Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
But it wasn’t about the recipe. It was the love Parker put into them for some asshole kid she didn’t even know.
I was enraged when I slammed the baked goods against the road, but I just feel fucking sad now as I bend down to pick up the muffin container. It’s the same one Parker delivered them in when we were in middle school. I thought she’d get a kick out of me still having it.
I’m tempted to hurl the goddamn thing off the side of the cliff now, but I settle for knocking the fallen sugar and crumbs out of it, then I toss it on the floorboard on the passenger side.
I drive around for a while.
I consider going to Malek’s, but he’d want to know what happened. Considering he’s been telling me I needed to stop pretending to be the fucking valet and just tell her the truth, I know how fucking smug he’d be, and I can’t handle that right now.
You’re looking for trouble, and I’m telling you now… you look long enough, and you’re going to find it.
Of all the fucking things for him to be right about.
Malek has trust issues so I understood him not trusting Parker, but I knew better.
At least, I fucking thought I did.
For a while, I’m just fucking mad at her.
But the longer I drive, the more time I have to think, and the more time I have to think, the more I realize this is my fucking fault.
So, I drive over to Brittany’s.
I still have her number saved in my phone—not for any good reason, I’ve just spent so many years using certain methods to fuck with Parker. I didn’t realize I’d have bad habits to break.
“Come outside,” I text her, sitting in her driveway.
I thought about using her for the Javi bait, but she’s too volatile. I realize saying Brittany is volatile when Anae was the alternative is a little crazy, but maybe what I mean is she’s more emotional. Parker’s not wrong about Brittany. She’s a total wreck. Her dad was a piece of shit and fucked her up real good, making her pretty easy pickings for any asshole who wants to come along and take advantage.
Parker has long reviled my being just such an asshole, so when Brittany comes bouncing excitedly down the driveway, I almost fucking feel bad.
What has this girl done to me?
“Hey,” Brittany says cheerfully, bright-eyed and ready to go. She even brought her fucking purse.
I shake my head. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“Oh.” Her smile weakens at my tone, but she maintains her smile. “Okay. You want to come in? My mom isn’t home.”
“No. I just need to talk to you for a minute.”
Sensing I’m serious, her smile drops and she nods. “Okay. What’s up?”
“I wasn’t very fair to you, was I?”
She shrugs uneasily, not wanting to agree with something that insults me. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay.” I shake my head, looking past her. “I was an asshole, and I’m sorry. But the only reason I’m sorry is that there’s a girl I’m completely fucking crazy about,” I say, shifting my gaze back to hers since I know this could get out of control quick if I’m not careful. “And when I started to pull the same asshole shit with her, she didn’t let me. She’s spent years of her life investing in me, and the first time she thought I was out fucking around, she withdrew every penny of her emotional investment. Account closed. I managed to open it back up because I wasn’t dumb enough to actually do what she thought I did, but…”
Brittany’s eyes are glinting with unshed tears, but she still tries to hide it for me.
I sigh. “I thought she believed me, but I’m not sure. She may have some doubts. I need you to tell her we weren’t together yesterday. You made that fucking post, and I liked it to fuck with her… I know I have no right to ask, but…”
Brittany swallows, looking wobbly is the only way I can fucking describe it. But she nods, and she swallows again, and then she clears her throat. “I can make like a video or something.”
That she’s near tears and still offering to help me save my relationship with some other girl…
Maybe it speaks to who I am as a person that despite seeing how emotional she is and knowing what a fucked up thing it was to ask for, I open my phone and turn my camera to video.
“Can you tell Parker that I was not with you yesterday?”
Brittany offers a watery smile. She’s unsure of herself, but she wants to help. “Hey, Parker. I should have known. Anyway, Landon wasn’t with me yesterday. I was just having a bad day and listening to some music at the beach by myself.” She shakes her head. “He wasn’t with me, though. He hasn’t texted me back since he told me to stop texting him.”