Still Jaded
Page 26
I wrenched away my arm and then the bottle. "Are you kidding me? Who was I going to call? You? You're sleeping with Guadalupe, remember? And you think that I'm sleeping with Corrigan." I tipped the bottle his way. "Who I'm not sure if I'm even talking to right now. And Grace." I snorted. "Like I would call her. Not after I know she's lying to me." Then I rolled my eyes. "I'll do whatever I damn well please."
"Sheldon, be reasonable." Bryce followed me out to the patio. "What are you doing here?"
He sounded like he really didn't know. I looked at him in disgust and took a drink, though I couldn't taste it anymore. "Where else would I go? Maybe I could stay wherever you stayed last night because we both know you didn't go back to my place to sleep alone."
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Is that why you came here? Were you running away?"
I snorted. "No, Bryce. Yes. I don't know. Someone's stalking me, what a surprise, and I wanted to stalk someone else. I wanted to be in control. Look at that, my therapist would be so proud!"
"You don't have to be flippant."
"Flippant? Is that your new word?" I guzzled some more. I loved being drunk; it made the rest of the world disappear.
"Sheldon. We have serious problems—"
"You're telling me?!" I laughed, outraged. "Someone trashed my place, Bryce. Officer Sheila showed up at the hospital and told me about it. I'm thinking it's someone who's obsessed with you because this all started after you got to town. We know you've got the crazy fans, not me. No one knows who I am anymore except through you or Corrigan. I'm a nobody. I'm trying to be a nobody, and you won't let me. You all keep bringing me into your drama!"
Bryce was silent for a moment and then chuckled. "Someone trashed your place? Are you sure it's not from the party?"
"Officer Sheila told me what damage was done. They destroyed everything. It might not have happened if you'd been there."
"You're blaming me?"
I glared at him. "I don't know. Maybe. Where'd you sleep last night?"
"You tell me about Corrigan first," he shot back.
"Really? We're playing this game?" Again.
"We really are."
I let out an exaggerated sigh and went back into the room. I didn't know where to go so I sat on the edge of the bed. Bryce followed me and waited. I felt his presence loom over me. He wanted answers I didn't want to give. I wiped at an annoying tear and started, "I know you think Corrigan and I had sex, but we didn't."
Bryce waited a moment. "But…"
"But…we almost did." A part of me cared and a part of me didn't care. I didn't know my insides well enough to discern which part cared more. So I figured I'd explain it all, or the parts that made sense to me at least. "He left Spain because his mom had cancer. That was fine and dandy, but I missed him. I missed him a lot, more than I should have. For a long time I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, why would I miss Corrigan so much when I had you? Then I realized it was because I didn't have you. You played soccer. You were always playing soccer. I got it. I get it now. It's what you do, but I wasn't ready for it." Not then, not after what had happened.
I waited a moment for his reaction, but I didn't hold my breath. "I realized that I needed a friend, and since we all know I suck at making those, I was having serious clinging issues with Corrigan. When he left, we both know I went crazy. You told me to go home so I did. I felt a little better when I got back, but I didn't go straight to him or anything. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if I did, so I didn't do anything. It wasn't until a few months ago when I saw him again."
"That's when it happened?"
I nodded. I'd become numb again. "Yeah. I'd been missing you both so much and I was drunk. Corrigan heard from someone that I was back and came over without telling me. Things got…heated, but we stopped before anything serious could happen. I didn't see his penis, if that makes you feel better."
"I have a great girlfriend. That's such comforting news to share."
I shot back, "Well, I wasn't your girlfriend at that time. It'd been a few months, and I hadn't heard from you. Remember? You called the next week and acted like nothing happened. I took my cue from you, Bryce, and figured I didn't need to say anything. Are we even together now?"
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Why are things so weird between you two?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because something almost happened? Normal people would feel guilty, right? Maybe Corrigan's always had a thing for me? I don't know. I don't really care right now." Someone trashed my place. "Where'd you stay last night? A deal's a deal."
Bryce froze and then jerked forward. "I…"
I closed my eyes. I already knew. "Who was it?"
"I didn't cheat on you, but thanks for the vote of confidence." Bryce jerked up from the other bed and started to pace the room. "I left the hospital, and I meant to go find Corrigan. I thought it'd be much more work to get the truth from you so I was going to beat it out of him instead. I was halfway there when I got a call. Savannah saw me on the news and threw a fit."
"Your spoiled twelve year old sister threw a fit at four in the morning? What convenient timing."
"It's the truth." He glared at me. "You can call my mom if you don't believe me."
I batted his phone away. "You and I both know I would never call your mother." Not willingly, anyway.
"Then you're going to have to believe me."
"Like hell." I stood and started to get dressed.
"Where are you going?"
I grabbed my purse. "There's a restaurant here. I need to eat."
Bryce caught my arm. He pulled me back and touched my face. "You need to get your dressings looked after. What did the doctor say?"
I cursed and shoved him away. "I have pain medication, and he said to have someone re-dress the wound two times a day."
"So let me."
"Hell no."
