SWNOVELS Lilac: Chapter 29
“Are you sure you don’t miss it?” I asked our assistant. She’d just finished slipping me the weed I sent her to find.
“For the last time, Loren. No.”
Danielle, formerly known as Daniel, stormed off, swaying her hips paid for by me—so to speak. Her insurance company had refused to cover her surgery because it hadn’t been “medically” necessary.
And there lies the problem with our inherited human nature.
We only bothered to take care of one another when it was too goddamn late.
I was trying to talk myself into going back to the bus when Rich found me. The look on his face told me that I was pissing him off, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. I knew he was just as fucked up about Braxton and Houston screwing, but he and I had different ways of handling our problems. He dealt with them. I didn’t.
Simple.
“Are you really going to do this now?” he asked me as he came to stand in front of me.
“Do what?”
“Sulk and pout and make everyone around you as miserable as you are.”
I nodded once just to piss him off more. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
“What Houston did was fucked up, but you’re no better than he is. You weren’t playing fair either.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Arizona. You told Braxton about Emily.”
I’d forgotten all about that.
To make him feel better, I chose to pretend I hadn’t. “Good fucking thing for you that she was asleep. Close one, huh? Are you planning to tell Braxton that you’re already married, or are you waiting to knock her up first and put a ring on her finger? Bigamy is illegal, you know.”
“I wasn’t going to tell her anything because it wouldn’t have mattered.”
I heard the “but” at the end of his statement and waited for the other shoe to drop. The longer he took to spit it out, the more guilt I read all over his stupid face. “So, what changed?” I finally pried, keeping my voice casual.
At least I have weed.
“Let me guess,” I drawled when he said nothing. “You fucked her too?” I felt my heart beating out of control as I waited for him to admit it.
“She kissed me.”
I balled my fists and put all my focus on not using them on my best friend. “And?”
No way that was all they’d done. Rich had stayed with her for the rest of the drive up to Denver. I just assumed they’d been playing Scrabble or something since they were both Houston’s doormats.
“We didn’t have sex.”
“So what did you do?”
“Not all of us kiss and tell. Now come the fuck on. Time to go.”
I smiled even though he’d already turned away, and it wasn’t entirely forced. “I didn’t think you had it in you.” That made him stop in his tracks. “I didn’t think you’d cheat on your wife, fuck behind your best friend, and screw over your other best friend. Good job growing some balls, man.”
“Fuck you, Loren.”
“You did, remember? You’re just mad that I didn’t want seconds.”
Rich stormed off, and I smirked as I watched him go. Maybe now he’d finally give up this dream of us being friends again. The next time I was in L.A., I’d be sure to spit on Calvin’s grave. He hadn’t been from Portland like us, hadn’t grown up with us either. We didn’t owe him shit.
Sometime around one in the morning, I moseyed back over to where the buses were parked. Even high as fuck, I still noticed one missing.
Best couple of grand I’d ever spent.