at night, but I sneak in on occasion. Sometimes to complete small projects like this, sometimes just to look around and remember that it’s all real. It grounds me at a time in life that occasionally feels a little too surreal.
I change quickly, slipping on a pair of old jeans and one of West’s oversized tees I stole months ago. I tie the side in a knot so it’s not hanging down to my knees, then click on one of the work lights the crew left in the corner.
The angle casts weird shadows across the room, but it gets the job done. I just need to see well enough to open the paint and pour it into the pan, then start rolling on the first coat.
There’s this heavy feeling in my chest as I get my supplies prepped.
I’m… overwhelmed.
As someone who’s had their entire world exposed by Pandora, for all to see and judge, I don’t have it in me to gloat as I think of what April and Reed must be going through tonight. Regardless of whether their actions were right or wrong—which wereabsolutelywrong—they should‘ve been affordedsome privacy, the opportunity to face their issues in their own time.
But that’s the nature of living in a world where Pandora exists, lurking in every corner waiting for us to slip up.
Omnipresent.
But as much of a nuisance as Pandora has always been, she sometimes seems like a necessary evil. Because without her, several truths—truths that would’ve otherwise grown in silent malevolence—would have never been brought to light. The same holds true for April and the part she played in all this, but it seems she forgot the most important part.
When you play with fire, you can andwillget burned.
Karma and whatnot.
At the thought of it, my thoughts linger on the most devastating blow April delivered about Pandora’s resurrection. That thisnewversion might not even be an individual, but rather an entire system…
A beast that may never be brought to its knees.
I sync my phone to the speaker I brought with me to drown out the silence with music, then drag the paint roller down the wall, trying to block out all the things. The negative thoughts fighting to get through.
I drove from the diner in a daze, and I’m still in the same state of numbness. It isn’t lost on me that I’ve been running. Leaving the gathering tonight without so much as saying goodbye to West is only proof of that. I didn’t even trust myself to hold my ground if I had to get close again, had to look him in his eyes.
I’m so weak for him.
Time hasn’t changed that.
On one hand, I’m grateful he seems to have broken through whatever walls he had up and wants to communicate now. But on the other hand… I’m struggling with bitterness.
