Page 6 of Just a Little Prick

Why did I want to open up to her? We weren’t that close. She was sweet, and I liked her, but we were more friendly acquaintances than friends. Still, her tone and the expression on her face were so caring, and I just…needed to talk to somebody.

“My boyfriend. Chris,” I choked out. “I… I moved here because I want to own a bakery one day. Right? And we…talked. We talked. And we felt like we could handle long distance. So I moved.”

She rested one hand on my knee. It was comforting. “Yeah?”

“I haven’t been here long. And a few days ago, he… he tells me he’s been sleeping with my best friend!” I let out another sob, louder this time. “And not just since I left, but before! When I was still in town!”

“Oh, shit,” Kenzie said. She shifted, perching on the edge of the box, and wrapped both arms around me. “Oh, my god. What a fucking asshole.”

“Right?” I wiped my eyes. “He keeps texting me to say he’s sorry, and I’m just like, if you were sorry, you wouldn’t have done it to begin with. Right?”

Kenzie nodded. I wasn’t sure if she was agreeing, or just being sympathetic. Either way, it helped. “Hey. Listen. Why don’t we do something tonight, huh? I know you’ve only been here for a month, so, maybe you and me can go out for a few drinks?”

“I don’t know…”

She looked at the bottle of rum next to me. “I mean, I know you do drink, so…”

I smiled through my tears. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. The rum’s yours now. So how about drinks tonight?”

Drinks. Obliterating memories of Chris in a few shots sounded good. I wasn’t so sure about socializing, though. “I don’t know, I…I’m not really feeling social.”

“I think it would be good for you.” She nodded sagely. It was hard to keep disagreeing with her. “My brother works nearby. He and his friends always go to this bar down the street to unwind after work. They’re all kind of jerks, but they’re good guys at the end of the day. It’ll be fun. No commitments, no pressure. Just a good time to get your mind off this.”

I bit my lip. I’d seen Kenzie’s brother and some of his friends around. I knew they worked in a tattoo parlor, and from some of the stories I heard, they sounded like a wild bunch. It wasn’t really my scene.

“They’re kind of…a lot,” I said, trying to be as gentle as possible. “I’m not sure.”

Kenzie laughed, patting my shoulder. She let go and stood up, turned to face me. “It’ll be fun. And don’t worry about the guys, okay? I won’t let them do anything stupid. I promise. And if I tell Bradley to keep an eye on them, he will. Nothing to worry about.”

Maybe she was right. Maybe I did need a night out and a few good drinks. If Kenzie said she’d watch out for me, then I believed her. I took a deep breath. “Maybe for a little while. Okay?”

“Okay!” Kenzie brightened immediately. “Get yourself together and come back out, okay? The rum cupcakes should be ready for frosting, and you make the best spiced buttercream. I’d hate to ruin them with my shitty frosting.”

I laughed at that and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute. Thanks, Kenzie.”

“No worries. See you in a sec!” She smiled once more, then turned, leaving me alone in the cooler.

I got myself together fast and kept it that way for the rest of the day. A few of the guys from the tattoo shop came in throughout the day, and Kenzie spoke excitedly to each one. I tried not to pay attention. I was nervous, really. Going out wasn’t really something I did, and I still wasn’t sure this was a good idea.

And yet, once I went home to change, I found that I was a little bit excited. Maybe Kenzie and I would become friends. Or maybe she knew some other cool people. With Chris out of the picture, I could start settling into my life here. It was time to make friends, maybe flirt a little—after a drink or two, of course. They called it liquid courage for a reason.

I stood in front of my full-length mirror to look at myself one last time. Kenzie would be here soon to pick me up, and I was still fussing over how I looked. I’d let my hair down and brushed it so it laid perfectly, full and slightly wavy. Makeup wasn’t really my thing, but my favorite gray eyeliner and tinted lip balm had yet to let me down. My best jeans and boots made the base of a good outfit, but the shirt… I tugged at it. The purple shirt was snug, hugging the curves of my body, and I worried that it was a little much.

I looked kind of hot. Would it give people the wrong idea?

My phone chimed in my back pocket and I groaned. Kenzie, telling me she was here. It was better than another message from Chris, but it meant that I didn’t have time to change.

No going back. This was how I was going out tonight.

I took a deep breath, grabbed my purse, and headed out to meet Kenzie.

Chapter Three

Bradley

I agreed to meet Kenzie at The Republic. Hell, I was going to be there anyway and hopefully not have a repeat of the night before. The guys were all game, of course—any chance to drink and maybe get their dicks wet. We closed the shop a few minutes early, wrapped up our cleaning, and headed down to the bar.

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