Page 100 of Wrecked

I nodded my head. I was confused as to why he had said that like it was a bad thing. “I couldn’t be there anymore. I couldn’t stop thinking of you. It’s been three days, and you haven’t left your house. Not even to say good-bye to Brad.”

“Don’t tell me how I should pay respects to my best friend!” he yelled, forcing my feet to jump. “He’s been dead for seventy-two hours, and you’re already done with him, moving on to the next thing.” He looked like he was about to spit. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You were a whore when he was alive, and you’re an attention-seeking brat now.”

The air whooshed from my lungs. His words struck me in the gut like a knife. I put my hand on my stomach to see if I was actually bleeding.

“How…how can you say that?”

His eyes narrowed, his body filling the doorframe. “Do you know where I was supposed to be that day? I was supposed to meet him at the park. He wanted to talk, and I stood him up. You know why, Leah? Because you just can’t stop. You think life is a game. You had a boyfriend, yet here you were, trying to push me. You were pushing me to talk about something that neither of us had any business discussing. Because you were his girlfriend. Because you were supposed to be with him.” He stopped on that last sentence, tears falling so fast down his face.

I leaned forward, needing to console him. I wanted to take his hurt away, but he wouldn’t let me.

He sharply turned his shoulder. “You were here with me, and you know what he was doing when he died?”

I shook my head.

His eyes met mine, harsh and sinister. “He was drawing you.” His eyes roved over me, looking for an answer. “Did you know he was using?”

If I could have died in that moment, I would have. “No. I had no idea. We hadn’t been spending time together. Not like we used to.”

My words did something to him because he screamed, “Go away!”

“Adam—”

“Don’t say my name. We are not friends. We are not acquaintances. I don’t want to see you ever again!”

I ran. I dropped my hot-pink umbrella on his doorstep and ran. By the time I made it home, I was out of breath, drenched, and completely heartbroken.

I hadn’t just lost my first love that day. I’d also lost my last.

chapter TWENTY-THREE

I worked at The Bucking Bronco until eleven, and now Suzanne is over to blow out my hair, and she’s adding some ringlets to the bottom. I apply my own makeup, adding lash extensions, and go heavy on the eye shadow.

Wearing my tightest leather mini and a low-cut baby-blue halter that brings out my eyes, I slide on hooker boots and large hoop earrings. As they say, the bigger the earrings, the bigger the ho. Tonight, I am getting my ho down.

Jessica, Suzanne, and I head down Main Street and walk into Velocity like we own the place. Hell, tonight, we do since it’s Ladies’ Night, and we get in for free. We order drinks at the bar and immediately have three gentlemen offer to pay. Jessica goes to say yes, but I pull her back and decline. I have their hands in each of my palms as I pull the girls onto the dance floor.

Partying at The Bucking Bronco is fun, but the one thing Velocity has over us is the sound system. With a DJ mixing at the front of the club, the bass creates a pulse for our feet, the vibration of the speakers making the room shake. It’s loud, the rhythm pounding on the dance floor, while strobe lights move in sync to the music. The dance floor is packed tonight.

The girls cheer me on as I drop my hips and roll up. The rhythm slows down. The lights hold still in their colors and then fade with the music.

Suddenly, the beat starts up again, softly at first. It builds and my body starts to orbit, my midsection swinging. My arms are out in front of me, moving with my hips.

The beat grows louder, faster, and the lights pick up their pace. The electronic music breaks away. The fast tempo has me kicking up my knees, one at a time, and dancing to each side. The bounce in my chest rolls with each beat, and I am totally free.

A few songs in, we’re a little sweaty, and my heart is racing from the exercise. We move our threesome to a booth and take a breather.

“This is just what we needed!” Jessica shouts over the music. “We haven’t had a girls’ night like this in forever.”

“Agreed,” I say.

Even though Velocity is the competition, it is a lot of fun. Since the Victoria incident, I’ve become friends with the owner. He, too, is worried about letting the wrong kind into his establishment, especially since drug use in nightclubs is prevalent

A waitress comes over, and we order drinks. Cosmos for Jessica and me. Suzanne asks for a club soda since she’s driving. While we wait for our drinks, a guy comes over. He has dark hair and a darker complexion with a smoldering stare and a smile that has Jessica practically drooling.

“You ladies having a good time tonight?” He’s talking to the table but only looking at Jessica.

Her eyes light up as she answers him, “Better now that you’re here.”