“Shay, I have no job.”
“Who needs a job?”
“Says the woman who has no job,” Courteney poked, “and yet her bills somehow get paid.”
“By her wealthy parents and her older brother.” Larissa sipped innocently on her blue drink.
“Hey!” Shay jabbed a gleaming fingernail in each of our faces. “Every one of you has accepted handouts, swag and goodies from your parents and/or successful older sibling at some point. Not to mention a BMW.” She aimed her fingernail at Courteney.
“Sure.” Larissa set her drink down, unfazed. “But you’re the only one who accepted a whole house.”
“Who wouldn’t accept a house??”
“Uh… us?” Courteney smirked as she sipped, enjoying the opportunity to tease Shayla. Shay teased the rest of us—Courteney especially—so relentlessly.
Shayla huffed indignantly. “Um, hello. You lived in your brother’s poolhouse just so you could lie around the pool in your bikini and try to seduce his best friend.” She conveniently left out the part where the whole seduce-him-in-your-bikini thing was basically her idea.
“Hey, that man I seduced is now my husband,” Courteney reminded her.
“Come to think of it,” Larissa teased Shay, “why aren’t you putting your brother’s pool to more use?”
“Yeah, Shay,” Courteney put in. “How many of your brother’s friends have you seduced now?” She already knew the answer to that. We all did.
“Only one,” Shayla sniffed. “And we’re currently on a break.”
“And why is that?” Larissa pressed, loving this.
Shayla waved her hand dismissively in the air. “Because Johnny got all aggro about it.”
“And threatened to stop paying your bills,” Larissa teased.
“Since when do you care what your brother says about your love life anyway?” Courteney inquired, stirring the pot.
“Since he threatened to stop paying for Netflix if she didn’t stop making out with his lead singer,” Larissa supplied.
“I was halfway throughThe Walking Dead! That’s like, a billion seasons! You can’t just stop in the middle!”
“And her manicures,” Courteney elaborated, “and her credit cards, and everything else—”
“Anyway,” Shayla interjected, “who cares who pays the bills? Money is just money. I’m my own woman.” An obnoxiousDING!so loud we all heard it over the music shook her phone on the table and she grinned, beaming self-confidence. “And hey, maybe I have a job. As the hot dancer in the Players’ new music video!”
My phone lit up next to hers.
“Ooh!” she exclaimed. “Maybe that’s Flynn, begging to get you ba… ack…” Her smile fell at the look on my face.
“It’s not like that, Shay. And it’s never going to be. It’s over.”
“Sorry. You know I think all men should grovel. It’s my go-to.” She added solemnly, “I’ll never bring it up again.”
“Thank you.”
“Can I check my phone?”
“Of course.”
We both picked up. I read the texts I’d just received from Summer.
Summer:Tell Shayla her audition was among the most ridiculous things I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen some things.
