“Yeah, I know. But trust me, you wouldn’t have wanted to get in my mind at that time, it was messed up. And it made sense in my head when…”
“No it didn’t!” I screech and halt, forcing him to a stop. “Nate scared guys away from mefor you. There was absolutely no way he was trying to sleep with me behind your stubborn ass!”
“Look, I’m sorry! I was just trying to protect you, because most of those guys on campus were just looking to sleep around.”
“It makes so much sense now!” I start laughing hysterically. “Why guys kept standing me up and were avoiding me like the fucking plague for the whole year.”
“Well, at least it took one more year for stupid Jason Jerkwood to break your heart, which he probably would have done sooner if it weren’t for Nate and me.”
I clench my fists at my sides. It’s not what happened, and he knows it.
“It’s none of—”
“What did Jerkwood do?” Nate’s low voice asks from a few feet behind me.
I whirl around with a deadly stare and meet his eyes. Not only his, but also Evie’s and Ikram’s wide embarrassed ones.
Of coursehe’s here. Nate has the fuckingaudacityto stand in the middle of the living room, arms crossed over his chest casually with narrowed eyes. Like, how and why is he even here? Does every fucking person in this town have the key to this stupid house?
I take two sure steps in his direction, pointing my finger at him. He, atleast, has the presence of mind to look a little startled.
“Don’t you dare try to even talk to me right now,” I say, stabbing his—way too hard and too broad—chest with my pointer finger.
The muscle in his jaw twitches but he doesn’t move an inch. Although, I do notice the way his arms tense against his chest and his nostrils flare, like my mere proximity repulses him and he has to fight the urge to push me away.
God, knowing what he did now? We were never really friends—especially after I heard him dissuading a friend of his to date me. But I got over that, and we stayed cordial. Right now, 19 year old me wants to scratch his stupid azur eyes out.
“I don’t care which of you played what part in my lack of dating life back then, but you both deserve a knee in the fucking balls,” I say, grinding my teeth. “Stupid, brainless Alpha-holes,” I mutter, walking away towards Evie and Ikram, who are both looking everywhere except towards us.
“We’re really sorry, Sunshine!” Jack says as I open the front door.
And I’m pretty sure I hear Nate mumbling “No, we’re not,” just as Evie closes the door behind us.
I can’t believe this. How fucking dare they? I was perfectly able to take care of myself, I never needed them to do that for me. And what if it ended badly with Jason? It had nothing to do with him “breaking my heart”. We ended things after a year and a half because he was annoyed that I was spending my weekends outside of campus with Jack, and was jealous of every person in my life. I was sad, yes, but after a couple of days I was more than happy to be rid of that assface.
“Alright, let’s get those drinks, shall we?” Evie says cheerfully, opening the passenger’s door of her car for me to get in.
“Yeah… I need to drink and vent.”
“Well you’re in luck,” she says as I sit on the passenger side, “we’re really good at both those things.”
“Especially with the venting,” Ikram snorts from the backseat.
Evie takes her seat behind the wheel and winks at me as she starts the car. And then, we’re off to wherever that cocktail place is. Yeah. Cocktails sound nice right now.
The Tipsy Turtle looks like a really modern and fancy tiki bar on a private beach. They give us our green bracelets and we pick a spot on the deck outside. There are lots of little sofas and comfy chairs surrounding round coffee tables. Light strings decorate the pergolas and candles illuminate all the tables.
So cozy, I feel relaxed already.
“Let’s start with a round of Margaritas, if that’s okay with everyone?” Evie says, sitting graciously on the little couch.
“Fine by me,” Ikram answers, falling carelessly next to her with a long exhale. “But I vote for Mojitos for the next round.”
“What do you think, Prudence?”
“Uhm… Yes, that sounds good. Any alcohol will do to be fair.”
I sit on the armchair facing them, letting the smooth lights and wave sounds soothe my nerves.
