Page 41 of Replay

“Sorry, boo, I need to work this weekend.” But I’m tempted to call out. For a reason I’m not willing to admit, I want to go to that game more than I probably should.

“Sorry, you’re on your own. Who else is going?” Darby asks.

“Mav, Cash, and I think that was it…” Bell says.

“Tori isn’t going?” I ask, knowing Bellamy’s disdain for Tori runs deep.

“Hell no! That’s why I was all about going with them,” she quips.

Even though she always brushes it off when we try to bring it up, there’s a stark difference in her relationship with her stepbrothers.And I have a strong feeling that even if Tori wasn’t the most annoying chick in the world, Bellamy simply wouldn’t like her because she’s Cash’s girlfriend.

“Well, enjoy the peace then,” Darby laughs, and she’s not wrong. Tori is a lot. She’s loud, quite obnoxious, and very over the top…and not in a good way. Her actions are usually very deliberate and a way to seek out the wrong kind of attention. However, if I saw the way my boyfriend looked at his stepsister, I’d probably be insecure too.

Bellamy stands up, mouth hanging open and panting. “I’m getting hot as hell. Let’s go out into the little comfy area and wait for our massage therapists. Please.”

Darby laughs at her sudden dramatics. “Sure, since you said please.”

“Are we going to discuss the fact that I found you in Nathan Outlaw’s lap?” Bellamy asks, clearing her throat, as we nestle up in a private area of the women’s lounge.

I swat at her arm, where she sits beside me on the plush couch. “You make it sound pervy when you say it like that.”

“Only questioning what I walked in on.” She puts her hands up, but the teasing smile on her face makes me laugh.

“He brought me flowers today, not just any flowers, but my mom’s favorite. Then we went for a walk…”

I proceed to fill the girls in on what Nate revealed to me. Unloading it all, from when I moved away to how dodgy Nate was acting before the night we broke up. Every gritty detail of my father’s indiscretions.

Once I'm done, both of them stare at me with their mouths open.

“Holy shit,” Darby says.

“Well, that certainly explains a lot,” Bellamy says, handing us both a bottle of water from the mini cooler in the lounge. I think his behavior since he’s been here has confused my best friends as much as it has me.

“What now?” Darby asks as she takes a swig.

“It was a hell of a lot to take in, and honestly, I don’t even know…” It’s the truth, of course, because I really don’t knowwhat to do with this information. I’m pissed he didn’t tell me. Deep down, I know he was trying to protect me, but it was something we could have worked through. Something we could have faced together. Instead, he chose to keep me in the dark, and I’ve been suffering the loss ever since. But if I'm being honest with myself, I think my real resentment lies with my dad and his mom. Not only for putting Nate in that position, but for hurting my mom the way they did. There’s no excuse for my dad’s continued adultery, and I’m not sure I can ever get over that.

“Can’t say I blame you. That’s a lot to unload,” Bellamy says as our masseuses enter the room to collect us.

Darby squeezes my shoulder. “Whatever you decide or need to vent about, we’re here for you.”

I smile at them both, then follow my masseuse to my room. I’m hoping I can shut my mind off enough to relax and enjoy my massage. Not sure that’s happening today, though.

I lie on my bed, staring at my phone and avoiding my dad’s calls. Thankfully, he doesn’t call me much, but I guess a day like today gets to whatever conscious he has left. But after what Nate confirmed earlier, I’m considering blocking his number.

And then there’s the text that Carter sent an hour ago.

Carter

Hey beautiful, decide what you’d like to have for dinner, and I’ll pick it up after practice. We can watch any movie you choose… I promise I won’t argue. I'm thinking of you today.

I know I need to respond. It's not fair to leave him in limbo, but he’s not good at this stuff, and I don’t think I have the energy to fake it for him. Wiping the residue from the honey barbecue chips I’ve been eating off on the old t-shirt I’m wearing, I text him back. I’m in full slob fest tonight, and I don’t want anyone to see me like this.

Me

Hey you! Can we grab breakfast tomorrow or Friday before you leave instead? I’m sorry. I have a headache and planning to crash soon.

Then I go into my call log and delete my dad’s calls, not wanting to see them in my recent history for my own mental health.

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