"Sheldon," Bryce sighed as he raked his hand through his hair again. It was what he did when he was frustrated. "Come on. Just sit down. Tell me what I need to do. This doesn't have to be so much work."
"Sheldon, be reasonable." Bryce followed me out to the patio. "What are you doing here?"
He sounded like he really didn't know. I looked at him in disgust and took a drink, though I couldn't taste it anymore. "Where else would I go? Maybe I could stay wherever you stayed last night because we both know you didn't go back to my place to sleep alone."
CHAPTER TWELVE
"Is that why you came here? Were you running away?"
I snorted. "No, Bryce. Yes. I don't know. Someone's stalking me, what a surprise, and I wanted to stalk someone else. I wanted to be in control. Look at that, my therapist would be so proud!"
"You don't have to be flippant."
"Flippant? Is that your new word?" I guzzled some more. I loved being drunk; it made the rest of the world disappear.
"Sheldon. We have serious problems—"
"You're telling me?!" I laughed, outraged. "Someone trashed my place, Bryce. Officer Sheila showed up at the hospital and told me about it. I'm thinking it's someone who's obsessed with you because this all started after you got to town. We know you've got the crazy fans, not me. No one knows who I am anymore except through you or Corrigan. I'm a nobody. I'm trying to be a nobody, and you won't let me. You all keep bringing me into your drama!"
Bryce was silent for a moment and then chuckled. "Someone trashed your place? Are you sure it's not from the party?"
"Officer Sheila told me what damage was done. They destroyed everything. It might not have happened if you'd been there."
"You're blaming me?"
I glared at him. "I don't know. Maybe. Where'd you sleep last night?"
"You tell me about Corrigan first," he shot back.
"Really? We're playing this game?" Again.
"We really are."
I let out an exaggerated sigh and went back into the room. I didn't know where to go so I sat on the edge of the bed. Bryce followed me and waited. I felt his presence loom over me. He wanted answers I didn't want to give. I wiped at an annoying tear and started, "I know you think Corrigan and I had sex, but we didn't."
Bryce waited a moment. "But…"
"But…we almost did." A part of me cared and a part of me didn't care. I didn't know my insides well enough to discern which part cared more. So I figured I'd explain it all, or the parts that made sense to me at least. "He left Spain because his mom had cancer. That was fine and dandy, but I missed him. I missed him a lot, more than I should have. For a long time I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me, why would I miss Corrigan so much when I had you? Then I realized it was because I didn't have you. You played soccer. You were always playing soccer. I got it. I get it now. It's what you do, but I wasn't ready for it." Not then, not after what had happened.
I waited a moment for his reaction, but I didn't hold my breath. "I realized that I needed a friend, and since we all know I suck at making those, I was having serious clinging issues with Corrigan. When he left, we both know I went crazy. You told me to go home so I did. I felt a little better when I got back, but I didn't go straight to him or anything. I wasn't sure what I was going to do if I did, so I didn't do anything. It wasn't until a few months ago when I saw him again."
"That's when it happened?"
I nodded. I'd become numb again. "Yeah. I'd been missing you both so much and I was drunk. Corrigan heard from someone that I was back and came over without telling me. Things got…heated, but we stopped before anything serious could happen. I didn't see his penis, if that makes you feel better."
"I have a great girlfriend. That's such comforting news to share."
I shot back, "Well, I wasn't your girlfriend at that time. It'd been a few months, and I hadn't heard from you. Remember? You called the next week and acted like nothing happened. I took my cue from you, Bryce, and figured I didn't need to say anything. Are we even together now?"
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. "Why are things so weird between you two?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because something almost happened? Normal people would feel guilty, right? Maybe Corrigan's always had a thing for me? I don't know. I don't really care right now." Someone trashed my place. "Where'd you stay last night? A deal's a deal."
Bryce froze and then jerked forward. "I…"
I closed my eyes. I already knew. "Who was it?"
"I didn't cheat on you, but thanks for the vote of confidence." Bryce jerked up from the other bed and started to pace the room. "I left the hospital, and I meant to go find Corrigan. I thought it'd be much more work to get the truth from you so I was going to beat it out of him instead. I was halfway there when I got a call. Savannah saw me on the news and threw a fit."
"Your spoiled twelve year old sister threw a fit at four in the morning? What convenient timing."
"It's the truth." He glared at me. "You can call my mom if you don't believe me."
I batted his phone away. "You and I both know I would never call your mother." Not willingly, anyway.
"Then you're going to have to believe me."
"Like hell." I stood and started to get dressed.
"Where are you going?"
I grabbed my purse. "There's a restaurant here. I need to eat."
Bryce caught my arm. He pulled me back and touched my face. "You need to get your dressings looked after. What did the doctor say?"
I cursed and shoved him away. "I have pain medication, and he said to have someone re-dress the wound two times a day."
"So let me."
"Hell no."
"Sheldon," Bryce sighed as he raked his hand through his hair again. It was what he did when he was frustrated. "Come on. Just sit down. Tell me what I need to do. This doesn't have to be so much work."
