This lifestyle is beyond anything I could have dreamt for myself. I feel like Ryan from The OC being thrust into this luxurious life that I did absolutely nothing to earn, but hell, that doesn’t mean I won’t soak up every last second of it while I can. Who knows when Channing will decide that he’s had enough of us. I can’t get too comfortable here or make friendships that are only going to be stripped away.
“Tell me about this ex-boyfriend,” Arizona says, slipping her glasses over her eyes and dropping down onto the sunchair.
“Uggggh, the guy is an asshole,” I tell her. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Beep. Beep.
My gaze drops to my phone as I make myself comfortable on the sunchair beside hers and groan when I see Colby’s name flash across the screen. I don’t even bother looking at it before handing her my phone and showing her the slew of texts I’ve received from him since Saturday night.
“Holy shit,” she gasps, her eyes widening in horror. “This dude is intense.”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “Apparently, it’s unreasonable to dump a guy for cheating on you, but it’s even worse not to be present for him to unleash his revenge tactics. Who would have known?”
My phone rings in her hand and she quickly holds it out to me. ‘“Sorry, didn’t mean to look. It’s Erica,” she says as I take the phone back and scan the name flashing on the screen.
Warmth surges through my chest as I answer Erica’s call and hold the phone to my ear. “Well, well, look who couldn’t go a whole day without me.”
I can almost hear Erica rolling her eyes. “I’m more than happy to end the call and leave you to discover all of Colby’s bullshit on your own.”
“No, no, no,” I rush out, laughing. “I’m sorry. Don’t hang up. I want to hear all about it.”
“There’s a lot to unpack,” she says. “Are you sure you want to know? Colby was in fine form. He was so freaking pissed when he got there this morning. I almost got my head bitten off. He wanted to know where you were, but don’t worry, I didn’t tell him shit.”
“Damn. I’m sorry you have to play this in-between thing.”
Erica scoffs. “In between would imply there are two sides here. It’s literally just him spewing insults and rage at me as though I’m the one to blame for his limp dick ending up in some whore’s cooch.”
“Actually,” I say with a cringe, almost guilty for having judged her so fast. “She’s not a whore. She’s actually really nice.”
“What? We’re friends with the dancer girl now?”
“Yeah,” I laugh. “Her name is Ilaria, and she introduced me to some of her friends. One of them is here now actually. We’re having mimosas by the pool.”
“You’re having mimosas and are only just telling me now? Shit, Bri, you’re losing your edge. Make space. I’ll be there in twenty and then I can tell you everything in person, and you can introduce me to these new friends so I can decide if they’re worthy replacements.”
I roll my eyes, a grin spreading from ear to ear. “No one is replacing you.”
“Damn straight and don’t you forget it.”
And with that, the line goes dead, and I drop my phone back into my lap and bring the champagne flute to my lips. This is going to be interesting, my two worlds colliding … Well, maybe not so much of a collision. More like a soft love tap, though there’s no doubt in my mind that Erica will love Arizona, especially when she finds out she helped me break into Tanner’s room.
Just the thought of the red lipstick smudged across his wall makes me laugh. Arizona was right, I’m so dead, but I’m looking forward to it. He’ll retaliate, but the question is, how?
Arizona and I fly through our mimosas, and by the time we’re back in the kitchen, Jensen is just getting home and letting Erica in with him. He gives me an awkward leer before disappearing deeper into the house, and as Erica waltzes into the kitchen, her lips twist with unease, sensing that same discomfort from Jensen as the rest of us.
“What’s that dude’s problem?” she whispers, walking into me. I go to give her a quick hug at the same moment her fingers curl around the glass flute, leaving us in an awkward half hug. “I mean, I was just going for your drink, but if you want to make this a whole hugging event, I suppose I could go back and try it again.”
“Shut up and hug me and then make your own damn drink.”
Erica laughs and wraps her arms around me, and as she squeezes me tight, she looks over my shoulder at Arizona. “You must be one of these new friends,” she says. “What’s your stance on revenge sex?”
Arizona pours another drink and holds it up for Erica to take. “As long as it’s hard and fast and you call him by his best friend’s name, then I’m all in.”
Erica laughs and clicks her glass against Arizona’s. “You and I are going to get along just fine.”
Erica finally releases me from her hug, and as we make our way back out to the pool, she tells me all about the bullshit Colby played today, dragging my name through the mud over and over again, but Erica and my other friends were right there to put him back in his place. By the end of first period, the whole school knew what Colby had done. Though, that didn’t stop the other girls trying to console him with a nice, tight hug … you know, the kind of hug that’s not given with your arms, but more like your mouth wrapping around a cock, but it’s fine. Colby’s the very definition of a minute man, in and out in under sixty seconds, so I’m sure he had plenty of time for all the hugs on offer.
I can’t lie, I thought the rumors he would spread would sting. I thought his dismissal and the whole school’s rejection would kill something inside of me, that my pride would be shot down, but I don’t even feel it, don’t even care that the people I used to know have been fed bullshit lies about me. It simply doesn’t matter anymore, though it should. When Orlando inevitably decides that my mom and I aren’t good enough for this life, we’ll be right back there.
The afternoon sun beams down on my skin, and I soak up every second of it as I tell Erica all about my first day of school with Arizona cutting in to tell the parts she thought were important. We’re only halfway through explaining our journey up the tree between the two big houses when the familiar rumble of a motorcycle cuts through the peaceful afternoon.
My eyes snap to Arizona’s and her wide grin confirms what I already know.
Tanner Morgan is on his way home.
Erica’s gaze darkens, her devilish need to cause havoc stirring deep within her, part of the reason I was drawn to her in the first place. She holds up her glass, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Let the games begin.”
And with that, she throws back what’s left in her glass, and we prepare for the most thrilling games of our lives.
Tanner Morgan, welcome to your first day of hell.
Chapter 10
TANNER
My bike rumbles between my legs and I cut the engine, letting the deafening sound fade away as Riley pulls up in his Escalade behind me, blocking the rest of my driveway. My helmet comes off with just enough time to catch what Riley is saying, and I glance back over my shoulder to see him indicating toward the sky-blue Honda Civic parked in the neighboring driveway.