“Dude, what the fuck! Are you that drunk already?” I ask Hailee, feeling that drunk myself.
Her eyes are glued to something behind me, I turn to look and she quickly pulls my arm so I’m facing her again. “I don’t think you wanna do that,” she slurs, her eyes wide.
“You’re acting like a weirdo,” I tell her, turning and following her gaze to a gorgeous blonde. I look closer. She’s wearing a loose, flowy dress that shows an exorbitant amount of cleavage, but does next to nothing to show off any kind of figure. She’s wearing cherry-red lipstick and a bomb ass smokey eye. She looks familiar but I don’t quite—
Hailee’s face is next to mine as she peers over my shoulder. “Let’s kick her ass.”
And suddenly, I know. Jackie fucking Marshall.
I’m stabbing my ice with my stirrer, which means I’ve switched to a cocktail, which means this night probably won’t end well for multiple reasons.
I cannot believe Jackie fucking Marshall is bouncing around in here with her big fake boobs and bright red lips. The minute I realized it was her, I wanted to throw up. Why would she be here? Clearly, they still communicate, otherwise what kind of crazy stalker would just randomly drop by at their ex-boyfriend’s show?
I’m pissed, but I don’t know who to be mad at. River? Jackie? Myself for letting him back in only to hurt me?
My brain spins a million miles an hour and I catch River’s eyes again, only this time, my panties don’t get wet. My eyes dart to his and I give him a glare, hoping he understands it means he’s royally fucked this up.
Confusion spreads across his face, so I decide to make it abundantly clear, looking from Jackie and back to him. His eyes trail from me to Jackie, and back to me, widening. He tilts his head back, and I can feel his frustration from here.
I have one moment of hazy clarity when Oliver takes my drink from me. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.” I look at him and he raises one eyebrow. I nod my head, trying to convince myself.
Hailee chimes in with, “I can kick her ass if you want me to.” She says it a little too loudly, swaying. She’s probably joking, but the people around us won’t know that.
Oliver looks down at her. “I feel like we shouldn’t be kicking any asses tonight, love.”
An unfamiliar voice interrupts our conversation. “What’s the problem, babe?” Jackie’s voice is high-pitched, like she’s trying really hard to be what she thinks is feminine.
I shift my eyes to her, to Jackie fucking Marshall and her pretty pursed lips. Hailee immediately slams back the rest of her drink, then tosses it behind her like it’s made of plastic and won’t shatter when it hits the floor. Luckily, Oliver catches it, avoiding a near disaster as she starts heading in Jackie’s direction. Fuck.
I trail behind Hailee like an obedient puppy, with Oliver on my heels.
“First things first, Jackie.” Hailee puts both hands on her hips, standing almost nose to nose with her. “You don’t get to call me babe. My name is Hailee, and you’ll call me that or nothing at all.”
My heart picks up pace and I’m fucking dying inside. My knees weaken with every second ticking by. River’s band plays in the background and I feel his eyes burning a hole right through me.
“Second,” Hailee says, throwing both arms in the air, “why the fuck are you here? Still living in the past?” She waits for Jackie’s answer and I don’t move from my spot directly behind her, ready to grab Hailee if she starts swinging. We don’t need any assault charges. Hailee is feisty on a normal day, let alone when alcohol starts flowing.
Jackie’s face slowly twists into a smile. “I’m not sure who you are,” she says in her condescending tone, “but you need to learn how to handle your liquor a little better I think, sweetie.”
Oh, no she did not. I step in front of Hailee and tell her I got this. “Jackie, right?” I ask, not waiting for her confirmation. “Listen, I don’t know why you decided to stumble in here tonight but you should probably leave. Are you here for River? Because if so, he and I are together. Give it up.”
I’m not usually a confrontational person, but the liquor has given me a strange confidence that feels weird coming from my lips. “You can go now.” I turn toward Hailee, who’s smiling a gigantic drunk smile at me, probably ready to give me a high-five, but I get a tap on my shoulder.
“Ava, right?”
I turn, looking surprised.
“Yeah, I know about you, too, sweetie. He’s told me all about you. He likes you, wants to spend time with you, sees a future with you. Blah, blah, blah.”
She’s clearly jealous, and I’m done dealing with her. I turn again, this time grabbing Hailee by the arm. The two of us and Oliver head back to our spot at the bar, the music drowning out anything else Jackie says.
Once we’re there, I resume drinking before stealing a glance at River. His eyes are still on me when Jackie saunters over to me, her red lips pressed to a can of Pepsi.
When she speaks, she does so with conviction, confidence radiating from her makeup-filled pores. “River’s great and all, a real gem of a guy,” she says, pausing to flip her hair and look me up and down, “but did he tell you I’m pregnant with his baby?”
My stomach churns and I lose it right then and there, vomiting a mess of food and liquor and what’s left of my heart onto the record-filled floor of Iconic.
Track Thirty-Three: It’s Not Right but It’s Okay
by Whitney Houston
AVA
I wake up the next morning, my head feeling fuzzy, an awful emptiness in my stomach and an ache in my chest. I sit up, immediately bringing my hands to my throbbing temples. Long white drapes let in a fair amount of morning sun and suddenly, I realize I’m not in my apartment. It takes a second to figure out where I am, what day it is, and who the hell I even am.
Oliver’s apartment. Sunday morning. Ava Keyes.
I lie back down and roll over on my side and Hailee’s big blue eyes are staring straight at me. “Jesus Christ, Hailee! You weirdo!”
She squints, and a look of pain crosses her face. “Woah, no need to yell. My head hurts just as bad as yours probably does.”
We both turn to the sound of feet shuffling toward us as Oliver rounds the corner into the room with a hand over his eyes. “Everyone decent?” We say yes in unison and he removes his hand, giving us both a look of disapproval. “You two ladies are quite the handful.”
Hailee motions for him to sit down on the bed and he does so, saying, “Last night was truly Iconic. Not in a good way, either.”
The moment he mentions Iconic, everything rushes back to me and I feel sick again. “I’m sorry, Oliver, sorry you had to babysit two drunk girls last night. That isn’t a good look for us.” Fucking Jackie. Fucking River. Fucking BABY?! A goddamn baby. My, how this changes things.
“Don’t apologize.” He cocks his head to the side. “How are you two doing?”
Hailee flings the blanket over her head and I sigh.
“Figured as much,” he says, leaving us to sulk together in her bed.