And I didn’t mind it one bit.
Chapter Nine
POST BUBBLE BURST
Adelaide
When I walked through the front door, the smell of barbeque and cornbread filled my senses. Mama was a fabulous cook. I could hear her talking on the phone, as she usually did when she made dinner. I glanced down at my cell to see a group text from the girls.
Coco ~ We need an update. Quick meeting at Addy’s. Be there in ten minutes.
She’d sent the message two minutes ago and everyone had responded to say they were on their way.
I peeked my head in and waved, motioning down to the basement to let her know the girls were coming over.
She covered the phone with her hand. “Dinner’s in thirty minutes, Adelaide. Don’t be late.”
“I won’t.” I waved over my shoulder and hurried downstairs.
Ivy was the first to arrive, and then Maura, Gigi, and Coco followed in shortly behind her. Ivy set the large notebook down and looked at me for a long moment before speaking. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, actually.” I shrugged. My world may have been turned upside down, but my heart was surprisingly in one piece.
“What did he say? We’re dying here,” Coco asked.
I shook my head with disbelief. “He admitted it. He said he messed up.”
“He messed up? What the hell?” Maura hissed.
“Wow. I thought he’d deny it,” Gigi said.
“Nope. And he’s been blowing up my phone begging me not to tell my parents what he did because he doesn’t want his parents to know.” I rolled my eyes. “He’s more concerned about them finding out than me finding out.”
“You need to tell your parents what an asshole he is. Your mom thinks he’s so perfect. She needs to know what she’s pushing on you.” Coco stood and paced in front of us.
“That’s what Jett said.”
The room fell completely silent and Coco stopped walking. “Jett Stone?”
I bit down on my lip and tried to stop myself from smiling. He’d made a horrible day kind of fun. “Yeah. Alec and I fought, and he chased me out to the parking lot and Jett was there. I asked him for a ride. We just talked for a bit.”
“Talk about life giving you lemons and making lemonade.” Ivy burst out in laughter.
“He is one fine ass boy. That must have pissed off Alec that you left with him,” Maura said.
“Yeah. He wasn’t happy about it. But he doesn’t get to tell me what to do.”
“Damn straight. Thank god you didn’t give that asshat your V-card. And you rode on the back of Jett Stone’s bike. Jesus. So sexy.” Coco dropped back down to sit beside me.
We all laughed and talked about all the reasons Alec needed to be out of my life. I didn’t know if that would ever really be possible. He was a part of my life no matter how I dissected it. But he didn’t need to be my boyfriend.
Been there.
Done that.
And I wasn’t interested in going back.
Maura’s parents were texting her to get home, and my mom shouted downstairs that dinner was in five.
“Quick dance party?” Coco asked before grabbing her phone and hooking her Bluetooth to the speaker sitting on our media center.
This was her solution to everything that ever went wrong. Coco Radcliff believed dance parties fixed all of life’s problems.
“Up,” she said to each of us.
House of Pain belted out the lyrics to “Jump Around,” and we shook our asses and danced until we fell back on the couch in a fit of laughter.
It worked every time.
I mean… my boyfriend still cheated on me. My future was in complete shambles. Everything I thought I knew was turned upside down. It was all still there. But laughing with my girls helped ease the sadness that sat heavy on my chest.
And the lingering feeling of hope still resided there.
Stronger than ever.
We said our goodbyes and I made my way upstairs. Daddy and Clem were already seated at the large farmhouse table in our kitchen. I stopped at the sink to wash my hands and dropped to sit beside my father. Mama carried over the basket of cornbread and set it beside the coleslaw.
“So, I just got off the phone with Lila.” Lila, a.k.a. Mama T, was my mother’s best friend. They’d been joined at the hip for as long as I’d been alive, and apparently since they were little girls. Here we go. Nothing got past Mama T. “She tells me you broke up with Alec?”
I dropped my napkin in my lap. That sure didn’t take long. I hadn’t even had a bite of food yet, and here we were talking about it.
“Did something happen?” Daddy asked, and I looked up to see his sympathetic gaze. Mama showed no signs of empathy, in fact, she appeared angry.
“Yeah. Um.” I thought about Alec’s request. But I was done catering to him. If he was going to run home and tell his mom I broke up with him, he’d have to deal with me sharing the reason it happened. “Alec cheated on me with Karina James, of all people.”
I forked a bite of barbecue chicken and took my time chewing it. Waiting for the uproar to start.
“I’m not surprised. Men have been putting themselves first for years. No offense, Daddy-kins, not you.” Clem spoke first.
“None taken, Clemmy. And I’m sorry to hear that,” Daddy said. “I’m sure it hurts.”
I nodded. “It definitely makes me question everything.”
“Pfft.” Mama rolled her eyes. “Please. Let’s not overdramatize this. He’s an eighteen-year-old boy. It’s a phase. Don’t make it a thing.”
My jaw dropped and I stared at her with disbelief. She was actually defending him after what I’d just shared?
“Mama, you’re actually a big part of the problem. Do not tolerate unacceptable behavior from the man. It’s our time to say no more. To stand together. March together.” Clem was on her feet, fist-bumping the sky, lost in a cause that far exceeded Alec Taulson. And I loved her for it. Loved her for always having my back.
“Clementine, sit down and eat your dinner. No one is marching. Teenage boys have been straying since the beginning of time. Alec and Addy will get through this. I understand why you’re angry, but it will pass. You’ll be back together by the end of the week, and I’m sure he’ll clean up his act.” She reached for her glass of wine and took a sip, before winking at me.
Winking at me.