“You wish, Lawrence. I’m not keen on catching an STD anytime soon, but thanks.”
A palm flew to his chest. “Ouch.”
I shook my head at both their theatrics, focusing on Ren again. “So, is that guy over there the new flavor?” I’d felt bad for asking in front of Tiffany, but I think she wanted to know even if she wouldn’t admit it.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Decided redheads were my thing.”
My lips twitched. “Not shocking. Weren’t the actors who played the Weasley twins your first real crushes?”
“Wasn’t yours an anime character?” he shot back defensively.
I laughed. “I wasn’t being mean I was pointing out that it’s no surprise.”
Tiffany grumbled out something about another drink before heading toward the bar.
“What’s her deal?” he asked, leaning against the spot she’d been at.
“You’re so stupid.”
He had the nerve to look offended.
“She likes you, Ren.”
The noise he made sounded like a cross between a grunt and dying chicken. “What the hell are you talking about?”
We both looked over at where Tiffany waited by the bar. A few guys had also been staring, one of them walking over to her and leaning down to say something that she didn’t seem to appreciate based on the scowl. “It’s pretty obvious. Then again, you’re always busy scoping out other people to notice.”
“She’s…” He frowned, looking back at me with something that resembled sympathy. “I just don’t think she’s my type. She makes a great friend. It’s not like I don’t like her.”
“You just don’t like her like that,” I said, nodding sadly. “I get it. We can’t force ourselves to like people if the spark isn’t there.”
“Sounds like you’ve tried, Del.”
I nibbled on my bottom lip, fighting off a small smile. “I mean, I did sleep with you.”
The laugh that burst from him caught way more attention than I wanted. “Oh, shit. Shots fired.” He downed the rest of his drink and shook his head. “So, it’s really him, huh?”
I knew who he meant. “Do you wish it’d been you?” I also knew that wasn’t what he was implying.
His sigh was lighthearted. “Nah. If I wasn’t such an asshole maybe I would have tried winning you over, but we both know it wouldn’t have worked because I’m a man whore and that guard dog of yours has always been territorial.”
“I love him, Ren.”
“Yeah. I know you do.”
“What are you going to tell Tiffany?” It wasn’t fair to make her think there was a chance if he knew there wasn’t.
A shoulder lifted. “Nothing. She’ll figure it out. It’s better than outright saying I’m not interested and hurting her feelings.”
“Is it?”
He hesitated. “We’ll be doing our own thing soon enough anyway. We only hung out at school for the most part, you know?”
That had me raising my brows. “Does that mean you have no intention of sticking around or keeping in touch with your friends?”
The exasperated look on his face made me smile faintly, but it grew when he drew me into him in a tight hug. “Don’t be stupid. You know I’m always going to bug you. Plus, I can’t see myself leaving the city. Can’t say the same about you, though.”
“Me?”
Tiffany joined us again, a new drink in her hand identical to the last one. “What are we talking about other than the likelihood of Lawrence’s penis falling off from disease in the near future?”
I gave him a pointed look as if to say see, moron? “Ren is implying that I won’t stick around the city now that school is over with.”
Her brows arched. “Will you?” My shoulders dropped at her question. “What is there for you here, Della? I mean, it’s not like I don’t want you to stay. But even I’m going to be coming and going. I’ll be performing across the country with a ballet company based out of California. Judith set it up for me.”
“What? That’s amazing!” I rounded the table to hug her, smiling when I drew back. “How am I just now hearing about this?”
“I wasn’t sure if…” When her words faded, the smile dropped from my face and was replaced quickly by a frown.
“Tiffany, I’m so happy for you. You know I’m not doing that sort of dance anymore. I won’t be. And after what Ripley said at our last appointment…” My shrug was casual, a period to the sentence. “It doesn’t matter about me. What matters is that you’re doing something amazing. I’m sure Judith and your family are proud.”
To my surprise, her cheeks pinkened. “I guess. They want to host a going away party next month. That’s when I leave. You guys should both come. It’ll make it less awkward when my parents are trying to brag about me like they know anything about my life outside of dance.”
I hugged her again. “Seriously, that’s amazing. I’ll be there. Have you told them about contemporary dance yet or considered doing something with that?”
She snorted like that was unbelievable, pulling back to sip her drink. “Not all of us get to decide what’s best for us and still be loved by people.”
My brows pinched. “Tiff—”
“Seriously, Della, it’s not a big deal. I love ballet too. This opportunity will be huge for me, so I’m excited. And have you considered what you’ll do now? You don’t have to be in the city to paint and sell your art.”
“Why do you guys think I’m going to ditch the only place I’ve ever known?”
It was Ren who said, “Why wouldn’t you? She’s right. This place has become a hellhole for you, and if what you told us about Sam and her dad is true, then it’ll only get worse. You don’t need to be around to see that.”
I went to argue but couldn’t find the words. Were they right? I didn’t want to see the downfall of another trial, even if a new one showed my father wasn’t all that bad compared to the people who pinned it on him. Had he been involved in the crime he was charged for? Yes. It wasn’t only him though, and he didn’t deserve to be killed so he wouldn’t name anyone else.
I stared down at my hands. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” I admitted in a whisper. I never thought about what it’d be like to leave because I never thought it’d be possible. My family and friends were here. Theo. His business.
Swallowing, I sighed and looked up as Sam and Gina were approaching. Chills crept down my spine as I held off from frowning. After what Kat told me, I didn’t want to be anywhere near Sam, and Gina was no better. She was the yes woman, doing anything Kat and Sam told her to without thinking.
I thought I heard Ren curse under his breath and get in front of me like he was going to use himself for a shield if it came to that.
“What do you want?” Tiffany asked Sam.
Sam ignored her and kept her cold eyes directly on me. We were never close. We hung out because she was friends with Kat, but I had no reason to believe she hadn’t liked me until the day I’d gone to Kat’s house all those weeks ago. Why would she when I did nothing to her? “Have you seen Kat?”