Gold - Linde K. A. - Страница 41
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A couple of hours later, she was standing at the bar at Posse with Trihn and Neal. A bunch of the football players were already in attendance. Maya was pouring round after round, and it was clear that what Eric had said about the scene after the spring game was true. It was going to get fucking crazy.
She’d promised herself she wasn’t going to get out of hand. Without Eric here, she didn’t really want to anyway.
“You’re not drinking like a fish, Queen Bee,” Maya said. She shifted into her hip and stuck Bryna with a questioning stare.
“Yeah. I’m waiting for Stacia to get here. Do you know why she needs to talk to me?”
Maya shrugged her dark shoulders. “Bartenders know everything.”
“And? What is it?”
“I’m not spilling.” The look she gave Bryna was absolute. “That goes against the code.”
“There is no code,” Bryna told her.
“Oh, there’s a code.”
“What are you? A pirate? Should I ask for parlay?”
“Oh, you’re funny.” Maya shook her head. Her dark locks framed her face, and her returning smile was genuine. “You just don’t know the code because you don’t bartend.”
“Fine. Does everyone know this secret, except for me?”
Maya smirked. That was answer enough.
“Great.” This was beginning to get ridiculous. How do I not know if everyone else does?
“There’s your little cheer slut now,” Maya said. She pointed out Stacia walking in from the patio door.
She was wringing her hands in front of her. This was not going to be good.
“Thanks.”
Bryna walked right up to her, unafraid. She couldn’t wait around and wonder any longer.
“What do you need to talk to me about?”
Stacia’s eyes widened. “Um…let’s go over here.”
She grabbed Bryna’s arm, and they walked to a more secluded part of the club. Stacia looked seriously nervous.
“Oh my God, spit it out. This is like waiting to open presents on Christmas morning, and your parents want to actually wake up and drink coffee first. Not that we ever had Christmas like that, and I always knew my presents ahead of time, but still…”
Stacia flinched. “Sorry.”
“Well?” Bryna spat anxiously.
“So, I don’t want you to bug, but I’m kind of, sort of dating Pace,” she said in a rush.
Silence stretched between them. Bryna was sure she hadn’t heard Stacia right. Stacia had spoken so fast that it must have been unclear. She had not just said she was dating Bryna’s creepy, disgusting, pigheaded stepbrother.
“What?” Bryna asked, her voice like ice.
“I know! I wanted to tell you in person. I didn’t want you to hear it from anyone else, so I asked everyone not to tell you. We’ve been sleeping around, but it was no big deal,” Stacia cried. “He was just another football player.”
“And now, he’s not?”
“No. We’ve been getting serious, B. I had to let you know. I know you told me not to touch him with a ten-foot pole, but I mean, I didn’t think it mattered if it was just sex. That doesn’t mean anything. You know how it is. Then, we hung out and talked, and he’s really kind of…great.”
“Great,” Bryna said hollowly.
“Don’t be mad.”
“Why would I be mad?” Bryna asked. “I just specifically told you to stay away from him because you don’t know what he’s capable of, and you’ve been fucking him behind my back. Then, you’ve started dating him and come to talk to me as if it doesn’t matter. Like I won’t care after I moved out of my house twice to escape him.”
“Bryna,” Stacia murmured awkwardly.
“Did he tell you to tell me about this?”
“No!” she cried. “He actually said not to tell you. He was worried about your reaction.”
“I’m sure.”
“Come on!”
“He’s totally playing you, and you don’t even see it. He wanted you to be quiet about it, so he could tell me himself. It’s all a fucking game with him. He wanted me to get pissed, so I’d isolate myself from my friends. It’s fucking high school all over again.”
“No! Bryna, it’s not like that,” Stacia said. Her eyes brimmed with tears.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about! Pace is obsessed with me. He’s wanted to fuck me since he moved into my parents’ house with his Valley trash mother. He’s trying to get to me through you, like he did senior year when he slept with my two best friends over New Year’s. This whole thing is another ploy.”
“God, B! Do you think of anyone but yourself? Pace likes me, and it’s not because of you. You sound pissed that one of your many admirers isn’t fawning over you, and someone else is getting the attention for once.”
Bryna’s mouth dropped open. “That is not the case. The last person I want fawning over me is Pace. I’d be perfectly happy for you if this were any other guy.”
“Fine. Don’t be happy for me, but get used to it because I’m not changing my mind.”
“Is this because he’s a quarterback? I know you want an NFL quarterback, S. Pace is the backup.”
“It’s his first year,” she spat. “He’ll start when Marshall leaves. And no, it’s not about that. I actually like him.”
“I can’t see how.”
“I knew this would be difficult, but you’re my friend. Can’t you at least pretend to be supportive? Even if you have to lie?”
Bryna ground her teeth. “It would be a lie.”
Stacia harrumphed, shook her head, and then stormed off without a word. Clearly, Bryna’s reaction had pissed her off too much. Maybe if it Pace really wasn’t using her, then Bryna could get used to the idea. Maybe. But it seemed unlikely.
Bryna’s eyes searched the room. Stacia had stomped over to Trihn and Maya and was probably talking shit about the confrontation. But that wasn’t who Bryna wanted to see. Her eyes found Pace standing next to the patio door, talking to some other football players.
She angrily stalked over to him, and the other guys scattered.
“What the fuck?”
“So, Stacia told you, huh?”
“Do you always have to try to ruin my life?” she spat.
“I don’t have to try. You’re really good at it on your own.”
“Ugh!” she cried out. “It’s just another game! Avery and Tara all over again, right?”
“No,” he admitted. “I actually like Stacia.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
“I told her not to tell you because I knew you’d react this way, but shocking, your friends don’t know your past. I was saving you some anger, but now that you know, stay away from Stacia. You’re not going to change her mind. We’re together. The end.”
Bryna screamed in frustration. What the fuck is wrong with the world?
She couldn’t handle being out right now. This was all too much. She wasn’t really pissed at Stacia. Bryna was just angry that Stacia had let Pace manipulate her so well. She had no idea what he was doing, and when she did find out, Bryna feared for her friend. She wasn’t sure Stacia could handle it.
Without another word to anyone else, Bryna stalked out of Posse. She walked to her car in the parking lot and drove across town to Eric’s house. She was too keyed up to go home. Eric would be able to calm her down after all of that. He always knew the right things to say.
She ground her teeth. She hoped Eric was ready to get fucked up because she wanted to down a bottle of liquor and forget the evening. Forget that Stacia and Pace were dating.
Bryna pushed open Eric’s front door.
“Eric?” she called.
No answer.
She hadn’t really expected one. He was probably studying. It was still pretty early, but he could be asleep.
Tossing her purse and heels at the base of the stairs, Bryna ambled into the kitchen. She dug through the pantry to find a half-empty bottle of Maker’s Mark.
“Perfect,” she muttered.
She grabbed two glasses out of the cupboard. They weren’t crystal or fancy or anything, but they would do in a dire situation. Good enough for now. Good enough to wash away the thought of Pace.
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