My nose twists. “Be you?”
“You’re a badass—” She exhales smoke through her lips. “—but you’re a pushy pussy. You could’ve had any of these men groveling at your feet.”
“For what? So I can brag about it?” I wave a dismissive hand in the air. “I don’t need the self-esteem boost, thanks.”
“Girl, I might be someone that you believe is a whore, but at least I get what I want when I want it.” She blows a large cloud of smoke in the air. “I don’t sit there and daydream all night about it.”
“You don’t know what I do.” I return my attention back to the daycare building. “Just keep your comments to yourself, ‘kay.”
My cell buzzes in my lap, graciously allowing me a getaway from Blue and her bullshit.
UNKNOWN: Here’s another stupid line, but…I can’t stop thinking about you.
EMMY: And who might you be?
UNKNOWN: Damn, how many men act like ass clowns around you?
Alexander.
EMMY: How in the actual hell did you get my phone number?
ALEXANDER: Your assistant, Lola, is lovely. She practically sent my first message for me.
EMMY: And you used it to your advantage. How appropriate and not creepy at all. What do you want?
ALEXANDER: I told you that I had a hard time following directions.
ALEXANDER: I wanted to ask you to go grab that drink with me.
EMMY: The persistent and annoying award isn’t something I’m giving out tonight. Go check with Tammy or whatever her name was.
“He stares at you, you know.” Blue’s velvet voice progresses more in my inner turmoil, and so does the large cloud from her exhale in the front seat. “When you’re too busy on that laptop of yours. Though I think he’s right, you don’t—” I smack her blunt out of her hand, then twist my body to face her head-on. My fingers scream at me to wrap around her long, red locks and pull a basic ass bitch move.
“Quiet. I like fucking quiet. I don’t need some high school gossip or girl talk on who you think likes me or not. Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
Blue blinks at me, unmoved by my flaming temper. “Relax, blonde Barbie. Don’t pop a tit over it.”
“Again, fuck you.”
She lifts a perfectly shaped eyebrow then flicks her eyes to the backseat. “Do you want me to?” A conniving look flashes across her face as she looks back at me. I can see the wheels in her head moving. That she has the same games to piss me off that Bishop does. “That’ll definitely get Bish to make a move. Shit, if he thought you and I were fucking around in the background.” She lets out a wicked little chuckle. “Oh, girl...he’d be ready to give you all that dick.”
“You just heard me when I said I like quiet, right? Do you still have some come stuck in your ear from earlier or…?” She laughs again. Clearly, I’m amusing to her.
“I think getting with a bad boy will do you good. It’ll shake your cute and perfect little world up. Open you up to new experiences. And who knows…he might fuck you so efficiently that it’ll loosen that stick out of your ass.”
“Says the woman who hasn’t had a relationship last longer than a blowjob.”
Blue scoffs. “Well, at least I still live in a reality where I don’t bat my eyelashes and expect people to read my mind. Seriously, Em…I’m not sure what you’re waiting for. Marrying a prince was for when we were eight and thought Lip Smackers were makeup.”
“Stay out of my business,” I gripe for the tenth time. “You’re giving me a headache, and we’re not girlfriends, so keep your advice to yourself.”
Blue thankfully decides to keep her mouth closed, lighting up another joint and keeping to herself for once. I get lost on my Instagram page when metal slams against something loudly, and my head jerks up to discover what it was.
Outside are Bishop and Kyson pointing fingers every which way and arguing. But my immediate attention lands on the woman at Bishop’s side with blonde hair. Her legs are long in jeans, a yellow t-shirt hanging loosely over her skinny frame.
Except it’s Bishop’s hand that’s possessively clamped over her wrist that makes my stomach twist before Bishop gets into Kyson’s face again.
They never fight.
I mean, they do, but not like this. That’s Marty and him.
Bishop strides away from his best friend and towards his truck, leaving Kyson raking his red hair with his fingers. He looks agitated as he begins to pace the darkness of the parking lot, and I’m already opening up the car door to go to him.
Blue warns me off, but Kyson is the last person that would ever yell at me unless I really pushed. I’m not her.
His golden eyes find me approaching, and he stops, waiting for me to meet him.
“Are you guys okay?” I gently ask, peering to the open door where Mills and Marty haven’t come out yet.
“Yeah,” he exhales out. “Just...bullshit is all.”
“Who’s the girl?” Kyson lets out an angry snicker and begins pacing again. It’s my cue to leave it because this isn’t him.
Marty and Bishop are the two hotheads, but then again, their personalities clash too much. Bishop and Kyson are practically twins but a year apart. They are what I envy with my two older brothers. A real relationship to where they can argue but get over it a minute later.
But something about this doesn’t settle well. Kyson can usually blow Bishop’s shitty-ass attitude off like it’s nothing but this. Kyson paces and, drawing a palm down the side of his face, something is worrying him.
Or someone.
Their relationship is nothing like mine with my two older brothers.
Beckett and Adler are the heathen banes of my existence. Nothing is ever good enough by their standards, and I might as well be Susie Homemaker for they have the 1950’s mindsets. Working independently and not wanting to marry just for shits and giggles boggles their tunnel-visioned minds.
We used to get along as
