I wait until his footsteps retreat down the hall, then let out a breath. Why didn’t I stand my ground and push Rodney away like that?
Because as intimidating as Ward is, he doesn’t scare me the way Rodney did.
Rodney made it excessively clear that I was nothing without him, that I was worthless. He made me believe every problem between us came solely from me. It was the same debilitating hold my mother had on me.
I push away from the door. They were both wrong. I don’t need them. I never did.
Sixteen
Ward
Myeyesareonhigh alert for a woman about five foot five, owning a video of me. But she’s not at the kids’ soccer game tonight.
Figures.
“You’re famous? On TikTok?” Collins laughs.
I glare at her reaction to my five-minute rant over my recent fame. “It’s not funny.”
“No, you’re right.” She places a hand on her stomach, trying to catch her breath. “It’s hilarious.” She doubles over.
Okay, now she’s just being dramatic.
I roll my eyes and focus on the game she’s supposed to be coaching. Hallee just kicked a kid in the shin, soccer ball nowhere in sight. And Mollee is making grass angels.
“Show me the video,” Collins says.
I don’t want to. But to get her full sympathy, she has to understand what I’m talking about.
I pull it up and hand my phone to her.
It’s eerie watching a video of that night, a moment that was a mistake between me and Lyndi. Instead, millions of people are watching it, enjoying it, and “shipping it“.Whatever the heck that means.It’s twisted.
“Why are you upset? This video makes you look desirable.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Because she didn’t have my permission to post it.”
“She said she didn’t post it,” Collins retorts.
I scoff and take my phone back. “Crew’s smart, but come on. Kids can’t do stuff like that.”
Collins throws her head back and laughs. “Are you kidding? Just this week Hallee figured out how to order her own stuff on Amazon. She spent a hundred dollars on animal erasers.”
“You probably just left the tab open.” There’s a reason for everything. Except for this video.
Collins shakes her head. “Kids these days are made different. Technology is like second nature to them.”
“Even if that’s true, Lyndi could have deleted it.”
Collins arches a single brow. “Yeah. But everyone carries around a camera, so if you think about it, half of the world population is probably in someone else’s photo or video.”
Not like this.
“Why are you really upset?” Collins pins me with a narrow glare. “The fact that there’s a video out there without your knowledge? Or the insinuation behind it, that you could possibly be in a real relationship with a woman?”
“I could be in a real relationship with a woman any time I want.” I just haven’t wanted to for a few… years.
She studies me. “Ah. You like her.”
