Erica snorts a laugh and steps away from Jordy, moving closer into my side as she looks her up and down, preparing to go in for the kill. “What’s the matter, Jordy? Why so sour? Is it because even with his dick swinging around like a revolving door, he still wouldn’t touch you, or is it because Blake Darcy shut you down again? You know I heard he’s been railing Miss Douglass every Friday after football practice in the teacher’s lounge.”
“No way,” I laugh, glancing at my best friend. “That Miss Douglass is fine. If I were hitting that, I wouldn’t want a piece of an overused, bitchy high school skank either.”
“Right,” Erica agrees before turning back to Jordy. “You don’t stand a chance with a guy like Blake Darcy. Though, I’m sure you could get that kid … what’s his name?” she ponders, glancing back at me. “The one who picks his nose when he thinks no one’s looking.”
“Dale Cummings?”
“Yeah, that’s the guy,” she beams, turning her violent stare on Jordy. “I’m sure he’ll be down to help you clear out those cobwebs. Might need a little training first though.”
“Don’t worry about me, whore. I’ve been fucking your brother for the last six months.”
Oh fuck.
Erica’s fist comes out of nowhere, striking forward and slamming against Jordy’s nose like a freight train driving straight through a brick wall. Jordy flies back, nobody stopping to catch her, and as she falls to the ground, Erica moves in, hovering over the bitch and watching as blood spurts from her nose like a fountain. “MY BROTHER IS FIFTEEN, YOU FUCKING PEDOPHILE,” she roars, her voice traveling over the whole fucking party, gaining the attention of every last asshole in the room.
Reaching forward, I grip Erica’s wrist and pull her back to me, trying to calm her, but there’s no stopping this girl when it comes to her little brother. Her parents work so much that she practically raised him herself. “Come on,” I tell her, knowing all too well how anger and alcohol aren’t a good mix for her. “Let’s get out of here. There’s a Bradford party we could go to instead.”
She shakes her head, her gaze falling back to Jordy as a scowl settles across her lips. “No,” she spits. “We came here to do something and we’re not leaving until it’s done.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her, trying to fight for her stare. “We can do it some other time. We can find another way.”
“No, we have to do it now. I’m sick of having people talking shit all the time. It ends now.”
“Okay,” I tell her, slipping my hand into hers and pulling her deeper into the dancing bodies until we can no longer see Jordy sprawled out on the ground, bleeding all over the floor.
We move toward the big entertaining unit, and she slips my phone out of my hand before lunging for the big-ass TV mounted on the wall behind us. Bringing one foot onto the coffee table, I hoist myself up, the heavy, thumping music dying in the same instant.
The partiers look around in concern, probably thinking the cops are about to raid the place like every other party they’ve been to in the past few weeks. “GOOD EVENING HOPE FALLS,” I sing loudly to the gathered crowd as they turn to look at me, their brows furrowed with confusion. “I won’t keep you long. I know you’re eager to get batshit wasted and fuck your best friend’s girl, so I’m here to clear a few things up.”
“SLUT,” comes hollered from the crowd.
I laugh and point at the fucktard across the room, clapping my hands together in applause. “Wow, that’s an original one,” I cheer him on. “Good job. I bet your momma is so proud of you.”
“THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?” I hear Colby screeching through the room, bodies flying out of the way as he barges through the crowd to get to me. He moves in front of me and the anger in his eyes turns to fear as he glances between me and Erica, knowing damn well that I hold his reputation in the palm of my hand.
God, I really haven’t missed this asshole over the past week.
“Oh, hey,” I say, leaning down and giving him a dazzling smile before bopping his nose and being as condescending as possible, only to realize too late the white powder dusted across the tip of his nose. “If it isn’t my asshole ex-boyfriend. How have you been?”
“Brielle,” he snaps, fear in his eyes. “What the fuck are you doing? I’ve been trying to call you all week.”
Putting on an automated phone voice, I tell him, “Unfortunately, the number you have dialed has been disconnected. Please check the number and try again.”
Rage boils in his eyes and he reaches for me, gripping me by my hair and holding me to him. “Stop being a fucking cunt,” he growls, his mouth barely moving. “I’ll destroy you for this.”
My hand snaps out, my fingers slamming hard against his Adam’s apple, sending him sprawling back. He cries out and falls into the thick crowd before flying back at me, rage in his eyes. Panic tears through me, and I’m narrowly saved by his football friends holding him back to keep him from attacking me.
Smugness tears at me, but I’m not going to lie, I’m shaken. This version of him is a complete stranger to me. The guy I dated was patient and kind, but I’m quickly starting to realize that maybe I didn’t know him at all.
Smirking at him, I straighten out and shake it off, determined to finish this. “I’ve come to set the record straight,” I tell him. “Don’t you think the people of Hope Falls deserve to know the truth? Though to be honest, I’m a little surprised that you’ve even had a chance to talk shit with all the random pussy you’ve been slumming through. You should get yourself checked out. Wouldn’t want you getting crabs before a big game.”
“Bitch,” he snaps, his jaw clenching. “Say one more fucking word, I dare you. See what happens. I have a reputation to uphold, and what do you have? Fucking nothing.”
I laugh. What the hell is wrong with males these days? Why do they all insist on being assholes? “Your reputation was shit before, so I don’t see what you’re so worried about.” He glares up at me as I let out a heavy sigh, shaking my head, embarrassed by my own stupidity for falling for this guy in the first place. “What the fuck did I ever see in you?”
“Brielle,” he warns.
I scoff and glance up at the crowd listening to their gasps and laughter, knowing what they’re seeing on the screen behind me. “I give you exhibit A,” I announce to them, glancing back and looking at the image I’d taken of Colby fucking Ilaria last week. Though I’ve blurred her face, she was all too excited to have her tits shown off to the world. She’s proud, what can I say? “My boyfriend, Colby Jacobs, cheating on me with a Bradford girl at a party last week. I’m not the slut, you guys. He is.”
“Brielle, stop,” Colby spits, reaching for me as murmurs sound throughout the room. I evade his advances and watch over my shoulder as Erica changes the image on the TV to a screen recording that I took, scrolling through the slew of texts and missed calls I’ve received from Colby over the past week, getting worse as the days go on. “Exhibit B,” I announce. “Colby Jacobs being a toxic, desperate asshole and begging me to forgive him, insisting that fucking some other girl was purely an accident, and quite frankly, acting like a little bitch. So, there you have it, Hope Falls. I am not the bad guy here, your captain is. Show of hands, ladies. Who here has fucked Colby Jacobs over the past six months?”