“He didn’t even know me,” she hissed back.
“So you admit that he proposed to you.”
“Yeah,” she said, “he said something about marrying me. It was an offhand remark. Drunk talk. It’s not like he got down on one knee and whipped out a ring. We’d just met. The only thing he had to go on was the way I looked, and you look just like I do.”
“Exactly!” I shouted. “So how do you know he actually likesme?”
My sister drew back, and I knew that look. She was pissed at me. Likepissed.
Some girls walking by snickered at the impending disaster of a scene we were making.
That’s right, people. There’s a drunk-ass captain on this ship. And we’re headed straight for an iceberg.
“Youalwaysdo this,” Dani said. “You always make some stupid excuse not to go after the ones you really want because you think they like me first.”
“Because they always do like you first!”
“If this is about Jackson, I’m gonna strangle you.”
Oooh, shit. We’d just hit the iceberg.
“It’s not about Jackson,” I said.
“It’s totally about Jax and the fact that you could never get over that he liked me first.”
And now the ship was sinking.
“Yes, he liked you first,” I said. “And I fucked up and kissed him when I was drunk, and you never let me forget it.”We’re going down, folks. Save yourselves…“So excuse me if I’m uber-cautious when it comes to guys who like us both.”
“Ashley Player doesn’t like me!” she shouted.
“Stop shouting his goddamn name!”
“Danica, I could befurniturethe way he looks at me. Like, useless old office furniture in the back alley. He like, lights up whenever you look at him.”
“Please.”
“I saw you in his lap with his hand up your skirt. Are you trying to tell me he was hand-raping you? Should I call the cops?”
“Ugh! Just stop.”
“Why are you trying to bullshit me that you aren’t into him?” she demanded.
“I’m into him, okay? That doesn’t mean I’m just instantaneously leaping into bed with him. And where were you?” I demanded, the guilt eating me up. “You’re supposed to be my winglady. You up and disappeared and left me with AshleyandCarter.”
Daniella slugged back the rest of her drink and stared me down. “You know what… Iwaspissed at you. But I wasn’t pissed at you because you kissed Jax. I was pissed at you becausehekissedyou, and he liked you. He liked me first, but he liked youbest.”
And there it was.
We were deep, deep underwater now, free-falling into the abyss.
“He did not,” I said.
“Youknewhe liked you best and you still gave him up because you thought that’s what you’re supposed to do.”
“Because itwaswhat I was supposed to do,” I said. “Because you were in love with him!”
We’ve hit bottom, people. We are officially a shipwreck.
